Soon the cake was done, and the concubine used thick gloves to pull it out of the furnace. She loosened the dough from the baking dish with a knife and carefully moved the dessert onto a big plate. Her work might not have been regarded as skillful by a confectioner, but she was proud of the result.
To her, the cake looked perfect, even if it was obviously created by an amateur. Despite this being her first try, the dessert had maintained the proper form without tearing too many times. The yellow dough appeared to be fluffy, and the berries were evenly spread across the whole size. The clouds of steam that were rising up carried the sweet fragrance that revived the livid memories of Blanche's childhood again. She almost saw her father coming home and hugging his family in front of her inner eye. She heard the twins nagging her because they wanted to eat the cake and her mother lovingly reminding them to have a little patience. For a second, she almost felt like she was standing right there in their living room while presenting her newest creation.
The corners of her lips lifted to form a small grin before she knew it. Then reality caught up to her, and she became aware of her surroundings. Her smile died down as she pushed the realization that these people, who had been so dear to her, were dead now. She swallowed and looked down while praying that the other people hadn't noticed her mood swings.
The gods seemed to be generous today.
Neither the chef nor Stella was facing her. They examined the cake and let out a few surprised comments, with the maid being the first to speak. “This looks amazing, My Lady!” She closed her eyes to lean closer to the cake and sniffed twice. “And it smells great too! How did you do that?”
The chef moved around the table to view the pastry from every side and then gave the concubine a questioning gaze. “Are you sure that you really haven't baked before? I can't imagine you creating like this on your first attempt without any help.”
Stella nodded at his statement. “You knew exactly what you were doing and didn't need to read up the recipe either. But I never saw you trying to make something in the kitchen ever before in all the time that you were in the palace.”
Officially, Blanche suffered from amnesia and didn't remember anything before meeting Theodore except for her name. If the maid and the cook here found out that she had knowledge from her childhood, this wouldn't fit together with the story she had told everyone. If she was lucky, these two could keep that to themselves, but in the worst case, they would spread this piece of information. The concubine needed to avoid such a rumor that could possibly reveal her lie to Theodore and make him doubt her under any circumstances. She would have to lie.
Blanche waved her hand around and hurriedly refuted their words. “This really is my first time baking. I read about this recipe in a book in the library. The author listed the steps in great detail, one after the other. The ingredients sounded like the result might be interesting, so I decided to try it out.”
The chef nodded at that reason, but Stella wrinkled her forehead. “A cooking guide? I never knew that there were books like that in the royal library. And since when does My Lady re-” She began in a skeptic tone but stopped midway. “Well, that doesn't really matter. The result seems to be good anyway.”
The concubine gave her a thankful smile and changed the topic. “The cake still needs to cool before we can eat. It would be tasty when it's hot as well, but it's better when it has cooled down.”
When no response came, she looked up and was met with Stella's bewildered expression. “We? I thought that you were going to give this to His Majesty.”
Instantly, Blanche mirrored her maid's confusion. “Why did you think that? I never mentioned something like that.”
The chef looked at her with wide eyes too and chimed into the dialogue. “I believed that this was a present for His Majesty as well. You asked about whether we would allow food coming from you to be consumed by him. You also suddenly decided to bake without ever doing it before this day, so I guessed that you intended to make something for him.”
The actual reason had been nostalgia, but Blanche couldn't tell them about that. Giving this to Theodore definitely hadn't been on her mind at all.
While the concubine had previously considered finding gifts for her lover, she had stopped about half a year ago. She wasn't talented in creating anything special, which meant that the result would be unsatisfying and everything that she bought would be paid for with her lover's money. Theodore had all the things one could need, and when he was interested in an object, it would belong to him in an instant. Additionally, he never admitted if he wanted a present and always insisted that she was all he required to be happy. With this, he had almost driven her insane before his last birthday. Despite spending weeks to find something, she had only gifted him a sash so that he could display his medals in the end. Theodore had been euphoric upon receiving it and worn it at many public appearances ever since.
Still, Blanche felt guilty because he showered her in presents while she struggled to find one suitable gift. She wanted to give something to him too, but a dessert surely wasn't the right solution. “This is the first cake I have made since-” She managed to correct herself at the last moment. “Ever. I haven't tasted this yet, and it probably won't be good. I can't offer this to the emperor. Besides, Theo doesn't like sweets, so he wouldn't enjoy this either.”
The only reason Theodore sometimes ate sweets was that his lover enjoyed dessert. Even then, he often got a version with less sugar than what was in hers. If Blanche had thought about giving him the cake, she wouldn't have made it so sweet. Now it was too late for that, so would her beloved even like this?
Stella quickly began arguing with her mistress. “But His Majesty would be fond of everything you give to him, especially since you baked it yourself. It also doesn't look bad at all.”
The chef nodded in agreement, which left Blanche to consider taking the cake to dinner despite her doubts. She would eat a piece today without having to wait for the next morning anyway, and the dessert would take until the evening to cool fully, so having it for dinner would be perfect. If she said that she wanted to eat it, she could get Theodore to taste a small portion as well. Maybe he would even like it, but in any case, he wouldn't be angry despite it possibly being bad.
Even though Blanche still pondered about it, the idea of gifting her lover something self-made had already planted itself into her mind. As she stared at the cake, she made the decision. “Alright. Then could you prepare two little pieces and bring them to the dining room along with dinner? Or no, maybe the whole cake?”
The chef gladly agreed to her request and placed the pastry onto the counter, where the other finished meals were stored as well.
Blanche didn't know what else to do, so she stayed in the kitchen in a corner where she wouldn't stand in someone's way. She chatted with Stella and watched the staff whirl through the room while they were balancing ingredients or cooking utensils and dishes.
The servants' coordination was impressive and only served as a reminder that the palace was filled with experienced workers. They created the meals in such little time that no normal person could dream of accomplishing this. When it was time for dinner, they punctually finished and began to store the dishes on the carts.
As the first servants left the kitchen, the concubine also moved towards the dining room. She made her way through the palace and realized that she was much more nervous than she should be. She heard the loud beating of her heart despite nothing having happened. She tried to ignore the tingling in her stomach and focused on the rhythmic clicking of her shoes on the floor instead. The tingling didn't disappear, which only made her annoyed with herself.
Presenting Theodore a cake she had baked would be a premiere, but it wasn't like anything bad could happen. The worst-case scenario was that her lover didn't enjoy the dessert. This wouldn't be a problem since he wasn't fond of sweets in general, and she knew him well enough to be sure that he would say that it was delicious either way. Still, she wanted him to genuinely like her gift.
She didn't know whether this was because it was the first present she had offered him in a while and hoped to give back a part of the devotion that he regularly gifted her. Or maybe it was because she had created something on her own for the first time in years and wanted his recognition to show him that she wasn't useless. Maybe it was because this was her favorite recipe from her childhood, and since she couldn't share it with her parents and siblings anymore, she wished to offer it to the person who was her family now. Most likely, it was a mixture out of all of those reasons. But her desires wouldn't matter much when it was about the emperor responding to a taste that he normally disliked.
Blanche arrived in the corridor next to the dining hall, and the first thing she saw was Theodore, who was about to enter the room.
Theodore lifted his gaze, and a smile formed on his lips as she approached him. He extended his arms towards her, and she fell into his embrace. They pulled each other into a short hug, and her lover murmured a quiet “Hello” in her ear. When they let go, he led her inside the dining room while Stella and Owen remained at the door. “So, what did you do today?” He posed the same question as usual, to which she would normally respond that she hadn't done anything special.
Blanche was glad to be able to change her answer on this day. “Not much. But I do have a small surprise after we finish our meal.” Her voice was carrying both her excitement and nervousness so openly that even she could hear it.
Theodore raised an eyebrow and sat down on his chair across from Blanche, who took a seat as well. “A surprise? Are you really going to leave me on edge for the whole dinner? I'm dying of curiosity already.”
The concubine let out a short laugh and lowered her gaze to her hands. She replied while tapping her fingers onto the table at a sporadic pace. “No, no. It's pretty small, like I said, so you don't have to expect something special or great. I made it myself, which means that you need to imagine a smaller scale.”
As they talked, the servants brought in the plates and left quietly after setting them down.
Theodore didn't look at the staff members and kept his eyes trained on his lover. “You made it yourself? Now I'm even more intrigued. Though everything coming from you holds a special place in my heart in the first place.”
Once again, he found the words that Blanche desired to hear. Despite the small unease that remained, a smile found its way onto her face. “I'm glad that you feel like that. Still, you will have to be patient before you get your present.” She picked up a fork and began eating while Theodore sighed in an exaggerated manner.
“I'm the emperor, I never have to wait.” He whined that in a tone that revealed that he was acting.
The concubine swallowed the piece of meat in her mouth before she answered. “The second part isn't true.”
Her lover let out another groan. This time, it was real. “I wish it was.” A slight frown came onto his features.
Blanche's grin faded as she observed his face while he was voicing this. “Are there still problems with Ocrea?” That was a stupid question. Of course, the issues hadn't disappeared overnight.
Theodore drank a bit from his cup and placed it on the table again. “That's still the biggest problem that keeps developing in the shadows. We need to wait for the messenger to bring our letters to Northern Ocrea and come back with news, which will take about two weeks. Then we have to reevaluate the situation and either try to continue communicating with the king or contact the crown prince. But currently, I also have to fight with the ministers again.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
His expression darkened as he continued. “They were quite competent and reliable until now. And suddenly, they are arguing with me because my laws would give the richest nobles a slight, nearly unnoticeable, disadvantage. As you know, many aristocrats become more wealthy every year, and some commoners have trouble affording food. This is why I planned on bringing a law that will raise the taxes on luxury goods in action.” He stabbed the meat on his plate with the fork and took a deep breath before continuing.“The people who buy them are rich anyway. Rich enough that they won't even notice the difference in price. Or they can brag about having bought a more expensive object. There aren't any issues with this but these greedy, old-”
The emperor interrupted himself and made a short pause. “These...men, especially Duke Vasquez, that moron, won't accept that because they would have to use up a little more of their mountains of gold in that case. Their discussions are infuriating because they can't give me any arguments but refuse to listen anyway. And that isn't even all. The trading contract with Clatos still has to be affirmed, as well as the new route from Esora to Ibela, which would connect the capital with the sea and simplify shipping fish. In addition, the conflict of Travuan and Clatos considering the territorial claim of both on Batra is concerning me. We don't need these two powerful nations to start a war close to our border nor them trying to conquer the land of our ally. As you can hear, it's awful. This year is just a big catastrophe. If you start listing all the problems we have to deal with, you can go on for hours. But...”
Theodore went silent for a few seconds. “All of this still doesn't mean that we can neglect our appearances in public in our own nation. In three weeks, the empress will host the annual tea party for the noblewomen of the capital. She won't be impolite, so you are invited as well. If you attend, it would be helpful to consult Leon about table manners again before that. However, I would understand it, should you be unwilling to go there alone. In that case, I can make up an excuse for you.”
She had almost forgotten that.
It was a tradition of the royal family to occasionally have events that were only for one gender, which usually happened annually. Blanche had already been at one meeting of this kind last year. Needless to say, her interaction with Seraphina without the emperor being there to interfere hadn't gone well. She didn't have any interest in repeating this and would prefer to stay in her room that day.
But ignoring the empress' invitation, only because she didn't have the motivation to attend, was regarded as being incredibly insolent. Aside from this, her presence at social gatherings was crucial to improve her image. In the end, she would simply have to greet the visitors, sit at the table and drink some tea without tipping over her cup. With Leonard's guidance, she should be able to accomplish this. For her reputation, she would have to do it.
So, Blanche ignored her unwillingness. “It's fine. I just have to be quiet and smile, correct? I'll stay there for a bit and then leave early.”
Her lover took another bite of his meal before answering. “Alright. I am sure that everything will be as boring as usual. I'm glad that I don't have to drink tea with all the ladies.” He paused once more to finish his piece of meat. “Though, admittedly, the men's conversations aren't more exciting either. Luckily, I don't have to attend anything like that in the near future. My work is already overwhelming enough and planning public gatherings is exhausting. I don't need these troubles right now. But even if the next big event is only in two months, we have to prepare some things as soon as possible. As you may remember, there will be a ball to celebrate the empress' birthday.”
Hearing this awoke memories of the last year in Blanche's mind, and she grimaced. That had been one of the most famous times that she had tried to undermine Seraphina's status and offended her publicly in numerous ways. “I know. I won't cause trouble again, I promise.”
Theodore cleared his plate and set down his utensils while he responded. “Naturally, I hadn't expected that you would. I only wanted to address the present. If you attend her birthday, you should have prepared a gift in advance. It can be something small too. Just tell me what you intend to buy, and I will give you the necessary amount of money or send someone to get it. The gift doesn't have to be special either. I only reminded you this early so that you won't forget it like last time.”
In hindsight, Blanche had to acknowledge her own bravery. Coming to the birthday party of a member of the royal family, specifically the empress, without a present and then announcing that she hadn't thought about getting one with a smile was definitely a sign of bravery. Though in her current position, she would name it a sign of stupidity and lack of manners instead. “I won't forget. I'll find something good in the next weeks.”
“I can help you choose the present too. In fact, I could also decide on a gift for you and bring it to the ball in your stead.” Theodore's suggestion was met with a firm refusal.
“No!” The concubine shook her head as she struggled to name a reason. “That would be disrespectful. I'll take care of that myself.” In reality, the fear of being conceived as ill-mannered was the smallest one of her worries. She was more uncomfortable with the fact that Theodore would give a present to Seraphina as well, and Blanche knew what that would lead to.
Theodore's gift was the one that the empress would adore the most. Along with a great number of jewelry that was more subtle than the usual accessories, he had set up a second office for his wife. This room wasn't as giant as the main office, but Seraphina would be able to store her favorite books there and could use it as her own workplace. Though he hadn't won her over with this, his wife had been surprised by his consideration. At this point, Seraphina had begun to like the emperor and wanted to improve her relationship with him.
This was already awful enough. Blanche didn't need to give Theodore another chance to impress his wife with a different present.
Thankfully, Theodore was fine with that. “Alright. Then remember to tell me when you find something you want to buy. I'm sure that you will get something she'll like” He gave her an encouraging smile.
“I will give my best.” Blanche finished her meal too and moved the plate to the side.
Her lover leaned onto his elbow as he gazed at her. “Then the long wait has finally come to an end. Are you going to hand over my present now?”
The forgotten bubbling in her stomach started again as Blanche pointed to the cover that was still hiding the cake. “Yes. You can look at it.”
Theodore's expression gave away how the gears in his head turned. He revealed the plate without hesitating and stared at the cake that was neatly cut into small pieces.
Blanche moved around on her chair and dug her fingers into the wood of the armrests while she waited for his response.
The emperor lifted his eyes towards her face before he spoke up. “You made this yourself?” He glanced at the plate once more before continuing after he observed her reserved nodding. “This has to be the first time that you ever baked one. It's perfect. How did you manage to make it like this?” He leaned forward to see the cake from the side. “I'm not saying this to flatter you. It looks fantastic.”
The concubine's heart skipped a beat, and a smile spread across her lips. “Thank you. I suddenly had the urge to bake, and the chef gave me this recipe. The kitchen staff helped me a bit, so the result seems to be alright for my first attempt.” Now that Blanche paid attention, it seemed like she had been lying to her lover extremely often in the last month. But telling him the truth would prove that her amnesia had been made up, and she could imagine what his reaction would be. Explaining that she had misled him the whole time that they had known each other wasn't an option.
So, Blanche quickly changed the topic. “It's a citrus-flavored cake with blueberries, by the way. I am aware that you dislike sweets, but I thought that you could maybe try a little bite to find out whether it's consumable.”
“I don't dislike sweets things. I just prefer savory meals, but I do enjoy some desserts too. Besides, if you were the one to create it, I would eat anything.” The emperor took the cake server and carefully lifted a piece. He grabbed Blanche's plate and set a slice down on it before returning it to her. Then he took a slice for himself too.
While the concubine longed for the taste of her childhood memories, she couldn't think about putting something in her mouth while she watched her lover. She wanted to see his reaction first.
Theodore inspected the cake before taking a spoonful of the dessert.
Blanche had to force herself to loosen her hold on the chair when a dull pain came from her fingertips from gripping it too tightly. She observed how her lover lifted the piece to his mouth, but just before he ate it, a thought flashed through her mind. “Wait! Doesn't someone have to taste-test this first? One of your servants?”
Theodore froze in his tracks to look at her with confusion. “Why would that be?”
She wrung her hands below the table as she recounted the dialogue with the cook. “Well, your food has to be eaten by another person before you consume it. To avoid poisoning and such. You know that, right? It should happen before every meal.”
Her lover let out a quiet laugh before raising an eyebrow. “So, you are trying to poison me?”
“No! I would never think about something like that!” Blanche's response came out with more desperation than she had wished to convey, which caught the emperor by surprise. After all, he was unaware that attempting to poison a member of the royal family had been the reason for her execution. To Blanche, thinking about her hurting her lover was a nightmare, especially since she knew that Sefare had originally wanted her to use poison to kill the emperor.
Theodore scanned his lover's serious expression with confusion before he reached over to put his hand onto hers. “Naturally, you wouldn't. I was just joking. But since you don't have such intentions, I don't need to worry about whether something harmful is inside this delicious-looking cake.” His face lit up with a playful smile before he resumed. “Besides, I'm definitely not going to share your baking with anyone else.”
She didn't have a chance to remind him that this was a rule in the palace. The emperor couldn't just risk his own safety by eating a beginner's attempt at preparing food without a recipe, but he didn't seem to care much.
Theodore put the piece into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. He didn't voice anything after the first bite and took a second one. Still, he didn't open his mouth, which only served to quicken Blanche's heartbeat even more.
The silence became unbearable, and she spoke up. “And?”
A grin grew on the emperor's face as he responded. “It's delicious.” The tension fell off her chest, and she took a relieved breath, which caused her lover to laugh. “You didn't have to be so nervous. I'll like anything you give me. Though this cake really does taste good. It's incredibly well-made, especially for your first time.”
Since Blanche had baked often, even if that had been years ago, this was logical. She smiled as well when her nervousness turned into bliss. “Really? That's good. I was worried that it might not have been as tasty as-” She caught herself before something about the past could slip out. “As I imagined it to be.” The concubine picked up a clean fork and put some cake inside her mouth as well.
She had recreated the taste of her childhood almost flawlessly.
While the cooks' version had reawakened memories inside her, this one catapulted her back into her old home. More than only the images and sounds filled her mind. She felt the warm embraces of her mother, the excitement of being carried on her father's shoulders and the intrusive hugs of the siblings that were trying to wake her sister. A lump formed in her throat, and she gulped it down with a sip of her tea. When she noticed Theodore's frown, she pretended to cough. If he believed that she had choked on something, it would explain her trembling voice.
She took a few seconds before attempting to talk. “I'm sorry, I swallowed it the wrong way. But you were right. It's good. I should bake more often.” She finished with another cough.
“Did you get rid of the piece? Should I pat your back to help you spit it out?” Theodore seemed like he was ready to jump over to her, which made her raise her hands.
“No, no. It's gone, but thank you.” Blanche wiped her eyes and concentrated on all the delightful memories with her lover. As intended, a real smile appeared on her lips, which seemed to convince Theodore.
He began beaming too. “You shouldn't eat so fast, or this will happen more often. Someone here was very eager to have cake.”
“I guess so. I'll be more careful from now on.” She demonstratively took another bite and chewed on it slowly. The flavor was the same, but the connected emotions weren't as overwhelming as before, for which she was grateful.
The couple finished their slices while chatting, and both ate another piece. After that, they finished their meal.
When they stood up, Theodore praised her again. “You seem to be a natural at baking. You should do this more often. If you enjoy it, I mean.”
The concubine nodded in response. “I think I will do that. It gives me an opportunity to keep myself busy when you are working.”
The emperor's face fell, and he looked to the side for a moment. “I'm sorry for having so little time for you. I wish I could change it, but as I explained to you, this year is-”
“You don't have to be sorry. Artias is naturally your first priority, and you can't simply ignore your duties. The fault doesn't lie in you nor do I blame you. I'm glad that you even make time to meet me for every meal and couldn't dream of demanding more than that. Just take care of yourself. I know that your work is important, but it shouldn't be a threat to your health.” Blanche couldn't help but scold him a little in the end.
Theodore reached for her hand, and she grabbed his to intertwine their fingers. “I know.” He pulled her into a long hug. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered to her. “I promise that I will have more free time when the current issues are resolved. Right now, the worst imaginable scenarios are coming true, one after the other. Next year, that will be different.” Indeed. Next year, so much could be different.
Blanche raised her hand to pat over his hair gently as she quietly replied. “That's fine. Don't stress yourself too much.”
“Just having you here with me keeps me sane in the midst of all this madness. Everyone is trying to grasp power without scruple, and they harm each other without a second thought. I'm so sick of this selfishness.” Theodore muttered that as he tightened the embrace for a while.
The concubine wanted to affirm this, but she would sort her previous self into the category of people that he despised. After all, the villainess had to have been selfish, or she wouldn't have tried to take her lover's happy end away, and Blanche had also done dumb things in this reality. Condemning that behavior seemed hypocritical to her when she was known as an arrogant brat already. So, she said something else instead. “I will always be here for you, no matter what.” Even when he didn't want her anymore.
When Theodore let go, his expression had softened. “We will stay together forever, so the rest of the world can go berserk, and we'll still be happy with each other... Though I would like to see that humans stop repeating the same harmful actions over and over again. War never was and never will be good for any participant.” He let out a dejected sigh. “Maybe the day will come on which they'll understand that. But until then, it's my responsibility to make sure that our country stays peaceful. Even if we have to sacrifice our own desires for now. I would love to stay longer, but I have to return to my office and finish going through some documents.” The emperor gave her an apologetic look and prepped a small kiss onto the backside of her hand.
Blanche smiled at him as she responded. “I understand. But don't go to bed too late. You need to get enough sleep.”
“I'll be careful.” After wishing her a good night, Theodore was about to leave the room when he turned around once more. “The cake really was delicious. You should make it again soon.” When he saw his lover's beam, the corners of his lips lifted as well. He then disappeared into the hallway.
When Blanche followed him, there already wasn't any trace of him visible down the corridor. Theodore seemed to have been in quite a hurry today.