Even though Blanche barely left her room, her condition grew worse every day as she realized that she had underestimated her sickness. At first, the symptoms had only been light ones like frequent sneezing, having a stuffy nose or an itch in her throat. But after another two nights, she began to alternate between freezing and sweating while her body temperature was way too hot.

Two days before Seraphina's birthday, Blanche didn't even leave the bed anymore. She felt dizzy and was sure that she would throw up a couple of times. Luckily, she hadn't, but it made Stella insist on calling for the doctor. Blanche gave her permission under the condition that the man promised not to tell Theodore about it. After she nagged him for a bit, he reluctantly agreed, as he always did when she annoyed him enough. The doctor prescribed her to rest and handed her some pills, which she took with every meal, and that helped her surprisingly well.

On the day of the ball, Blanche still didn't feel healthy, but she was able to stand upright and smile, which would be sufficient to last for at least three hours. She planned to talk to Sefare during a moment in which everyone was focused on the royal couple and then wait until it was her turn to present her gift to the empress. After that, she would ask Theodore to allow her to leave early. He would assume that she was bored without him and give her permission to return to her chambers. That would have the additional benefit of not having to stand around for the whole night nor being forced to watch the royal couple dance in perfect harmony again.

Needless to say, Stella wasn't happy about her mistress' strategy and attempted to persuade her to stay in her room countless times. Even though Blanche assured her that it was fine, the maid kept bringing her concerns up. Despite this, Stella still helped her mistress get ready.

The concubine had chosen a dark green ballgown that was rather simple for this event. It didn't have any ornaments and relied on the fabric's silky shine to create an elegant image. Normally, one was supposed to wear numerous fancy accessories with this dress, but she had decided to only put on a small silver necklace along with it. This day belonged to Seraphina, and it would be the empress' turn to stand out as well. Surely, it wasn't unusual for all eyes to be watching the empress, both because of her gorgeous appearance and her position. However, in the past, Blanche had regularly stolen some of that attention with her insolent acts of stirring up trouble.

The same thing had happened in the novel, in which the birthday party had been one of the many examples of the villainess attempting to humiliate the heroine. Somehow, the original Blanche had to have secretly entered Seraphina's room and cut the skirt of her dress only minutes before the event started.

Since the cuts reached from shortly below her hip to the hem and were straight without any threads hanging out, the maids hadn't even noticed it until the empress had pointed out that there was an issue. Actually appearing in public with a destroyed dress that showed her legs would have ruined Seraphina's reputation, so it had been necessary to change the attire. Of course, the heroine had owned an even more gorgeous dress, which she had put on then. This more unusual design had earned her quite a few compliments, so the day had been saved for her. But even though the biggest problem had been over then, there had still been other issues.

After realizing that her plot had failed, the original Blanche had attempted to ruin the evening by pulling Theodore away from his wife. It was rare that the emperor and the empress separated at a ball for longer than a few minutes, and on Seraphina's birthday, he usually wouldn't leave his wife's side for even a moment. The villainess hadn't cared about that and only insulted the heroine as often as she could by pretending to be the most important person at the ball.

Naturally, the concubine wouldn't do anything like that now.

Her goal was the very opposite one.

Blanche wanted to fade into the background and be ignored by the guests after handing over her gift. Her dress was very fitting for that since it had way fewer ornaments than her usual choices had. Upon her request, Stella had also only braided two strands of her hair and wrapped them into a small bun while leaving the rest open. She had asked the maid to not put any additional accessories on her head either, which resulted in her whole attire being inconspicuous, just like she intended it to be.

The one thing she needed more of than usual was face powder though.

Stella took quite a while to cover up the dark rings under her mistress' eyes and her pale skin before she allowed the other woman to open her eyes.

If one looked at the concubine more closely, one would notice that she wasn't feeling well. But a short glance would make it seem like nothing was different from any other day. “Perfect.” Blanche hummed that under her breath, which earned her a frown by her maid.

“I don't know what about this is supposed to be perfect. You can barely go half an hour without shivering because of your fever. You should be lying in bed and definitely not be going to a ball.”

The concubine looked back over her shoulder and put on a small smile. “I'm alright, Stella. It's not as bad as you keep saying it is. We'll go there, give her the present and leave a little after that. I don't have to do anything but stand around and be polite if someone talks to me, which they won't. Since Theodore isn't with me, they won't approach us, and we will have our peace.”

Stella put down the brush and crossed her arms. She observed her mistress for a couple of seconds and sighed. “I don't even understand why you have to go at all. If you state that you are sick, the empress probably won't complain.”

“Attending such important events is an inevitable norm that anyone in noble society has to follow. You know that I want to improve everyone's opinion on me, and for that, I have to play by the rules.” Blanche stood up from the stool by the dresser and stumbled a bit before she found her footing.

Immediately, Stella grasped her arm to stabilize her. The maid's expression had darkened even more after seeing this incident. “You can't even stand properly. How do you expect to-”

The concubine rolled her eyes and cut her off. “I just tripped over my dress. That could happen every day and has nothing to do with my sickness.”

Stella supported her mistress on her way to the bed, where Blanche sat down again with care to not wrinkle her gown too much. For a moment, the maid was quiet before resuming the conversation. “Even if you want to show them how well you behave, that can wait until have fully recovered. You are in the middle of getting better, and I fear that this evening may set you back again. You could just skip today's ball and sent me to give the present to one of Her Majesty's maids instead of endangering your health. There will be countless events after this one. Even the birthday party will repeat next year, so I don't comprehend why you are so stubborn.”

Because Blanche would be dead by then if she was unable to improve her standing in this society. She waved her hand around in the air as she attempted to come up with a way that she could explain this to her maid. “I don't know how to put this... I have to...make up for some of the last events. Do you remember the banquet three months ago? The one, during which I sat down on the empress' chair? Yes? That didn't leave a good impression. So, everyone will think about that. Now I have to make some appearances with appropriate manners in hopes of them forgetting about that in a few years. Besides, I majorly offended the empress at that banquet and have to apologize for that somehow. This gift is a fine start, but I have to hand it over in the correct manner too.”

While her mistress spoke, Stella returned to the dresser to clean up the rest of the powder that covered the surface. She put away the brush before sitting down on the stool. She crossed her arms again, and frustration appeared on her face. “Well, Her Majesty didn't apologize either, so I wouldn't know why you should do it multiple times. I not only remember the banquet, but I can also remind you of how you were crying in your room for hours after she said something to you.”

It was true that that day hadn't been pleasant for Blanche either. Theodore had been more upset with her than she had ever witnessed him, which had been logical since taking the empress' seat had been like a war declaration towards the Duremonts. He hadn't raised his voice at her, but his disappointment and exhaustion had been bad enough. After the fight with him, she had felt horrible.

On top of that, Seraphina had approached her and given her another warning, which the concubine had dismissed by stating that Theodore cared more about her than his wife. The empress had retorted that he would still put the political connection to the Duremonts before his lover and that she should try not to be a bother to the emperor. Blanche had laughed in her face and left while seemingly being unaffected by the remark. In reality, however, she had been sobbing the entire night while being scared of the fact that her lover could leave her behind in the future. Seeing that Theodore hadn't forgiven her yet the next day had made it even worse. In fear of realizing that Seraphina had been right, Blanche had clung to her lover's side for the next two weeks and expressed her regret on every fitting occasion. She had only been calmed after Theodore had told her to stop apologizing a hundred times, but the empress' words had still stuck to her.

Now that Blanche had understood that the heroine had spoken the truth and that it was logical for the emperor to secure his reign instead of protecting a misbehaving brat, she hadn't thought about it much. Nevertheless, that comment still hurt her more than it should, even though it was obvious that the country had to be Theodore's first priority. But since she wouldn't make Theodore choose now, it should be fine.

“She only said that because I provoked her, and in the end, she wasn't mean either. She simply told me the truth that I couldn't handle.” Blanche tried to explain, but her maid didn't seem impressed.

“You never told me what she said to you, but that isn't important for me to conclude that she overreacted too. You apologized once when we met her in the garden on the day that you made the conviction to change and didn't trouble her again after that. That should be sufficient.”

The concubine was about to argue that it wasn't when a knock sounded at the door.

Stella went to open it and responded in a way that instantly informed her mistress of whom the visitor was. “Gloria? What are you doing here?”

Blanche glanced at the door frame and had to force herself to refrain from grimacing upon seeing the head maid's stern expression. Interacting with that woman wasn't pleasant in the first place, but it seemed like Gloria was in a bad mood, which would only make the following conversation even less enjoyable. Still, she attempted to give a slight smile and greeted the visitor. “It's nice to see you, Gloria. What brings you here?”

The head maid entered the room, and another younger servant that the concubine didn't recognize followed her. Both of them carried a box, which was the only clue Blanche needed to find out what they wanted.

Did Theodore truly have to get his lover a present on his wife's birthday? Blanche was always happy about receiving gifts from him, but even she had to admit that this would appear very odd to others. Maybe he had believed that she would sulk since all the attention was focused on Seraphina today, like she had done last year, and wanted to distract her.

Nevertheless, judging by Gloria's scrunched-up face, it didn't seem to be a good idea to the people on the empress' side. Despite her conflicting feelings, it looked like the head maid would still fulfill her duties though. She and the other servant set down the boxes on the table before she finally spoke up. “Good evening, Lady Blanche. These are gifts by His Majesty. He ordered me to bring them to you before Her Majesty's birthday party would begin.”

Blanche immediately thought about how to get the servants to leave. The head maid already sounded like she was eager to talk about the empress. If Gloria acted similarly to the last time that she had brought Theodore's present, she would begin to chat about how Seraphina's possessions were much more valuable. The concubine didn't want to hear that right now. “Thank you for bringing this here. Is there anything else? I do not want to seem impolite, but I haven't finished my preparations yet, and there isn't too much time left before the ball.”

Even though Gloria's mouth twitched at that, she didn't argue with Blanche. “As you wish. We will take our leave.” She exited the room along with the other servant without speaking up again, which was immensely relieving.

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The concubine hadn't expected that she would be able to avoid another dispute with Gloria. Due to her illness, she would have even less energy and motivation to endure the head maid's provocation attempts than on any other day, so this was good. As the door fell shut Blanche, let out a long breath.

Stella approached her and stopped next to the bed. “I'm surprised that she didn't act like you offended her just now.”

The concubine extended her arm and allowed her maid to help her to her feet before walking over to the table. “I assume that she only did that because she is exhausted as well. She is one of the main planners for events in the palace, and she would definitely try to make everything perfect for the empress' birthday. It wouldn't surprise me if she overworked herself in the last few days. Well, if that causes her to leave me alone, I wouldn't mind her doing that more often.”

Blanche slowly sat down on a chair with Stella's support and stared at the boxes in front of her before resuming. “Still, I would have expected her to at least make a remark about how insignificant my gifts actually are in comparison to the empress'. She probably would have if I hadn't asked her to leave. But today, I can actually understand her dismay. I'm a bit confused about why Theo thought that it was a good idea to get me presents on his wife's birthday. He should be aware that others might not be fond of him doing that. If he had to give me something, he should have done so yesterday or tomorrow or, even better, in secret. It's widely known that Gloria adores the empress, and making her bring me the gifts is a little...”

Stella stood next to her in silence. She alternated between looking at her mistress and the boxes on the table. After a few seconds passed, she cleared her throat. “Well, that's His Majesty's decision, right? It's not like he handed them over in front of the guests, which would be disrespectful. No, he did it in private. If Gloria has a problem with that, she can tell him. So, I don't know why you should worry.”

“You're right, but still.”

Both women were quiet, and another minute passed until Stella broke through the silence. “Are you going to open the gifts or just continue to stare at them? There were supposed to be delivered before the ball, so there might be something for you to wear inside.”

That was exactly what Blanche was nervous about. Naturally, she should put on Theodore's present when he got it for her for the ball, but that would destroy her efforts to seem plain again. The size of the boxes revealed that it was most likely carrying jewelry, and the pieces her lover chose were usually very extravagant since Blanche favored those. The problem was that the concubine had to avoid wearing accessories like that to not seem like she wanted to steal attention from the heroine.

However, if she didn't put it on, Theodore would question why she hadn't. Then she would either have to lie or tell him the truth that would make him wonder why she was so meek suddenly. He wouldn't understand her reasoning even if she reminded him that she didn't want to anger the empress and her family. Blanche could already imagine the discussion.

But was that worse than risking upsetting the Duremonts by accident? No.

Henry had been resentful enough without Blanche doing anything. It seemed like the slightest mistake on her part could make him explode, and she didn't have to set him off because he thought that she offended his daughter. An expensive accessory was a huge issue today.

Maybe Blanche could tell Theodore that the accessories hadn't matched her attire. That would definitely be a reasonable excuse. She only needed to be lucky enough to receive jewelry that wouldn't fit together with a green dress.

Reluctantly, she pulled the first box closer and opened it. It was a pair of golden earrings with sapphires. But not just any pair, but the one that she had seen at the jeweler's shop.

Blanche's mouth opened silently as she lifted one of the earrings to inspect it. There was no doubt that this was the exact same accessory that she had gawked at before Leon pulled her away from it.

Stella seemed to have realized that too since she let out a silent noise of awe. “My Lady, aren't these...”

They were, Blanche was sure of it. But how did Theodore know about them? She hadn't told him about the earrings.

The concubine carefully put down the accessory onto the table before directing her gaze to the box again and searching the inner lining with her fingers. Theodore always left her a note when he didn't hand over the present directly, and this one might explain how he had learned about that specific piece of jewelry. Quickly, she found a small piece of paper and unfolded it to read the few lines that he had written.

Blanche lifted her head after finishing the text. “Apparently, I'm not good at hiding when I like something. Leon saw that I stared at them and bought them along with the gift for the empress.”

“Really? How kind of him.”

Actually, the concubine was surprised as well. While she had never had trouble with the secretary, she had always suspected that he was actually annoyed by her behavior and that he only accepted her presence because he cared for Theodore. She thought that he had only agreed to teach her for that reason as well. She had definitely not expected him to get a gift for her because he saw her eyeing something. Later, she would have to thank him for that.

Blanche only nodded in return. “It is kind.” Then she moved on with the letter. “Theo also wrote that the set for the empress was already brought to the ballroom, so we don't need to worry about that either.”

If the venue was decorated similarly to last year, a huge table would stand by the throne platform. When they arrived, the guests would hand their gifts to servants, who would put those on the table. This way, the often fragile items wouldn't be moved around unnecessarily, and the guards that were supposed to protect the presents could focus on one spot.

Blanche knew about that and only wanted to inform Stella, but the maid didn't even care about that topic.

Stella still talked about the gift for the concubine. “I wasn't even aware that Lord Astame was so considerate. Maybe you impressed him with your comments about politics, and he tried to show his appreciation like that. These earrings are very beautiful. It's just a shame that they don't match your dress.”

For once, Blanche had been fortunate with that. Aside from the unfitting color scheme, it would also be considered very disrespectful for a person who wasn't a member of the Estien family to wear an accessory in the royal color at a birthday party. Normally, appearing with a small piece of jewelry in gold and navy wasn't a problem, like the concubine had at the last ball. But at this event, which was meant to be Seraphina's, it would seem like one tried to become the center of attention with that. Theodore had even asked his lover not to wear it today in his note, which gave Blanche the perfect solution. She didn't have to put something showy on and still wouldn't have to explain why she hadn't worn his gift.

Though she still had to be just as lucky with the second present.

Blanche carefully returned the earrings into the box and turned to the other wooden container. This one was a little heavier than the first had been. Upon opening it, she found herself staring at a necklace that was as gorgeous as she remembered it to be.

This looked like the accessory the vendor from the store had handed over to her, except for the fact that it wasn't the exact same. At first glance, one couldn't make out a difference, but after a few seconds, she became aware of a couple of them. The gems were slightly bigger and the flower ornaments less dainty. The whole chain was thinner and a bit shorter, which made it look even more elegant than the original necklace had been.

Blanche quietly retrieved the note from this box, and her assumption was proven correct by the text. “They had a jeweler take a look at the store owner's gift, and there were no signs of anyone tampering with it, but Theodore didn't trust that the stranger has good intentions. So, he requested the jeweler to make a similar one.” She summarized the note for Stella and paused at the last sentence, in which her lover asked her to wear it for the ball.

This time, she wasn't even able to use the excuse that the accessory didn't have colors that she could combine with her dress. Emeralds and citrines matched perfectly with a dark green gown, and no one could deny that.

Obviously, Stella noticed that too and didn't understand her mistress' reaction to receiving such a wonderful present. “I knew that I was familiar with it from somewhere. It's heavenly. Whoever that owner is, they have good taste in jewelry. Well, that is to be expected since they run a store that sells accessories. And His Majesty found a person that is incredible at making imitations. It's great that it was finished in time for the ball too. You can wear it for the party.”

Blanche grimaced slightly. “Oh, I don't know whether I should put that on tonight. I already have a necklace, see?” She gestured towards the simple one around her neck. “I don't have to exchange them, and I will just wear the new one for the next event.”

Her response caused Stella to frown. “But the necklace you got is way prettier than the other one. His Majesty is going to be disappointed if you don't wear his present. Don't you like it? You don't seem very excited.”

Of course, Blanche was happy about that gift. How couldn't she? She adored jewelry in all sizes and colors and couldn't get enough. But just as she was trying to teach herself to be less materialistic, Theodore and Leon had decided to buy her more gorgeous things. Now she had to persuade Stella of her reasoning of not wanting to stand out and wanting to allow the heroine to be the center of all attention. If she successfully insisted on not wearing this necklace, her lover might really think that the necklace hadn't been to her liking and ask her about it. If she did wear it, she could possibly evoke anger in Seraphina for seeming like she was seeking attention.

It might be exaggerated to be so careful, but the last time Blanche had been in trouble, the empress had accused her of things she hadn't done as well. The events at the tea part still served as a reminder for her not to let down her guard no matter how safe she felt.

The concubine carefully explained her reasoning in an attempt to make her maid understand. “No, the necklace is gorgeous. It's just that this is Her Majesty's birthday. That means that she is the main person today, and no one else should be just as dressed up as she is. Especially me, since I was already remarkable for antagonizing her in the past. So, to avoid people from assuming that I'm doing that again, I'll wear an attire that is as simple as possible. For this reason, I'd rather keep the plain necklace instead of the stunning one.”

She had expected Stella to be at least a little understanding, but the maid's frown deepened. “It would make sense to worry about that if your dress was really extravagant, but it's not. Adding one accessory won't change the fact that the attire is rather plain in comparison to your usual ones. In my opinion, it's even more striking when you wear things like this since it's a rare sight and only enhances your natural beauty. People always looked at you, but that had nothing to do with your attire but your general appearance and your relationship with His Majesty. But if you're that worried about going, it would be better to just stay in your room.”

It was true that countless pairs of eyes were glued onto Blanche whenever she was in public. They would still follow her, and it was also possible that her being dressed in a too simple manner would have the opposite effect from what she intended to achieve. That might seem like she was making fun of Seraphina by suddenly listening to her demands of being less showy in a provoking manner. Aside from upsetting Theodore by rejecting his gift, this was another disadvantage of not wearing the necklace. Seemingly, both choices were just as terrible.

With a groan, Blanche gave in. “I have to go, Stella. But you're right about the rest. Would you help me with putting it on?” Hopefully, she wasn't making a mistake. Though that one accessory probably wouldn't cause her to be way more striking than she would be without it.

After Stella had assisted her with exchanging the necklaces, Blanche gazed at her reflection in the mirror and had to admit that her attire looked extremely beautiful now. She normally didn't appear in such simple and elegant ones often, but she could definitely get used to it. She didn't have time to think about that though.

A glance at the clock reminded Blanche that she still had to make sure of something before the ball began. “Stella, there is one more reason why I have to attend the event today. Do you remember that I used to send letters to someone outside the palace every month?”

The maid paused shortly before nodding. “Yes. I always brought them to a tree outside the estate. You haven't written any new ones for some time now. What about those?”

Blanche made eye contact with Stella in the mirror while attempting to reflect her seriousness in her expression. “Back then, I was too naive to notice, but now I'm sure that the person I wrote to isn't a good one. That's why I stopped sending letters to them. At the last ball, I wanted to break off all contact with them, but they weren't present. I'm sure that they will be here today, so I prepared a letter.” She stood up with great care not to stumble again and ignored the rising of nausea in her stomach to approach her desk. She opened the drawer and pulled the letter for Sefare out.

In retrospect, it was favorable that she hadn't torn the letter up yet. After realizing that sending it wasn't the safest way to transfer confidential information, she had intended to destroy it but not considered handing it over at the next ball. Even if it would leave evidence, this would draw less attention to them than chatting with Sefare for a longer amount of time would. Sefare couldn't show anyone this letter without revealing his schemes anyway, so this should be rather safe as long as no other person got their hands on this.

Blanche lifted the letter to show it to Stella. “On this paper, I wrote that I don't wish to be associated with that person in any way in the future, and I will hand this over to them this evening. It would be best if no one noticed me doing it, so I am asking you to do it for me. Fewer people will pay attention to you than to me.” She almost couldn't believe that she revealed this much, but she couldn't risk people watching how she asked for a conversation with Sefare in private.

The maid quickly nodded at hearing this, but her concern was painted onto her features. “Of course, My Lady. Who is it for?”

Weeks ago, Blanche wouldn't have thought that she would open up to Stella about a part of her secret. Now it was different. She still wouldn't allow the other woman to read the letter or tell her the whole story, at least not now, but just revealing this much was still a sign of big trust. She was sure that her friend would help her instead of betraying her, so Blanche spoke. “Marquess Sefare.” Her words evoked the expected reaction from the maid.

Stella needed a few seconds before processing her shock and responding. “Isn't he a close friend of the Vasquez family?”

“That's exactly why I know that he isn't as kind as he pretends to be. The Vasquez family strives to harm Theodore, and most likely, Sefare shares their goal. I didn't know that when I first came here, but now I do. I won't spend a single moment more with them than I have to, so it is very important that he receives this letter today.”

Stella was quiet for a while, which already made Blanche worry whether her maid would be suspicious of her now, but then the other woman finally replied. “I understand. I will give him the note while no one is watching, correct?”

The concubine confirmed that with a nod and put the piece of paper in the servant's hands.

Stella hid the envelope in her uniform, and for a moment, they were silent before the maid looked at the clock. “We'll have to leave now. ”

That one sentence was enough, and nervousness rose in Blanche. She couldn't do anything that would ruin the empress' birthday. In the best-case scenario, she would simply stand in the corner, present her gift to Seraphina and leave without being involved in any conversations. Since most nobles wouldn't approach her on their own, she should be fine as long as no one attempted to trouble her specifically. She didn't trust that the Vasquez family, Evelyn and Fiona, even if the latter one seemed like a rather unlikely suspect, would have her best interest in mind though. Should they walk in her direction, it might be better to turn the other way and move away from them. Though it would be pretty hard to do that in the closed-off venue while not making it obvious that she was running away.

As Blanche climbed down the stairs, she noticed that her legs were already feeling weak, which made the possibility of actually moving a lot during the evening even smaller. She grasped the railing tightly, and with every step, her head seemed to spin faster. With Stella's help, she managed to keep herself upright until the end and walked normally once they arrived on the first floor. Even though the rest of the way to the venue wasn't as stressful, the uncertainty returned quickly when she stood by the side entrance of the ballroom.

The servants opened the doors at an agonizingly slow pace.

Blanche needed a big amount of self-control not to turn around and go back to her room, especially since her maid repeatedly urged her to do so. But in the end, she didn't have a choice. Improving her reputation and distancing herself from Sefare's intrigues were crucial acts that were necessary to secure her survival. She had to do well.