“Lady Ravillot. Is there something you wished to talk about?” Blanche was getting increasingly nervous when she made eye contact with Sophia. Leaving without any further conversations would have been easier, but now she needed to wait for the response and possibly have to talk about unpleasant matters.

Sophia hurriedly nodded. Of course, she needed to tell the other woman something. “I'm terribly sorry about such an incident happening. I wish that we could have done more, but...” She looked to the side while continuing. “There was no way for us to stop them after they already started. I'm sorry.”

Blanche scanned the countess' face with confusion. She hadn't expected Sophia to be mad, but she hadn't thought she would receive an apology either. “Why are you apologizing? That is not your fault at all. The ones responsible were Her Majesty, the dowager empress and His Royal Highness. You are not to blame. In fact, your sister and your father even spoke up for me.”

Sophia folded her hands and nodded again. “That was the least we could do. But I'm still sorry. We never knew that you had such a depressing past. I saw how Lord Sefare was threatening you at the hunting festival, but I did not think much about it back then. I'm glad that I intervened, but I had no idea what was really going on. Your family did not deserve to be judged so harshly. And I can't even grasp how hard it must have been for you to be captured by such a horrible person. Thankfully, His Majesty was the one that found you. No one knew that you had such a secret...” She almost looked like she would begin crying in a moment.

Blanche was completely overwhelmed by that and could only stare at the other woman. She took a few seconds before replying. “I... But you couldn't have known. I never told anyone except for Theo and my maid. You helped me despite all of that and were kind to me. There was nothing else that would have made me happier than that.”

Sophia nodded once more and rubbed over her eyes to keep herself from crying. “Still, I want to offer help. I am always here if you want to talk about it. From now on, I am aware of everything, so I can react if I see strange men approaching you. I will help you as often as I can.” Now she really began crying, and a tear ran down her cheek.

Steps sounded next to them, and Seraphina came into view. She offered her sister a handkerchief and waited for her to take it. Sophia accepted the item quickly and dabbed the cloth on her eyes before blowing her nose. The empress sighed at that but turned to the concubine. “Lady Blanche, I wished to voice my condolences regarding your family's sudden death. The constitution is currently being changed to avoid such overly harsh punishments. It is admirable that you managed to keep your head up high despite being thrown into such an unwelcoming environment. I am certain that living with a power-hungry stranger that wished to use you to gain His Majesty's favor was not pleasant.”

It hadn't been that bad while Sefare had been trying to get the girl he had picked up to like him. In fact, Blanche had lived rather comfortably in his mansion. The only time she had been scared was when he had gotten angry after she had said that she didn't want to be sent somewhere to seduce and blackmail another man. Aside from that, Sefare had always been a poor actor, and his pretense of caring for her had not always been perfect. But back then, a few words had been enough to please her. As long as he had told her that he was proud of her and had patted her head occasionally, she had been blind enough to ignore his true intentions. Him having high expectations for her hadn't been a lie, but back then, he hadn't even shared his goal with her yet.

Surely, Sefare had planned to use her from the very beginning, but Blanche had never gotten hurt. So, it was a bit strange for everyone to act like she had been abused for years. She was speechless for a moment before hesitantly speaking up. “Thank you for your consideration and, more importantly, thank you for defending me, Your Majesty. But I do not think that it is necessary for you to feel bad. Lord Sefare never did anything to me. He didn't verbally or physically abuse me.”

Seraphina looked into her eyes for a moment before speaking up. “He may not have physically harmed you. But pressuring a young girl into basically using her body for his goal is destructive to the mind of any person, especially one that had recently lost their family. That he threatened you at some point is known as well. Even without that, it should be clear that he harmed you. Manipulation is a form of abuse too.”

Theodore let out a strange noise, which sounded like a snort, and muttered something under his breath, but he was ignored.

The empress calmly continued to speak to Blanche. “You do not need to defend that man nor do you have to feel indebted to him. You were put in an awful situation, so it is only logical that I wouldn't stay quiet if someone wants to blame you. I would like to use this chance to apologize. I was not aware of your circumstances, but after seeing you interact with Lord Sefare and members of the Vasquez family, I feared that you had indeed been working for them. After Duke Vasquez started to despise you, I even considered that you were a distant relative he wished to marry into the royal family. It took a while for me to figure out that this wasn't the case, but I could never have guessed that those people would have resorted to such methods in an attempt to gain an advantage.”

Somehow, it wasn't surprising that the clever heroine had worried. She would have been the one revealing this near the end of the novel as well, so it made sense for her to have suspected something like this. Thankfully, she hadn't found out the complete story this time, or she would have ruined the concubine's life again.

Blanche barely knew what to say about that. So, she addressed the only thing that bothered her. “You can rest assured that I do not intend to defend him. I despise Lord Sefare. If he had the capability of saving me, he could have helped my family too. But he didn't do that. He let them die to make sure that I would have no place to return to. He can rot in prison for all I care.”

Seraphina nodded at her. “That is the correct mindset. It is good that you were able to find out what he was plotting without anyone's help. You seem to have acted in a manner that was appropriate the whole time, and thus, you managed to choose the right approach. I am glad that you entrusted that information to His Majesty after you met. It would have been a serious issue if he had misunderstood this.”

Theodore didn't waste a second before chiming in. “Even if I hadn't known anything, I would have trusted her. I might have been worried for a while, but after hearing her version, any doubts would have been defeated. Love is much more than just claiming to care for each other. I will always be on her side.”

The empress showed a little smile at that. “That is good to hear. Thus, it should be easy to use this incident to our advantage. I believe that this reveal might have been very beneficial for her reputation.” Her expression neutralized again. “She not only hosted the ball without any issues, but she also did not cause a scene despite some people seemingly wishing for her doom. She calmly told them to apologize despite being upset. Naturally, the fact that her backstory is tragic and that others tried to use her while she still remained completely loyal to Your Majesty will also influence the way the public views her. The commoners' favor for romantic stories might bring you an advantage here. At first, I was worried about her reputation, but I believe that most of the people here have sympathy for her.”

Blanche almost couldn't believe that. She let her gaze roam across the room. She expected at least half of the people to give her looks full of disgust or hatred. After all, she had been sent to seduce their esteemed ruler to kill him later.

But she was met with a lot of pity and some weak smiles. It really seemed like everyone was seeing her as the victim. She had never once thought that she would be happy about that. But now she wouldn't have to worry about losing any chance to appear in public. She let out a deep breath and focused on the conversation again.

Theodore gently patted her head before pulling her against his side. “I'm glad that they understood what we were talking about and didn't just listen to the dowager empress. In any case, this will hurt her faction. That is why it may help us in the long run, but I'm still upset about her ruining Blanche's birthday. We need to make up for that now, so we will leave.”

Seraphina didn't object and just replied curtly. “I see. I will not keep you here much longer.” Then she turned to the concubine and spoke up again. “You may have become that woman's enemy now, but rest assured that far more powerful people are backing you. There is no need to hang your head low. You will be His Majesty's wife in a while, so you are entitled to be shown respect. You handled the matter about the apology and hosting the ball today well. Continue like this, and there will not be any problems.”

Blanche blinked at that. “Uhm... Thank you, Your Majesty. I will give my best.” She had no idea how exactly she would continue like this, but she would try to do everything in her power to help Theodore.

Her lover gently pressed against her back, which signaled that he wanted to leave.

Blanche immediately announced that to the empress. “I thank you for your kind words, but I fear that it is quite late at this point. We will retreat now then. Goodnight.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Seraphina gave her a little smile. “Then I wish you a happy birthday and a relaxing evening. Enjoy yourself.” With that, she stepped aside without attempting to address the emperor, who seemingly didn't have any interest in that either.

Sophia glanced at her sister before speaking up. “I wish you a good night too. Both Lady Blanche and Your Majesty. Sleep well.”

Theodore showed her a faint smile. “Thank you, Lady Ravillot. Do tell your family that I appreciated the support. I wish you and them as well a wonderful evening and an uneventful trip home.”

Blanche quickly added something too. “Yes, please tell them that I am thankful too. Goodnight.” She waved while her lover led her out of the room.

The guards, who had opened the door for them, closed it too so that the couple was almost alone with only a few knights here.

Almost immediately, Theodore wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest as he muttered in her ear. “Seeing you pretend to be scared almost broke my heart. You don't need to worry about me ever doubting you. Cedar could talk as much as he wanted to, and still, I would never ever question whether he might be telling the truth. I love you, and that won't change no matter what.”

Seemingly, he was desperate to reassure her even when he knew that she had understood this by now.

Blanche wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against him. “Thank you.” She tightened her hold on him as a small smile came onto her lips. Whenever she doubted that Theodore would stand by her side, he proved that she was wrong about that. She should stop comparing his reactions to the ones from the novel because it was obvious that he was a completely different person now. In the book, his distrust of his lover had caused him to distance himself, but in this world, he had never left any room for distrust. He had been right next to her the whole time even while she had been condemned. He had even managed to convince everyone that she was innocent despite the facts all making her seem like the bad one. She was silent for a moment before whispering to him. “Thank you for speaking up for me. I didn't believe that they'd be on my side. I was sure that they'd accuse me of trying to seduce you and think that I am a horrible person. You somehow managed to make it sound like I wasn't doing anything wrong. Not all of them will hate me. Thank you.”

Theodore put his hand on the sides of her face and guided her head so that she gazed up at him. He looked directly into her eyes while replying. “I didn't twist any truths and just explained how it truly was. You never did anything wrong. From the very beginning, you blamed yourself for nothing. Before you refute that, listen to me. This is how the situation sounds to everyone else.”

Blanche opened her mouth and closed it again to listen to what her lover told her.

He gently ran his fingers through her hair and pushed a lock behind her ear. “A young girl, not even an adult yet, was suddenly thrown in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Her family was executed, and she ran around alone, helpless and scared. An elderly, rich man picked her up and brought her home. He spent two years manipulating her and grooming her to be the tool that he needed to grasp power. Then he threatened to kill her if she didn't obey and told her to go to the emperor to end up in his bed. Without knowing that this man actually wanted to kill the emperor, she arrived at the palace and was all alone in an unfamiliar environment. She was scared and cried, and suddenly, the emperor came and consoled her. Then she broke down and told him everything, and he promised to keep her safe. If you heard that without being involved, would you blame that girl? She was only a victim from the very beginning.”

Blanche had thought about it like that a few times. After all, she had known that she had never had evil intentions. But the fact that she had lied to Theodore for years and that she had come here with the goal of sleeping with him to save her own life had been torturing her. In addition to that, she remembered exactly how excited she had been when Sefare had told her that she might end up living like a princess. The fact that she was the villainess had only made it even more obvious that her intentions couldn't have been pure. So, a part of her had always felt horrible and had been full of shame because of this. But if neither her lover nor outsiders saw her as a malicious person here, she could slowly forget about all of that.

The concubine leaned forward to be closer to her lover again. “Thank you.” She had needed to hear that.

“You don't need to thank me for telling the truth. You never had a reason to blame yourself for anything. You are innocent and you always were. Because you never did a single thing that you would deserve to be called vile or selfish for.” Theodore leaned his forehead against hers and kept his hands on her cheeks to keep her from moving away. “No matter what you did, you were always in the right, and everyone else was being horrible. I always loved you and always will, and back then, I was so-” He didn't manage to finish due to another voice chiming in.

“I'm sorry to disturb you.” Leonard approached them and waited for the couple to look up before he continued speaking. “That just now was certainly uncalled for. I wanted to say that I was surprised that no one was dead yet, and suddenly, that man collapsed. I still would like to voice my admiration for your self-control. It was a shock that you didn't immediately rush in to pay them back. But I assume that you will get your revenge soon enough even if this ended up with only them losing supporters.”

Theodore ignored most of the things the other man had said to come to the most important point. “What do you think? But we'll deal with that later. Did the doctor manage to give Sefare the antidote? If his condition is stable, we could probably interrogate him in a few days. Do you think that will be possible?”

Leon nodded. “He should be in stable condition thanks to the antidote. He hasn't jolted like that again, and the foam disappeared too. That means that he would be ready to testify a day after he wakes up.”

Theodore nodded at that. “Good. Then we will interrogate him as soon as he is ready. Would you prepare everything for that?”

“Of course. But there is something else I need to do first.” Leonard turned to the concubine. “I would like to express my regret for the situation that man forced you into. That is why I want to express my condolences. I have been wanting to tell you that ever since we researched this matter, but of course, it was rather unfitting for me to do so while you weren't aware of us knowing. And I would like to thank you for being loyal to our dear emperor despite all of those people pressuring you.”

Blanche looked at him with slight confusion before remembering what her lover had told her. After finding the letter to Sefare, Theodore and Leon had attempted to find something about her past. It seemed like both of them had known almost everything before she had even opened her mouth. Still, they hadn't ever treated her like she was a traitor. A little smile formed on her lips as she replied. “Thank you. What did you think when you found out?”

Leon shrugged. “I will be honest. For a moment, I distrusted you. I was worried about you giving Theodore something strange with your cake. But then I saw you clinging to him like always and quickly forgot that thought. There is no way that anyone who isn't blinded by love would act in such an embarrassing manner. The two of you basically behave like newlyweds every hour of the day, and an actor would have to mess up at some point. Since I have never caught you acting completely out of character, I was convinced that you weren't lying about your obsession with your dear lover. Much like he wasn't exaggerating when talking about his. It's not surprising that you are still as cuddly as before.” The secretary showed her a smile. “But I am surprised that you didn't notice that we knew. I am pretty sure that Theodore, Owen and I hinted at it at least five times each. We must have mentioned that he would trust you no matter what so often that you didn't even pay attention to it anymore. You also didn't wonder why I did not question your reaction at the jeweler's store when that blacksmith recognized you. You are a horrible actor, so it was very clear that you knew him as well. But I was so kind and made up a lie to hide that on the spot.” He almost looked a little proud while saying that.

Blanche couldn't help but chuckle at that. She had vague memories of being told that everything would be fine between her and Theodore by Leon and Owen. So, they had looked out for her from the very beginning. “Thank you for your kind words. I should have listened more.” She turned to her guard and greeted him with a bright smile as well. “I thank you as well.”

Owen merely bowed his head.

Leonard's grin widened. “We did rather well, didn't we? We never allowed our tongues to slip or revealed anything else.” For some reason, the secretary's smile faded in an instant. “Ah. Right. I almost forgot. There is an unpleasant thing too.” He gazed at Theodore. “Your beloved brother is waiting for you two. He wants to speak to you about what happened just now and about the poisoning.”

Cedar was here? That did surprise Blanche a lot. Camille had been so explosive that it would have made sense to drag her away immediately. Why would Cedar risk leaving her alone now? And why would he take the time to speak to Theodore despite knowing how upset his brother was?

Theodore's reaction was as expected as his face scrunched up at that. “Honestly? Wasn't I clear enough about not wanting to see them for a while?”

“You surely were. I wouldn't have been surprised if you had just let them be arrested for slandering your...” Leon mouthed the word ‘fiancée’ before resuming. “You could have just pointed out that they were accusing a member of royalty and the future-”

Theodore cut him off there. “No, don't say it. You know that we decided to keep silent about that for a while longer. We'll need to move slowly. After all, this is quite a big change. I'm very happy that you aren't looking at me like I'm insane anymore and fully support her instead.”

Leonard gave him a smile that made him look angry in some way. “That might be because I'm counting the days until I can stop acting as a mediator between you and the most powerful woman in our country because you insulted her once again. And I'm also looking forward to not needing to worry about you committing a murder every time that person decides to complain to you again. I also have to admit that Lady Blanche impressed me with her interest in our nation though.”

The concubine was a bit worried about the topic they were discussing but forced herself to think about something else. “We can discuss that later. Something else matters now. Are we just going to ignore Cedar? If so, then it would probably be better to have an excuse.”

Leonard crossed his arms and spoke up before the emperor could. “After the scene he caused, you don't need any reason to not ever want to see him again. Even if his mother was the main culprit this time. She truly seems to have hit her head somewhere. How was this supposed to gain her anything but the reputation of being confused and unnecessarily hateful toward an innocent young woman? This is only an advantage for us. No one will remember what exactly we said. The only thing that will be known is that the dowager empress tried to condemn a young noble lady for nothing and that a marquess was poisoned while the emperor fiercely defended his lover.”

Theodore shrugged, but he looked somewhat bitter. “The dowager empress doesn't believe in trust or love. She never believed in anyone unless they were working for her without caring for their own health. Even then, she never fully trusted them and threw them away as soon as she believed that they may have their own interests. I assume she thought I was the same way. My father had a strict rule of getting rid of traitors if he ever found any too, which was rare due to his nonexistent security measures. Maybe she guessed that I would be like him. That woman was convinced that there was no way that Blanche could see anything but my power and likewise believed that I would never love my angel more than like a toy to pass time. After all, she told herself that my father and Althea were like this. That thought was the only thing keeping her sane. At least we managed to humiliate her in front of every single noble in the capital. I am rather content with that. Even if I will still make sure that she regrets ever trying to ruin Blanche's birthday. I have some things in mind already.” That didn't sound like Theodore was planning on doing kind things. The look in his eyes betrayed that he was rather furious despite trying to hide it in front of his lover as he focused on her again. “I'm sorry that this party was abused by them. I will pay them back by a hundredfold.”

Oh, Blanche believed him easily.