An unknown man had run into Blanche with full force just now, which created the most unpleasant situation imaginable. It was still dark so that she barely saw anything, and at the same time, she hugged this person despite not being aware of who he was. Others were less pleased too.

Stella called out to her mistress with a hint of panic in her voice. “My Lady!”

The concubine wasn't even able to reply or ask the person she had just run into to let go since someone else already yelled from a distance.

“Lady Blanche!”

That caused both the unknown man and Blanche to stiffen, but before she could process what was going on, a shadow rushed toward them. A quiet shrill noise sounded, and the footsteps stopped right next to her.

“Don't move a muscle, or I won't hesitate to immobilize you this instant. Identify yourself.” Only now she realized that this voice belonged to Noah and that he was threatening the man that was holding her.

The unknown person tensed but spoke up calmly. “I won't move. I do not have any ill intentions, so there is no need to kill me. I am Allen Duremont, Her Majesty's older brother, and have come to visit her.”

Blanche stared up at the man, but she still couldn't see much. Though his voice had been enough to confirm that this was, in fact, Allen. It made sense for him to visit his sister, but why was he here in the middle of the night? It was a bit suspicious that the siblings hadn't met at a more normal time, which made the concubine believe that he was here to discuss some confidential things. As expected of the empress' loyal lackey.

Noah replied quickly. “Lord Duremont, I would ask you to let go of Lady Blanche and follow me to the terrace so that I can confirm whether you were speaking the truth.”

Blanche was relieved to hear this. Being hugged by a stranger was worse enough, but the fact that this was Seraphina's brother made it even weirder.

However, Allen's hold on her didn't loosen while he responded. “Due to your previous threat, I am a bit reluctant to do so. Am I definitely allowed to move now? Admittedly, I would favor it if you would be so kind to take the sword off my neck.” The slight annoyance in Allen's voice made him sound less obedient than his words probably were intended to be.

Noah picked up on that and responded with a sharper tone. “I will do that as soon as I saw your face. And yes, you may move now as long as you don't try anything strange.”

One couldn't ignore the tension in the air as Allen slowly let go of the concubine and took a step back before walking away with another figure, which had to be Noah. After a few seconds, the men reached the part of the terrace that was illuminated by the lanterns, and even from afar, Blanche could recognize both of the men. They were staring at each other with narrowed eyes for a moment.

Then Noah, who had previously directed the tip of his sword at the other's neck, lowered his arm and put the blade back into the sheath on his hips. “I sincerely apologize for the inhospitable greeting, however, finding you inside the royal estate at this late hour has irritated me a bit. Frankly, I am still unsure whether you should roam around freely in the middle of the night. I assume that you are here to meet Her Majesty. Have you informed her about your visit?”

Allen crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Naturally. She invited me to come here and should arrive in a couple of minutes. If it makes you feel better about it, you can wait with me until she confirms that for you.” He eyed the knight with a stoic expression that was similar to his sister's but seemed a bit angrier than her. Apparently, he wasn't pleased about being questioned despite being aware that the royal guard was only doing his duty.

Noah wasn't any happier either. His usual soothing smile was replaced with a frown, and his posture showed that he was ready to fight against any danger that might arise. “I would appreciate that. I do not mean to offend you, but the palace's security is of utmost importance.”

Allen only nodded at that, which was enough to reveal that he swallowed some less kind comment.

Noah stared at him for another second before turning to the concubine. “Are you alright, Lady Blanche?”

Blanche ignored that it was a little disrespectful for Noah to voice his mistrust in front of the other man and replied. “I'm fine. Thank you.” Her heart was racing, and her worries regarding Sefare hadn't magically disappeared, but at least she hadn't cracked her head open on the floor. Unfortunately, her body hadn't comprehended that yet. Her legs were trembling even more than before, and that Stella had grabbed her shoulders was the main reason that she was even able to stand upright. She took a few seconds before the blood seemed to reach her whole body again, and she managed to regain her balance.

Only then Stella led her mistress closer to the palace so that they could see properly.

When the concubine looked up at the men, Allen had turned to her too. His expression neutralized before he spoke up. “I apologize for running into you. I didn't expect anyone to be here at this time, so I didn't pay attention.”

Blanche tried to sound calm while she replied, but her voice didn't play along. “Oh, it's alright. I wasn't careful either, and I dropped the lantern, which is why I couldn't see anything. It was partly my fault.” Even if that idiot shouldn't have run so quickly in the dark.

In response, Allen just stared at her but didn't say anything.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Blanche realized that he might have noticed that she was in a rather pitiful state and was scanning her face because of that. She quickly lifted her hand to check whether she was crying. Of course she was.

Her motion only served to direct Noah's attention to her face. His frown deepened, and he opened his mouth, without a doubt to ask her what happened.

Blanche didn't want to answer that question and raised her voice first. “Why are you here, Sir Aldis? Weren't you stationed outside my room?”

Immediately, Noah evaded her gaze. “I...I didn't feel comfortable knowing that you were going outside without any guards. So, I followed you at a safe distance.” That should have been to be expected. Noah's whole personality was built around his protectiveness and loyalty towards the heroine. While his care for others didn't go to the same length as the one for Seraphina, he still would never willingly let someone run into danger.

Maybe Blanche should be angry at him for breaking his promise, but she wasn't. She had lied to him too, and since the both of them hadn't been honest, she didn't have to feel guilty about it anymore.

Though Noah seemed to interpret her quietness as dismay, which made him defend himself. “As you can see, I was right about not trusting that no outsiders would be in the garden. Lord Duremont might not be a threat, but others could enter the estate unannounced as well. Besides, I promised to let you go out alone, which I did. I just took the same path as you a couple of seconds later.” That was an obvious excuse, but Blanche hadn't been upset before, and she wouldn't be after he attempted to justify his reasoning.

“I don't mind that. You wanted to protect us, and I appreciate the sentiment. I will return to my chambers now. Since you intend to stay with Lord Duremont until Her Majesty arrives, you won't be able to accompany me on the way back, so I bid you farewell. Goodnight.” Blanche didn't want any of them to notice that her crying wasn't without a reason, and she certainly didn't wish to meet the empress either, so she had to leave as soon as possible.

Noah showed conflicting emotions on his face and glanced from her to Allen before replying. “Goodnight, Lady Blanche. Please return safely and have a restful sleep.”

She nodded at him and turned around to move to the side entrance. Currently, she only wanted to lay down in bed and empty her head of the troubles that she would have to face in the near future.

Though after a few steps, she was stopped by Allen. “Lady Blanche, please wait a moment.” This could only be awful. What did he want?

The concubine reluctantly halted in her tracks and turned around. “Yes?”

Allen's expression had suddenly become extremely serious, which made her worry about what he would ask. For a few seconds, he hesitated before he finally spoke up. “I do not mean to interfere in your personal affairs. So, you don't have to answer if you are uncomfortable with it. But why were you outside this late? You must have had some reason to visit the labyrinth specifically. Did you meet someone?”

A jolt of terror rushed through Blanche's veins. Had Allen seen Sefare and was asking her because he wanted to confirm his suspicion? In that case, most of her excuses would be futile. It would be a disaster if he connected the dots and gave that piece of information to his sister. Seraphina wouldn't be kind enough to ignore an ominous meeting like this and question why Sefare had entered the palace to meet the concubine. So, even if Allen had seen something, Blanche couldn't reveal anything with her response, or she could forget to avoid being the villainess.

She replied in a hurry. “I took a walk because I wasn't tired enough to sleep yet. The labyrinth is the calmest location within the royal estate, so I chose to sort my thoughts there.” Despite Blanche's almost nonexistent acting skills, she felt like her lie had sounded rather believable.

Though Allen still didn't seem convinced. “Are you absolutely certain about that? Could it not be that you saw-” He cut himself off and shook his head slights as if he was scolding himself. “Never mind. I apologize for bothering you. Have a peaceful night.”

His change of heart confused Blanche, but she wouldn't complain about him sparing her another unpleasant inquiry. She nodded at him and voiced a curt “Goodnight” before entering the palace as quickly as she could without showing that she was running away.

Even though the corridors were empty except for the occasional knights that were patrolling, she felt like someone would question why she was out again. The fear of being caught rose to an unreasonable level until she almost ran up the stairs to her room and only sighed in relief when the door shut behind her. She took the last few steps towards her bed and threw herself onto the mattress to bury her face in the pillow.

What was Blanche supposed to do now? She was almost completely powerless to change anything. If her conclusion about Sefare not revealing her secrets was true, she didn't have to worry about that but about being attacked by a person that was hired by him. Staying in the palace in the midst of capable knights was her only chance to protect herself from that. Except for that, she couldn't do anything, which was quite depressing. Once again, her life depended on the help of others since she was too weak to fight by herself. It had been worse enough that her survival was tied to the heroine's opinion of her. Now she might have to face assassination attempts too just because she had confidential information.

Blanche noticed that a lump was forming in her throat, which merely served to frustrate her even more. Was whining the only ability that the author had given her? In comparison to the all-over perfect heroine, that was a bit unfair. She pressed her face deeper into the pillow and let out a smothered scream until she had used up the air in her lungs and had to turn her head to breathe. She lay there and stared at her nightstand while sniffling. When the mattress dipped next to her, she rolled to the side to meet Stella's eyes.

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The maid had sat down next to her and was beginning to rub small circles into her mistress' shoulder, which was more calming than such a little gesture should have been. “Do you want me to bring you anything? Water or a dessert?”

Eating sounded like a good idea, but Blanche wasn't sure whether she would be able to swallow a single bite, so she declined. Besides, it might be better if Stella stayed with her so that she wasn't completely alone with her fears. Just a minute on her own seemed absolutely terrible right now. The thought of lying awake for the next hours without anyone by her side was even worse and decreased her desire to sleep tremendously.

Blanche sat up and leaned her back against the head-part of the bed while placing the pillow on her lap and hugging it tightly. She leaned forward and rested her chin on the cushion. After that, she was quiet for a while before whispering, “I don't want to sleep, Stella.” She felt like a child for saying something like this, but she couldn't help. She could only hope her servant didn't judge her for that, but a glance at the other woman's expression proved that the maid wasn't annoyed.

Stella slowly moved toward her mistress to sit down directly next to her before speaking up in a warm voice. “Alright. Then we'll stay up longer today. Is there something you want to do? Should I get another card game? We could also speak about what happened if you would favor that.”

The biggest part of Blanche was reluctant to talk about anything that could possibly be used against her later. In addition, she wouldn't be able to name any details to not involve Stella in the intrigues, but still, she didn't want to keep this inside her. She wouldn't make it without letting out some of the worries that bubbled inside her. “I can't tell you everything. But I would like to talk about this a bit.”

“I'm happy to listen.”

Blanche didn't even know how to start, so she began with a question that had bothered her before. She observed the other woman's reactions for a moment. “Did you see someone leaving the labyrinth?”

A small frown appeared on Stella's face as the gears in her head turned. “No, I haven't. And I stood right next to the entrance. Even though it was dark, I would have noticed a silhouette or heard footsteps. I'm positive that no one besides you left or entered the maze.” That response was a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it calmed Blanche since she could be sure that Allen hadn't seen Sefare. The maid had been way closer to the labyrinth than him, so there was no way that he could notice a person when she didn't. This meant that Allen hadn't asked the concubine about her meeting because he had decisive evidence to believe that she was connected to the marquess.

On the other hand, it didn't explain how Sefare had left the maze.

There was only one entrance to the labyrinth, so he had to have used that one. If he didn't, that would prove that there was a second exit that no one in the palace knew about. Unmistakably, that endangered the security of the royal estate. That would mean that, along with the hole in the wall, there were two secret passageways that enemies could use to come inside without alerting any guards. Blanche was reminded of her last nightmare because of that thought. What if a group of assassins would truly intrude in the future to harm Theodore? Sefare might even send someone through those ways to hurt her. Wouldn't it be better to close them off? Surely, that would eliminate the opportunity of running away in an emergency, but she had already questioned whether she would ever use that possibility numerous times.

She wouldn't endure a life alone in the capital without her lover or a home. So, she should rather focus on securing her existence here instead of keeping an escape route that she would never use open. She only had to search for a strange opening in the labyrinth's hedges, and then she would tell Theodore that she had accidentally found two gaps in the palace's security. He would solve the problems within an hour and take some worries off her mind.

“My Lady?” Stella's voice made her return to the present.

Blanche shook her head for a moment while going sorting the thoughts in her head. What could she talk about that made her feel better and not give too many pieces of information to the maid? Hesitantly, she began to speak. “Sefare was there, and he left before me. I don't know how he left but apparently not through the main entrance. For that reason, I would like to examine the maze to confirm whether there is another way to leave it.”

Stella's eyes widened at that. “I'm shocked that he even managed to enter the royal estate. Do you think that he might have found a secret way in? We have to tell His Majesty that.”

The concern dripped out of her voice, which calmed Blanche a little. It seemed that she hadn't overreacted since the maid had come to a similar conclusion. “You're right. That's why I would like to find Sefare's secret passage and warn Theo so that he can close it. I don't want Sefare or anyone else to be able to come and go whenever they want.”

“Naturally. We should do that as soon as possible. How did your conversation develop? Did he accept that you won't contact him anymore?”

Blanche grasped the pillow tighter as she remembered the glare Sefare had given her. “Of course not. He thought that I was joking and treated me like a child that is throwing a tantrum. He believes that my brain is completely useless and told me all those lies despite me explaining that I was aware of the truth that he was trying to use me to harm Theodore. I could argue for hours, and he still wouldn't have listened to my opinion. In the end, he threatened me because I know too much about his involvement with the emperor's enemies. He insisted that I should give in and tried to entice me with empty promises and claims about this being better for everyone. If I don't help him, he will get rid of me or tell Theo some things that no one can know about me. And I have no idea what to do now.”

Stella became a bit paler after hearing this. She was quiet for a moment and scanned her mistress' face before she replied in a strained voice. “I see. The matter is more complicated than I thought, isn't it? But if Sefare is announcing that he might hurt you or reveal some secrets, wouldn't it be better to inform His Majesty of that?”

Blanche stiffened and lifted her head off the pillow to turn to the maid. Stella couldn't be serious, right? Theo was the one person that could never find out about this, or he would lose his trust in her. She didn't even care whether that would cause her to be put on trial for lying to the emperor, but it would definitely cause her lover to leave her, and she couldn't risk that. “Theo can never know this. Do you understand? He will hate me if he finds out. I won't be able to live with that. There are some things in my past that would destroy all the trust that he put in me. Even if Sefare threatens me, I can't tell Theodore.” She had spoken in a harsher tone than she had intended, but Stella's face still softened.

The maid moved away from the head-part of the bed and knelt in front of her mistress. She gently grabbed Blanche's hands. “I lack the most pieces of information, and I can't make any decision for you, but I still believe that telling him is the better option. Have you ever purposefully done something with the intention of harming him or decreasing his authority?”

The answer was obvious. “No.”

“See? Whatever your secrets contain, as long as you didn't ever wish for him being hurt, why would he lose his trust in you? You have been by his side for one and a half years now, and you are the person he cares about most. So, no matter what it is, he will listen to you before judging. His Majesty is a normal human too. He makes mistakes and would act differently in some situations in the past if he had the chance. He will definitely give you a chance to explain yourself. And since you truly love him with your whole heart, I doubt that he would just push you away. Besides, it would be better to give him your version of the story before Sefare might tell him his.”

The only reason that Stella believed in this was that she didn't know how entangled Blanche was in the intrigues against the emperor. She also couldn't be aware of how careful Theodore was when it came to traitors or of how complicated the situation with his family was. It would be wonderful if revealing the truth was enough to solve any problems, but it simply wasn't. Naturally, Theo wouldn't be happy about his lover having been sent by his enemies to make him fall in love and that her goal had been to be empress. That she was from a family that should have been executed for trading weapons with Northern Ocrea also wouldn't please him.

Blanche knew that because the villainess had lost Theodore's because of a single reason. She had lost his trust first. So, the concubine could never ever give her lover a reason to doubt her. She told her maid that without mentioning the novel. “Thank you for your advice. However, you have no idea of how bad the situation truly is. I just can't tell Theo. In the next few weeks, Sefare will leave me alone because he thinks that I will change my mind, so I'm safe for a while. As long as I stay in the palace after that like I usually do, I will be fine. If I'm close to the knights, no one will be able to attack me. And I don't believe that Sefare will actually reveal anything regarding my past. Anything that incriminates me would incriminate him more. So, I only need to stay in safe areas to prevent anyone harming me.”

Stella was quiet for another moment but didn't let go of her mistress' hands. After a while, she slowly spoke up. “Obviously, I can't say predict how this Sefare will act, but you previously said that he wouldn't do anything that could harm him, so it sounds like he isn't a stupid person. In that case, he probably won't hurt you at all.”

Blanche opened her mouth to object, but Stella continued without listening to her.

“Let me explain before you respond. The palace is most likely the safest place in Artias, right? So, even if he can enter on his own, it is still a risk to do so. The labyrinth is the one location in the royal estate that is barely patrolled by any guards, which means that that is the only spot where he can remain unseen for some time. Whatever secret entrance he used should have either a hole in the walls or a tree that he could climb up to jump over the wall from there. Bringing in a larger group of people that way should be impossible since it would take too long.”

Stella paused to make sure that her mistress was listening before moving on. “That means that Sefare would have to send a singular person that is capable enough to lure you into the maze, kill you there silently and leave without being seen. Simply refusing to go into the maze would already protect you from that. I doubt that Sefare doesn't consider that you would decline when a stranger wants to bring you somewhere secluded. So, someone would have to assassinate you at another place, where countless servants and guards are running around. Killing someone and then getting away from so many attentive eyes seems unlikely.” She was right about this.

Still, Blanche was uncertain, but Stella wasn't finished.

“Trying this would be risky since the chances of success are almost nonexistent, and if the assassin got caught, they might reveal Sefare's name and thus get him convicted. And even in the implausible case that that person managed to flee, do you think that His Majesty would only watch if you are hurt? No, he would hunt the perpetrators down, put them on trial for treason and give them the worst punishment imaginable. I don't believe that Sefare is suicidal enough to wish for His Majesty's pure hatred. So, it's questionable whether he truly considered killing you.”

Blanche hadn't thought about it like that at all. She was convinced that Theodore wouldn't ignore it if anyone attacked her, and Sefare should have understood this by now too. However, the marquess also didn't hesitate to plan to assassinate the emperor, which would definitely cause him to be executed if his intrigues were revealed. This meant that Sefare wasn't cautious enough of the ruler's power. He was probably certain that his plot would succeed and thus didn't fear the consequences of failing. Moreover, he wasn't the only person involved.

The Vasquez family and the dowager empress would see Blanche as their opponent as well when they found out about her betrayal. They seemed to be even more heartless and power-hungry than Sefare, especially Theodore's mother. The dowager empress tried to kill her own son. A woman like that wouldn't hesitate to order Blanche's assassination to continue her intrigues.

A shiver ran down the concubine's spine as she thought about that, which made Stella squeeze her hands. After taking a deep breath, Blanche replied. “I would love to believe in your words, but those people are more unscrupulous than you can imagine. I can't let down my guard. I'm scared, even though I know that they won't do anything while they still believe that I'll change my mind.”

Stella responded in a soothing tone. “That's understandable. I'm right here with you. I might not be a fighter, but two pairs of eyes are better than one. Whenever something is slightly suspicious, we will call for a knight, and they will protect you. So, you don't have to do anything for now. If you decide to tell His Majesty, you can also do that later. If you want to take other measures to increase the security of the palace, we can speak to him, Sir Maillont or the steward too. Whatever happens, we will make it through, I can promise you that. I know that that isn't much, but my intuition tells me that everything will be fine.”

It was true that those words didn't help Blanche at all. The situation hadn't magically changed, and a maid's guess wouldn't stop Sefare either. Still, it calmed her somehow. At the ball, Stella's bad premonition had come true as well. So, maybe the maid had some kind of instinct that allowed her to properly assess the circumstances and guess whether the desired future would be attainable.

Blanche could only hope so. She wished for a happy ending for herself too, not just for the main characters. But even though this seemed unachievable right now, she wanted to believe in her maid's words. That Stella was consoling her was probably the only reason that the concubine wasn't sobbing already, but it felt like she might begin wailing as soon as the calming presence of the other woman was gone.

Blanche wouldn't be able to endure the night on her own with nothing but the visions of a catastrophic future. So, she did the most childish thing she could imagine. “Can you sleep here with me today?”

Unsurprisingly, Stella was taken aback by her question. The maid's blinked at her a few times before looking over her shoulder. “I could sleep on the sofa if that makes you feel better.” The concubine quickly nodded, which made her servant smile softly. “Alright. Then I'll just get a blanket and a cushion from my room and bring them here.”

Blanche reluctantly allowed Stella to let go of her and climb off the bed. She watched as the maid opened and closed the door again. Immediately, she realized that asking another person to stay with her had been the only possibility. As soon as she was alone, her mind was flooded with horrible scenarios of the future and questions about what she should do now. Only a few seconds passed before Stella returned with a stack of clothes, but that had been enough to bring tears to the concubine's eyes. She was extremely glad that her maid would stay the night.

Stella spread out her blanket across the sofa before stretching herself. “We don't have to go to sleep yet, but it might be better if we got ready first. That way we can close our eyes whenever we want and don't have to stand up again to get dressed.”

Blanche nodded at her maid and followed her into the bathroom. They freshened up and changed into their nightgowns before sitting down on her bed and chatting a bit. She was thankful for Stella's ability to come up with lighthearted topics for them to discuss as time passed quickly.

It wasn't long after midnight that both began to yawn, and they decided to go to sleep.

The maid barely managed to drag herself to the sofa and lay down on it before putting out the last candle. “Goodnight, My Lady.” Those were the maid's last muttered words before she cuddled herself into her blanket and, seemingly, fell asleep seconds later as her steady breathing suggested.

Blanche didn't know whether she should smile because Stella was adorable or be envious because the other woman was able to sleep so peacefully. She was tired too, and lying in her soft bed engulfed in the warm blanket in a dark room made her want to close her eyes as well. But she didn't dare to do so.

Today had been another day with a terrible event that had made her contemplate her future. On the last occasions that something like that had happened, she had had a nightmare the following night. In the beginning, she had dreamed about her execution after seeing Seraphina and Theodore's first scene on the balcony together. Then, she had seen images of being arrested after the tea party. There had also been two occurrences while she had slept by her lover's side and dreamed about him and his wife, but those nightmares hadn't been as upsetting as the other ones. Due to all the trouble with Sefare, today seemed like a day on which the concubine would have one of the traumatizing dreams again.

Blanche truly didn't need anything else on her mind right now, so she would favor not sleeping at all. At first, keeping her eyes open appeared to work, but slowly, her eyelids became heavier and heavier. She struggled against the urge to close them and finally allow sleep to grasp her for some time.

In the end, she lost, and while her consciousness slowly faded away, she regretted it already.