Blanche had been quite embarrassed about her fancy attire, so she had immediately explained why she was even wearing it to the empress. That hadn't been necessary at all though.

Seraphina's lips formed a faint smile as she showed no sign of even slight dismay. “There is no need to justify what kind of clothes you appear in. I doubt that anyone will be able to prohibit you from wearing flashy outfits in the future. It may even be good to be a bit more extravagant. After all, suddenly changing your style would be odd.”

That indication surprised Blanche even more than the previous greeting. “I see. I would still hold back with so many accessories during a normal day though.”

The empress replied with a small smile. “As long as you choose not to wear a crown each and every day, I believe that it should be fine. Of course, no one can forbid you from putting on a crown each day, but I have to warn you. They are heavier than they look and aren't pleasant to wear for longer than five minutes. But enough about attires. His Grace, the Duke of Vasquez currently visiting His Majesty, correct? I heard that he asked for an audience, and it seems that he is here today. If you wish to upset him, just make His Majesty interrupt the audience for a moment to ask something trivial. That will certainly anger any normal guest.”

Blanche couldn't help but grimace slightly. It was way too obvious how insolent she and Theodore were being. “We are planning on doing exactly that. In fact, it will get even worse, so I can assure you that he will believe that we have lost our minds at the end.” She still wasn't sure which one of her lover's ideas had been the worst, but she would probably find out if she watched Duke Vasquez's reaction.

Seraphina thought about that for a moment before her smile widened a little. “I see. It is a shame that I will not be able to witness what his expression looks like when he loses his trust in the emperor. But I can imagine it already. Please do your best to make him regret coming here.”

The concubine almost couldn't believe that the dutiful empress was currently telling her this. But she just nodded while trying to hide her shock. It wasn't surprising that Seraphina wanted the people she deemed her enemies to suffer at all. Blanche was well aware. But that the empress admitted it like this was strange. “I will put in a lot of effort.” Even if angering Claude was rather easy.

After that, both women were silent for a moment.

Blanche didn't know what to say at first before she remembered what she had wanted to ask for a while now. “Ah, by the way. Have you exchanged letters with Crown Prince Linden already? I haven't heard much except for him arriving safely in Northern Ocrea.”

Seraphina's face became a little stiffer at that as if she was putting her stoic facade back on to hide her true feelings. “Since he took two weeks to travel back and the messenger took another week to deliver the letter, I was only able to send one while waiting for his response. It just arrived, so I can finally send a second one. He seems to be fine, and his father is pleased with the development of the relationship between our nations. Linden was merely a bit exhausted due to the long journey.”

For Seraphina, talking about this was probably harder than she showed openly. After all, she most likely had the desire to send letter after letter. But by writing letters despite not having received a reply first, one would indicate a very close relationship with the other party. Naturally, the wife of the emperor couldn't accidentally reveal that she was close to another man. Even if she and Linden had to miss each other a lot. In just a few more weeks, Seraphina would finally be released though.

This actually made Blanche look forward to the finalization of the divorce. It was still uncertain where the former empress could find a way to be with Prince Linden, but the concubine rooted for them. “I see. I hope that he will rest a bit and feel more energetic soon.”

“Thank you for your consideration. I will send him your regards in my next letter.” Seraphina turned her head to the side and scanned her attendants before continuing. “I will take my leave now to not disturb you any longer. You still have to attend an audience after all.” She showed the concubine a little smile. “But despite the interesting banter without our enemies, you should pay attention to your lessons.” Her expression became stoic in an instant. “How many guards were given noble households after the revolt in 1427?”

Blanche might have been surprised if the empress hadn't done this to her a couple of times already. So, she just responded. “One. The other four got it a few years later after they helped provide everything for the citizens after a flood in the north.”

That was all it took to make Seraphina smile again. “Good. I heard that you are also getting familiar with new documents now. Continue like this and never become lenient. The royal family depends on you. And thus, the whole nation and every single person in Artias too.” What a way to build up pressure. “Goodbye, Lady Blanche. Have a nice day. Until we meet each other again.”

The concubine tried her best to hide her uncertainty when it came to that topic and smiled as well. “I hope that you will have a relaxing evening, Your Majesty. Goodbye.”

Seraphina nodded toward her before turning around and leaving with her nervous maids and the gently smiling Noah.

Before Blanche had any chance of relaxing, her own attendants already spoke up.

Darlene put her hands on her hips and watched the empress leave. “What is she trying to do with those random questions? She has done this often for the last few weeks. Didn't she ask about what the ministers have to swear last time? You've always answered correctly, and still, she keeps questioning you. Maybe she just wants to see you fail.”

Stella chimed in with a serious expression. “I know. It's been bothering me too. I know that becoming a member of royalty is special, but having to know that much is exaggerated.”

Angelica nodded. “The emperor's secondary wives usually do not have any political role. That is why I am wondering why Her Majesty keeps acting like My Lady will rule Artias by herself in the future. There is no need for anyone to learn this much about history for no reason. The past is the past.”

At that point, Blanche realized that she would have to tell her maids about the divorce soon. It became increasingly harder to give reasons for some of Seraphina's ambiguous comments, but the concubine didn't feel ready to say anything. Obviously, Owen had heard about it already too, but suddenly revealing such a big secret to her attendants would be risky. After all, no one could hear about this before the supreme judge was done reviewing the contract and it was signed by both parties.

But the longer Blanche watched her maids discuss that topic, the clearer it became that she had to tell them the truth. It was already late, so she couldn't wait that much longer. But it was hard to decide where to start. So, stalling for time for just a few minutes should be fine. She waved her hand through the air. “Let's talk about that later. We need to go to the ballroom now.”

Suddenly, her attire wasn't the biggest issue anymore, so she didn't feel as embarrassed as she moved forward. Of course, she still felt weird, especially when people stopped to look at her and whispered. But she just forced herself to walk forward without tripping over anything. When they reached the first floor, she slowed down a bit to prolong their arrival and gain a bit more time to tell her maids. She didn't know how to carefully introduce the topic, so she decided to just be direct.

Blanche stopped at an empty corner and looked around a dozen times. She only stepped closer to her maids and whispered to them when she was sure that no one else could listen to them here. “There is something I still have to tell you. It was decided a while ago, but the issue is difficult, so no one could know. But now the supreme judge already has the documents, and they only have to sign, so I-” She was beginning to avoid the real topic here again. She took a deep breath and forced herself to start again with the only thing that was important and would allow the others to understand. “Theo and Her Majesty are...divorcing.” It was harder to say that than it should have been. After all, so much was connected to such a small sentence.

For a moment, everyone was silent. The expressions of her maids were similar to what her own face had looked like when Seraphina had told her about this for the first time.

Darlene was the first one to awaken from her paralysis. “What?” She almost yelled that and took a step back as utter shock was visible on her features. “That's not a joke, right?”

Blanche kneaded her fingers behind her back and shook her head. “It's not. Theo set up the contract, and she agreed on the day that Prince Linden left. The documents are currently being examined by the supreme judge. If he doesn't find any issues, they will sign, and it will be final.” Then Artias wouldn't have an empress anymore. It was somehow ridiculous that Seraphina would give up the one position that had even been emphasized in the novel's title.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The main character of “To Be Empress” would not be an empress for much longer. Even though that woman would have done anything to be empress, as the title had promised.

Now the other two maids also began moving again. Angelica was as shocked as her lover, but Stella was beaming. The latter one jumped toward her mistress and grabbed her hands. “Really? Do you know what that means? His Majesty only wants you! He won't accept anyone else, and you will be his one and only wife!” As soon as she said that, she froze. Seemingly, she had only noticed what she had hinted at that moment. “But that is...” It took a bit longer for the maids to process the news.

But once again, Darlene was the first one to react. A wide grin appeared on her face. “No way. You were modest the whole time while hiding something like this? So, you won't be just the secret empress but also the official one!”

Blanche would have liked to sink into the floor at that. But at the same time, she couldn't stay quiet and disappear. She had to prevent her maids from continuing to yell so loudly after all. “Be quiet! You can't yell about something like that!”

But Darlene only smirked at her. “Why? This is amazing! You will become...you know what I'm referring to. I won't say it if you don't want to, but once the wedding comes, the coronation automatically follows as well. Then you will not be able to hide anything anymore. So, why not be honest from the very beginning? I think that all servants here would be ecstatic to hear that you will become our new mistress.”

Stella blinked a few times as tears gathered in her eyes. “My Lady... You will finally be by His Majesty's side. You deserve it for being with him for so long. You will be a wonderful empress! He already gave you a crown too. We have to tell-”

Blanche shook her head vigorously. “You can't tell anyone! The divorce will be revealed to the public when they are ready and not before that. And the chances that I will actually become... The chances that Theo will carry out that stupid plan are low. How could I, a commoner, be put on top of the noble society? He will lose all of his supporters if he tries that! And there is no way that I could actually govern the nation in a way that would benefit the citizens. I would ruin everything his family has worked for.”

Both Stella and Darlene simultaneously began to protest.

Angelica was the one who spoke louder than them though. “That is nonsense, My Lady. His Majesty would still be by your side. There is no way that he would let you do something that could potentially trouble someone. He knows that you still have to learn, so he will assist you at all times. The nobles will certainly back his decision, no matter what.”

Blanche could barely compose herself at that. Why did no one among her maids voice worry about this situation? She herself didn't believe in her ability to govern anything, so why would anyone else? “You shouldn't just agree with that! It's a horrible idea. Theo will only cause problems for himself if he actually tries this!” She was about to get way too upset about this, but all attempts to calm herself down were unsuccessful. Until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and made eye contact with Owen.

The knight was expressionless as always, but he still managed to be comforting as he spoke up in a gentle voice. “His Majesty is not careless. He would never do something that endangers the nation's well-being. If he chooses to make someone his equal partner, that person has his deepest respect. You would not shoulder any burden alone, and with him by your side, there simply cannot be any issues. As long as you do not abuse your power, which I trust you won't, there is no reason to assume that you would be an unfitting empress.” The fact that even the deliberate and stoic Owen didn't see any problem here was even more concerning than the maids' opinion.

But Blanche understood that arguing wouldn't get her far right now. She had something else to do. Theodore was waiting for her entrance, and she needed to do her best to anger Duke Vasquez. With a sigh, she turned toward their destination. “We'll talk about this later when I am a bit calmer. Please don't tell anyone about this before the official divorce.”

Stella mimicked locking her mouth with an imaginary key before throwing it away. “Our lips are sealed.” Still, she was beaming from one ear to the other. That she would be able to hide this from Clark and George was unlikely.

The concubine watched that with worry before pushing those thoughts away. She focused on repeating the things Theodore had told her to do if she wanted to infuriate their guest. She wasn't sure whether she would be able to act like he imagined it, but she would do her best.

The angrier Claude got, the more mistakes he might make. And the more errors he made, the more likely it was that his deeds got revealed. Every piece of evidence could help them in a trial and might end up being the final nail in that man's coffin along with Sefare's testimony. Of course, the matter regarding the execution of Blanche's family was incredibly important to her. If Duke Vasquez really was involved, he would burn. To ensure that, she had no problem forcing herself to act a bit.

She stopped in front of the door to the ballroom and smiled a little at the guards that stepped aside to let her in. She took one last deep breath before putting her hands on the double door. It was time to pull through with their plan now.

Blanche remembered how she had done this exact thing during the ball after the royal couple's wedding. This time, things were different but still somewhat similar. She wasn't crying and hiding her grief and nervousness behind a smile. This time, there was the same amount of nervousness but even more wrath inside her. She would do her best to upset the man that believed that he could threaten her and get away with excuses afterward.

That thought was enough to allow her to beam despite her stomach churning. She pushed down the door handles and then laid her hands flat against the double doors to shove them open with as much force as possible.

The doors collided with the wall, and the loud noise echoed through the room.

Duke Vasquez, who was standing in front of the platform with the thrones, jolted at that and whipped his head around to see who would dare to rush into an audience without being announced. Upon recognizing the concubine, his face flashed with rage for a moment, but he hurried to cover it up with a wide smile.

Blanche didn't stop to watch him though. She rushed into the room and kept her eyes on Theodore, who was sitting on his throne and smirked at her. She moved toward him without a pause and climbed up the stairs to the platform as fast as she could go without tripping. Then she did one of the most insolent things her lover could have come up with. “Theo!” She called his name and hurried to him to fall into his arms.

Theodore caught her with ease so that she was now lying on top of him and could wrap her arms around him. “There my angel is. I was already getting worried. But it seems like you put in some extra effort while getting ready.”

The concubine nodded at him with a bright smile and did her best to ignore the guest, who was watching them. “I liked it so much that I wanted to wear it again. But I have no idea when the next party is, so I just chose to put it on today. Do you like it?”

Her lover carefully helped her stabilize herself on his lap before putting his arms around her waist again. “Of course. You always look like a goddess. How could I not be enchanted by your beauty no matter what you wear? If you smile at me like that, everything else is unimportant. But when you put on things I gifted you, I could not be happier. My heart is about to burst with joy.”

Blanche leaned forward to press a kiss onto his lips. “Then it was worth it. I will make sure to show you all the things you gifted me.” She tilted her head and placed a kiss on her lover's jaw. Then she slowly wandered downward and left a trail of kisses. She only stopped when she was about to forget that they weren't alone. She moved her legs back down and tried to climb off Theodore, but he kept her in his embrace. That made her kiss him again before he released her. Then she stood up with his help and combed through her hair with her fingers. Blanche turned to the side and climbed up the one step to the empress' throne before plopping down on it as if it was a meaningless chair she could lounge on. Now she finally turned her attention to the guest and showed him a radiant beam. “Ah. You were here too, Your Grace. I apologize for that just now. But it's been an hour since I last saw Theo, and I needed to greet him properly. I should have gotten ready in time, but I wasn't sure which attire I should wear, so I changed three times.” That was a lie and a pretty obvious one at that. Though, everything would be fine as long as she signaled the duke that she had let him wait on purpose.

This time, Duke Vasquez didn't even look mad. He just blinked at the image in front of him and tried to understand why the concubine was allowed to sit on the empress' throne with a tiara on her head. That she had greeted him before letting him speak had to baffle him too. Apparently, he was so surprised that he forget to get angry completely. “Good afternoon, Lady Blanche. There is no need to apologize. You look ravishing, so the effort has been worth it.”

Theodore replied with a smile. “Exactly. This was her attire for the ball as well. It was a shame you missed it, but you were lucky and had the chance to see it today. It's breathtaking, isn't it? She looked wonderful on the throne back then too and still does. I could really get used to this sight.” He turned to his lover and whispered to her. “But having you on my lap might be even better.”

By now, Blanche's embarrassment slowly became more noticeable. They weren't alone here with Claude. Aside from Owen, there were countless other guards, and she was a bit unsettled about what they would think about her afterward. Hopefully, Theodore had informed them that they would do strange things on purpose, like he had promised. Still, those people were there, and she couldn't make them unsee their cuddling.

Blanche was pretty sure that her cheeks were burning up and that she would not be able to keep herself from blushing for much longer. But right now, that wasn't an issue. In fact, acting like she was extremely embarrassed only enhanced their little act. She exaggerated a bit and put her hands on her cheeks while whispering back to Theodore. “Maybe. But then I won't be able to stop kissing you. You might not be able to continue your audience for long. You know that I can't hold back when you are with me.”

“The sentiment is returned.” Her lover gave her a little grin and reached over to her to hold her hands. He squeezed her hand when she put it onto his and leaned to her to press a kiss onto it. He stared into her eyes for a while before he turned to the guest again. “I hope you didn't feel neglected, Your Grace. We just had to catch up with each other, and now you have our full attention again. What were we talking about?”

Duke Vasquez forced himself to smile before replying. “You were mentioning the ball, Your Majesty. It was indeed a shame that I could not attend, but I heard a lot about what happened. It appears that those were not just rumors. I did not expect to see that Lady Blanche is truly sitting on Her Majesty's throne.”

That was one of the sentences Blanche had been waiting for. She was almost too embarrassed to say what her lover had come up with now, but if she wanted to upset Claude, this was the best way. “Well, I liked this one better. The other one is nice too, but I somehow felt more comfortable on the left one. Theo told me to choose, so I made my decision freely.”

As expected, Duke Vasquez's face scrunched up. He didn't point out that no one was allowed to take the emperor's spot though. One glance at Theodore's expression was enough to show him that the ruler had agreed to this, so there was nothing he could do. But the gears in his head were still turning as he tried to come up with something he could say about this. In the end, he seemed to choose the simplest option. “Is that so? Then we should just continue our audience. I do not wish to be disrespectful in any way, but there is something that I wish to inquire about first. Why is Sir Maillont here too? I feel like this is a rather personal matter, so including such a big number of people could possibly be avoided. Surely, he could leave the room for just a few minutes. After all, he also cannot protect his masters when he is sleeping for hours at a time. Thus, such a short amount of time doesn't matter much, correct?”

He wanted Owen to leave? That was suspicious. Did he plan something vile, or did Claude just feel embarrassed upon remembering being escorted out by that guard? But either way, he wouldn't win here.