As soon as Blanche opened her eyes, she realized that she had failed at trying to stay awake and that she was now trapped in the middle of a way too realistic nightmare again. She was sitting on the cold stone floor of a dark room, with the only light source being a torch, which was in the hallway that was visible behind the iron bars that fenced off the room. It was freezing, and her thin dress didn't give her much warmth to protect herself either.
Though the churning of her stomach was worse than that. It felt like she hadn't eaten for days, but that didn't make any sense. After all, a bowl with food was standing on the ground only a few steps in front of her. She would just have to extend her arms, and it would be hers. However, it seemed like this dream was one in which she couldn't control her actions again. Her body didn't move despite her efforts, and she couldn't speak either. This meant that she was stuck here until whatever she was supposed to witness was over, but she already felt her heart aching at that. It was obvious that this followed after the second nightmare, in which she had been thrown into a cell because of Theodore's order.
Blanche couldn't imagine that she would just be able to sit here in silence until she woke up. Someone would definitely come and belittle her in her pitiful state. Maybe Seraphina or Allen. She didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't Theodore. She could endure any other person's ridicule and hatred, but seeing her lover with that resentful expression broke her a little more each time.
Faintly, the footsteps of multiple people could be heard in the distance, and Blanche felt how her muscles tensed. She prayed to every god whose name she could remember that none of those belonged to her lover. The noises paused, and she could make out a few voices that were barely audible. A moment later, the people got silent, and one person continued to walk toward her. Despite her desperate focus on the prayers, she became unconcentrated. A voice in the back of her mind screamed at her that this was Theodore, which made the terror in her rise even more. The footsteps came closer and were only seconds away from reaching the bars, which caused her body to lift her head and look at the corridor right in front of the cell.
It was only another proof that the gods detested her when the one to step into her field of view was Theodore. He was wearing his uniform and a navy cape, which suggested that he had been in the middle of working before he had come here. He didn't seem angry right now, just tired, but that didn't make his disappointed stare any better. “You aren't eating?” Now the full bowl despite her empty stomach made sense.
The original Blanche had been refusing to consume anything. She couldn't be sure of the villainess' intention, but it might have been to lure Theodore here. If that had been the goal, it would make her question how stupid her counterpart from the novel had been. The emperor surely didn't want to see her, and his gaze was sufficient to determine that. Why would she bother him even more when she already knew that he detested her?
Without her doing anything, Blanche's mouth opened, and she replied. “Yes, I wanted to see you, and you never agreed to visit me. This was the only way I could come up with.” So, the original Blanche was truly desperate enough to wish to meet him despite his hatred for her. Great.
A glint of something like annoyance appeared in Theodore's eyes. “I'm here now. What do want? Make it quick. I don't have an unlimited amount of time.”
It was quiet for a moment as if Blanche needed to collect her courage before she spoke up in a hoarse voice. “Will you really put me on trial for treason? I'm going to be executed if the judge doesn't realize the truth. You're not going to allow that, right?”
Theodore pressed his lips into a thin line. He took a step closer to the bars and looked to both sides before leaning forward and grabbing one of the iron poles. “You will be treated like any normal person. I won't interfere during the trial, which will leave the decision to the judge. If he proves your guilt, you will definitely be executed. However, there is another possibility.”
She felt her breath hitch at that as her body tensed to listen carefully when he continued.
“You can appear as a witness and give us the necessary evidence to arrest the people you worked with. You'll confess all of your evil deeds and admit that you are guilty. You will officially apologize for every one of your crimes and state that you haven't been in the right state of mind back then and that you regret what happened deeply. Then I could bypass the laws and sent you into exile in a house far in the south.”
It felt like Blanche's heart shattered into a million pieces at these words, and a lump formed in her throat as she responded in a whisper. “You still think that I'm guilty?” It sounded like her original counterpart had just realized that her Theodore didn't love her anymore.
The emperor let out a low sigh and massages the brink of his nose for a moment before he looked at her again. “I don't know how often you need to hear it again. I don't think that you are guilty, I know it. That's why none of your excuses, denials or lies will convince me to help you.” That should have been enough to make any sane person understand that they had lost.
But seemingly, Blanche's counterpart wasn't very intelligent. Despite the feeling of acid burning through her chest, she straightened her posture to meet Theodore's eyes. “How can I be guilty when I haven't done anything? None of the things you, or rather that damned woman, accused me of were true. Why don't you understand that she had fed you lies and manipulated you from the very beginning? She is the vile one-” Insulting his wife also wasn't especially clever.
The emperor snapped at her before she could even continue. “Do you think saying this will help you? You are insulting the empress, the mother of my child, so it should be obvious that this won't get you any sympathy. The only thing that that will accomplish is infuriating me even more. Why can't you stop blaming Seraphina? She has done nothing wrong. Her only problem is having to rule a nation full of political enemies and then needing to survive assassination attempts from the inside. Didn't you ever stop to think why I am supporting her? She is an intelligent, compassionate and considerate empress that always does her best for her nation. But those seem to be traits that a narcissistic person like you can't value.”
These words had the same effect as a blow to the face would have had. It hurt and took the air out of Blanche's lungs. Still, she kept trying to argue with Theodore. She moved to the bars and rested her weight on her knees to be closer to the emperor. “Why are you saying things like that? Theo, I love you! Please don't treat me like the bad one here. I truly didn't do anything! I swear on my life that I never did anything to harm you or your child. It's true that I haven't been kind to the empress, but I also never intended to hurt her physically or even kill her.” She slowly lifted her hand in an attempt to reach for him.
For a moment, Theodore froze. However, instead of reconsidering, he raised his hand and slammed it against one of the bars, which made Blanche jump back again. “Stop lying!” He yelled at her, which was enough to finally let the tears that had been forming in her eyes spill out. That only upset Theodore even more. He glared down at her shaking form and tightened his grip around the iron rods so much that his hands became white. “It seems like you don't value your life a lot, do you? I'm being merciful enough to offer to send you into exile instead of executing you, and you just keep on blaming others. Will you really decline the chance to live a peaceful life just because of your twisted sense of justice? You tried to murder the empress. There is no way that you will get out of this alive unless you agree to this offer.”
Blanche didn't even need to wait for her mouth to answer to know what would follow. Even after gaining the novel's memories, she had been unwilling to leave Theodore despite that being way safer than staying. Naturally, her original version would agree in that manner. “I won't confess to anything that I didn't do! And how can you call sending me away merciful? A life without you is worse than every bit of torture you could threaten me with. I love you, Theodore!”
It looked like the emperor was about to lose his composure. His hands were shaking, and his voice trembled while he spoke. “Why won't you stop saying that when it's not true? It won't give you an advantage. The only thing that is going to accomplish is making me angry.”
Blanche's body was moving to the iron bars again despite her mind screaming to stop provoking him even more. She slowly lifted her hands and brought them closer to his. “I'm not saying this because I want something in return. I'm saying it because it's true. I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. I love-”
Those words destroyed Theodore's self-control completely. He jolted his hands away just before she could touch him and began yelling at her. “I told you to stop saying that! I don't-”
No.
She couldn't hear that. She wouldn't be able to listen to him saying that he didn't love her. That would crush her very soul. The very thought made her want to scream out in anguish.
So, she did scream.
“Don't say that, please! That's the one thing I don't want to hear out of your mouth!” Just in time, Blanche had interrupted him in the same loud volume, with her words almost coming out as a sob.
That silenced both of them. A while of absolute silence followed. None of them let go of the iron bars as if they were some kind of lifeline. Blanche just wanted this to be over, to awake in her bed and wait for her lover to visit her at noon with a smile on his face and not this nightmarish resentment, but no one would ask her. Instead, she had to endure this torture for no specific reason. She could only let her head hang forward while trying not to crumble because of the dull ache in her chest.
A minute passed with neither of them speaking before Theodore opened his mouth again. “That's not what I...” His voice trailed off before he forced himself to speak normally again, even if he was more hesitant than before. “I...don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth anymore. If you cared for me, you wouldn't force me to execute you. You would take the offer and leave. No one else is here. So, why can't you at least be honest with me? Admit to your crimes just this once.” He looked so tired while he said that.
Blanche wanted to cry and yell upon seeing this disappointment in his gaze, but her body just responded in a barely audible whisper. “I am being honest.” Her voice was hoarse, more so than it should be, which proved how long she had to have cried. “You are always fair in your judgment. Why aren't you doing the same in this case? Since I didn't do anything, there can't be any evidence.”
Theodore let out a sigh. “I wouldn't put you on trial because of nothing. Do you really need me to enumerate all the crimes you committed?” When he looked at her, and she didn't budge, he narrowed his eyes and resumed. “You bought the poison and put some of it in the empress' tea. You also hired the assassins that were stopped while they tried to enter the estate. Both the pharmacist and the mercenaries described your appearance perfectly, which leaves no doubt about your identity. The traces of the poison in the empress' cup serve as proof for the attempted murder too. That crime is the one thing that can't be ignored no matter what, so arguing against the evidence won't help.”
“But the evidence is wrong! These people must have been paid to lie. Someone could have easily given them direction on what to say before the interrogation. I didn't go to a pharmacy, and I didn't talk to assassins. I wouldn't even know where to find either one of those. And I also didn't put poison into anything. Just because it was in the cup, that doesn't mean that it was me. Anyone else could have prepared the tea like that.”
Theodore's expression darkened at her excuses, but he didn't get louder even as he resumed. “Do you think that was it? There are countless letters that were exchanged between you and Evelyn Lemares, the despicable woman who drowned Lady Ravillot's daughter. Those prove that you were working together and that you knew about the numerous twisted deeds that she had committed to hurt her sister, the Duchess of Duremont, and her children. But instead of telling someone about it to stop that monster, you used her by telling her that you would allow her to marry Duke Duremont eventually and watched while she hurt that innocent family.”
At that point, Blanche should have understood that her excuses were more than pitiful considering that so much solid evidence had been found and that she only aggravated the emperor more with every denial. Still, her mouth opened despite her desperately trying to stop herself, and the words poured out. “I definitely didn't write even a single letter to her! You know how much I always hated her fake smile and her exaggerated politeness. Why would I suddenly work together with her? And do you seriously think that I would have contact with that person after you revealed that she killed that little girl on purpose? I've always liked children, you know-”
Theodore cut her off. “It seems that you won't believe that you are cornered no matter how much evidence I present. Then maybe I show you something that makes you understand.” He reached into his uniform and pulled out a small object that still remained hidden in his hand. He stretched his arm through the iron bars and opened his fingers, which caused the item to fall to the floor.
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Blanche almost tipped over to catch it in time and slowly lowered her head to stare at the thing lying in her hands. It was a purple wing that looked like it had been broken, and the other half was missing. Immediately, the realization cut through her heart. Before she could say anything, a sob tore from her throat. This was her butterfly ornament, the one that Theodore had gifted her for the first anniversary of their relationship. It had been her favorite accessory since her lover had adored it whenever she wore the clasp. And now it was completely broken.
Yet, Theodore didn't seem to focus on that all that much. Instead, he told her something else. “Allen Duremont was a great help during the investigation. Do you know where he found this?”
She looked up at him, still unable to speak due to the sobs that were forming in her throat. She wasn't even trying to hold back the streams of tears that were rushing down her cheeks anymore since she had no chance of succeeding anyway. That didn't get her pity though.
Her silence made Theodore continue as he answered his own question. “At the pharmacy where you bought the poison. Naturally, I recognized it instantly, which simplified finding out who the owner of this is. This is the half that was in your room. If you still have doubts about whether these pieces belong together, we'll show that it perfectly matches with the one from the pharmacy.”
In her mind, Blanche repeated that she should just give up and accept her defeat over and over, but her body responded against her will again. “That's impossible! How could my things be there when I never left the palace in the last few weeks? This has to be fake. Someone must have put it there. You said that Lord Duremont found it. Whose brother is he?” It was strange to hear her own voice speak with so much malice when she knew that it was just another excuse, but she couldn't keep her body from resuming. “Of course, he would say anything his sister asks him to, and he could have placed it in the pharmacy too.” She closed her hands around the butterfly and pressed it against her chest. She paused to sob once more when a thought made her freeze and filled her veins with burning anger. “Was he the one who broke it?”
Theodore closed his eyes at that and took a deep breath before looking at her again. “I thought that physically present evidence would convince you to tell the truth, but it seems that I underestimated your self-justified worldview. You can't accept that everyone knows what a terrible person you are now. Still, your only goal is to blame others who didn't do anything wrong instead of apologizing for your misdeeds. Lord Duremont found the clasp like this, so you must have broken it when you left the pharmacy. Though what really baffles me is that you can claim to be innocent despite remembering all the harm you caused, and then you cry over such a stupid little object.”
Blanche's grip around the butterfly tightened as her gaze snapped up to the emperor. “This isn't stupid! Don't you remember what this is? You gave it to me on-”
He cut her off again. “I know. But weren't you the person who always wished for more? More dresses, more jewelry, more gold coins. So, it seems like you weren't satisfied with any of my gifts. Why do you act like the world is going to end because of such a small accessory?”
She sniffled and could feel how her original counterpart was trying to suppress her desire to scream and wail to be able to speak. “That's not true. I adore every single one of your gifts. I could enumerate all of them in the chronological order that you gave them to me. Of course, I like jewelry a lot, but the reason that this is so precious to me is that the man I love gifted it to me.”
Apparently, she had said something that she shouldn't have said since Theodore's wrath returned immediately. It was the cold anger that gave him a murderous aura and made even her want to run away, but his glare kept her body from moving a muscle. Slowly, the emperor leaned forward without evading his eyes from hers for a second. “You seem so keen on repeating that again and again. Did you say that to him too?”
Those words made Blanche freeze for a moment before she slowly lifted one of her arms to grab one of the iron bars while still pressing the ornament against her heart. “What are you talking about?”
Theodore let out a laugh without any amusement. He put on a fake smile that barely hid his fury. “Oh, do you really think that I didn't know about that yet? The person you kept visiting for the last eight months or so? At first, I was confused about why you suddenly left the palace regularly despite not having shown any interest in going out for such a long time. And with the empress' help, I just recently found out where you went. Even then I wanted to trust you, only to be presented with a stack of evidence proving that I wasn't the only man you fooled. If that wasn't worse enough, it had to be that bastard too.” With every word, the fake glee in his voice died more until there was only bitterness left.
For the first time, Blanche didn't know what he was talking about. The villainess had never been friends with anyone outside so that she could visit them, and her leaving the estate regularly hadn't been mentioned either. However, her original counterpart wasn't as confused as she was. Instead, her body panically talked back. “No, you misunderstood! I visited him often, yes, but I never saw him as more than a friend. When I was with him, we talked. That was all we both wanted. I don't know what kind of evidence should prove the opposite. There can't be any. I love you, and there has never been another person that was as dear to me as you are! I have never felt those feelings for anyone except you, so-”
Theodore didn't let her finish. “I'm getting tired of your excuses. Even if you were speaking the truth, which you aren't as countless letters, gifts and testimonies prove, that wouldn't explain why you decided that it was a good idea to become friends with my greatest enemy. But in the end, that doesn't matter. Your crimes still stand one way or another, and you will be judged for those. I wanted to talk to you once more in a composed manner, but that isn't possible if lies are all you respond with. I'm giving the choice one last time. Confess that you attempted to kill the empress and her child on multiple occasions and testify about the people you were working with, specifically Julien Sefare and Evelyn Lemares. If you do that, you will be sent into exile and live peacefully until the very end. Or you can remain stubborn and insist on your lies. In that case, the judge will definitely sentence you to death due to the massive load of evidence against you. The investigation isn't even finished, and we have more than enough proof to convict you already. Make your decision now.”
Even though Blanche knew what would follow because of the novel's ending, she yelled at herself. It was stupid not to give up since she threw away the chance to be left alive. But at the same time, she could understand the reply of her original self. The response was easy to find when her heart hurt so much that nothing could be worse. “My reply should be obvious. Along with the fact that I won't confess to anything I didn't do, there is another thing that makes it impossible to agree to your offer. I love you more than my own life. If I can't stay by your side and have to know that you despise me, I would rather die than continue to suffer.”
The emperor narrowed his eyes at that and turned around. “Then it seems like your wish will be fulfilled. Either you will be executed or starve because you refuse to eat. I don't care. Tell Leon if you change your mind.” He didn't even wait for her response and stormed away from the cell.
When he was out of her sight, Blanche hesitated for a moment before jumping up and throwing herself against the iron bars. “Theo, wait!” She pressed her head into a gap so that she could see him rushing down the corridor.
He didn't even slow his pace upon hearing her calling for him.
But that didn't stop Blanche from repeating his name over and over again. “Theo, don't leave me here! Please, come back. Theo!”
Theodore's silhouette disappeared around the corner, without him stopping or replying to her once. Blanche yelled a few more times before giving up and sliding onto the floor and sobbing uncontrollably. In her mind, she alternated between cursing the gods and the author of the novel, whose name she didn't even know, and wasn't sure whom she should hate more.
What was the reason for this nightmare? Did someone want to show her how much Theodore would resent her in the future? She knew that already. There was no need to make her suffer again with every dream. This had been the fifth one, and that only served to remind her that she needed to change the outcome under any circumstance. She couldn't say what she would do if she wasn't able to do that and had to face the choice Theodore had just given her. Objectively, surviving was the most important, but living far away with the knowledge that he hated her and loved Seraphina seemed like torture.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. “My Lady.” Stella was the only person who addressed her like this, but whoever spoke had been male.
Slowly, Blanche lifted her head, still not on her own will, and looked into the face of a brown-haired servant she would never have expected to be here.
Harris was kneeling in front of the cell and grabbed her hands through the gaps between the bars.
To her confusion, Blanche's original self responded by holding his hands tightly and whispered to him. “Harris... What are you doing here?”
Harris looked around the corridor before facing her again. “I volunteered for cleaning the cells. Naturally, I wasn't allowed in this part, but I pulled a few strings and persuaded one of the guards to lend me his keys.”
She let out a somewhat bitter laugh. “That's typical of you. No one even questions why you would need that key.”
Harris gave her a grin. “You know what I'm good at.” His smile faded after a few seconds and left behind a frown. “How are you? Are the rumors about you refusing to eat true?” He really sounded worried. That was odd.
Blanche nodded. “I thought that he would meet me because of that. He did, but he doesn't care. He told me that he-” She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence and sobbed instead.
Harris squeezed her hands in response. “You don't have to say it. I was hiding in the next cell. I heard the whole conversation. Don't cry. We'll get you out of here.”
Blanche let go of his hand to wipe some of her tears before putting it back into his. “Do you think the royal palace's cells are easy to break open? The locks are the best in the whole nation, and there are knights constantly patrolling the corridor. The only reason that there are no guards here right now is that Theo spoke to me. It's impossible to bring me out unless you have an army on your side. Besides, it would be stupid to flee now after I just declined the offer that would keep me alive.”
Harris turned his head to check the hallway again before looking back to her. “It wasn't clever of you to object, but we can't change that now. And it's not impossible to get you out. We'll find a way. If I put some effort into it, I'm able to get rid of the knights for a few minutes, which would give us enough time to open the cell, climb up the stairs and hide you in one of the carriages. We can do that right before the cooks drive to the market and free you there.”
Blanche's irritation grew with every sentence that they exchanged. Why was Harris so keen on freeing her, and why did they act like they were friends? Had the villainess originally had contact with him? If so, the novel hadn't bothered to mention it once.
Her body shook her head and replied. “And then? You'll have to bring me out of the country. Where do you want to go? Northern Ocrea, where they hate all people from Artias because of the war? That doesn't seem like a thorough plan. Even if we'd manage that, I would still be alone. I'm useless by myself. I'm lazy, and I haven't worked for a single day of my life. How would I be able to survive?” She lowered her gaze onto her lap where the broken butterfly wing was lying.
Barely a second passed before Harris addressed her again. “Look at me.”
She hesitantly complied.
The man in front of her, who seemed uncharacteristically kind, spoke to her with determination in his voice. “You aren't useless. Don't ever say something like that again. You aren't alone either. Cedar and I are here to help you no matter what.” Cedar? Who was that? “I might not have a lot of power or influence, but I'm inconspicuous enough to travel to another country with you. Cedar has the money and connections that are necessary to plan your escape and secure your stay in your new home afterward. He might even join us in the future. Or he will succeed in his goal and allow us to return to Artias. In any case, he will find a way to save you, and I will do anything to make that plan work.”
Cedar?
Those words only served to increase Blanche's confusion. Who was Cedar? He didn't seem to be another servant since Harris had claimed that he was wealthy and influential. He had to be a noble, but Blanche didn't remember anyone with that name. Was he an aristocrat from outside the capital? That would explain why she had never heard about him. But what was her relationship with him? It sounded like Harris believed that this Cedar was willing to risk being marked as a traitor by the emperor to save her. Did that mean that she would still meet this person in the future? Her heart just hurt when she heard that name. So, this body had to care about this Cedar.
Blanche remained quiet for a moment before responding in a whisper, still without her really wanting to. “Whatever you do, don't endanger yourself. Neither Cedar nor you can get caught, or Theodore will probably accuse you of treason. Just because I'm in a bad situation, you can't ruin your lives too. Can you promise me that?”
Harris' eyes darted around, but seemingly, no guard had appeared yet. He held her hands a bit tighter while he replied. “I'm sorry, I can't promise that. I don't care what happens to me. I won't sit by idly while you get hurt.”
In response, she gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for your care. But I would still favor it if you would protect yourself first. Can you tell Cedar something when you see him?”
Harris nodded immediately. “Of course, what is it?”
“I'm sorry for messing up. I should have listened to him when I had the chance. He was right about everything and...” With every word that she spoke, her throat ached more, and she had to stop to keep herself from crying, but it didn't help. She broke down and started sobbing loudly again, with only one sentence leaving her mouth. “I don't want to die.” She didn't want to live without Theodore either, but dying was just as terrifying. She had thought enough about her choices to be sure of that.
Harris reached through the bars and gently pulled her into a hug. “You won't die. We'll get you out of here, no matter what.” He sounded like he was fighting the urge to cry as well, which made Blanche feel a little bad.
She knew how the story would end, so any promises that they exchanged would inevitably be broken. Blanche would get beheaded in front of the royal couple. At this point, her destiny was already determined, so they had no chance of altering it despite their efforts.
The both of them remained in that posture for a while until she had calmed down a little again and then slowly let go of each other. Blanche took a deep breath before she spoke. “If you don't make it in time, don't blame yourself. It's my fault for not seeing this coming, not yours or Cedar's. He warned me, and you did too. I should have left weeks ago when I saw how things were developing.”
Harris shook his head. “No, no one could have known that this would happen. And we definitely will save you. Cedar would never let-” He interrupted himself as the sound of footsteps began to echo from a distance. “I'm sorry, I have to go now. But I'll be back soon with a plan.”
“Take care of yourself.”
He nodded at her and rose to his feet, only to stop and bow down to her again. “From now, on you will eat normally, alright?”
Blanche gave him a smile, which he returned before sneaking away from the cell. Just when Harris left through the door at the end of the corridor, the guards entered through the other side. Seeing that he had escaped made her breathe out in relief.
Blanche stood up on her shaky feet and stepped away from the bars toward the bowl with food. Surprisingly, she sat down there and slowly began nibbling at the bread and swallowed a few bites. The taste in her mouth and the pain of her neglected stomach felt so real that it seemed impossible that this was a dream. That became even more obvious when this body changed its mind again.
After just a few bites, Blanche put the bread away again and stared at it as if she was uncertain. Would her original counterpart truly deny herself food despite the overwhelming ache of her stomach? It seemed like she was pondering, which made this whole scene seem even more realistic. But then again, the decision had already been made here.
The villainess would reject any offer that could help her until she was standing at the execution site. There, she would die.
But just as Blanche thought that, it was like she was falling with a nauseating speed. When she opened her eyes, someone was wailing next to her, and she was lying in her soft bed and cuddled with her warm blanket instead of sitting on the cold cell floor.