Seraphina had just reassured Blanche that the Duremonts would support the emperor once again. Apparently, she was rather sure about that and confidently claimed that Duke Lamont would back Theodore as well. Then Seraphina paused for a moment before adding something else. “I saw that you had a conversation with Lord Vasquez too. Maybe you will even gain the backing of all three dukes.”
Blanche nodded. “We are trying to do that. Theo wants to make Lord Vasquez the duke and asked for support for all future laws in return. I think that that could have some great benefits for our nation. We discussed...” She interrupted herself. “I don't think that we should talk too much about politics now. You will leave Artias in a few hours. I actually wanted to ask about how you were feeling.”
Seraphina pulled her cup toward her and began stirring the tea. “I'm not sure. How am I supposed to feel about leaving my home country? I never stepped outside of Artias until now. It will be a completely new experience for me, but I guess that I will just have to wait for it to come. I'm just glad that Linden is with me. When we arrive in Northern Ocrea, I will insist on him giving me as many books as possible. I need to get familiar with their etiquette and laws. I already started, but the knowledge you can find in the royal library is limited. Talking to Linden gave me more information than the books that I read.” It wasn't surprising that Seraphina would already be prepared to become the queen of a new nation. She was probably already on the same level of knowledge about Ocrea as most of their citizens were.
Blanche couldn't help but grin at that. Some things never seemed to change. “I'm happy to hear that you are so eager. You will be a wonderful queen. Apparently, you will need to deal with Linden's sister first though.”
“I am aware.” Seraphina lifted her cup and blew on the tea to cool it a bit. “I would like to avoid conflict with the family of my future husband, but it seems that I will have to quarrel as soon as we arrive there.” A smile tugged at her lips. “At least it won't get boring. I haven't been able to do anything about politics for almost a year. As strange as that sounds, I'm itching to change the world again. I will do my best to improve the economy in Northern Ocrea and ensure that Artias is our favored business partner. I already have some plans in mind that could significantly unburden the fields in the south, which are our main food source right now. Maybe there is a route that would allow trading food against other items. I prepared a draft already.” Of course, she had. As always, the ambitious heroine didn't even take a break while she was moving.
The concubine was a bit worried though. “I already guessed that you would do that. It's great that you want to help our nations, but don't overdo it. Stress isn't good for your baby.” She paused at that. To be honest, she wasn't even sure whether the other woman was pregnant. She hadn't heard anything new after the meeting at the fountain. “Oh. I mean, did the doctor confirm that you were pregnant?”
Seraphina let out a huff. “I thought that me never telling you that I was mistaken made it obvious enough. Didn't I talk about it very often? I am pregnant. I'm in my fourth month now. Luckily, the baby bump isn't too big at the moment. I would like to avoid showing everyone here in Artias that their former empress had an affair.”
It was definitely unfair, but a woman would be treated much more harshly if she was cheating on her husband. Even if Theodore had openly stridden around with his concubine at that time. It would certainly be better for that child to be raised in Ocrea.
Blanche felt a bit embarrassed about having forgotten about the obvious hint about Seraphina being pregnant and looked away. “I should have remembered that you talked about your child a few times. I apologize.” This topic was enough to make hopes about being pregnant herself resurface, but she quickly pushed those thoughts away. For now, she would focus on Seraphina. “Did the doctor examine you to make sure that everything is fine?”
Seraphina nodded. “I visited my sister a few times and met a professional there. Everything seems to be fine. I asked him whether traveling to Ocrea right now would be possible, and he affirmed it. I will make sure to put a few cushions below me to avoid too much wobbling, and it should work out without any incidents.” Theoretically, it should.
But Blanche already began worrying even though this wasn't her business at all. “I think that it will be fine. But you should be careful anyway. It would be best if some people around you could prepare everything that you could need during the journey. Especially Prince Linden has to be able to help. Did you already tell him about your child?”
Just upon hearing that, a beam spread on Seraphina's face and seemed to light up her entire being. “I did. I talked to him as soon as we were alone. Admittedly, I was so nervous that I could barely speak. I felt like my heart would jump right out of my chest. But as soon as I told him, he started crying and hugged me. He was so happy that all of my worries disappeared for a moment. I'm still scared. I'm terrified of being a mother because I have no idea what to do. But as long as Linden is with me, it should be fine. I will do my best to become a good mother, much like my own mother was. Giving my child all of my affection shouldn't be an issue. I might need to read a few books about pregnancies and childcare, but I will manage somehow. Linden said that his nursemaid would help us too, and that calms me a lot. I look forward to meeting our baby.” She put her hand on her stomach and smiled while looking into the distance. That display was more than just adorable.
Blanche desperately tried to ignore the small voice in the back of her head that told her that she wanted that too. For now, she should just be happy for the other woman instead of thinking about herself the whole time. “I'm glad to hear that. I told you that Prince Linden would be as satisfied as you, didn't I? Everything will end up well.”
Seraphina stared at the table for a moment before picking up her cup. “I hope so. I was patient for twenty-seven years before finding my first love. I deserve some happiness now. In return, I will give my all to bring happiness to my child, my husband, my home country and my new home. It may be a bit ambitious to think about that already, but I am used to complicated political situations. If someone is able to do it, it will be Linden and me. And since the emperor and empress of Artias will wish to trade a lot too, even if it's just to keep me from visiting, everything should be fine.” She brought the cup to her lips and drank a bit.
The soft rays of sun that illuminated her from behind made her look angelic while calmly sipping her tea. One could see that Seraphina was happy.
A smile grew on Blanche's lips before she even realized it. Even though she had changed the original ending, it seemed like the main characters were much happier than they had been in the novel. At least the concubine was convinced of that. And like this, she could also have her happy end, so this solution was much better. Without her attempting to speak, her mouth opened almost on its own. “I'm glad that things are ending up like this.”
Seraphina lowered her cup at that. “Do you mean our situation in general or just our relationship? In both cases, I would agree. I'm glad that our nations did not go to war, and I'm very content with the developments in my personal life as well. I never dared to hope to marry someone out of love. Of course, I can't be sure whether we will get along as well as now even when we marry, but we'll see. I hope that Linden and I will stay together for a long time.”
Since the former empress was leaving her home country for that man, Blanche could only pray that they would. “I hope so too. But as I already said, you have a good eye for people. And Theo does too, and he seems to trust Linden, so your lover can't be a bad person. And since you are a wonderful person too, it will go well.” It felt odd to say that. Blanche felt like she had caught herself lying but quickly told herself that it was fine to be a little kind to someone who would leave soon. She still distracted herself as she carefully put her hands onto her cup as well and drank a few sips of her drink after blowing on it.
Seraphina grinned before drinking a bit of her tea too. She put down her cup when she was done but left her hands on the warm porcelain. “I hope that you are right. If you aren't, I at least wasn't the only one that was fooled. I guess that we will just have to deal with this uncertainty for a while. I will make sure to inform you when I can be sure.” She looked into the other woman's eyes for a moment. “That brings me to the next topic. When I'm gone, I will definitely worry about my family the whole time. I will write countless letters to them, but I know that they sometimes like to hide things in an attempt to keep me from feeling bad. So, I need someone to tell me nothing but the harsh truth. It would be good to hear about what is going on in Artias from the rulers directly too, and I could provide information about Northern Ocrea in return. His Majesty and I will definitely not exchange any letters, so the only other option is you. What do you think? Would you like to write me letters after I leave?”
Blanche was a bit surprised about that offer. Surely, they had gotten along better than ever before, but she was still uncertain when it came to their past. She had believed that Seraphina would like to leave this behind her to start anew, but apparently, the former empress didn't plan on cutting her relationships off.
There was something slightly comical about an ex-wife writing the former mistress and now wife of her previous husband while not wanting to contact the man himself.
But it was just as strange for Blanche to accept that solely because she felt like it would bring her political advantages. “Gladly. I'm not very good at finding the words for private letters, but I will do my best. I would be honored to exchange letters with the queen of Northern Ocrea.”
Seraphina rewarded her response with a smile. “I am pleased to hear that. The addresses should be clear. A new messenger was appointed, and they will most likely bring a letter about once a month. Just some information about the nation would suffice, but of course, I am curious about what happens in the palace too. After all, this was my home for two years.” Seraphina smiled, and her eyes locked onto something in the distance. Now there was an undeniable sadness in her gaze. “I will miss Artias. I'm happy that my maids will accompany me, but it will still be different. It will feel strange to live far away from my family. Until now, they could just come to visit whenever they wanted, but now it will be a bit different. I will make sure to invite them for summer vacation each year, and I might come here to visit if I can, but it won't be the same. It will be very different. There also won't be an emperor that has made me his sworn enemy and refuses to tell me why. There will not be an advisor that smiles at me and turns around to roll his eyes a second later either. But at least there is another woman I can quarrel with there. It seems that no matter where you go, someone will always cause trouble. I guess that it can't be helped when your interests differ though.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Blanche nodded to herself while listening to the other woman, even when she had heard that small mention of her past behavior.
Somehow, Seraphina became rather philosophical when she was thinking about the future. But it was obvious that one would feel weird at the prospect of suddenly moving to another nation to marry a person that one had known for a little over four months. But Seraphina wasn't only melancholic because she left her home country. She also seemed hopeful for the future.
A small smile formed on Seraphina's lips rather quickly. “But there is no need to be so depressed about this. There are good things about this too. From now on, there will be no more boring tea parties with the ladies of Artias. Someone else will have to bother with that. I won't have to meet Her Majesty and His Royal Highness again for the time being. I don't have to worry about His Majesty killing me overnight. The servants in the palace don't have to treat me like a spy anymore. And there won't be a guard following me while doing his best to watch my every step from now on either.” While saying that she glanced at Noah, who was watching them from the corner of the room and averted his eyes upon seeing her looking at him. “And I will have enough time to be with Linden and prepare for our child while also beginning to steer Ocrea toward a wealthier future.” That almost made it sound like living in Northern Ocrea would be much more pleasant for her than staying here would be.
Blanche sipped on her tea while trying to come up with a response. In the end, she was as uncreative as always. “I am sure that you will make the most out of it. After all, it's you whom we are talking about. You will manage just fine. Prince Linden will help you, but I'm pretty certain that you don't even need that.”
“Thank you.” Seraphina pushed her cup away, and her maid poured some more tea for her. “I hope that it will be fine, but since no one can foresee the future, we will just have to accept whatever comes to greet us. I wish you the best in your endeavors as well. I would be happy if the problems here could be resolved within this year too, but that will depend on you and your enemies. In any case, I am certain that His Majesty has everything under control. Make sure that he doesn't become too full of himself. You will need to calm him down if he ever starts acting too rashly.”
The concubine had to admit that she was rather bad at dealing with Theodore's stubbornness, but she gave her best. “I will try. But I have to confirm how to get him to listen. He is rather hard to influence once he made up his mind.” She finished her cup as well and thanked the maid when she poured some more tea.
Seraphina just smiled at that. “It will be fine. As long as you draw the line, he will immediately fall to your knees. I'm sure that just refusing to call him by his nickname would make him worry enough to make him change his mind. Do not hesitate to use your own methods to convince him. If you deny him your hugs for a while, he will do anything you want.”
Probably. But Blanche wouldn't try that. She didn't want to force her lover to do something. If she wished to convince him, she would need to start gathering arguments even if it seemed like her attempts would be useless in most cases. She wouldn't start to manipulate him by withdrawing her affection. “I will find another way. I'm sure of that.” A way that didn't include possibly scaring her lover because he thought that he had upset her. Surely, Seraphina used emotional manipulation to her advantage, but Blanche would never do that.
“If you think so, go ahead. But remember to be careful when voicing your wishes. I fear that His Majesty may be swayed rather easily when it comes to you. He would definitely start a war for you. You should avoid addressing it if you dislike someone, or they may disappear overnight.” Seraphina was smiling when she said that, but her tone made it sound like she wasn't really joking.
Blanche let out a nervous chuckle. Somehow, she could imagine that Theodore would truly go too far because he had read too much into one of her comments. It was the same with her saying something about things she liked. She needed to be careful, or he would gift her a mountain of those items. “I will keep that in mind.”
Seraphina drank some of her tea before replying. “Good. Then we have talked enough about His Majesty. Let us move on to other topics in the few minutes that we have left. My family will arrive soon, so we should use the time now.”
And they did.
Somehow, it felt strange to speak to Seraphina like this when it was obvious that they would probably not meet in person for at least a few months, if not years. Maybe they would never see each other again, and the thought was strange.
Blanche didn't really have a close relationship with the other woman, and still, there was an odd emotion inside her. It was something similar to melancholia, but she couldn't put a finger on it. In the end, that didn't matter much either.
The two women had a conversation that felt like it went on for a long time when they had actually just had a few minutes for themselves.
When it was time to go downstairs, the concubine could barely grasp that this was how the heroine of “To Be Empress” left Artias. Seeing the last bags being carried down made her view this with some sort of finality, but a part of her still barely grasped that this wasn't just a short trip. But especially watching how Seraphina looked around in her room one last time showed that this meant much more.
As Blanche stepped out of the empress' chambers, she almost felt something like anticipation. Or maybe it was some other emotion that she couldn't quite understand. But she didn't have the time to discern what it was. She didn't get far before she was caged in a tight embrace. That almost gave her a heart attack and made her worry about how loudly the pounding of her heart resonated in her ears. She didn't even need to look up at her lover to recognize him, but she did so anyway to narrow her eyes at him. “Theo! I told you not to scare me. Why do you keep-”
Theodore silenced her with a kiss. He tangled his finger in her hair and kept her pressed against him while stealing her breath with a passionate onslaught. When he pulled back, he gave her a wide smirk and pressed another kiss on the top of her head. “I missed you. You can't run away like that, or you will end up giving me a heart attack.” It shouldn't have been surprising that he knew where she was without her telling him. She usually always mentioned where she would go, so not saying anything had made it pretty obvious that she would see the person that he despised so much.
“Just because you miss me, you can't give me a heart attack.” Blanche lifted her hand as she pretended to tremble for a moment. “You scared me. I will need hours of cuddling before I can calm down again now.”
Her lover took her hand in his and led it to his face. “Oh, my sweet angel. I'm sorry. Then I will have to make it up to you. I'll gladly provide you with everything you need.” He kissed her fingers and smiled at her in a manner that made her still pounding heart melt.
Blanche could imagine how much everyone around them was rolling their eyes at their overly romantic exchange, but she didn't care. If anyone was bothered, they should leave. “That's right. You will need to take responsibility for the rest of your life. From now on, you have to wake me up every morning, and if you're not there, I won't forgive you.”
Theodore kept his eyes directed at her while he brushed his lips over her fingertips. “I will be there. For every morning, evening and everything in between.”
Blanche wanted to reply something just as novelettish, but she stopped herself when she noticed a person in the corner of her eyes. She had thought that Seraphina was still inside her chambers, but the former empress was already standing in the hallway. Along with Seraphina's maids, the concubine's attendants, Noah, Owen and a group of servants that were supposed to carry the last suitcases downstairs. And all of them had watched that exchange.
Blanche had the suspicion that Theodore might have known about that and hadn't cared enough to warn her. She did her best to ignore that too. She turned her to lover in an attempt to hide her burning cheeks and closed her eyes for a moment. “Uhm... Have you spoken to Prince Linden? Is he prepared to leave in two hours? It would be bad if they aren't ready in time. They need to reach their destination before it becomes nighttime after all.” She was more or less blabbering to herself to keep herself from focusing on her embarrassment.
But a short look at her maids, who showed her their uplifted thumbs, quickly made her want to hide her face again. She considered leaning against her lover, but that would probably only make it worse. So, she forced herself to keep her head upright.
Theodore gently pinched her cheek and grinned down at her. “He's all done. The servants need to bring their own things to the carriages, and they take their time, so they will need two hours. But then they will be done and can leave. The Duremonts are already there though. They are at the main gate.”
That comment should have been directed at Seraphina instead, but she had heard it even from afar. Seraphina turned to her maids and said something before gesturing to one of the servants, who picked up the last remaining item, which was the chest Blanche had brought. Then she walked forward to the couple, most like so that the emperor could greet her, which would allow her to leave.
But once again, Theodore showed no intention of acknowledging her at all. Instead, he began running his hand through his lover's hair.
Blanche fought the urge to enjoy a short massage and spoke up instead. “We should go downstairs now. We can't leave the servants alone for too long, or they will take three hours because they didn't want to leave their new friends.”
Theodore didn't ignore her at least. “Alright. Let's go.” He interlocked their fingers and led her toward the staircase without turning around once more.
The concubine swallowed a sigh to refrain from pulling even more attention to the fact that Theodore really wasn't kind right now. She glared at him for a moment before giving up and cuddling into him.
Her lover quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her by his side, so it was somewhat difficult to look over her shoulder. Thus, she couldn't even check what sort of reaction Theodore had caused.
Luckily, Seraphina didn't complain and followed them at some distance. It probably took her some willpower to keep herself from rushing down to where her family was. Or maybe she held back because she wanted to look around the palace in peace one last time. Maybe she just didn't want to squeeze past the couple too.
Blanche felt a strange sensation in her chest when she thought about that and quickly focused on her lover instead. In the past, she might have felt a bit bad upon cuddling with him in front of Seraphina, but now she didn't really need to pay attention to that anymore. In the future, she actually wouldn't need to think about Seraphina's thoughts anymore at all. She would say farewell to the other woman now, and afterward, the former empress would leave to go to Northern Ocrea.
That was still a weird thought, no matter how often she repeated it to herself while going downstairs.