What a single greeting could do was incredible.

The dowager empress' smile disappeared, and her face scrunched up. “Lady Blanche. It seems like you are as brazen as last time. If you are unable to follow the protocol in private, that is one thing. But in public, we must remain respectful. What gives you the right to address me first?”

The concubine considered forcing herself to smile, but in the end, she allowed her disdain to show. She spoke with a much sharper edge in her voice than she would normally use in public. “Why is it that I am always insulted whenever I am giving you a heartfelt greeting? Moreover, you scold me when I am clearly in the right. Your Majesty, I am still a host of this party while you are a guest. It's perfectly normal for me to address you first.”

Camille raised her chin and looked down at the other woman. “I never criticized you unreasonably. To me, it seems that you always have an excuse to disrespect me. Did you not use a different reasoning during the last ball? You insisted that you, as the birthday child, were able to speak first. I did not wish to make a big deal out of this, but do I not have the same right now? It is my birthday, and consequently, I am allowed to greet everyone else first.” That wasn't even true.

Blanche definitely hadn't said that because it simply wasn't accurate. The proper etiquette only pointed out that a host could address the guest. So, Blanche didn't feel intimidated in the slightest. She was the one that had said the correct thing, and she didn't have a problem pointing out the other's errors. She almost had to hold back a smile while replying, but her growing annoyance was an effective way to steer against that. “I never once phrased it like that, Your Majesty. The only thing I said was that I was hosting my own birthday party, which was why I could speak up first. But you are neither a host nor is this your birthday party.”

Only now, it seemed like Camille understood what this was about. She turned to look around the venue. For the birthday party of a member of the royal family, there normally was a seating area with a large table, where the gifts were stored. After all, the birthday child couldn't sit on the thrones and still needed to have a chance to unpack their presents. But that seating area hadn't been built today nor was the grand table with gifts here.

That was the ultimate proof that this wasn't a birthday party, and it only took a moment for the dowager empress to understand that. Her face filled with anger as she locked eyes with the grinning emperor. Why was she even mad? The invitation hadn't said anything about this being a party for her. She had never asked either and had just assumed that it would be for her. It should have been obvious that Theodore wouldn't freely do something for her, so that Camille was surprised was a bit stupid.

This time, Blanche couldn't even keep her grin hidden, so she was happy that she had turned her back toward the guests. Staying silent was by far the better option, but she couldn't bring herself to swallow her petty comment. “Is something wrong, Your Majesty? You just got a bit pale. Did something surprise you?”

That comment made the dowager empress fume. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the concubine. She looked like she had countless insults in her mind and only waited for a moment to use them.

But Cedar spoke up before she had the chance to do so. “I believe that you may have over-interpreted something, Lady Blanche. Mother is a bit under the weather due to her sprained ankle, but she is not sick in any other way. Thank you for your concern. I would like to wish you, and my brother, of course, a wonderful evening as well. We are happy to attend this winter ball. This may not be a party for Mother, but it is one of the best gifts she could imagine. After all, meeting so many of the people that we hold dear will make this a perfect evening.”

It was just like Theodore had said. Cedar had reverted to his old self that always helped his mother when she didn't have enough self-control to convince anyone of her not having any ill intentions. Even though he had been so angry last time, he almost seemed like nothing had happened. He had fallen right back into Camille's hands and was unable to cut ties with her despite him acknowledging that she wasn't mentally stable.

But what could one expect when the dowager empress had had twenty years to raise a person that would follow her every command? At this point in time, Cedar might as well but a will-less puppet. Knowing that made it seem more remarkable that he had actually refused to follow his mother's order, even if his decision should have been explained by using common sense. But he still wasn't a good person, which Blanche had to tell herself again. He would still be their enemy unless he managed to stray away from the path that his mother had made for him. But he wouldn't be able to do that anytime soon. That realization was far more bitter than it should have been.

The concubine might actually hope for Cedar to have a happy end a little bit too.

Theodore greeted his brother with a smile, even if it was definitely a fake one to cover up his anger. “I see. The matter about her leg is unfavorable. I fear that I cannot do much about that now, but we will certainly punish the criminal that is at fault for this horrible injury. You can rest assured that Duke Vasquez will pay.”

Camille gritted her teeth at that, and for a moment, her eyes wandered as she inspected the room. She probably saw Leon there and glared at him before looking back at her son. “That is the least that you can do now. Make sure to punish the right person though. And their superior too.”

The emperor certainly wouldn't punish his advisor and himself, but he replied with a bright grin. “I will definitely punish any criminal whose crimes I can reveal. No matter what rank they may have, they will suffer from the consequences of their doings. Much like Duke Vasquez. He isn't only on trial for hurting you, but he will receive separate punishments for each crime. I will be the judge, so I can guarantee that. But let us refrain from discussing such depressing topics during our wonderful ball. I would like to keep my high spirits, and talking about such a man only awakens murderous wishes inside me. So, we should focus on other things. Has there been anything special recently? Have you been forced to deal with some problems? I'm specifically asking you, Cedar, because the dowager empress seems to be pretty sensitive right now. Certainly, that is thanks to the injury, right? Otherwise, I would be extremely disappointed in how she treats the woman I love.” He barely seemed to have an issue making those words sound like a threat.

Cedar was quick to pick up on that tone and responded in a hurry. “Ah. Yes, I apologize sincerely. She is in pain, so she may be a bit more...harsh than normal. Of course, she doesn't mean to offend you or Lady Blanche.” He turned to the concubine. “So, please do not take her odd greeting to heart. We apologize from-”

He apologized again. Cedar seemed to be good at that, even when he wasn't at fault.

Blanche cut him off there. “I do not wish to hear an apology from you when you were not the one that treated me unkindly. I have noticed that you tend to apologize when you are not at fault, which is a trait that you should get rid of. If someone had to express their regret, it would be Her Majesty. But since I am understanding regarding her sour mood because of her leg, I will forget this incident. I am sure that you will be happy to do the same.” She renewed her smile to prevent it from fading before continuing while ignoring how Camille glared at her. “In any case, I would suggest that we speak about a pleasant topic now, like Theo proposed.” Obviously, the things Blanche had in mind weren't supposed to ensure a pleasant conversation. They would do little more than provoke their enemies. “Once again, I would like to congratulate Her Majesty for her birthday.” She grinned at the dowager empress. “Have you already decided when you wish to celebrate? Until now, no invitations have arrived, so you must wish to do it in spring, correct?”

Camille's face looked like a grimace of anger by now. It was easy to bring her to her limit with only a few comments. Merely a whisper from Cedar made her hold back. It took her a moment, but she became calmer again. “Thank you, Lady Blanche. I believe that it will still take a while until I can hold my party since I misread something. I mistakenly assumed that the ball His Majesty planned for today would be for me, like it would be expected for his mother's birthday. Unfortunately, it seems like he did not consider that option.” It seemed like she wished to gain others' sympathy by acting like her son was the bad one. Naturally, she wouldn't win with that strategy.

Theodore feigned surprise when he heard her explanation. “I am truly inconsolable that such a misunderstanding arose. I really should have talked about it with you, but you never visited the palace. I had believed that you would like to plan your own party since you always have very specific ideas for what you want. And I never mentioned anything about your birthday, not to you and not in the invitations. I would have done that if I had planned something for you.”

That made it obvious that Camille had just assumed that this would have been for her despite there being no indication of that. That visibly frustrated the dowager empress.

But once again, Cedar chimed in to distract from the situation. “I admit that the mistake was on our side here. But there was no harm done. We will simply take care of a party a bit later. Next time, we will be more careful, but this year, we were a bit...beside ourselves, regrettably. Mother's sudden injury after one of our oldest acquaintances turned out to be a dangerous criminal of the vilest sort was shocking. That was enough to make us worry, and we may have been a bit surprised because of your sudden divorce too. We were never informed of anything, and at some point, we suddenly read the news. We were quite taken aback, to say the least.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

It was obvious that the news had spread across the whole capital, if not the entire nation, within days. Of course, the prince and the dowager empress knew too. And they would certainly try to use this against the emperor now.

But Theodore stayed completely calm when he heard that. “Saying that it was a surprise wouldn't be true. I hinted at it numerous times. The divorce actually already started months ago, but we had the supreme judge go through the documents to ensure that everything is well and that the contract is binding a couple of times. I'm pretty sure that we discussed topics like that on a few occasions. There is no way that I would have hidden it from my dear brother.”

Camille's face remained as cool as always before her expression darkened. That change happened a few seconds too late, which made it seem like she was acting. “I can't believe that you divorced Lady Duremont. She was one of the most competent empresses that our nation ever had. She has been your fiancée ever since you two were children. Your father chose her for you. And you not only disrespected her for years but also threw her out without giving her a single copper coin. For whom? For that woman by your side?” She glanced at the concubine with dismay. “It's concerning that no one has ever told you that this was a horrible idea that seriously makes people question your judgment.”

Theodore didn't hold back the sigh that escaped his throat. “Since when are such personal topics discussed in public? You prying into my matters is insolent enough, and doing it now will only cause an unpleasant situation for the Duremont family. That is why I would suggest that you drop the topic now.” His expression looked calm at first glance, but there was anger visible in his eyes, which revealed that he was less than happy about this. The tone of his voice was much more intimidating than before as well. “Just because my father didn't get the divorce he desperately needed, that doesn't mean that I can't, and I don't need your permission either. Everything is lawful, and any change in retrospect is made impossible due to a royal decree. You should accept that now.”

Camille's rage flamed up at that. “You have no reason to be so upset because someone dared to point out the truth. You haven't thought about the nation or your future at all while making this decision. You will need a new empress now. Do you know how hard it will be to find a suitable candidate? Are you aware that no dignified woman would allow you to keep such a person next to you?” She gestured to the concubine.

That only served to anger Theodore even more. He didn't hold back the wrath in his voice when he responded. “Are you blind as well? It seems so. Aside from being deaf since you didn't hear me saying that this should be discussed in private. But that isn't the only thing about your words that doesn't make any sense. The emperor needs someone's permission before he acts now, does he? I'll tell you something. I don't need anyone's approval to do what I want. I also don't need to get the affirmation of a court if I want to put you on trial for some things that happened in the past. Even if you keep refusing, I will drag you into a courthouse at some point. And I can assure you that you will receive a harsher punishment every time that you insult Blanche. The list of your crimes and insults is already so long that you will regret opening your mouth with every fiber of your being.”

The dowager empress raised her chin, but the way she scanned her son's expression before speaking made it seem like she actually feared making him even angrier. “Are you threatening me?”

The emperor replied without any hesitation. “If you see me telling the truth as threatening you, yes. You aren't the first person I told something like that. Remember how I said this to Duke Vasquez? Look where he is now. And I haven't even gotten revenge for the incident of the last party.”

The dowager empress opened her mouth, but Cedar was faster than she was. “It is understandable that you are upset, but please calm down a bit, Theodore. Mother didn't wish to anger you on purpose. She is merely worried about the nation. No matter how competent you are, it is good to have a strong empress by your side. That was what she was referring to. So, please forget about this conversation. Other guests are waiting, and we can't steal too much of your time.” He stepped a bit closer to help his mother walk again.

Theodore let out a snort and pulled Blanche even closer to him. “I won't forget this conversation at all. But it really would be better to end it now. We will certainly have another discussion later, and that one will answer all of your questions.”

The concubine leaned her head against her lover's chest and stroked over his arms. She intended to stay silent, but her mouth almost worked on its own. “You will indeed hear the responses to your important questions then. Please look forward to it. After all, we have a big announcement to make.”

Camille froze in place when she heard that. Seemingly, she understood what this meant rather easily, and she didn't like this at all. “You don't intend to reveal-”

A wide grin appeared on Blanche's face. Seeing the other woman's despair was much more satisfying than it should have been. “We don't just intend to, we will definitely finish this today. We will make sure that everyone here finally hears the wonderful news of our engagement. Aren't you excited?”

Surely, the dowager empress was excited, but her reason was the complete opposite of joy. She probably despised this since announcing the engagement would trouble her if she really tried to kill Theodore. She didn't need another person that stood between Cedar and the throne after all. So, Camille began to argue. “Is it not an unfitting day to speak about such important topics? It would be better to-”

Theodore didn't listen to her at all. “That's none of your business.” He sounded much harsher than usual. “Enjoy the ball. We will now go to greet the other guests. Don't walk around too much. One of the servants will give you a chair if you ask. Goodbye.” With that, he pulled his lover away. He didn't turn around, even when the dowager empress tried to follow them and let out a huff of pain a second later.

For Camille, it was impossible to catch up to them right now, and that was perfect. Still, she attempted to join them a few times, but the couple always ran away. The dowager empress didn't give up though and sent Cedar to tell Theodore to delay the announcement, but the answer remained the same.

In the end, the whole ball consisted of having meaningless chats with the guests and ignoring Camille's complaints. It was somewhat fun to see the other woman's face become more and more strained until she stopped her efforts. Most likely, she had realized that she barely had any way to prevent Theodore from doing what he wanted.

That didn't keep her from trying it one more time when it was finally time for the announcement though. It was a few minutes before ten o'clock, which marked the approach of the end of the ball. It was the perfect moment to announce something that would shake Artias to its core.

As soon as the couple stepped into the center of the ballroom, Camille forced Cedar to bring her there. Her expression was full of fury as she stopped in front of Theodore, who gazed at her with pure mockery. “You...” She took a few deep breaths. “You are the most insolent person...I ever met.”

The emperor replied while turning away to watch how the guests' attention landed on them. “I'm the most powerful man in this nation. Being insolent is my job. Don't you get tired of picking a fight with me? You should know that you won't win. I won't let you ruin our announcement, so go sit down over there.” He gestured to the chair, which stood on the other end of the room. He didn't receive a response, but he ignored that and prepared to face the guests.

The dowager empress panted for a while, which proved that jumping around on one leg was rather exhausting. She took a moment before resuming almost normally again. “You don't seriously want to make a commoner your wife, right?”

Blanche was getting significantly more annoyed with each complaint and spoke up this time. “It's funny that you keep saying that as if it was an insult. You are aware that the commoners are the ones that are working for Artias' wealth? It's your duty to improve the world for them and not to look down on them. If you don't even understand that much, there is no use in you having any political position.”

The dowager empress' face distorted with anger, but Theodore replied faster. “See? I told you that you are more than suitable for this role. Then let us announce it to our citizens.” He turned to Camille and hissed at her. “Step aside.”

His tone was so hostile that Cedar chose to pull the dowager empress away despite her trying to refuse. It almost seemed like the prince had given up on arguing a while ago and just hoped that the announcement was made so that his mother stopped whining.

Theodore was happy to do him the favor. He waited for a moment until the guests quietened down. Then he spoke up loudly. “I would like to ask for a few minutes of your time. At the beginning of this ball, I said that I had a huge announcement to make. Now it is time for us to reveal it. This will not only change our life completely but also shape the whole royal family, and it will influence Artias in its entirety. Some of you may have already guessed it, but others may be clueless. But in any case, we hope that you are as overjoyed as we are.”

Blanche's heart was beginning to pound loudly. Everyone was staring at them. In just a few seconds, she would see their reactions. She hoped for something calm, but the odds of that happening were rather low. She could just pray that no one would cause a scene, but one look at Camille proved that that woman would definitely throw a tantrum. But the concubine didn't want to focus on that now. She looked into Theodore's eyes while he spoke and got lost in them for the moment.

Theodore turned to his lover and intertwined their fingers on both hands. “How much Blanche and I love each other has been obvious for a long time. She has been with me for over two years and supported me in every way imaginable, and now it is finally the right time to make it official in every way.” He smiled at her before turning his head to gaze at the guests. “I am proud to inform you that Blanche has been my fiancée ever since my birthday. We do not have a specific date yet, but we will marry in the near future. And from the very beginning, I will be very firm in saying that she is the only one for me, and I will never consider changing my mind about this. She will be my first and only wife, which will make her the empress of Artias.”

For a moment, everyone was silent.

One could clearly see how about half of the people were rather calm and only slightly surprised. But the other half looked like they were petrified in their shock.

Blanche already thought that it was over now, but only a few seconds later, some people began clapping. They started almost simultaneously, but the first one was Sophia, who showed them a beam that was brighter than the sun. Seraphina began almost at the same time. Count Ravillot and the Duremonts chimed in only a bit later. From then on, it was only a matter of singular seconds until the other guests started too, and soon after, the whole ballroom was clapping.

This only lasted for a moment though, and then everyone present bowed or curtsied to the couple. It was a strange sight, a very strange one, but at the same time, Blanche couldn't keep a grin from spreading across her face. This almost seemed like a dream.

No one had questioned the emperor's decision or refused to accept it. They had all bowed to them and showed their respect to the future empress as well. It didn't make any sense at all, but everyone had been fine with this decision.

Everyone but Camille, of course.