Blanche could only stare at herself. She scanned her appearance in the grand mirror in front of her and felt her throat dry as she took in how gorgeous her attire was. Madame Charture had outdone herself this time.
A pure white wedding dress should not have looked this special, but it did.
The puffy skirt was covered with tulle and looked so light that it just might have been made out of clouds and reached onto the floor so that it would trail behind her when she walked. The heart-shaped neckline and the lace decorations on the top part created a wonderful contrast to the bottom part, which was rather simple in comparison. The surprisingly subtle light golden necklace perfected this look already, even though one accessory was still missing.
For the hundredth time, the same words left Blanche's mouth. “I can't believe it.”
Stella moved around her while tugging at the skirt to make the tulle seem even puffier and only stopped when she was content with everything. “I know. I can't believe it either. You are too beautiful, My Lady. And we aren't even done yet. We still have so much to do. Your hair needs the finishing touch and the veil-”
Darlene cut her off by clearing her throat. “The veil would be ready to be fastened now. Hurry up and do her hair. We can't wait forever. We have a few minutes left, but you will use them up by blabbering. You don't want to make the groom wait, right?”
The concubine only needed to imagine Theodore at the altar, and tears pricked in her eyes. Nothing had happened yet, and she was already overwhelmed. It was a bit pathetic. She wanted to reach to her eyes to wipe over them and only stopped at the last second.
That earned her a scolding glare from Angelica. The maid had just finished doing her mistress' make-up for the second time and looked like she would not be too happy about trying a third time. “I do not wish to sound too strict, but keep your hands down. You can neither touch your face nor your hair for the time being. We don't want your make-up ruined before you even stepped into the room.”
Stella, who had picked up the brush and clasp and returned to fastening her mistress' hair, chimed in at that. “Don't be like that. Most brides cry on their wedding day. She waited long enough for this, didn't she? Show her some consideration.”
Darlene checked the clock again before replying. “She will probably cry the entire day, so being calm during the first minutes would be good. We want her to greet her groom with a smile after all.” She glanced at her mistress. “And you want to recite the vows you came up with so painstakingly.”
Blanche immediately went through the sentences she had picked out in her head again. She still hadn't forgotten. But she hadn't been able to bring herself to stop worrying yet. At least the nervousness kept her from bawling her eyes out because she was so happy. “I'm trying my best here. But I'm always a bit emotional. Today is very special, so it should be obvious that I will cry. Theo will cry too, but I will cry more.” She bit the inside of her cheek and stared into her own eyes.
This all still seemed too abstract to her. Theodore would marry her in just a few minutes.
A shiver ran down her spine, and she almost began sobbing. She only saved herself by watching Stella.
The maid skillfully put in a small clasp to keep the braided strands in a bun before readjusting the loose locks that were left open. Stella only took a short moment to add the finishing touches to that hairstyle before she took a step back and grinned. “Perfect. Now we only need the last accessory, and I can-”
Darlene carried the veil over and narrowed her eyes at the other woman. “Why can you do that? You did most things today. I don't only want to bring you the things you need. Why can't I put the tiara on?”
This caused Stella to pout. “I normally do most of the work too, and you never complain. I don't either since I'm happy with my job, but I would like to be the one to put on the tiara too.”
Angelica let out a low sigh. “You two are overly sensitive today, aren't you? Stella needs to deal with the tiara because it has to be put on in a way that doesn't destroy the hairstyle. But we have to hold up the veil at the same time. That means that all three of us will have something to do. So, stop complaining and help me.” She moved over to Darlene and began lifting the veil to carefully position it on the concubine's head.
Blanche didn't dare to budge at all and just watched how her maids completed the attire. The white veil was see-through and reached all the way from her bun to the floor so that it would trail behind her like her dress did. There was a light golden tiara as well, which would fasten the veil and perfect the look.
Now she would only need to pick up her bouquet and walk around somewhat gracefully. Then she would see Theodore, and they would exchange their vows. Just thinking about that made her stomach churn. She definitely didn't feel ready for this, even though she had longed for it ever since she had met her lover.
When the maids finished, they stopped next to her mistress to look at her in the mirror. Stella let out an exaggerated noise of admiration and stared at the concubine with shining eyes. “It's finally here. The day we've all been waiting for. It feels surreal.”
Darlene nodded with vigor and scanned her mistress again. “You're right. It was clear from the moment that His Majesty picked you up. But the fact that we are standing here now with you being about to marry him feels odd. I mean, you will become empress. That is a great responsibility. This could cause a big change in our society. You are the first commoner to become the most important woman in the nation after all. And His Majesty is the first emperor to marry out of love. You will be role models for young people that long for being with their true love despite their status.”
Blanche began fiddling with her fingers again and looked into her own uncertain face. It was true that her position would be very special from now on, but could she really be a person that led others? She had always been rather passive and let others spoil her. It was definitely a huge change to suddenly become empress now. But she had accepted that responsibility, and she wouldn't turn back because of her nervousness.
Angelica seemed to know exactly what was going on in the concubine's mind. She gave her lover a disapproving look. “That's enough. She's nervous enough. Don't make it worse.” She stepped forward and stopped next to her mistress to hold her arm. “You are doing well, My Lady. When you came into the palace, you were a young woman that was full of doubt when it came to her future. Look at you now. You made such big progress in the past couple of months and learned a lot. You even took care of a few things the empress does already. No one else ever had a chance to begin working before their coronation. You have an advantage, so you will do wonderfully. And if not, you have enough capable people around you, and they all will support you. His Majesty, Lord Astame, Gloria, Sir Maillont and Sir Aldis. And don't forget us, Clark and George. Everyone is on your side. Even Harris will probably help you if you ask, and you know how easily he controls his colleagues. You're not alone. You can trust our loyalty, and you can put trust in your own abilities as well.”
Blanche felt a lump form in her throat when she heard that. She barely brought out a reply. “Thank you. I will do my best.” She took a deep breath and looked into the mirror again. Her appearance wasn't the one of a confident woman right now even if she tried to convince herself that she was prepared to become empress. The concubine closed her eyes for a moment and reminded herself of what this day was truly about.
She would marry Theodore. She would be his wife, and he would be her husband. That was enough to make her cheer up again.
When Blanche opened her eyes, she was met with a beam that had spread across her face. She wouldn't let doubts ruin this day for her. She would enjoy every second. Even the stomach-churning nervousness wouldn't make this less wonderful. She glanced over at her maids and showed them her bright smile. “I will become a good empress. It may be hard, but I will do it somehow. I have enough people backing me, and Theo can still guide me if I mess up. It should be fine. No, it will definitely be fine.”
They had gone through so many horrible things that she was convinced of that now. Whatever had given them the chance to redo their lives, it had wanted them to get a better ending for everyone. It looked like all people they cared for were much more content with this world, so they seemed to have done everything right.
Stella's radiant smile almost seemed to light up the entire room. “Exactly. That's why we don't have to worry about anything. Our rulers are much more competent than many others. You two will definitely lead our nation toward prosperity and peace. For now, you don't have to think too far into the future though. Today, the present matters. You will finally marry His Majesty.” She stopped to wipe away some tears that had come to her eyes. “It seems like I'm getting sentimental too, My Lady. Let's get you outside before I begin bawling.”
Blanche opened her mouth to say that they didn't need to leave since Leon would pick her up. At that exact moment, someone knocked on the door. The concubine's grin widened as she reached for her bouquet, only for Darlene to steal it away first.
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The maid scolded her with a fake glare. “No hasty movements. You will ruin your hair. You need to walk slowly and take care of your dress. You don't want it to get stuck anywhere. We will go get your temporary escort now, and I will give you this when you arrive at the door.”
Blanche accepted that with a little smile and focused on stepping away from the mirror without tripping. She barely took a few steps before Angelica had opened the door. She looked up to make eye contact with Leon and tried to hide how much she would like to hear a compliment. Right now, she wanted to confirm that she looked good for the ceremony, even if she knew that Leon was the type to make jokes about everything. But she didn't get her hopes up. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too sarcastic though.
Leonard met her gaze with a gentle smile and entered the dressing room. “It's good to see that you are done. I expected you to let everyone wait. That might have killed your poor groom. Even now, he is already tapping his fingers, complains about feeling tingly, and he even shivered a bit. He's more nervous than during any assassination attack, and that means that it's pretty bad. I worry about him standing at the altar alone for too long.”
The concubine didn't know whether she should find that adorable or worry about her lover. In the end, both applied. “He really is that nervous? It surely must look odd. He is always so composed in public. Everyone will think that he's sick.”
The secretary let out a snort. “Sickly in love. By now, everyone knows that the two of you are pretty much dependent on each other. Maybe he isn't just nervous. Maybe he has withdrawal symptoms because he didn't see you for the last two hours, even if you had a very long farewell kiss then. You are truly not a normal couple, are you?”
Blanche could only smile at that. “We never were normal. That would be boring. We won't let anything bring us apart. That's what we are celebrating today too. We will finally be united in every way. We will share happiness and everything else for the rest of our lives. Even then, our love will be eternal, and nothing will be stronger.”
“Normally, I would gag at that, but since it's your wedding, I will be lenient.” Leonard offered his hand to her. “Now then. Will you grant me the honor of letting me escort you to your destination? We can't let our empress walk alone after all.”
She accepted his hand with a smile. “I will gladly accept your offer. Let us leave so that we don't let anyone wait.” She followed his lead as he brought her to the door and did her best to keep her legs steady even though they felt so weak that she might collapse. She glanced at her maids and tried to gain courage upon seeing their smiles.
But of course, her nervousness didn't subside even when they stepped into the hallway. She kept her eyes on the floor as she gave her best to ignore her pounding heartbeat and attempted to calm down by counting her steps.
It didn't take long for Leon to notice that. He looked over at her with an encouraging smile. “Nervous?”
Blanche let out a huff at that. “That's a stupid question. Of course. I feel like I ate something bad and my stomach is now complaining. Everything tingles. But it's a good tingling in some way. I'm definitely happy. I am overjoyed that this is finally happening, but at the same time, it's a bit overwhelming. I'm just...not good at dealing with stress. My legs feel like they will give out at any moment. I probably look way too nervous as well, right?”
Leonard was quiet and smiled at her, which made her think that he would tell her that she looked like a mess now. But when he spoke up, he didn't have his usual joking tone but a calm one. “You look wonderful. There is absolutely no need to worry. You are without a doubt dressed for the occasion. Theodore will probably get a heart attack when he sees you. Don't push him too much today, or he will seriously cry for the whole day.”
Blanche was dumbfounded for a moment before a beam grew on her face. “Thank you, Leon.”
He raised an eyebrow. “For what? For complimenting you? You have low standards.”
She chuckled quietly at that. “Not only that. I want to thank you for everything. For supporting Theodore and me whenever you can. For enduring our constant cuddling and bringing us sweets and drinks. For teaching me so that I won't mess up completely. And I thank you for escorting me today.” She also had one more thing that she wanted to say, but she couldn't voice it out loud. She also thanked him for trying to help Theodore in each way possible even when the emperor had given up on everything.
Leonard scanned her expression. “Don't get so serious now. I'm happy to lead you to the altar. That means that someone finally recognizes my efforts after all. But this day is about you two, so I don't want to hear any thanks. If you want to pay me back, make sure to sign the marriage contract quickly without reading it. You don't want to know what kind of paragraphs I needed to add. Everyone that tries to go against your marriage will be utterly crushed, do you know that? And your groom also made sure that divorce is impossible. You two will be bound forever.”
Blanche grinned at him. “We wouldn't have it any other way. There is no possibility that either one of us will ever let go, so the laws can gladly connect us too. I would be very happy to be bound to him for eternity. Our souls are already intertwined, so that much should be obvious.”
Maybe their minds were really connected in some way. It would explain why she had been able to follow him despite actually being dead. But those weren't the thoughts she would have now on her wedding day. After all, that future had become a forgotten past.
Leon sighed quietly. “As I thought. You will never stop coming up with even more cliché-filled confessions. It's almost scary how much you act like you can only think about the other one the whole time. But it's also cute.” Before she could comment on him admitting it, they rounded a corner, and his expression changed into one of annoyance. “Why is that man here?”
Blanche actually tensed for a moment before she saw the person that was standing there. It wasn't anyone problematic. It was only Allen. She rolled her eyes at Leon's immediate annoyance but quickly returned to a soft smile as they reached the other man. “Good day, Lord Duremont. May I ask what led you here into the hallways?” Normally, the guests should have entered the main room already from another entrance, so seeing him here was odd.
Allen bowed his head to her. “I wish you a wonderful day, Lady Blanche. I apologize for stepping out of line, but there was something that I needed to hand over. I will not disturb you for long.” He showed her a small box, which he had been hiding behind his hand. “This is a wedding gift from my sister. She gave it to me before she left for Northern Ocrea. She already knew that she wouldn't have a chance to hand it over herself, so she told me to give it to you when it was time. I did not know whether I will have a chance to speak to you later, so I wanted to hand it over now.”
With that, he probably meant that he wouldn't have a chance to say that it was from Seraphina later. After all, Theodore wouldn't be too happy to hear that name, and the Duremonts had understood that.
The concubine froze for a moment and stared at the package. She had told herself that she would forget what happened in the other world, but she couldn't wipe away her caution. She didn't know whether Seraphina truly had amicable intentions, even if it had always seemed like this for the past months. Thus, she was much more cautious than she maybe should have been. She wouldn't open this by herself. But she couldn't show that.
Blanche forced herself to smile at Allen. “I see. Thank you for handing this over. And I thank your sister for gifting me something. I will make sure to take a look at it later. Would you please give it to one of my maids for now?”
“There is no need to thank me. It is natural that a person receives gifts for their wedding, especially the royal couple.” Allen gave the box to Darlene, who hurried back to the dressing room to store the present there. He turned back to the concubine. “My sister wanted me to tell you something too. She sincerely hopes that you will take a liking to the gift. But more importantly, she wanted to congratulate you on your wedding and wishes that you and His Majesty will be happy with each other. She also wishes you great political accomplishments and a peaceful life.”
Blanche didn't really know what to say about that. After remembering everything, interacting with Seraphina, even if it was indirectly, felt strange. She had once held a huge grudge against that woman, which had only slowly disappeared after seeing how the former empress had suffered due to a big amount of different problems. Losing her child and family and being hated by the one she loved had been absolutely horrible for Seraphina after all. Still, the concubine didn't truly feel like she forgave the other woman. But that didn't mean that she couldn't be polite. “I am greatly honored by those words. I will write to her when I find the time. Thank you for the delivery.”
Allen bowed his head. “As I said, I did it gladly. I will take my leave now to avoid keeping you from preparing for the ceremony any longer. I do not wish to disturb the other guests.”
The concubine wanted to bid farewell to him but stopped when she saw how he froze in place. He still wanted to tell her something. She gave him a smile and spoke up in a gentle tone. “Is there something else you wish to say? If so, please go ahead.” She didn't have much time before the ceremony after all.
Allen pressed his mouth into a thin line and stayed silent for a moment before he replied. “There is... I wanted to apologize. In the past, there were some rather unfavorable situations, and some of those developed because I judged you too easily. During those fights, I was overly opinionated and treated you unkindly from the very beginning. In the end, I blamed you for reacting with frustration when I got involved in matters that I should have stayed away from. I wished to apologize for all of that.”
Blanche hadn't expected that, but she wasn't too surprised either. Anyone would wish to fix their relationship with the future empress, especially the future Duke of Duremont. She didn't truly believe that Allen was fully serious, but she responded with a little smile. “In that case, I would like to apologize too. Due to my careless actions, I caused quite a few problems, which made your family upset in the first place. Since I stopped doing that, there were much fewer issues, right? I believe that we can be on amicable terms even when I become empress. I would like to be able to say that the Duremont family is still as supportive in regard to the emperor as before.”
“Naturally. Our loyalty is unwavering. That is why I felt the need to clarify this. No one in my family opposes this union. It seems like not many among the aristocrats voiced complaints either, which is surprising. If some issue does arise, we will do our best to take care of it. We will always support His Majesty to the fullest, and the same holds true for his allies.” Allen paused for a moment and glanced to the side before continuing in a quieter voice, one that revealed that he barely wanted to do this. “Which is why I will have to apologize to you too, Lord Astame.”
Leonard gave the other man a look that was dripping with annoyance. “I see, Lord Duremont. A few specific scenes come to my mind. Would you like to elaborate on that?” That unfriendly tone earned him a nudge from the concubine, but he didn't care much.
Allen didn't hide his frustration either, but he replied anyway. “I am referring to the main issue. On that day, I attempted to lecture Lady Blanche when I had nothing to do with the situation. I should have stayed out of it since it was merely something related to her and His Majesty. When you informed me about that, I got upset despite not having a reason to do that. Then I insulted you due to my stubbornness. I sincerely apologize for that and wish to express my regret.” He might have sounded more convincing if he hadn't sounded so annoyed, but it probably couldn't be helped when it came to those two.
After all, the men despised each other because of that fight.
Leonard didn't seem like he was very eager to forgive the other man either. “Ah. It's good to hear that you accepted that now. I can remember how infuriating it was to listen to your ongoing complaints. Even after we told you to stay out of it, you kept speaking after all. Normally, there would be no way for me to accept an apology from you.” He glanced at the concubine. “But today is a joyful day, so I will hold back. We shall forget that that fight happened. The rest will stay in my mind though.”
Allen looked just as annoyed at the other man. “Very well. I did not expect to move past this either. In any case, I wish you a nice day.” With that, he turned to the concubine. “I will withdraw now so that I can sit down before the ceremony begins. I sincerely hope that everything will go well. Goodbye.”
Blanche bid him farewell with a curt goodbye too before he left.
Blanche looked after him for a moment before turning to Leon. “What were you referring to? You two only fought once, didn't you?” She didn't receive an answer, which made her narrow her eyes. “Didn't you?”