Harris could have said a lot about being accused of slandering Blanche while Clark had defended her. But instead of denying that those discussions with his former friend had happened, he said something that was far worse with an expression that seemed almost too pained to be an act. “The situation was like that. But it was the other way around. I was the one who defended you.”
Blanche opened her mouth and closed it without saying anything. Harris had to be lying again. It didn't make sense for him to have been on her side while Clark badmouthed her. Harris had voiced so many insulting things about her. Why would he go from standing up for her to hating her this much? And Clark had become her friend over the course of the last weeks. She couldn't imagine that he would have been the party that despised her. Even though she expected that this was a lie, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this statement. She paused to regain composure and still needed a few attempts to form actual words.
Then, as if a memory had been reawakened by this sentence, she could swear that she remembered Harris' role in the novel. But at that very moment, her thought process was interrupted, and the memory slipped out of her fingers.
But before she could voice her disappointment, Leon, who had distracted her, already spoke. “I managed to get it for nine-thousand. It took a while, but that was worth it. The set will be delivered to the palace by the day after tomorrow. Are you ready to leave, or is there something else you want to buy?”
It had been unfortunate that he had spoken before Blanche could. Now she had forgotten what she had thought about a moment ago. That was so frustrating that she almost wanted to mutter some curse words, but she forced herself to calm down. And after a short moment, she realized that all of this might just have been Harris' plan to confuse her. The few seconds of a break were enough to make her remember who she was talking to. She had truly been foolish enough to consider believing Harris for a moment. She had seriously thought about asking whether he remembered why she felt like she knew him, even though that was obviously a stupid idea. His acting skills were clearly the one thing about him that she needed to look out for. It would be best to avoid him as much as possible, or she might be completely confused by his web of lies.
Blanche shook her head and exiled all thoughts of the previous conversation to the back of her mind. She didn't have to concern herself with any of the words that came out of Harris' mouth. She felt like she would need to face a lot of unpleasant questions if she did that. So, she distracted herself and spoke up. “I don't need anything else. We can leave if you're done.”
Leon scanned her with skepticism before nodding. “Alright, then let us return to the palace.” He waited for her to stand up and walked to the entrance.
Blanche followed him, with Stella directly next to her. From the corner of her eye, she had caught a glimpse of Harris trailing behind them, but she didn't care enough to turn around. Instead, she tried to be happy about having found a gift to avoid worrying, but she was interrupted again.
Just when they reached the door, the vendor raised her voice. “Please wait for a moment!” The group stopped in their tracks and faced the vendor, who was hurrying towards them with a wooden box in her hands. She was careful not to move the container too much and came to a halt in front of the concubine. “I apologize for delaying your departure. I couldn't help but notice the royal crest adorning your carriage. In addition, your appearance perfectly matches the description I was given. Could you possibly be Lady Blanche of the royal palace?”
A little jolt wandered through the concubine's body at that question, and her heart skipped a beat. It might not be unusual for well-known nobles to be recognized in public and addressed, but she had never been identified. Some people had stared at her and probably been aware of who she was, but they hadn't asked her to confirm their guess.
She wanted to reply, but Leonard was faster than she was. “Why do you want to know that?” His voice was layered with a surprising amount of caution, which didn't seem to be appropriate for such a simple question.
The vendor even flinched slightly at the sharp edge that had accompanied his words before she responded. “The owner of this establishment ordered me to hand this over to her as a gift.” She held the box in Blanche's direction.
The concubine was hesitant to take it and stared at the container with a frown. She looked up at the vendor and then turned to Leon. “But I don't know anyone from outside the palace. Why would a stranger want to give me a present?”
Momentarily, the secretary seemed to be as indecisive as she was. He examined the box from afar before speaking up. “Take it.” After those two words, he remained quiet and left Blanche with even more uncertainty than previously.
She didn't want to receive an undefined object from an unknown person for no apparent reason and bring it into the palace. It also seemed suspicious that the ‘owner’ had planned for her to come here. How could they have known that she was going to buy jewelry in this store? Her doubts were definitely legitimized. On the other hand, Leonard had sounded like he was convinced that this was the right choice, and she trusted his judgment.
Blanche sighed inwardly but extended her arms and allowed the vendor to put the container in her hands. “Thank you.” She looked down. The box was made from mahogany wood, and the lid was covered with flower ornaments that seemed to be gilded as they glittered in the light from the chandelier.
The vendor, who made a small bow, replied quickly. “I am only carrying out my duties. The owner sincerely hopes that you like this gift. Your purchases will be delivered to the palace by the day after tomorrow. If you are content with the items, please feel free to visit us again in the near future. Have a nice day.”
Leon returned the greeting curtly before leaving the store.
Blanche followed him slowly, with her gaze still focused on the box. She only looked away to go down the stairs and intended to inspect the present from up close, but Stella took it from her hands.
The maid wasn't quite serious but also not amused as she spoke. “You should enter the carriage first, My Lady. We don't want to drop whatever is inside.”
Blanche held back her curiosity and agreed. She climbed into the coach and took a seat in the same place that she had sat on during the journey there. After Leonard and the servants followed her, Stella returned the box to her. The concubine didn't even wait until the carriage was moving before opening the container.
Inside was a necklace with numerous small emeralds and citrines, as well as ornaments that looked like flowers were entwining themselves around the thin gold chain. It was gorgeous. Within seconds, Blanche's doubts were struggling against the danger of being washed away by her awe at seeing such a beautiful accessory. Her fingers reached for the necklace, but before she could touch it, the lid was closed.
Leon ripped the box from her grasp. “We are going to let an expert inspect it, and if nothing is wrong with it, I'll return it to you. We can't take any risks by accepting a stranger's gifts without making sure that they harbor no evil intentions. I hope that you aren't too upset because of that.”
Blanche shook her head slightly. Her intention was more reminding herself to think clearly than responding, so she added her reply. “No, I understand. I think that it's odd that someone who doesn't know me would give me such an expensive item. Well, I have no idea whether it is expensive, but it looks like it would be.”
Leonard lifted the cover and observed the contents of the box for a while. “This is definitely very well-made. It's just a guess, but I would estimate the costs for this piece of jewelry to be as high as the price we paid for the set you chose for the empress.” That made this even more suspicious.
“Really? But giving away something like that for free is ridiculous.”
Leon closed the box again and leaned his elbow onto the window frame of the carriage door. “That might be an attempt to curry favor with His Majesty. Maybe they assume that gifting you an expensive present will make us owe them. The logic behind that is twisted, but that is a possibility.” He was quiet for another moment, in which he stared at the container in his hands. Slowly, he looked up at Blanche again with a serious expression on his features. “Still, that is an awfully big amount of money that they just bargained away. Not everyone can afford that. Are you sure that you don't know anyone that might be the owner of that store?”
There wasn't a person who had admitted to owning a jeweler's shop, right? Blanche couldn't remember conversing about that topic either. The only one who had talked about the jeweler's store with her was Luciano. He had given her the address after she admitted to wanting to buy a present for the empress. She froze at that. Was he the owner of the store? That didn't seem very likely given his young age. His family might be wealthy enough to have bought such a luxurious shop, but wouldn't his more experienced father take care of the businesses then? She was pretty sure that Duke Vasquez had mentioned that his son was traveling to the city to collect the taxes from some of their stores. It wasn't unimaginable that this one belonged to them too. That case was more realistic than a complete stranger handing presents to her. But how would she tell Leon that without explaining that she had met Luciano while being outside on her own?
Blanche paused to lay out the words in her head before speaking up. “I'm quite certain that I didn't hear someone talk about owning a store. I only know that Lord Vasquez was the one who recommended me to come here to buy a gift for the empress when I coincidentally had a chat with him. Though I can't be sure whether that means anything, him being acquainted with the owner would explain how they predicted that I would come here.”
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“Luciano Vasquez?” Leon spoke with a serious tone in his voice. When she nodded, he got lost in thoughts.
The silence lasted for longer than Blanche would have liked. So, she was relieved when the secretary resumed talking. To her surprise, Leon didn't continue their original conversation but moved on to politics again. Surely, it was compelling to hear about that topic, nevertheless, the sudden change of subject irritated her. However, after realizing that they weren't alone, she understood.
The Vasquez family was Theodore's enemy. They strove to harm him and force him to give up his power to another person. Naturally, Leonard couldn't reveal any detailed information about them in front of the two servants. He might have made an exception if only Stella was present, but Harris was here too. So, it had been a good call not to speak openly about such confidential issues.
In any case, Blanche was thankful that Leon had taken the box for now. If that present really had been from Claude or Luciano, she didn't want it. Conversing with them unsettled her enough already, so she didn't feel the need to have something that came from them in her room.
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The carriage ride back to the palace went by as quickly as the one to the store had. The only thing that bothered Blanche a bit was the coolness of the air that seemed to have increased in the short time they had spent inside the store. Since she wore her coat, it wasn't overly uncomfortable, but it still made her wonder how strange it was that the weather had changed so fast. Though she didn't have much time to think about that when she hung on Leonard's every word. She gave her best to understand even the more complicated aspects of the political system that he explained to her. This made the time pass by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the royal estate and passed through the main gate. The carriage halted in front of the entrance, and all occupants left the vehicle.
Blanche said goodbye to Leon and was prepared to leave when he gestured for her to follow him. They entered the palace and passed through the hallways until he opened a random door and ushered her inside while asking Stella to wait outside.
As soon as they were alone in the room, Leon spoke. “Right now, they are only spreading rumors to pave the way for their future goals. I don't believe that they will do anything else for now, and even when they do, you shouldn't be the target. But I still have to tell you something important. The Vasquez family is up to no good. If it's possible, avoid interacting with them. If you can't do that, act as clueless around them as you can. Don't let them tempt you into spilling any piece of information that might harm Theodore, Her Majesty or the palace's security in general. They will use anything they can get against us with no sense of guilt. They will hurt Theodore when they have the opportunity to do so. Don't let your guard down.”
Leonard barely took a breath while speaking. The worry glimmering in his eyes was too great for her to ignore. It was obvious how important that topic was to him, so she had to reassure him before he became even more restless.
Blanche hurriedly nodded. “Theo and I had a conversation about that already. I don't trust them either. I feel like the duke and his son are dangerous people. The duchess not as much as them, but she is twisted too. You can believe me when I say that I'm already trying to avoid them.”
“Theodore told me about Claude Vasquez wanting to take a walk with you. Do you know what his goal in doing that might be?”
Blanche was fairly certain that this was connected to her not sending any letters to Sefare anymore, but there was no way that she could say that. She hugged herself while speaking to warm her freezing arms a bit. “No. If I'm honest, I don't want to find out either. Luckily, I didn't have to join him until now.”
Leonard listened to her explanation with an unmoving gaze that was directed at the wall. He paused a few seconds after she finished before replying. “I would favor it if you didn't have to in the future either too. But in the case that you can't reject them, remember what I explained to you. As long as you act ignorant, they won't have an advantage because of you, and they can't hurt you without revealing themselves to be traitors either.”
Blanche nodded and opened her mouth to agree, but an itch in her nose stopped her. She turned around to sneeze, and this time, she gladly took the handkerchief that was offered to her.
When the concubine and the secretary left the room, Stella was still waiting directly in front of the door.
Leonard bid the women farewell and rushed down the corridor, without a doubt to return to the emperor's office and continue his work.
Much like the secretary's ones had, the maid's eyes betrayed what her real emotions were immediately. In Stella's case, it was curiosity. “What did you talk about, My Lady?”
Blanche scanned the hallway on both sides. They were alone, but she didn't believe that their dialogue would be safe from nosy ears. “We should go to our room first.”
Stella quickly understood, and they returned to the concubine's chambers, where the maid immediately plopped down onto the sofa. “Put me out of my misery. What did he tell you that was so secret that he couldn't say it in front of me?”
Blanche sat down next to her and pondered over how to start for a moment before she began her summary. “You know that the Duremont family backs Theodore, right?”
The maid's nod encouraged her mistress to continue.
“While they support him, the Vasquez household is on the dowager empress' side. The Duchess of Vasquez is her sister after all, so that makes sense. Well, Theodore's mother wants to see her other son on the throne, and to do that, she needs to get rid of Theo. After she organized an assassination attempt, Theodore put her and his brother in confinement in the palace in the south of the capital. Ever since then, they have used their followers, including the Vasquez family, to harm him. For this reason, Leon warned me not to come close to them. We should avoid them, and under no circumstances can we tell them anything that they can mobilize against Theo or the empress.”
Only after Blanche had finished, she realized that she had revealed more than she should have. Everybody knew about the basic story, but most things had never been confirmed. So, Blanche hurried to add the most important part. “But all of this is extremely confidential. Please don't tell anyone. And by that, I mean that absolutely no one can hear about this.” There might be trouble if there were rumors about the emperor thinking badly about one of the ducal families.
Stella raised her hand to her mouth and mimicked locking it before throwing the imaginary key away. “I knew the backstory, but now I think I understand even more. I swear on my life that I won't tell a single soul. I will take this secret to my grave. Hopefully, I won't do that anytime soon, but still.”
Her maid's joke painted a faint smile onto Blanche's face. She was lucky that such a lovely person had been assigned to her when she entered the palace. Her whole life would be filled with much less delight if it had been anybody else. Stella had given her a second chance despite her previous behavior and had become the most trustworthy companion she could imagine. The maid stood up for her mistress whenever she could, they joked together, and when Blanche cried, her servant was there to console her.
While Blanche observed Stella's confusion at being watched so closely, her heart began feeling warm, and that sensation spread throughout her body. Slowly but surely, the emotions began to outgrow their vessel and began to flow out. “I know that you told me not to apologize again, so I won't. I'll say something else instead. Thank you. Thank you for staying with me and being my friend. I couldn't imagine any other person by side instead.”
Stella didn't reply. She just leaned forward and put her arms around her mistress.
Blanche moved closer to her and returned the embrace. They remained in that position in silence so that only the sound of the women's calm breathing filled the room. This small gesture reminded the concubine that she could have lost her maid to Seraphina if this world would follow the original storyline. That didn't mean that couldn't happen in the future, but it seemed unlikely. After all, Blanche wouldn't give away her friend. As long as she didn't order Stella to break into the empress' room, the servant wouldn't be caught nor be taken in the heroine's care.
Of course, Blanche shouldn't feel too safe. Since the previous events hadn't differed immensely from the novel's version, it was still possible that everything returned to its intended path.
She had made a change, but those were only small differences. She had gotten closer to Theodore through their reconciliation and built relationships with Stella and the other four servants. During the last three months, she had lived by most conventions and norms and exhibited adequate behavior.
But that didn't guarantee that she wouldn't be treated as the villainess. If Seraphina and most members of noble society saw the concubine as the evil one, her ending would be benefiting of a wicked fiend no matter how much five servants like her.
Her thought process was stopped by Stella letting go of her at a slow pace. The maid's face was full of concern as she spoke up. “About what Harris said earlier...”
Blanche furrowed her brows at the inquiry. “You are still thinking about that? I wouldn't pay attention to anything he told us. I'm amazed by his acting skills. It's not a surprise that he managed to convince the whole staff of his innocence.” She refused to read more into this, or she would seriously have to re-think a couple of matters.
“I know...but doesn't it seem strange that he would tell a lie despite being aware of the fact that we wouldn't believe him anyway? We'd obviously trust Clark more than him, so I don't get what he was trying to accomplish.” Stella was right about that.
It didn't make sense for Harris to expect that they would be on his side. But then again, none of his lies were believable. From the very beginning, he had portrayed himself as the victim that suffered because of the other four's unreasonable hatred despite knowing that these were Blanche's friends.
The concubine could only guess here. “Maybe Harris is convinced that his acting will get rid of any problems that he faces. He always pretended to be the nice person, and admitting that he made fun of me would destroy that image, so he probably just had to stick to his story. The only thing I don't understand is why he suddenly wanted to talk to me. From your dispute, it became pretty obvious that he looks down on me. Why did he attempt to make me pity him when he wasn't interested in doing that before?” Was that connected to why Blanche could swear that she had already had a conversation with him before?
Stella grabbed a cup of water, which had been left there since the morning, and took a sip before responding. “Maybe, just maybe, he wants your influence? He has been known to cling to his superiors and basically anyone whose favor he would benefit from. You became friends with me and the others, and he saw us together multiple times. So, he personally witnessed that you don't mind becoming closer to servants, even if it previously seemed like that was the case. Then His Majesty hugged you in front of a crowd after you came out of his room and proved that he is willing to ignore everyone else to show you his affection. That he is on your side probably makes you one of the most influential people in the place, right after him and Her Majesty. Harris could have interpreted this as a chance to get you to like him so that he can use you to gain advantages.”
Her reasoning made sense for the most part. After the unapproachable troublemaker became kinder, it would be possible to try to curry favor with her. As the emperor's lover, Blanche naturally had some authority in the palace, but since the biggest portion of the staff despised her, that wouldn't help Harris much.
“What kind of-” A sneeze interrupted Blanche once again, which made her frown in annoyance. She really couldn't afford to get sick now, not a few days before the ball.
Stella immediately looked at her mistress with concern. “Have you caught a cold? You have been sneezing more often than you usually do. And you complained about freezing multiple times too. Do you want me to call the royal doctor?”
Blanche shook her head vigorously. “I don't feel bad, so we don't have to trouble him with that now. I'm pretty sure that I'm not sick at all.”
Stella handed the other woman a cup with water. While her mistress drank, she put her hands on her hips. “I understand what you mean, but the doctor is living in the palace for a reason. He doesn't have anything to do most of the time, and we were told to contact him even if we only suspect that something might be off. It wouldn't hurt to make sure, right?”
“No!” Blanche was quick to stop her maid. “You know how worried Theo gets whenever someone has the most harmless sickness. He always expects the worst when the doctor comes. I don't want to add another thing that burdens his mental health to the already never-ending list. I'll be fine on my own. Until the ball, I'll simply rest as much as I can, and then everything will be alright again.”
Stella sighed but gave in nonetheless. Maybe she should have been pushier in trying to convince her mistress that day.
But in the end, Blanche had been the one to mess up. In retrospect, thinking that she wouldn't get too sick might have been a mistake.