The doors were opened and revealed that the guests were already present.

A group of guards stood in front of the ballroom. They surrounded Leon and Duke Vasquez, whose expression looked rather grim. The guards had an easy time controlling him since they didn't even need to touch him. It seemed like Claude was slouching his shoulders as his hands were shackled so that he wouldn't be able to do anything even if he wanted to. He stood still and just looked at the floor, most likely to avoid eye contact.

The emperor paused for a moment before speaking up. “You may enter. Bring him here.”

That was enough to make one of the guards give Claude an ungentle push. The man barely had any strength to resist and stepped forward immediately. He was brought to the area in front of the thrones, and everyone around him bowed, which he imitated. He didn't look up to show that he was miserable though. His nose looked pretty red right now, and there were even some blue spots on his face. Apparently, he had tripped on his way here, and Leonard's smirk made it seem like the plan had worked out perfectly. And those other bruises on Claude's skin surely hadn't appeared due to an accident either.

Blanche had never been the type to smile at others' pain, but seeing the duke's scrunched-up expression gave her a bit of satisfaction. She hid her mouth behind her hand and couldn't help but remember what he had told her when he had thought that she was drugged.

Claude wasn't so high and mighty now, was he? Even though he had always looked down on everyone around him before. Just seeing him made her think that he might have given up. But the way that he balled his fists and glared at the floor with the eyes of a madman made her think that he might be lost in delusions of finding a way out of this situation.

For a moment, everyone in the room was silent before Theodore spoke up. “You don't look too well, Your Grace. Did something happen, or was the food not to your liking?”

Claude tensed at that. He slowly lifted his head while glaring at the emperor. “This meeting has no use aside from you wanting to humiliate me, am I right? How noble of you, Your Majesty.”

The emperor didn't have any problems staring at the other man as if Duke Vasquez was nothing but an insect below his feet. “That's rich coming from you. What you wanted to do to my future wife wasn't really noble either. Should I put it more clearly again, or were the disdainful looks and the slap to the face from yesterday enough? I think you should know how people react to hearing about that by now.” He ignored how Claude gritted his teeth and how he averted his eyes. “Don't act like you are the victim. There is a reason for you to come here. A very important one, to be honest. Another guest will arrive in a moment, and then you will understand.”

Duke Vasquez didn't like hearing that at all. He probably expected some extremely unpleasant person or that something horrible would happen. He wasn't necessarily wrong. To him, losing his title might even be the worst thing that could happen.

Blanche waited for a short moment, and when he didn't say anything, she spoke up. “I do not wish to be disrespectful, but are you truly well, Your Grace? You look like you haven't slept in days.” That wasn't even exaggerated since the dark circles under the duke's eyes rivaled ink in regard to their color. Most likely, sleeping on the floor while being used to a lavish bed wasn't easy. “In that case, you should try some herbs that can help you sleep. I'm not sure if you can have that in prison though.” She pretended to ponder for a moment before showing the duke a bright smile. “Is that perhaps why you can't sleep? Because you are in prison? How awful. Or...is it possibly because you have a guilty consciousness due to the countless crimes you committed?”

Claude narrowed his eyes, but he forced himself to stay calm. Most likely because the glares of the guards around him made him want to remain silent entirely. “Good day, Lady Blanche. It seems like you have no trouble sleeping even after convicting an innocent man with false accusations.” Excuses would get him nowhere, that much was obvious. But it was good that he tried it even if it was a bit pathetic.

The concubine had only waited for such a comment. She tried to mimic dejection, but it was hard to do when the corners of her lips rose against her will. “So, you were senile after all, Your Grace. That is unfortunate. You should have listened to me when I pointed it out first and consulted a doctor. Then we might not be here at all.”

Duke Vasquez tried to swallow down his response, that much was visible. For a moment, he managed, but then his emotions overcame him. “It seems like you are keen on repeating that over and over again. I think I also told you not to act like you are the most powerful person in this nation, but you keep ignoring it. I believed I was powerful too, and you saw how I ended up. And now look at you. You sit there on the empress' throne and wear things that would belong to the emperor. He won't be pleased if you do that too often. At one point, someone will punish you for believing that you can do whatever you want. If you continue to be this arrogant, you will fall as well.”

Theodore laughed quietly at that. “I don't think so. She didn't commit any vile deeds after all. You, on the other hand, seemed to have gone through the list of crimes in the constitution and marked everything like a checklist. It was obvious that you would have to get caught at some point. I don't get why you thought that it would be different for you. But we don't get too much use out of talking about this. So, would you like to discuss other things than that? There may be something interesting for you to hear.”

Blanche took over at that moment. “Exactly. We have wonderful news. Unfortunately, you were not able to hear them when we announced it, but it should be fine to repeat it now.” She beamed at the other man. “Do you remember the last conversation we had here, Your Grace? You were absolutely right about one thing. A throne and a tiara don't make an empress out of me.” She paused and stared right into Claude's eyes. “But a wedding ring does.” She lifted her hand and showed the ring to him. “You knew that I was Theo's fiancée already. How did you feel when you found out about the divorce and realized that he wouldn't marry anyone else? Do you feel apologetic now for making fun of me? Do you feel ashamed for being wrong about me being powerless? Or are you scared because you know you made a big mistake by provoking the emperor and his future empress?” She couldn't hold it back anymore, and a wide smirk formed on her lips. “Or did you not hear about me becoming the empress yet?”

Judging by his truly amusing expression, he hadn't known that. Claude looked absolutely terrified. He looked from the emperor to the concubine and tried to make sense out of what he had heard. Apparently, hearing this made him rather uncomfortable. He took a few seconds before replying. “There is no way. Why would His Majesty ever give you such an important position? And how come no one complained about that?”

Theodore put on a bored expression at that. “You sound like the dowager empress. She said the exact same thing during our announcement. But then again, you two are very similar in general, so I wouldn't be surprised if you repeat each other's phrases without thinking about it. You are the only two people here that are stupid enough to attack Blanche in my presence. But I can calm you down. I am serious about making her empress. I won't ever marry another woman. And you absolutely don't need to worry about that. No one here has a problem with my angel becoming empress. She is a genius after all. You remember the new law that she came up with? And did you hear about the new contracts? You probably didn't since you were in jail, but she helped with them as well. So, if you have any doubts regarding her legitimization, ask Duke Duremont. He will gladly tell you that she is a much better ruler than you might be.”

Claude slowly regained his composure, at least he tried to make it seem like that. His eyes still betrayed that he wasn't happy about the news at all. Attempting to hurt the future empress wasn't a small deed. He would be in even more trouble if one saw that as a direct attack against the emperor, which Theodore had already done despite it not being necessarily correct. Duke Vasquez didn't seem to have realized that until now though. He had probably believed that he would have a chance to save himself despite everything looking grim. He gave his best to keep calm and replied in a manner that had to pain him physically. “Congratulations, Lady Blanche. It seems like you will truly become the most important woman in this nation. You have earned my respect with that.” He had probably wanted to leave it at that, but Claude couldn't help continuing. “After conquering His Majesty's hearts, you will claim the throne now as well. I'm cheering for you. After all, you managed to ensure that Lady Duremont was cold-heartedly deserted by her husband and took over her position. I didn't think that you would be manipulative enough to pull that off.”

Blanche gave him a bright smile. “If I was manipulative, we would get along well, Your Grace. Power-hungry people like to gather together, haven't you noticed that? And regarding Lady Duremont, you don't have to worry. She is currently on her way to marry Crown Prince Linden in Northern Ocrea. She will become queen there and ensure that Artias and Ocrea are bound by a deep friendship based on trust and the desire to maintain peace throughout the whole continent. I know that I am lacking in many regards, but I will do my best to become a good empress that helps her people. I would like to work hard to improve Artias so that the future will be better for all of us. There are already countless ideas for laws in my head, and I am eager to finally realize them as soon as the crown sits on top of my head.” She noticed that she was actually at that point already, so she corrected herself. “Officially, I mean.”

Gears were turning in Claude's head. It took him a moment before a smirk spread on his lips. What he would say now was definitely not going to be nice. “Oh. It's good that you are ambitious. It's concerning as well though. I know that I'm not in a position to give you any advice, but you should be careful. The previous empress was a powerful woman and a very intelligent person. She did a lot for the people of our nation and our economy. Some say that she was the most influential empress to have existed yet, so she could almost be compared to the emperor. And His Majesty didn't seem to like her at his side. He must not have enjoyed the thought of someone threatening to get closer to his level of power. Someone so confident. He preferred someone meek, someone that isn't an equal partner. He might want to give you influence now, but what if he meets some other crying woman on the night of a ball and falls for her beauty? Then he might treat you exactly like he treated his first wife. He will drop you like-”

Theodore interlocked his fingers with his lover's and somehow managed to lean over to her without letting his crown fall. “Don't listen to him. You should know that I won't ever pay attention to anyone but you. I'm not making you my empress because I want you to be powerless. I want you to stand by my side forever as my equal partner.”

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Blanche gently guided his hand to her cheek and smiled at him. “I know. You don't have to tell me, even if I like to hear it again and again. Explain that to His Grace. He is a bit...ignorant when it comes to human connections. So, you will need to be direct if you want him to get it.”

Her lover kissed her hand. “I will do that, my angel.” He turned to the duke again. “First of all, I would never leave Blanche. I thought that you were a little slow to understand, but it seems like you are just stupid. If you don't get what love is, just shut up about our relationship. I would die for my angel. There is no way that I would ever even consider looking at someone else. Aside from that, I made sure that we can never separate. I'll never let her go in any way. So, we won't be able to divorce, no matter what happens.”

Claude raised an eyebrow. “Pardon? I do not think that threatening her to stay here is very kind. I don't think that you can call that love.”

Theodore sighed quietly before replying with a frown. “You really are the most stupid person I ever met. When it comes to knowing what to say and what not to say, I mean. If you ever mess up and hurt Blanche with some of your words, I don't think that the ten years in prison will be your biggest problem. Maybe you should start thinking with that small brain of yours before opening your mouth. I'm not forcing her to do anything. She will have the chance to read the contract before signing it. I am in the middle of writing one for our marriage. No one will be able to break it. And there, I will write that ending this marriage is against the law. I will put in so many requirements that it would be impossible to meet and finish it off with a royal decree. It's as simple as that.”

Duke Vasquez narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. After being insulted so openly, he probably clung to his last thread of patience to avoid snapping at the other man. Still, he couldn't get himself to shut up. “You can't do that. Divorce is a lawful part of every marriage.”

Theodore grinned at him. “I'm the emperor. I can do whatever I want, no matter how ridiculous it is. And you know what? I'm planning to use this to change Artias forever. I will allow women to take over their households and try to push equality forward. That includes making the empress as powerful as the emperor. By the end of this decade, Blanche will have the same amount of rights I have. That is all I can say about your previous comments. You may feel threatened if your wife becomes independent because she would leave you immediately if she had the chance. But that is only the case because you treated her horribly. And since I would never do anything bad to my Blanche and treat her like the goddess that she is, she won't try to leave me. So, I can empower her as much as possible without having my fragile ego breakdown.” He completely ignored how Claude fumed at that and turned to his lover.

Blanche wasn't completely sure what her lover was waiting for, but she squeezed his hand and smiled at him. That made Theodore give her a smile that almost made it seem like he was relieved. Blanche took that as her cue to bring his hand to her lips so that she could kiss him without leaning over. “I would like to point out that Theo is completely right. I adore him, and he always treats me well. So, I would never leave him. That's why I'm happy about such a safe contract too. It surely isn't normal for a couple to do this, but we've always been special. We are much more clingy than others, so it would make sense for us to insist on being together no matter what.”

Her lover looked at her with nothing but pure adoration. He gave her two kisses on her hand before turning to their guest. “So, you see that she won't ever leave me. She will be empress for as long as I'm emperor and possibly even after that. She doesn't have to ponder whether she will keep her position because it should have been hers to begin with. If someone has to worry about their position being taken away, it's you. Just wait a few more minutes, and he should arrive.” He glanced at one of the clocks on the side of the room. “In about two minutes. I managed to guess how long we would take rather well.” He addressed one of the guards. “Go outside to check whether our guest has already arrived earlier. If so, he can enter.”

The knight bowed and hurried off to the door. He opened it and turned back immediately. “The guest has arrived.” Then he stepped to the side to let the other person pass while signaling them that they could enter.

Luciano came inside a moment later. Upon seeing his father, his posture tensed a bit, but he did his best to keep a straight expression. He was followed by a servant that was holding a few folders, which probably contained the appeal to make Luciano the head of the Vasquez family.

Claude was much less composed than his son. Upon seeing the other man, his face fell. “Luciano? What are you doing here?” When he didn't receive a response, his shock quickly turned into fury. “Luciano, don't ignore me. Why are you here?” But his son didn't listen.

Luciano just walked forward and stopped in front of the thrones. He bowed to the emperor and waited for his greeting.

Theodore quickly released him. “Good day, Lord Vasquez. I am pleased to see that you are on time, as always. You are much more dependable than most of the ministers. It's a bit sad, but there is nothing I can do about that. How are you doing? And how are your mother and sister?” He spoke with a smile on his lips, which perfected the provocation.

Luciano slowly raised his head again and mirrored the smile, but his was way more forced. “Good day, Your Majesty. I sincerely thank you for accepting my request. I am honored to be allowed to come here on such short notice. I will not take away much of your time.” Seemingly, they planned on making it seem like he had requested the audience.

That was the moment in which Duke Vasquez's mood changed. His face lit up as he came to a completely wrong conclusion. “You are here to help me out, aren't you? I knew that I could count on my son. You always were the only capable person in our family.”

Luciano clenched his jaw but continued to ignore his father while looking at Blanche.

The concubine quickly did him the favor of distracting him. “Good day, Lord Vasquez. We were quite surprised to suddenly receive a letter, but it was a very pleasant surprise. Welcome to the royal palace. I hope that your trip here wasn't too stressful?”

Luciano fought with himself to keep his smile from faltering, but he did well. “There weren't any issues. The weather is nice, and the streets were calm. I can only hope that the way back will be just as unproblematic. Thank you for your concern, Lady Blanche. Have you been well?”

She smiled at him. “Of course. Everything within the palace was just wonderful. It was relaxing, and the bit of work that we finished made me feel like I was productive nonetheless.”

Claude barely waited for her to finish before he addressed his son. “Luciano, you can stop ignoring me now. Come on. Greet your father.” That sort of greeting wouldn't make anyone wish to be kind.

Even Luciano seemed the slightest bit annoyed when he turned to the duke. “Good day, Father.” He scanned the other man, and upon taking in the other's state, his face fell. “You do not seem to be very well.”

Duke Vasquez hurriedly nodded. “As you can see, the people here are rather harsh. And violent. I need you to appeal to the court so that they can get me out of here. I am treated unfairly, and those guards are completely incompetent as well. I didn't do anything, and yet, I am tortured daily. I need to sleep on the cold hard floor and only receive a piece of molten bread and a cup of water per day. That is definitely unlawful. I am the second duke of Artias. I'm innocent and powerful. We also have enough money. Somehow, you will be able to get me out of here.” He said that without paying attention to the gazes of the knights that became even colder.

In response, Luciano was quiet and turned his head away. “Your Majesty, I brought the documents that you requested. I made the changes that you mentioned, and this is the new version. Everything is compressed onto a single page as you asked.” He gestured to his servant's folder.

Theodore extended his hand toward them, and quickly, one of the palace servants took the folder before skimming over it and then bringing it to the emperor, who opened it and began reading.

Normally, one should be silent to allow him to concentrate, but Claude didn't seem to care for that. He just began talking again. “Luciano, is that an appeal to get me out of here? You found a way to talk to the judges, right? Will the trial be redone?”

The emperor lowered the folder and glared at the other man. “You don't know how to keep quiet, do you? Has anyone ever taught you manners? I don't think so. Why do you keep interrupting our conversation?”

Duke Vasquez's face scrunched up at that. “Your Majesty, it is my right to inquire when this matter is related to me and my son.”

“You are a criminal that committed treason. By law, that means that your rights can be ignored. You will hear about this early enough. While this matter is related to you and your son, this is not about your crimes being forgotten nor will this help you in any way. Let us and Lord Vasquez talk now.” Theodore kept his gaze on the duke for a moment before focusing on the contract again.

This time, Claude stayed silent for a bit longer. But he just waited until the emperor was done with the document and spoke up immediately when the other man lifted his head. “If this isn't about me being released, what is it? Why do I need to be here for that? I am also a bit taken aback by the fact that you do not seem to dislike Luciano. Wasn't he there at the incident at our party as well? If you direct your hatred at someone, it should be him.” The conversation had barely started, and he was already blaming his son. It wasn't clear whether he had purposefully done that or whether he hadn't considered that Luciano could be punished too.

In any case, Blanche was annoyed enough to speak up. “Yes, he was there. He informed us about your plan. He tried to protect me from your plot and you from being killed on the spot by Theodore. But when you insisted on going through with your plan, he still warned us numerous times. He was even helping me when all of you thought that you had succeeded in drugging me. It seems like you didn't notice that in the middle of you being arrested.”

Claude took a moment to process that. It would be clever for him to act like he didn't know anything about that plot, but he wasn't that intelligent. Instead, fury came upon his features as he raised his voice at his son. “You betrayed me, you bastard! I told you to stick to the plan. We lost because of you, and now all of us are going to suffer!”

Theodore scanned the duke with a derogatory look. “Actually, he saved you and himself from being slaughtered during that very ball. I was right behind you the whole time. You remember that, right? What do you think would have happened if he had done what you said? I would have cut off all of his limbs one after the other. And yours would have followed a moment later. The Vasquez household would have fallen that very night. You should thank him for saving your family. Now they will be able to continue existing without you.”

Duke Vasquez froze at that. Then anger seeped into every fiber of his being as he glared at the emperor. “I am the duke. I am the head of the house of Vasquez and take care of our businesses. There is no way that my disappearance can allow my family to move on. They are helpless without me. They need me to survive.”

Luciano gritted his teeth. He looked like he was more than reluctant, but he quietly spoke up. “That isn't true. We are strong. We are much stronger than what you saw us as. That is why I am doing this. This is the right choice.” He paused for a moment before addressing Theodore. “Your Majesty, are those documents fine? If so, I would like to sign them as soon as possible.”

The emperor glanced at the contract once more before replying. “Everything looks good. We can sign them immediately. The only question is whether we can use the nice version or whether we need to declare him insane.” He lowered the folder and spoke in a calm voice. “Your Grace. Luciano Vasquez wrote an appeal to me. He wishes to become the head of the Vasquez family and take over the position of the duke this instant. I am very fond of this idea since it would allow me to keep your family among the most powerful people in Artias. Since you are obviously only going to stain their reputation, you should withdraw now. If you are willing, you can sign this contract, which signals your agreement to hand over all power to your son. If not, we will use your crimes as proof to claim that you lost your mind, which will cause him to become the next duke too. It's your choice.”

Those were the words that released a storm.