“Please, Mother. It is your turn. Please speak honestly about the pain medicine you received. Naturally, you didn't mean to offend anyone and only voiced your concerns out loud. That is what we can apologize for now as well.” Cedar was almost begging his mother at this point, but everyone knew that she wouldn't care, even when he whispered to her again, saying much more to Camille than to anyone else.

To be honest, it was surprising that Cedar's words did something when he asked his mother to apologize. Blanche was actually truly frozen in shock for a moment upon seeing this.

Camille gritted her teeth for a long time and glared at her son to hiss at him. She only stopped speaking to Cedar silently when he responded and didn't let her interrupt, and she understood that he wouldn't budge. Even now, her expression showed nothing but rage as she glared at Cedar for another moment and said something that sounded like a half-loud insult. Then she faced the emperor. Her tone sounded like a curse. “If you wish to hear me say this, I will take responsibility for my words. I can assure you that I regret causing a scene due to my medication. I should have been more careful and have paid attention to the side effects of that pill. I should not have doubted our emperor's judgment nor should I have accused anyone here of lying, neither Theodore nor Lord Astame. And naturally, I should not have accused Lady Blanche of anything without evidence.” She hadn't really apologized, had she?

Especially not since it was so obvious that Camille didn't mean a single one of the things that she said. The apologies had been way too curt, and her tone lacked any sort of sincerity. She hadn't even said anything about the countless insults. She made everything seem like she was being treated unfairly and that she only needed some evidence to prove Blanche's incompetence. The order of her apologies alone showed how she didn't acknowledge the concubine's rank as a member of the royal family.

But Blanche wasn't really surprised. She had been prepared to receive far less, and she knew how to respond. “It is good that you seemed to understand your own mistakes. You forgot the part about insulting me numerous times, but due to the high number of errors you committed today, that should not be the thing that keeps me from accepting your apology. I would merely like to mention that you should try to seem less hateful while asking someone to forgive you. That makes it seem like your apology isn't sincere.”

The dowager empress glared at the other woman and replied with a sharp edge to her voice. “I will remember that, Lady Blanche. I do not take being made fun of well.” And she had immediately ruined Cedar's attempt to calm this down again. It was pretty easy to poke at that.

Blanche raised her chin slightly and gave her best to show the most confident expression she could muster. “No one does, Your Majesty. Asking someone to apologize sincerely when they made a mistake is not the same as offending someone though. You should learn the difference. There is one other thing that I feel the need to point out if we are already talking about this. When I become the empress, I will be the most powerful woman in this nation. I personally do not care for formalities, but to fill that role properly, I need to ensure that people show their respect for me. When that time comes, you will bow to me. I want you to remember that. I want you to remember today because I will remember it too.”

Provoking someone with their weak spot after they had almost blown up would definitely cause that person to become upset immediately. Of course, it was successful in this case too.

Camille seemed to forget her situation entirely and raised her voice again. “Where do you take that confidence from? You will never be empress! No matter what, there is no way that any noble will accept you on the throne. I'd rather die than let you grasp that power, you filthy whore! You are nothing but a dirty, little-”

Cedar stepped between his mother and the couple. He put his hands on Camille's shoulders while saying something to her. Then he turned his head to his brother, his smile so blinding that it looked like he was as frustrated as everyone else here. He still tried to act like nothing was wrong. “I feel like her medicine is stronger than we expected. As her escort, it is my fault for not noticing that in time, and I will take full responsibility. I apologize for that and will ensure that nothing happens anymore. I will bring her home now.”

Immediately, the dowager empress began complaining. “I will not leave now! It's my right to point out mistakes that every single person here is thinking about. You can't make a brainless-”

And for the first time, Cedar raised his voice a little as well. “Mother. We will go home now.” He turned around to say something else but stopped himself when he saw his brother's expression.

Blanche didn't even need to turn to her lover to guess how angry he was right now. If she let him talk, he might order an execution immediately, so she decided to speak instead. This time, she tried to be strict again but did her best to stay calm despite staring into Camille's hate-filled eyes. “So, I do need to make myself clear. Even if you may be the dowager empress. Even if you are Theo's birth mother and the previous esteemed emperor's wife. You cannot do whatever you want. There is a limit to how much disrespect I have to accept without being able to talk back. But I believe that no punishment is necessary for today. After all, you punished yourself enough by showing our citizens how disrespectful you are and how you desperately try to justify everything you do with your rank. You yourself just proved that you are unable to pull yourself together despite us being in the middle of a ball. Whether anyone will still see you as the dignified dowager empress after this is questionable.”

Theodore added something as soon as she was done. His voice was dripping with nothing but pure and utter hatred. “That should finally prove that our issues do not stem from my behavior too. I am glad that you finally revealed your true self. Maybe people will think twice about believing your lies now.”

Camille narrowed her eyes and whipped her head around to the side. It seems like her anger was much too great to allow her to think clearly so that she even ignored Cedar, who kept trying to calm her. Instead of addressing Theodore, she turned toward the guests now. “Why is not a single person here speaking up? Will all of you not only accept a murderer as the emperor but also a commoner whore as the empress? Are you insane? That tyrant killed his own father, and now he-”

“Shut your mouth!”

Admittedly, it had just been for a second, but Blanche had stopped thinking and just yelled at the other woman. This was the first time that Blanche had raised her voice with so much anger in the middle of a ball. After hearing Camille say that Theodore was a murderer, the concubine's brain had just stopped working. She knew how hard it had been for him to deal with his father's death, so she couldn't stay quiet.

She had expected to meet anger for her audacity, especially from the dowager empress, but her sudden outcry had made the other woman freeze in place. Surely, it would only take a second for Camille to get angry though.

So, Blanche quickly continued at a normal volume again, her voice still full of wrath. “Along with all the things that already left her mouth, she also dares to offend our emperor now. It seems like Her Majesty isn't feeling well. It may be better for her to rest until she has recovered.” Sending people away was quite a good idea. She had learned this strategy from Seraphina, and she was happy to use it now. Blanche was aware of how much this would upset others though.

Cedar immediately replied with a smile, but he wasn't quick enough to save this. “Yes, of course. We will-”

As expected, his mother interrupted him by yelling at the concubine. “How dare you? What did you-”

Blanche didn't let her finish either. It took a lot of effort to keep her voice calm when the other party was screaming, but she managed to do it. “I hoped to say it in a polite way, but that doesn't seem to work. You have not only insulted the hosts but are also troubling the guests due to your tendency to throw tantrums. I am also starting to worry about your health, your physical one too but mostly your mental one. That is why I asked you to leave. You will do so now. Get out.”

Camille was silent for only a few seconds before she lost control of her expression and her face was overtaken with fury. “What? Do you think you have the right to discipline me? I am the dowager empress!” It was somewhat pathetic that she didn't understand that she only worsened her stance every time she yelled. The best she could do was give up and leave. She should have used her medication as an excuse and then excused herself for the evening.

But it seemed like she was too angry to listen to her second son, who still smiled but somehow managed to seem mad anyway, almost as mad as Theodore was. That Cedar hadn't lost his mind while being next to that woman was a miracle. He tried to protect her from her own temper so badly but was still ignored the entire time. In his position, Blanche would probably have snapped already.

Now Theodore chimed in, which could only make the situation for his mother worse. His voice was full of resentment when he addressed the dowager empress. “This is Blanche's home. The palace belongs to her as much as it belongs to me. In addition, this is her party, so she can definitely discipline you if you commit an error. Since you just said an uncountable amount of brazen and insulting things to her and me, which counts as slandering royalty, everyone else would be free to point out your mistake as well. Of course, Blanche can do it too. She could even do this at your party in your house, and you would still have to obey. Do you know why? I gave her permission to use my name in case she meets people like you who refuse to listen. Just like a substitute could take over if I was sick, she can use the emperor's power if necessary.” Now he had done it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A murmur went through the crowd, and many looked extremely surprised. That was understandable. Giving someone the chance to use the emperor's power was rare, even if it was a formal process. This was mostly done when the ruler was sick and needed someone to take care of the nation for him. There was no requirement for such a contract to be made, but it had barely been done a handful of times in the past. The emperor could only lend his power to someone he deeply trusted. After all, that person would be capable of abusing his power to do whatever they wanted. Surely, the substitute wouldn't be as powerful as the emperor since they could only temporarily use his name and needed his approval in hindsight. But if the ruler was on your side, this was a very powerful tool.

Especially Camille was distraught by the news, which only led to her speaking with even more rage and disdain. “Stop with the foolish excuses. You can appoint a member of royalty as your substitute, but you would need a contract for that. There is no way that you prepared something like that. After all, she could do whatever she wants if you grant her that right. No matter whether she impressed you or you are completely smitten with her, you would never give up being able to make every decision on your own, you tyrant. Even if you did, it wouldn't actually be accepted in a trial.”

Theodore met her gaze without the slightest sign of uncertainty. “Why wouldn't it? This process has a legal standing as long as Blanche is a member of my family in some way. It's in our engagement contract, and as my fiancée, she surely qualifies as royalty and thus as my substitute. She has the full right to use my name to sign documents or to deal out punishments. The supreme judge was informed, and you can count my words as the official announcement. This makes all of this legal. When Blanche speaks, she speaks with the power of the emperor, so you will leave as she asked you.”

Oh.

Blanche wasn't certain whether she had known about her chance to use the emperor's power. Surely, her lover had told her that she could do whatever she wanted, but she had been convinced that it didn't have any legal grounds. Seemingly, Theodore was more prepared than she had expected. He had managed to create a contract with so many paragraphs that he could be sure that she wouldn't read all of them. And then he had done things like giving her the right to be his substitute and making her the temporary heir if something happened to him. She once again thought that she should have read the whole thing, but it was too late now.

The dowager empress was speechless upon hearing that. But of course, that would be too good to be true, and she opened her mouth seconds later, her voice dripping with exasperation. “How can you give a commoner the right to use your name? Are you aware of what she could do with that?”

Blanche couldn't help but sigh. The other woman's continuous yelling was getting more annoying with each passing second. So, she didn't hold back the snarky comment. “I can tell people to leave my party if they disrespect me. I just did, and you didn't listen to me. That means that you are here in our home against my will and against Theo's. At the same time, you are ignoring the emperor's order to leave. Do you know that I could arrest you for that? I will not do that since you will be my mother-in-law, and I do not wish to cause even more of a scene. However, I will ask you to go home now. The evening was stressful, and your medicine seems to be a bit too strong.”

Camille glared at the concubine and opened her mouth, but she was too slow.

Theodore had already raised his hand and gestured to some knights. “Since you felt unwell earlier, we should make sure that nothing happens. Your blood pressure getting high may have caused some trouble, so I'd rather have someone accompany you home. Those guards will bring you back to the mansion. You should leave now so that you can go to bed early.” Being escorted out like that after having been thrown out was one of the most humiliating things Theodore could have come up with.

It was obvious that the dowager empress wouldn't be happy about that. She began arguing again. “How dare you?” This seemed to be her favorite sentence today, but it still didn't get her any further. Instead of giving up now, she turned to the guards though. “Stay away from me! I am a member of the royal family. You have to listen to me!” She seemed to forget that the royal knights served the emperor and not her. Only when she saw that, she turned to the others again. “Send them away! How can you allow your mother to be disrespected by some random woman? You should be on my side and protect me from such treatment!” It wasn't even clear whether she told this to her older or younger son, but it didn't matter.

Theodore narrowed his eyes and waved to the guards. “Bring her away. Carry her to the carriage if necessary. Whatever happens is her fault for refusing to listen to my orders.” He waited for a moment before continuing. This time, he looked right at Camille's face. “By the way. I counted the times you disrespected Blanche today. I promise you that you will regret every single one of the insults that came out of your mouth. And I keep my promises. Prepare yourself.”

Camille attempted to speak and most likely wanted to whine about being threatened, but she didn't have a chance.

Cedar had stepped in, he wasn't nearly as careful as before. Instead, he was rather insistent now. “Mother, we will leave. Your medication really made you drowsy, didn't it? Don't worry. We will get you home safely. Come on.” He linked his arm with hers, and even if she struggled for a moment, she didn't get him to let go. Instead, he just dragged her toward the entrance, most like to avoid having the guards carry her out. He just stopped to bid farewell to the hosts one more time. “Goodbye, Your Majesty and Lady Blanche.”

Camille tried to stand her ground for a few seconds but finally gave in afterward. She let her son bring her away while glaring at the people that watched her being pulled out. But the one that received the most hateful stare was Blanche.

The concubine gave her best to meet that with a just as cold expression, which only served to infuriate the other woman.

Just as the prince and the dowager empress had reached the door and left the room, quiet footsteps sounded next to Blanche. She turned her head to confirm who it was and relaxed when she recognized Luciano. For a moment, she was confused about why he felt the need to stand next to them now, but she quickly found it out when she looked back at the dowager empress.

Camille had seen how the only representative of the Vasquez family chose to stick to Theodore instead of to her. It was just a small gesture, but it showed everything. This was the ultimate sign that the Vasquez household no longer supported her and Cedar. The dowager empress' eyes narrowed as she watched Luciano in a manner that seemed like a threat. It wasn't unusual to see hatred flicker in her eyes, but this time, it looked even worse than normal. It almost seemed like she had reached her breaking point, as if she had enough.

That was a horrifying sight.

But at the same time, it was exactly what Blanche and Theodore had wanted. If one cornered the enemy, the other party couldn't stay still. Camille would make her move soon. And if everything went well, she would put herself into checkmate.

Blanche forced herself to keep meeting the other woman's gaze while the doors closed even if she was sure that Camille was paying attention to Theodore instead of the concubine. She wouldn't give in either way. Being by her lover's side would make her the dowager's enemy, so she had to stand her ground. But as soon as the doors were completely shut, she felt how her body just wanted to relax. She wanted to lie down and cuddle with Theodore without needing to think about anything else. For the whole duration of the discussion, it had been somewhat fine, but now her stress and exhaustion caught up to her.

She leaned against her lover's arm and let out a deep breath. “Finally. That woman is horrible. How did you grow up with her annoying you regularly?”

Theodore put his hand on her head and gently stroked over her hair. “I ran away. Thankfully, I don't have to do that anymore, but back then, it was my only weapon. I took a while until I dared to face her. You did well.”

Blanche looked up at him with skepticism. “I did?”

“Yes. You were perfect. You reacted to everything she did and won everyone over with your arguments even when I was about to snap. It couldn't have been better. She will be really upset now. If we're lucky, she won't come back to the palace any time soon. I would like to refrain from ever seeing her again, but that won't be possible.” Theodore let his hand wander over his lover's back so that he could pull her closer to him and hug her. “I promise that she will regret insulting you. She will rot in confinement, and I will come up with something to trouble her every single day.”

Blanche looked around for a moment to ensure that the guests weren't getting too impatient. Everyone was watching them, so they needed to hurry up and end the ball. Still, she took a moment to respond to her lover first. “I know that you would do that, but you don't have to. You don't need to cause problems for yourself by continuing to think about her that often. I'm happy as long as she can't hurt you anymore. So, don't bother with too many punishments. Just lock her in and let her decay. We can talk about this later too, but now we have to say goodbye to everyone.”

Theodore nodded. He didn't let go of her like she had expected and just spoke up like this while turning to look at the guests. “We would like to express our regret about this ball ending with such an unsightly scene. I would not have imagined that the dowager empress would do something like this for the second time after we warned her not to repeat similar things. I apologize that you needed to see this. I hope that there won't be any more incidents with her. We will try to encourage her to work on her illness.” That made it sound like Camille had mental problems, which she definitely had. If the nobles believed that, it would be much easier to keep them from supporting the dowager empress.

Blanche felt like that was a good thing to mention, but they also had to finish the rest. Since she was a host as well, she forced herself to speak up once more to play her role properly. “Even if these past few minutes weren't very pleasant, we hope that you had a wonderful evening and that you will attend the next ball in the royal palace as well. For now, we will bid you farewell though. May you arrive at home without any issues or troubles. We will take our leave now.”

The aristocrats collectively bowed and curtsied to the emperor before the crowd slowly moved. Some stopped to wait until the rest was gone, and some had already reached the couple to congratulate them on their engagement before they left the ballroom. The couple waited in the center of the room and watched how the rest of the people dispersed.

Blanche still didn't dare to relax and forced herself to keep her posture straight while looking at least somewhat dignified. At least as dignified as she could while clinging to her lover. She waited until the biggest part of the visitors left and said goodbye to the people that approached them.

Sophia came to congratulate her as well, and out of everyone, she certainly had the sweetest wishes for the future. Blanche smiled at her just like she smiled at everyone else, but it was much easier when she chatted with Sophia.

In the end, it took a while for all the guests to congratulate them, so the couple stood there for at least another half an hour. By then, most people had luckily disappeared.

Only Luciano remained in the room. When everyone else was gone, he approached the couple too. “I would like to congratulate you again. I already did it once, but I will gladly do it a second time without anyone interrupting us. I sincerely hope that your union will bless Artias with another wonderful decade full of peace and prosperity. May you be happy together and share some of that happiness with the nation.”

Theodore stayed completely serious while replying. “We will definitely be happy, and Artias will flourish under our reign too. Thank you for your kind wishes.” He paused for a little moment and scanned the other man's expression. “Say, could you have possibly guessed that we would announce this today? You didn't seem as surprised as the other ones. I'm pretty sure that we never told you about Blanche being my empress.”

Luciano nodded at that. “I knew about the engagement since you told us already. I wasn't truly surprised about Lady Blanche becoming the next empress. From your behavior in the past weeks, it has become very clear that you would never even consider marrying another woman. So, it was obvious that only she could become empress if the nation was supposed to have one at all. I didn't expect Her Majesty to make such a commotion though.” He glanced at the door again as his forehead showed a few wrinkles. “It wasn't pretty. Did you not inform her of your engagement?”

That was another topic they might have to discuss. After all, Luciano had to position himself on the emperor's side quite openly now.