Blanche felt a bit uncomfortable suddenly putting on an act. It was embarrassing, but she had to do it. She was supposed to pretend to be sick, right? Then it should be fine to simply do what children did when they wanted to stay in bed instead of helping their parents. The concubine put her hand against her forehead and shuffled around in her seat a bit before closing her eyes for a moment.
It only took a second before the marchioness next to her spoke up. “Lady Blanche, could it be that you are perhaps not feeling well?”
Blanche forced herself to suppress a smile and slowly opened her eyes. “I have to admit that I do feel a bit tired. I should have slept longer last night so that I would have had more energy for today. Please excuse my exhaustion.”
One of the countesses replied. “There is no need to apologize for that. Hopefully, it will only be like this for a moment. You may get back your energy after a few minutes of resting.”
The concubine forced herself to show a smile, which was supposed to look as fake as it was. “Thank you for your concern. I am sure that you are right. I will simply sit here for a while longer and hope for it to get better. I did not mean to interrupt the conversation. Please do continue.”
The other women didn't need to be asked twice. Another marchioness resumed talking about the previous topic. “I was in the middle of explaining how my husband bought that mine in the south, was I not? He managed to convince the previous owner to sell it to him in exchange for a small piece of land. And now he keeps bringing opals home as a gift for me. I still adore them, but I do believe that I will have to sell some soon.”
Duchess Vasquez replied with a wide smile. “If you decide to do that, please inform us. I believe that there are many people here who would love to buy some of them. Opals are less popular in the south now, but in the north, you could sell them for a fortune. From what I can see when looking at your jewelry, the gems also seem to be rather big and of high quality. You should be able to gain a lot by selling them. But you may be able to get even more if you hired a skillful jeweler to do it for you. Lady Peril, say. About the perfume that you are beginning to sell...” She continued to blabber on about that.
Blanche didn't listen anymore at some point. She just put her hands onto her cheeks and felt how warm they had gotten. By now, her face had to be completely red. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her stomach tingled while her whole body burned up. It was way too hot here, but she assumed that she didn't feel like this because of the room. But aside from that, she could think clearly without any issues. So, she focused on acting a bit sicker. She let her head fall forward and rubbed over her face for a moment before hiding a yawn. Maybe she should pretend to shiver too, but that would be hard to fake. She just swayed a bit before leaning against the backrest and putting on a frown.
Before another woman could comment on that, something else happened. A servant approached Owen with hurried steps and whispered to the knight. It was strange that he had come directly after the concubine had allowed herself to seem like she was barely thinking straight. The timing was too perfect. There was no way that this was a coincidence.
Owen listened to the man before nodding. Then he stepped closer to her and spoke just loud enough for the other women to hear. “There seems to be a commotion near the entrance area. I was asked to assist for a moment. Would Lady Blanche give me permission to leave for just a few minutes?” Owen looked right into her eyes while saying, which was enough to prove that this was part of the enemy's plan.
The concubine was almost baffled by how well Leon had guessed what would happen. She gave her best to look as naive while possible while replying. “Of course. I am in the middle of a party. What should happen? Go and help the others. But don't take too long.”
Owen nodded and followed the servant while gazing at the other man's back with a cold look. Apparently, he was disgruntled about having to leave now. He would probably turn around as soon as he had reached the entrance.
One of the countesses spoke up a moment after the knight had disappeared. “I still can barely grasp that His Majesty simply assigned his personal guard to you, Lady Blanche. You are so lucky to have someone care about you so deeply. It is like a fairy tale.”
The marchioness next to the concubine added onto that before the concerned person could respond. “It truly is touching. When we talk about what our husbands do for us, you must be bored because you are used to having much more. After all, His Majesty fulfills every single one of your wishes. He even built that winter garden for you, did he not? I managed to see it during his birthday party, and it was gorgeous. I have to admit that I am a bit jealous to not have a house like that too.” She let out a low sigh. “I would like to have someone indulge me like that too. My husband just does not compare to most young men of today.” She glanced to the side as if she was looking at a specific person, which, for some reason, upset Blanche more than it should. “But I fear that I will have to make do with what I have for now.” The marchioness turned to grin at the concubine. “That winter garden is truly beautiful, Lady Blanche. All of us would love to see it seen again.”
Another countess chimed in. “Indeed. That winter garden looked like it came right out of a dream. Maybe we could have a tea party there at some point?” She asked that but just continued to blabber on. “To see and hear how His Majesty dotes on you makes even women in my age believe in fairy tales again. That he saved you from the evil clutches of a manipulative traitor soundly like the romantic plot of a novel.”
Blanche finally managed to respond. “I am touched to hear that you think like that about us. That Theo and I met still feels like a dream come true. I can barely believe that-” She doubled over and coughed a bit. She didn't expect to be able to convince the others with her poor acting, but after holding her hand over her mouth and breathing in and out sharply, the women actually seemed worried.
The marchioness spoke up again. “It seems like you may not just be tired. Are you perhaps sick?”
Blanche inhaled and exhaled a few more times and dug her fingers into the couch below her. “I don't...I don't know... I was fine before.” She paused and closed her eyes while purposefully swaying a bit and letting herself fall forward a little bit. “I think...” She opened her eyes before narrowing them as if the light was blinding her. She put her hand on her forehead again. “I may have a fever. My apologies. It's not...good to come to a party while being sick. I would-” She cut herself off again and pretended to gag a little this time. She hurriedly held her hands before her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. Then she slowly opened them again and tried to scan the others' expressions while looking like she was staring into the distance.
Selena's face didn't hide her discomfort in the slightest. She felt horrible and clenched her jaw while balling her fists. She didn't want to speak up, but she did anyway after she had been quiet for the past few minutes. “Lady Blanche, perhaps you should go rest in a guest room? They are over there.” She gestured to the hallway that Leonard had mentioned, which happened to be directly behind the seating area. “Every single door at the end of the corridor leads to a small seating room. You can enter and lock the door behind you for some privacy. I will ask a servant to inform His Majesty.” She almost seemed to be pained while saying that.
And it was obvious why too. No one would send a sick person on their way alone. One would accompany them or ask a servant to help them or immediately get their partner. The most logical thing here was asking Theodore to come. But the duchess didn't seem to be able to do that. She was involved in this plot as well.
Blanche tried to sway a bit more before nodding while holding her head. “Thank...you. For your...kindness. Please tell...Theo...” She wasn't sure whether this was convincing enough. She pretended to gag again before slowly standing up. It was easy to act like she almost lost her balance.
A few of the women offered her help, but Selena quickly shut that down. “Please let Lady Blanche walk alone. I fear that she doesn't wish to be seen in her state right now. Especially if she might...you know.”
The concubine almost grinned at this obvious excuse but just gave her best to seem more miserable. “Thank you... I'd rather...be alone...” Everyone who knew her would be able to tell that she was lying. After all, she would always call for Theodore if she was feeling unwell. Maybe it was good that none of those people had talked to her more often. “I will...leave...”
Blanche forced herself to take a step forward while going as slowly as possible and lifting her arms as if she was worried about keeping her balance. The first few steps were a bit hard, but to her surprise, making it seem like she was stumbling was much easier afterward. She just steered toward the hallways and inwardly complained about the servants, who should definitely help a sick lady but ignored her. She arrived soon despite her slow steps and immediately stopped to lean against the wall.
After a short pause, in which she blinked a few times to make it seem like her sight was blurry, she walked forward again while keeping one arm on the wall. She reached the end of the hallways after a while. The sounds from the ballroom were faint, and she was pretty sure that no one else was here. She was tempted to drop the act, but there was no guarantee that their enemies weren't watching her. In fact, she was sure that someone was here with her. But she couldn't look around to search for them or her protectors, or she would make it too obvious that she was thinking clearly.
The concubine rounded a corner and almost forget acting for a second. There were two people right here, but she couldn't look up without alerting them. So, she just pressed herself closer to the wall and acted like she was barely able to keep herself upright, letting her eyelids drop.
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The man who spoke up in a mocking voice could be no one but Duke Vasquez. “Ah, Lady Blanche. You arrived too. Are you perhaps feeling unwell?” Steps sounded, and he came closer to her.
Now everything depended on her acting skills. Blanche lifted her head but let it slouch to the side while she looked at the duke with half-lidded eyes. “Your...Grace?” She slurred her speech as much as possible and breathed out shakily. “I...apolo...gize...”
Claude's wide grin appeared directly in front of her, and that would have almost been enough to make her gag for real. That man was way too close to her.
She took a step backward but paid attention to stumble and crash again the wall with her back.
Duke Vasquez clicked his tongue and smirked at her. “Well, well. What do we have here? The emperor's beloved pet.” He came closer again and lifted his hand to rest it on her head.
Blanche resisted the urge to shove him away and just blinked a few times without daring to move otherwise. It was almost impossible to hold still with the strange tingling on her scalp, but she forced herself to do so anyway.
Without a warning, Claude gripped her hair harshly. He dug his fingers into her scalp and pulled her toward him so that she let out a pained mewl. He brought his face directly in front of hers and grinned at her with nothing but malice in his eyes. “Or should I rather say...his whore? You're not so high and mighty now, are you? You were so arrogant before and looked down on me at every chance you got. And now you are completely at my mercy. You will regret ever making fun of me. You will be the one begging for forgiveness.” Before she could even process what was wrong with that man, he turned and shoved her away with so much force that she stumbled for a few steps before falling toward the floor.
She had believed that she would crash to the ground, but she collided with someone, which pushed the air out of her lungs. A man caught her and held her upright. For a moment, she believed that this could be Theodore or Leon, but a glimpse of black hair proved otherwise.
It was Luciano. She almost expected him to look down at her with indifference or a smirk as well, but he just looked pained. In fact, she was pretty sure that he was about to cry. But she wasn't sure since she couldn't stare at him for too long.
Blanche just let her head fall forward against his chest and forced him to carry most of her weight. It felt weird to be held by a man whom she had always told to let go of her. Now she was leaning on him, and her whole body seemed to show its irritation by heating her up even more. She actually felt like she was melting.
Luciano was silent for a moment before addressing Claude. “Father, this isn't-”
“Shut up!” Duke Vasquez was yelling at his son from the top of his lungs so that Luciano flinched. For a few seconds, both were silent as the duke's voice echoed through the hallway. Then he continued quieter in a hissing tone. “I told you that you will follow the plan, and you will do it. I can personally show you how serious I am about throwing you and your brat of a sister out otherwise. Have you understood?”
No response came.
Claude waited for a moment before resuming in an even harsher tone. “I asked if you understood me.”
Only now, Luciano replied while letting his head hang forward. “Yes.” His voice was shaking and so were his hands, even while he held the concubine upright.
Blanche had no idea what their family normally looked like, but she was convinced that the duke was completely psychotic. And it seemed like his relatives were trapped because of that. As long as Claude would pressure them, they were a danger too. The worst thing was that she had no clue what they were trying to do though. She could only listen while occasionally letting out some barely audible noises to make it seem like she was struggling to speak. Inwardly, she repeated Leon's words regarding her earrings though. In the case that something happened, she would have to try using that secret weapon.
For a while, everyone was quiet before Duke Vasquez spoke again, his voice even colder. “Don't look at me like that. Our family depends on this, don't you know that? Unless we become the royal family, the Estiens will crush us. Both sides are after us right now. Those damned brothers both dared to threaten us. We need to take them down first. So, pull yourself together and do what I say, you stubborn brat. Enjoy putting down the person that made fun of us.” That didn't sound good at all. Especially not the part about becoming the royal family, which was probably the most concerning statement politically-wise.
Luciano's hold on her tightened a little. “Never once did they-” He was cut off again, this time so loudly that he flinched.
“You moron!” Claude stomped forward to him, and Blanche almost feared being pushed to the floor for real this time. It truly felt like he was trying to shove her out of the way to get to his son.
But Luciano took a step backward just in time and pulled her with him. “I will do it.” He sounded much too desperate to seem like he was truly going through with their plan, but it was enough to satisfy the duke.
Duke Vasquez stopped in his tracks and replied in a much friendlier voice. “Good. It seems like I didn't raise an idiot then. Go on, hurry up. You have to be done by the time the emperor notices that she is gone. Use the room I showed you and make sure to hurt her as much as possible.”
Luciano's fingers dug into the back of her dress, and she felt how much he was trembling, which made her own skin prickle in a strange manner. “Of course.” He wasn't happy about any of this at all. Still, he seemed to listen to his father. He carefully maneuvered Blanche to his side and put his arm around her shoulders to guide her down the hallway and spoke to her. “I will bring you to a guest room. Don't worry, I will help you.” After hearing the whole conversation, these words didn't sound convincing at all.
Claude added one other sentence before letting his son go. “Take care of her and return all the mockery she gave to us.” Then footsteps sounded, which made it seem like he left.
Now Luciano was alone with her, and he brought her to whatever their destination was with very slow steps. Blanche did her best to hinder his movements as much as possible while asking herself how long she had to continue this act. Did she have to find out what they were planning to do to her, or was this much fine? Maybe it would be better to reveal whether they could actually trust the duke's son though. Right now, it seemed like he would listen to his father no matter what, which definitely made him an enemy. She was in the middle of thinking about that when she heard Luciano whisper.
“I told you not to drink anything. Why did you have to forget that?” He sounded like he was in pain while saying that. Then he was silent for a moment before looking around. He probably saw that they were alone and brought his mouth to her ear to whisper. “I'm really sorry. I have to act like I will listen to him now. I won't hurt you, I swear that on my life. So, just come with me, and I will find some way to contact His Majesty. Someone here has to...” He let out a shaky breath and stayed silent after that.
The concubine was pleasantly surprised by that, even though the way she shivered after he had begun to speak irritated her. That stupid drug made her all confused now, but that didn't matter. It seemed like Luciano was trustworthy after all. Of course, it would be better to wait a little longer to ensure that he wasn't lying, but she was rather certain that he was extremely reluctant to do what his father proposed. In any case, she had to confirm whether he would listen to his own consciousness or his father's. She would have liked to make sure that Theodore and Leon were there, but she still couldn't look around. She just had to let Luciano, more or less, carry her to the end of the corridor while stumbling a bit.
They rounded a corner, and he stopped abruptly, which almost made her fall to the floor, but he caught her once again. She barely managed to hold back her complaint and let her head roll to the side to glance at the area in front of them.
“Could you explain what exactly you are doing there, Luciano?” The one speaking with that authoritarian voice was none other than Cedar. He stood next to one of the doors with crossed arms, and behind him, Harris waited with a frown on his face.
Luciano, who had tensed even more, was silent for a moment before replying. “Good...evening, Your Royal Highness. Lady Blanche seems to feel sick, so I intended to bring her to one of the guest rooms so that she can rest in peace.” His voice shook too much for that to be convincing.
Somehow, it wasn't a surprise that Cedar picked up on that. He showed him his typical bright smile as he unfolded his arms and stepped closer to the other man. “I see. Then I, as a part of her family, should take care of that instead, right? I fear that it may be a bit strange to let Lady Blanche go with a stranger after all.”
Blanche was rather sure that many strangers had kinder intentions than the prince, but no one would ask her here. She just had to let her limps slouch and rest her weight on Luciano while watching the scene with half-lidded eyes.
Luciano looked at the other man for a moment before speaking up. “I understand. Unfortunately, I do not believe that it would be good to leave her alone with you either. After all, you are not very close.”
The response came immediately. “Are you saying that you don't trust me? I have to admit that I trust you less than you could ever mistrust me. At least in this regard. After the whole thing with your father, I would rather be careful. You could have informed my brother, and yet, you didn't, which is strange in itself. So, please do not make an issue out of this, and let go of her. I could just order you to if it makes you feel better. Harris can hold her instead. She will be more content with that than with either one of us doing it.”
Silence followed, and only quiet footsteps indicated that the servant approached them. Blanche could see Harris' blurry silhouette and fought the urge to open her eyes fully to see clearly. Instead, she just gave up using all of her muscles while Luciano carefully handed her over to the servant, who surprisingly still managed to hold her upright despite struggling a little. She didn't even need to be able to see what was happening around her to guess that the situation was tense.
She was rather sure that Luciano was worried to some extent. Whether it was about her or about his father's plot being revealed was unclear though.
But she had no idea what was going on in Cedar's head. Would he try to hurt her? Maybe. She was just glad that he wasn't the one touching her right now.
But her body didn't seem to care much.
Every fiber in Blanche's being complained and made her feel like she had a fever. She was burning up and every bit of skin that was touched by Harris or her clothes tingled as if she was overly sensitive. It felt horrible, like insects were crawling all around her. That made it hard to stay immobile but the slight drowsiness that told her to rest helped her enough so that she could force herself to be still.
Cedar stayed quiet until Harris had managed to stabilize the concubine's body before opening his mouth. “Then I will ask you to leave now. Search for Theodore and bring him here. I'm serious about this being an order, so hurry up.”
Luciano seemed to be taken aback by that but quickly regained his speech. “I... Yes, Your Royal Highness.” He spun around and rushed down the hallway to return to the ball. It sounded like he was actually doing his best to move quickly. Maybe he was really worried about what the prince would do now.
Blanche was starting to get a bit uneasy too. It felt horrible to basically rest on other people and make them carry her while she was actually fine except for her fever-like state. She was way too close to them, and it made her skin prickle, but she still didn't have a chance to back away. She only had to wait for what the prince would do now. She let her head fall to the side and rested it against Harris' arm while trying to look like she was aimlessly staring into the distance. Maybe it was the slight drowsiness that had been caused by the poison, but she didn't have much trouble acting like she was barely thinking straight.
It seemed to convince Cedar. He had previously looked at Luciano, who was hurrying down the hallway, and turned to her now. He gazed at her face for a moment before stepping closer. “Lady Blanche, can you understand me?”
It was tempting to end her pretense now since the original perpetrators had disappeared, but this was a good way to blame something on the prince. If he tried to hurt her, Theodore would see and be able to use this in a trial. So, the concubine let her head sink forward as if she was falling asleep and let out a small noise that she couldn't even define.
It was no surprise to see that Cedar's smile stayed upright like before. The surprising part was that he lifted his hand and put his wrist on her forehead. That touch sent a shiver down her spine, and she was pretty sure that she twitched. But the prince didn't seem to have noticed that she was awake. He would definitely notice that she was quite warm now though, and the question was what he would do with that information.