“I will ruin them, I promise you that.” Theodore's vow was a welcome one.

Blanche patted her lover's back as well as she could while he held her and nuzzled her head against him. “I know that you will do everything in your power. First, we'll get rid of Duke Vasquez and the families that are closest to him, and then the dowager empress' faction will suffer greatly. Apparently, these two have issues with each other right now, so he might even testify against her.” That would be the best scenario. Blanche was silent for a moment, and when her lover didn't respond even as she had tried to cheer him up with that, she continued. “This plan worked out well, right? We'll resolve the matter with the previously unknown third party and weaken our other enemy. We will also solve the cases of my family and me being poisoned. And we found out that neither Luciano nor Cedar want to obey their parents. They are both being pressured by some power-hungry person. Camille and Claude also act very similarly in general, so we might-”

Theodore spoke up before she could finish. “I wish for that too, Blanche, but... They are similar but at the same time completely different. The dowager empress and Duke Vasquez got along extremely well in their youth. They were both ambitious and willing to work hard to gain power. They also were manipulative and cruel. The dowager empress because she doesn't care about what she has to do to hurt me and the duke because he is a sadistic bastard with an inflated ego. So, she thought that he was a useful ally, whom she could just frame for one of his countless crimes if an emergency arose. And thus, she found a way to bind him to her by making her sister marry him. Their union had nothing to do with love. I know that he desired his wife, but my aunt was terrified of him.”

Oh. So, even Claude's story about how he had fallen for his wife at first glance had been a lie.

Blanche should have expected it. “That poor woman. What happened?”

Theodore furrowed his brows but kept glaring into the distance. “As I said, Duke Vasquez wanted to marry her. He never cared about my aunt's opinion. Along with some pressure from her sister, who happened to be the empress, and their families, who both wished to gain power through this union, his persistence sealed her fate. So, she married him, and now the Vasquez family is tied to Camille.” The memory made him snort in annoyance before he focused on Blanche again. “And regarding their sons... Since the dowager empress and the duke share so many traits, their method of raising their children is also similar. They both wanted tools, which they could use to gain more power, more than actual children. In addition, Camille and her sister both taught their boys that they should smile to show that they are happy, and as you can see, both do their best to pretend until they fool themselves. I think Cedar actually managed to convince himself at this point.”

That was what Blanche had noticed too. From the very beginning, those two had seemed somewhat similar to her. “They give off the same aura too. It's just that Cedar's is worse.” The prince was way more intimidating even if he hadn't shown any of that today.

The emperor lowered his gaze and turned to her. “Their strange behavior is about the only similarity. Luciano had a loving mother, and he wasn't trained to hate another person for his whole life. His father might be a despicable excuse for a human being, who was probably violent too, but he paid attention to his son. Our father never even looked at Cedar. At the same time, my brother had that frigid block of resentment as a mother. She shows him affection, but you can't call that motherly love. That woman goes from smothering him until he can't breathe to suddenly telling him she hates him in seconds. She literally has people killed when they talk to him too much, just because she is jealous of everyone Cedar spends time with. Yet, she claims to love him. She just doesn't act like it. You saw how she is when he disobeys too. She hits him or throws vases at him and manipulates him by using his triggers against him. It's disgusting.”

Blanche could only nod weakly as her heart ached a bit. “I...heard her claiming that she would be disappointed in Cedar when he refused to obey. He didn't take it well.”

Theodore let out a huff of air and ran his fingers through his hair as his expression became a bit more dejected. “Yes, I heard her say that to him when we were children already. That...usually caused a breakdown, but it seems that he doesn't have those anymore. I was surprised that he could even refute her order. But I'm glad that he did. I think that was the first time in years. Otherwise, he is nothing but a marionette that is being played by his mother.” His expression only turned grimmer. “So, there is no way that you can compare him to our cousin. Luciano is still healthy and will be able to move on after this. He already decided that he would save his family by sacrificing his psychopathic father. But Camille broke Cedar completely. Even after this, he will not be able to cut off his contact with her, even if he wants to. He will fall right back into her arms this very evening. I'm not sure if he can ever get away. I would hope it for him, but I'm the last person that can help him. He was taught to despise me more than anything, and he will always compare himself to me. I can't reach out to him either. Not after everything that happened...”

Blanche felt like her lover told her this more to calm himself, but she gladly listened. She had been able to guess most of it, but hearing it for real was something else. And even if she tried to remind herself of how awful Cedar was, she felt a lot of pity for him. His childhood hadn't allowed him to become a normal person, and that was cruel. Especially because no one could do anything about it now. And Theodore felt pity too, even if he denied it over and over again. “I see. I understand why you can't do that, and you don't have to feel bad. It's not your responsibility. Not when he never felt anything but hatred for you. If someone can help him, it's mainly himself. Cedar needs to cut off his ties to that woman. Maybe he needs some help with it, but in the end, he has to do it alone. If he ever extends his hand, we can try to help, but until then...”

Theodore gently squeezed her waist, without knowing that her jolting wasn't just because of her surprise and also partially because of the drug, and leaned his head closer to her. “I feel like you always say exactly what I want to hear. You are truly my other half. You're the only one that keeps from losing my mind.”

Blanche leaned her head over too so that their heads touched each other. She took a moment to ban all thoughts that would ruin this romantic moment and tried to ignore how her body cried out for her lover's touch. “I just say what I'm thinking. If that helps you, I'm happy. You always say what I need to hear too. Maybe we really were made for each other.” Even if the novel proposed otherwise, both were fully content with each other, so she wouldn't doubt that anymore.

The couple moved closer to the ballroom, and slowly, the noises became louder too. It felt like everyone was gossiping as they left the estate. Once Blanche and Theodore rounded the corner, she managed to confirm her guess. Most of the guests had left already and the few that were still being escorted out by some servants weren't even trying to hide how curious they were. In an instant, the guests' gazes snapped to the couple, and they only continued walking when the servants kindly reminded them to.

The only people that were left in the room were staff members as well as Selena, who sat on the couch while crying and holding her daughter and son.

Surprisingly, Theodore steered toward them. He stopped by the sofa and gazed at them with an expression that would scare anyone. Even if he had calmed down a little, he definitely looked like a warrior on the battlefield right now.

When the Vasquez family noticed them, Selena paled. She tightened her hold on her children and barely dared to look up. “I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I didn't know, I didn't. I would never have...” She could barely speak because of the countless sobs escaping her throat.

Rebecca cried as much as her mother, which only made the scene appear even more pitiful.

Luciano was crying too, but he was quiet and held himself back, most likely in an attempt to support the rest of his family. But he slowly pushed his mother away after making sure that she held Rebecca safely. Then he moved forward on the sofa and sank to the floor to kneel there. That wasn't enough for him, and he even leaned forward to rest his forehead on the floor. His voice was hoarse when he spoke up. “If you wish to punish me, I will accept everything. But, please. Please don't hurt my sister and mother.” He barely managed to finish that sentence and dug his fingers into the carpet.

The emperor was silent for a moment before replying in a cold voice. “Once your father's trial is over, you will come to the palace and request an audience. I want you to sign an official document regarding the succession of the Vasquez family beforehand. You will request a premature nomination as the head of the household to replace your father. Then you will be the holder of the duke title as soon as my signature is placed below.”

Luciano froze at that and lifted his head to stare at them with a tear-stained face and wide eyes. “What?”

Blanche had intended to stay quiet, but she truly didn't want to see this anymore. The scene in front of her was so depressing that she couldn't leave it at that. Theodore probably wouldn't explain it right now, so she would keep the family in front of her from getting a heart attack. “Have you not noticed? I am fully awake, which means that I heard every single thing that was being said around me. We were aware of the full plan. You will not be punished for your father's crimes. He will also not ever hurt you again. It may be harsh to say this, but I doubt that he will ever come back home. Now, please stand up.”

Luciano and Selena as well stared at her as if she was a saint that glowed in the middle of the night. Slowly, Luciano sat upright and climbed back onto the sofa when his mother pulled him up. He opened his mouth before closing it again. He took four attempts before speaking. “You weren't... But he said that you...consumed the drug...”

Blanche turned her head to ensure that they were alone and replied in a quiet voice. “We knew about his plan, so I drank an antidote first. The poison barely did anything to me, and the rest was acting. We went along with this to test our enemies and gain evidence that we can use against those who want to harm us. You apparently do not hold the wish to begin a war with the emperor. That is why there is no way that you will suffer under your father anymore. He will end up in prison for the rest of his life.” Or be executed. “As long as you stay calm without causing any trouble, the Vasquez family will continue to exist though. We do not wish to harm you in any way since you do not hold that sentiment toward us either. Though, you need to prove yourselves. From now on, your household should be the most loyal subject there is.”

Luciano almost seemed to cry harder at that. He let his head fall forward and wrapped his arms around his mother, who held him too, and his sister. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Theodore watched them with indifference and spoke up in a calm tone. “I'm not doing this out of goodwill. In return for that, I expect your family to not only be loyal but utterly devoted. From now on, you will move as soon as I give the slightest signal. You will support all of the new laws I will propose. You will speak fondly about all my decision so that you can prove your loyalty to the nation. You will accept all orders without hesitance. Aside from that, you will have to build up your family's business again. You're good with economics, right? Do something for Artias and show your gratitude like that. But remember your place. I will keep an eye on you.” He was still fuming, so his words and tone were harsh.

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Still, the message had reached the family. Both Selena and Luciano hurriedly nodded and seemed quite willing to obey despite their tears.

The emperor didn't have anything to say to them anymore and walked forward again.

Blanche slowed his steps and turned to them to add one thing. “Focus on this new role and do your best. Stop crying now. Rebecca will be upset as long as you are unwell. So, take some time to rest.” She turned to Owen and wanted to ask him for the handkerchief, but he already held it toward her. “Thank you.” She faced the sofa again and threw the handkerchief over to them. “There you have it back.”

Luciano barely caught it since both of his arms had been wrapped around his mother and sister. He didn't say anything, but his expression was enough to show that he was thankful.

The concubine gave him a smile that was nothing more than polite before guiding Theodore forward again. She let him lead her to the buffet, where she spotted a pair of knights that were keeping a struggling girl in their grasp.

Seemingly, Marguerite Besseta had been arrested. She screamed and tried to wrestle herself away from the guards, who appeared to be more annoyed than actually troubled by her weak attacks. As soon as the couple reached them and a shadow fell onto Marguerite's face, she froze and looked up. “Your Majesty...” She was silent for a moment before trying to step forward and raising her voice. “Your Majesty! Why are you arresting me? Was killing my father not enough for you?”

Theodore's expression was much icier than before, which sufficed to silence the girl, who looked at him with pure fear. He only waited a few seconds before replying. “Do you know who signed the document that pardoned your entire family? Your mother. Your two younger brothers and your older sister. Your uncles, aunts and cousins. Your grandfather and grandmother. Every single one of them would have been executed for treason if I hadn't signed that document. Did it ever cross your mind why I decided to set you free? Because I knew that your father did not plan those assassination attempts.”

Marguerite began struggling again and tried to move forward. Tears were streaming down her face as she began yelling. “Why did you kill him then? There was no reason for you to do that! He was innocent and a loyal citizen of this nation! You-”

The emperor didn't let her finish. “He was part of the dowager empress' faction. She hired those assassins and framed him. The evidence had already been revealed in court, so I could not disregard them without a good reason. But I would never have executed an innocent man. I assume that you wouldn't know because your father didn't talk much about his work. So, I will have to be the one telling you even though I would have liked to preserve his image for you. You heard about the embezzlement, but that was the little problem. He was involved in a much more vile crime. Slave trafficking.”

It seemed like Marguerite's world broke in two. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she was still. Then she screamed again, shaking her head repeatedly. “There is no way. My father would have never done something like that. Never!” Her voice was trembling, and she became continuously louder.

Theodore scanned her expression with a cold gaze and waited for her to finish before responding. “He did. I will send you copies of the original documents proving that if you insist. You will be in a cell for a while anyway, so you have enough time to study all the horrible things Count Besseta did in great detail. I would not recommend that if you wish to keep seeing him as your beloved father though. This does not have anything to do with your trial, so it's not necessary. You are being arrested for trying to poison my fiancée.”

Marguerite whipped her head around to stare at Blanche. Her mouth fell open, and her face became red. “But...but she is fine! The poison isn't deadly, I know that! Look at her, she is completely fine! She even talked about me betraying the royal family after she drank it. Maybe she knew from the very beginning!”

The emperor narrowed his eyes and took a single step forward, which was enough for the girl to move backward until the guards' grasp didn't allow her to go further. He was even more furious than before with his anger bubbling directly under the surface. “That doesn't change the fact that you poisoned her. You didn't know what the poison was supposed to do, and yet, you wanted to trick a member of the royal family into drinking it. You didn't even take a moment to ask why you should give her such a strange medicine, did you? You have no idea what that man planned on doing to her. She could have gotten injured in a way that is worse than you can imagine. And yet, you have the nerves to claim to be innocent by voicing countless excuses. Do you know that this is bad enough that I could execute your entire family for this? After you proved that you are willing to betray the royal family, that may be the better option.”

Immediately, Marguerite's strategy changed. She tried to resist the guards again and raised her voice. “Please forgive me! I didn't mean to harm you! I only wanted to protect my family. He offered me a lot of money, and we are in debt, and I-”

Theodore cut her off. “I do not plan to execute you. I merely said that it was an option. Right now, I'm considering sending you into exile. You and your family will get a small house in another nation and live there without your title or your debt. But I will only do that if you are helpful during the trial. You worked with Duke Vasquez, correct? You will tell the court every little detail and answer their questions truthfully. Then you and your family will get to walk away unharmed.”

The girl's face lit up at that. “I will help! I will do my best. Thank you, thank you!”

The emperor didn't respond to her and turned around. Then he spoke up. “Duke Vasquez is an interesting person. You don't seem to know anything about him. He is the dowager empress' close confidant. Do you remember what I told you about her being responsible for this?” He glanced over his shoulder with freezing resentment in his gaze. “In other words, you just helped the people that framed your father while risking your family's life. I assume that you didn't plan on doing that.”

Marguerite's face fell again. Her lips parted, and she let out a barely audible noise of surprise. Then her legs gave in, and she crashed to the floor, with the guards barely being able to catch her. “No...” She began shaking her head while letting herself sink to the ground. “No.” She was louder this time and repeated it once more at an even louder volume. “No!” Her voice echoed through the room, but no one came to her rescue. “No!” Her scream sounded so hysterical now that it was actually scary. The guards tried to calm her, but it had little effect.

Theodore ignored that completely and led his lover away. He spoke up as soon as Blanche tried to turn around. “Don't look. That will only burden you. Keep in mind that this is her own fault. I will not punish a little girl for being naive, but she should have checked the facts and thought about it for one moment before listening to strangers. No one offers you that much money for little work. She should have known that despite her young age and should have paid close attention. Especially when she attacks the royal family.”

Blanche nodded and looked to the side, but she didn't turn around. “That was what I was thinking too. I understand why she saw you as the enemy, but carelessly plotting against the emperor is stupid, and even a child should know that. She is already almost grown up too, so she should have been careful. But I still don't want her to be punished harshly. Exiling her and her family is a good idea. Then you don't have to risk them being here and causing more trouble.”

Her lover sighed and linked their hands. “I'm getting sick of trouble. After all of this is over, I want my peace with you. We only need this trial, and then we have defeated the third party. Then I can focus on attacking the dowager empress. It won't take that long anymore. I think half a year is enough to get rid of them and put them into confinement...unless they do something stupid first.”

The concubine took a deep breath while trying to ignore the warm sensation that spread from her fingertips while she held Theodore's hand. That reminded her that she would like to feel her lover's fingers elsewhere. She hurried to shake her head to distract herself and focused on the conversation. “Don't evoke it by saying that. We can't risk them doing something bad. Let's just focus on the trial first and crush Duke Vasquez. Then you can deal with anything else.” It probably wasn't that easy since Theodore would have to keep the second prince's faction in check at the same time, but Blanche still wanted to get one problem to disappear first. Then it would be much simpler to move forward.

Theodore gave her a little smile, but it looked rather forced. The hatred still twinkled in his eyes no matter how much he tried to hide it. “I will. I'll make sure that the people that wanted to hurt you will suffer. Give me some time, and you will see results. But right now, I can't think clearly. I can only think about how glad I am that you are safe and about how much I despise them. If you hadn't been there, I would have killed both of them, the dowager empress and Duke Vasquez.”

She was convinced that he would have done that. His expression had told her that much. “Then I'm glad that I held you back. Getting revenge differently may be more tedious, but it will pay off in the end. You will feel better, and they will feel worse. So, we only need to hold on for a while, and we will bring this to a satisfying conclusion with our enemies rotting in a cell under the earth.”

The emperor stopped in his tracks and turned to her. “Now that you mention feeling better, are you alright? Did the poison do anything?”

Blanche brought her hand to her cheek and still felt like she might be a bit warm. That was the most noticeable effect along with the tingling in her stomach and chest. There was also some almost unnoticeable drowsiness that was a bit tiring, but aside from that, she was fine. Aside from the growing need to pull Theodore into the next bedroom. “It's less of a poison and more of some kind of drug. Nothing hurts, and I'm not unconscious. I'm still warm, and my skin feels a bit weird. Like it's hot and cold at the same time, and I feel the need to shiver often. I would like to go rest soon, but I think I'm fine otherwise.”

“That's good. We'll bring you home and go to bed immediately. Today was too much, so we will take off tomorrow and just lie around.” Her lover brought her hand up to his face and pressed a little kiss onto the back of her hand.

That caused a tingling sensation to run through Blanche's veins and her entire body. Her breath hitched, and it felt like a rush of warmth heated up her skin. That definitely wasn't normal. Before, she had been somewhat alright, but now even Theodore holding her hand felt much more intense than normal. Blanche swallowed before speaking up in a whisper. “I may be a bit oversensitive too. Did you hear that woman speaking about the...aphrodisiac?” She felt a bit embarrassed to say it out loud, but she couldn't hold it back anymore. “That guess might have been true. I...feel tingly all over.”

Theodore raised his hand and stroked over her cheek so that she couldn't help but shiver. He leaned forwards and brought his face closer to hers to smile at her. “I thought so. I noticed how you cuddled against me. That's why we'll go home immediately. I'll take care of you.” He was trying to seem playful, but the anger in his eyes remained. Obviously, he would be unhappy about someone giving his lover an aphrodisiac. He despised drugs in general thanks to personal experience, and when his beloved was targeted, he would only get more upset.

But the concubine's mind was busy with other things. She had to hold back from pouncing on him and telling him that she couldn't wait until they were home. She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded while pushing against his back. He needed to hurry now, or she would lose her mind in the carriage. When he didn't move immediately, she became a bit desperate. “Theo.” That had sounded whinier than it was intended to, but it was enough to make Theodore realize that it was urgent.

His expression became a bit more serious as he cupped her face. “It's that bad?”

She hurriedly nodded while trying to hold back the strange sensations inside her. It felt like this medicine made her more sensitive in general, so she barely managed to do that. “It's getting worse. Please.” She tugged at his shirt to signal to him that they had to leave now.

The emperor finally understood her. He let go of her face and bowed down to pick her up. Then he immediately steered toward the exit and brought her there. While passing the servants, he told them to inform Leonard before climbing into the carriage.

During the whole duration of their trip back to the palace, Blanche shivered while clinging to her lover. Head pats and hugs were wonderful, but they only did so much for her growing urge to be as close to Theodore as possible. She felt pathetic while almost crying because of that, which only made her want to whine even more. She didn't even dare to open her mouth since only her lover's name came out in a pitiful wail each time she tried to speak. Blanche couldn't even complain about why this damned antidote seemed to have lost its effect or why this aphrodisiac became stronger with each minute.

When the carriage finally stopped in front of the palace, Theodore jumped out and carried her to their room while telling everyone that approached them to back off for now. Stella was definitely worried, but she also stepped aside as soon as the emperor told her to.

It felt like an eternity, but at some point, the couple was finally alone in their room. To Blanche, being laid on their bed felt like pure bliss, especially when Theodore immediately followed her. Her previous exhaustion was long forgotten when her lips crashed onto her lover's and her fingers tangled in his hair. She finally got what she had wanted, and she would savor each second to the fullest.