The next morning passed as any usual one did.

Thus, Blanche was taken by complete surprise during their lunch on the terrace when Theodore reminded her that Sophia would arrive later.

Her lover just casually addressed it without really preparing her. “I already reminded the guards that a guest will come in the afternoon. One of the servants informed me that they know that they have to prepare a table but still aren't sure where to put it. If I remember correctly, Lady Ravillot was supposed to visit for some tea today, right?” He rested his head on his palm while he observed his lover's reaction. He certainly hadn't underestimated her surprise.

Blanche almost let go of her fork as she heard that. “I knew I had forgotten something important! I was looking forward to it for the last two days, but I seem to have been distracted by the trouble in the kitchen.”

It wasn't surprising that Theodore immediately prepared for the worst. “Did something happen there? I wasn't informed about any issues.”

Blanche picked up a piece of mushroom and paused for a moment to give him the summary while generously leaving out the matter of Clark triggering her allergy. “It was nothing special. There was a fight between two servants, and Gloria told them to stop.” She put her food into her mouth and chewed on it while placing her utensils on the empty plate. A servant came to pick up the dishware that wasn't needed anymore, and Blanche used the opportunity to address him as soon as she swallowed. “Would you please tell the cooks that the meal was really delicious today as well? They are doing great.”

The man nodded and began to walk towards the building with a wide grin on his face.

Theodore let out a chuckle and drank the last sip of his tea before speaking up. “You said the same thing for the last three days too, didn't you? Will you praise the chefs every day now? They might get too arrogant if you do that.”

“I didn't say the exact same thing. I try to phrase it a little differently each time since I do intend on doing this whenever I don't forget it. Why wouldn't I reward good work? I haven't lied about the food being heavenly.” She finished her tea as well before watching how her lover lifted a handkerchief to softly wipe away something near her mouth. She spoke up when he was done. “Thank you.”

“Gladly.” Theodore's smile died slowly. “Though I probably should have pretended to take more time. Because the meal is over, and I have to leave now.” He leaned against his backrest and closed his eyes with a sigh.

Blanche immediately felt a small pang at her heart upon seeing his dejection. “It's that bad?” That was a stupid question. She knew that already. What the issue was exactly was far more important. “Actually, I'm not even sure what you are doing currently. Did you tell me?”

Theodore pondered about that for a moment before he responded. “I don't think I did. Honestly, I would rather not talk about it. Some things are rather complicated, so I would have to give you a bit more background to explain it. Most of them are extremely annoying too, except for one thing that consists out of trying to find the logic in an unreasonable concept. Normally, I don't mind explaining all of that, but right now I want to use up every possible second to get away from work.” The emperor opened one of his eyes to glance at her. “Is that alright?”

Quickly, Blanche nodded. He usually told her everything, so this was a bit odd, but she could fully understand his desire to take a break. “Of course. If you ever need to vent to someone, I'm here. If you don't want to talk about it, I can understand that too.”

“Thank you.” He gave her a faint smile that made it seem like he was grateful for even such a small compromise. He shouldn't feel like he owed his lover something though. Since Theodore was almost spending all of his time in his office, it was clear that he wanted to take a breather when he was finally able to leave it. Still, he acted as if it was bad to not inform his lover about everything.

Blanche reminded him that it was fine quickly. “You know that you aren't forced to tell me anything, right? So, you don't have to be grateful for me not prying into your business.”

Theodore rose from his chair and walked over to her to pull her onto her feet and into his arms. “I know. I'm just happy that my angel is so understanding.” He pressed his lips onto her forehead and slowly moved a trail of small kisses down to her shoulder before resting his head there. “I want to stay with you. So badly. But I'll have to let go now, or I won't be able to force myself to leave any time soon.”

Blanche turned her head to both sides to find out whether someone, like the empress for example, was anywhere to be seen. Only when she was certain that no such troublesome person was present, she relaxed and raised her arms to put them around her lover's neck. She stood onto her tiptoes to reach his face and hummed in satisfaction when he lowered his head to kiss her onto her lips. After they had separated their faces again, she whispered to him. “I hope that the rest of the day isn't this stressful.”

“How about you give me a charm to make sure that it will be fine?” If she hadn't been willing to do that before already, Theodore's low whisper would have definitely convinced her.

Blanche was already eager either way. “I'd love to.”

Theodore bowed down so that he was on the same height as she was. Blanche put her lips onto his forehead and stayed in that position for a moment while stroking over his head. She pulled back after a few seconds, and her lover straightened his posture again. He grinned at her and caressed her cheek one last time. “Thank you. We'll have to hope that this works. If it doesn't, it was still worth it though.”

Blanche doubted that the villainess' kiss had magic benefits to it, but she could still hope. “It will work. Otherwise, we will have to do it more often next time.”

Theodore stepped away from her. “It sounds tempting to do that right now, but sadly, I have no choice but to go. Leon already scolded me for being too late the last few days, so I can't let him wait again. Though you shouldn't worry about that. You should focus on informing the servants of where your table is supposed to be located and what kind of dessert and tea you want to offer.”

She gave him a bright smile. “I'll take care of that immediately. I'll go directly to the kitchen then.”

Theodore nodded at her before signaling the servants that they could clean the table. Immediately, most of them began to work, with only a few of them standing around and staring at the couple.

Over time, Blanche had gotten used to that, but it was still uncomfortable. While she had already given up trying to hide her relationship from members of the staff a long time ago, she didn't even have the slightest chance to attempt that at all anymore. There were always servants, who were attending the emperor or worked in the garden, present while the couple ate, and neither Theodore nor Blanche truly behaved like they might just be friends. Especially when they bid farewell to one another, which never happened without kissing or hugging, every last one of the spectators would see that they were romantically involved with each other.

Half of the spectators were kind enough to look away from such intimate moments, some with a neutral expression, some while blushing. The other half would rather keep watching, most likely to share such gossip with all of their friends. They only ran away or turned around when Theodore caught them and glared at them for a moment. Apparently, having an aura like him was necessary if one wanted to keep a group of nosy servants under control. No one ever disobeyed him or thought about not doing a task that was given to them by the emperor. Just like that, the table was also cleaned within a few seconds when Theodore left to return to his office.

Blanche waved to him shortly before steering toward the kitchen with Stella while preparing for her meeting. She thought about asking the servants to place another table for Sophia and her outside but decided against it at the last second. To avoid accidentally letting the empress see them, they should be inside a private room. Since there was already a table there, she simply chose her chambers. She picked out some pastries and tea flavors, including some green tea in the case that Sophia didn't like the fruit tea that the concubine favored.

After that, she had nothing left to do but waiting until her guest would arrive. It was odd that Blanche had forgotten about meeting overnight, only to become nervous quickly now that it was approaching. She was unsure what they could talk about since she had never truly spent much time with Sophia. At the same time, she worried about someone else too. It was questionable whether Seraphina knew that her sister came to visit her archrival, and she probably wouldn't be happy upon finding out. The concubine just hoped that she wouldn't meet the empress on her way to pick Sophia up from the entrance or when she brought her back to the carriage.

After a lot of worrying, it was finally time for Blanche to leave her room and wait by the entrance. In the exact minute that the clock showed that it was four in the afternoon, the coach arrived.

Blanche couldn't help but mutter a small comment about that. “I expected her to be on time, but it's unusual to come this punctually. Normally, you always are a few minutes too early or too late.” She approached the carriage, which had stopped directly in front of the main entrance. Stella walked a few steps behind her, but the concubine couldn't even focus on that. In her mind, she was busy remembering how to greet Sophia. As the host, she had to greet the other woman first despite having the lower rank, so she should stick to that. Or would Sophia favor being allowed to talk first? Blanche was uncertain.

But the moment that the vehicle's door opened and Sophia slowly climbed out with the help of the coachmen, all of these worries seemed to disappear. Sophia had such a gentle smile that Blanche immediately felt like she couldn't do anything wrong as long as she was polite. There was no way that this kindhearted woman would be upset, even if the concubine accidentally ignored a social convention.

Still, Blanche attempted to follow the protocol whenever she could since she had to get used either way. She took the last few steps and stood in front of Sophia, who gave her a radiant smile that was beginning to make the other woman grin as well. She curtsied in a subtle motion to keep the pregnant woman from needing to bow deeper. “Good afternoon, Lady Ravillot. I hope that you had a pleasant carriage ride. Were there any inconveniences for you on your way?”

Sophia's eye glimmered with joy as she spoke up after hinting a small curtsy. “Lady Blanche, it's wonderful to see you. I'm glad that you are fully healthy again. Luckily, the weather is quite mild, so the temperature is ideal for traveling, and the distance from our mansion to the royal palace isn't too big. There weren't any unexpected difficulties either, so I cannot complain.”

Blanche was glad that her mind didn't go blank. Instead of that, it suddenly seemed easy to come up with something to say, even without the situation getting tense. “That reminds me, your arrival was perfectly timed. How were you able to plan this precisely? Whenever I travel somewhere with a carriage, I end up coming an hour too early or too late.”

Sophia waited for her maid to take a small bag out of the coach before she replied with a knowing smile. “I have to admit that it is unfair to compare my weekly ride here with a visit to a place where you have never been. I come here quite often to meet...” She looked around and continued upon seeing that no one aside from their maids was close enough to them to hear. “My sister.” That made sense. Blanche felt almost stupid for asking, but Sophia continued before the other woman could apologize. “Now that there aren't any people here that would care about titles, I can call her that. As long as you don't have a problem with that.”

Blanche, who had previously disregarded Seraphina's title far too often, couldn't quite complain here. “Of course not. As long as no one is with us, I do not mind at all.” She turned to face the entrance. The mention of the empress had reminded her of something, and she would rather take care of it now. Until now, she was lucky and hadn't run into Seraphina, but that could change any second. So, it would be best to hurry a little. “Then I would propose that we go inside. While I know that it isn't usual, I thought that having a bit more privacy would be good, so I have asked the servants to prepare the table in my room. If you are uncomfortable with that, we can naturally also enter one of the empty guest rooms.” She slowly began walking to the entrance at a slow pace to not over-exhaust the heavily pregnant woman.

Thus, Sophia caught up with her after only a few steps. “I'm fine with that. This is a great opportunity to sate my curiosity. I am unsure about how I should imagine your chambers.”

“I don't believe that they are special within the royal palace. Most rooms here are quite luxurious, but I would say that my room is rather cozy as well.” They reached the stairs, which caused Blanche to slow down even more.

Sophia thanked her with a smile but went up at a surprising speed. The concubine followed her with confusion written on her features, which made the countess giggle. “I might be pregnant, but that doesn't mean that I am unable to use staircases.”

Blanche once again felt bad for underestimating Sophia a bit, but she still didn't dare to go much faster. She led the other woman inside the main hall and into one of the corridors while she replied. “It wasn't my intention to seem like I believe that you are incapable of doing that. I was merely a bit worried. I heard that it isn't good to move too much during the last stages of pregnancy.” Blanche's own mother had barely left the bed in the last week before the twins' birth, and even before that, her father had often told her mother to slow down.

Sophia let out a small chuckle. “My, you almost sound like my husband. He doesn't allow me to do anything alone anymore. Being careful for the sake of the baby is good, but we can't overdo it. I still want to do something else besides sitting on my bed for the whole day.” That was understandable too.

Still, Blanche felt a little nauseous at seeing how Sophia climbed up the stairs into the third floor and even offered using another table on the first floor, only to be dismissed with a laugh. When they had reached the top floor, it seemed like the concubine was more out of breath than the countess was, which made her question how often Sophia ran around in her spare time.

They arrived at their destination, where a small group of servants was already waiting to attend them. Blanche asked the maids to stay there for a short moment before leading her guest inside.

Sophia strolled behind her and stopped to spin around while scanning the main room. “Your chambers truly are beautiful. Somehow, I imagined them to be like this, and somehow, I also thought that they were very different. How odd. In any case, you didn't lie when you promised that they would be luxurious but cozy too.” She took some time to look around, which the concubine observed with a smile.

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To Blanche, the room was still wonderful, but she was used to it after living here for one and a half years. However, others, especially ones from outside the palace, were often taken aback by how large the personal guest rooms were here. Sophia was excited already, but she had to have seen the empress' chambers already and wasn't as affected because of that. The one that was truly impressed seemed to be Sophia's maid, who was frozen in place and gawked at the lavish furniture with glowing eyes.

Blanche allowed them to busy themselves for a while and quickly checked whether the table was set already or whether something was still missing. Luckily, her worries had been unreasonable. The servants had positioned every piece of tableware with great care so that this image could be seen as a perfect example from a guidebook for table manners. Especially the tiered cake stand that was filled with countless small pastries, which looked mouthwatering, was a sign of how much effort the kitchen staff had put into it. That might be a small victory for Blanche since it proved that the kitchen staff now finally put effort into something for the concubine, and that was enough to make her smile. Even if this had probably just happened because of Theodore's order.

After the visitors were satisfied with examining the room, Blanche offered Sophia to sit down with a gesture toward the chair. “If you wish, we could take a seat and inform the servants of what kind of tea you would like. Then they will freshly brew you a pot of the flavor you want to try.”

Sophia nodded and sat down across from Blanche. “I'll gladly enjoy some of the delicious tea of the capital's best chefs. Though I do not know what my choices are. Do you have a recommendation for me?”

“Well, from what I have seen, most ladies favor green tea, but I don't drink such flavors often. I tend to ask for fruit tea, so I won't be able to help you very much.” Admitting that she only drank the sweet kinds embarrassed Blanche a bit, but her guest didn't seem to mind.

“It's true that I often have green tea, but it wouldn't hurt to try something else for a change, would it? What is your favorite flavor?”

The concubine didn't have to think about that twice. “Apricot tea. I don't drink it too often to prevent getting tired of it, but I adore that flavor.”

Sophia smiled at her, which somehow had a calming effect. “Then I would like to try that as well. Your taste surely won't differ from mine too greatly.”

Blanche quickly turned to Stella. “Would you please tell them that we would like to have two pots of apricot tea?” She barely said that, and her maid already hurried to the door to fulfill that request.

Sophia watched that for a moment before she spoke up. “I like how you interact with servants, especially your maid. Most people aren't that respectful and just order them around. I've always believed that it is usual to get along with the people you have grown up with since it was like that in my childhood. But when I saw how other aristocrats treat their subordinates, I realized that being kind to servants doesn't seem to be the norm.”

Unfortunately, that depended on the master of the household. Blanche was quite lucky with the palace in that regard. Theodore was rather forgiving as long as no major mistakes were made. Normally, the head maid or the steward took care of the staff's issues, but the emperor still got involved whenever he felt that it was necessary. Then he would ask for the testimony of any person that had been a witness and only decided on his reaction after having all the facts.

Sadly, not all masters were like that. If they were a nice person, everyone would be treated with some amount of fairness, and problems would be solved with the master's help. However, if the master was a cruel person, then servants had no choice but to accept being seen as slaves and ignore the insults or, in the worst case, even the injuries. If the master was the one to hurt them, they couldn't complain to anyone since the head of the household was the one to judge and deal out punishments.

Thus, the servants had also been helpless during the time that Blanche had been harsh with them on a regular basis. She still felt guilty about that, and being praised by Sophia only amplified this feeling. So, she hurried to clarify this. “Actually, I wasn't very kind to them after I came to the palace either. I only began thinking about my behavior three months ago and try to make up for my past arrogance now.”

Despite those words, Sophia's smile didn't fade. “That doesn't make it less admirable. You realized that you were being unreasonable and made an effort to refrain from repeating that error. So, you showed that you are able to think about the consequences of your actions without assuming that others are the problem. I have seen many cases in which the concerned person was unable to do that and kept on blaming the victims for their bad temper. So, you shouldn't judge yourself too harshly as long as you can be sure that you are treating the servants with more care now.”

Sophia was truly a blessed woman. It was no wonder that someone so gentle with a soothing aura like this was destined to be the heroine's companion. Without a doubt, she was a big emotional support for Seraphina.

Without her intention, a smile spread across Blanche's face, but it quickly faltered as she remembered the novel.

Sophia was such a great person. If one applied typical novel standards of good people receiving good, she should have the perfect life. So, why did “To Be Empress” punish her for that by killing her daughter? Evelyn's insanity had nothing to do with the countess herself when it was about the rivalry between her aunt and mother. Why did Sophia have to be the one to suffer the most for no reason?

Blanche would definitely attempt to prevent the baby from falling into the fountain at the emperor's birthday party. She had already found out that altering the singular scenes of the book was possible, so she should be able to intervene later too. And in comparison to the wars with Northern Ocrea, this incident could be taken care of with actions that the concubine could do on her own.

But it still wasn't fair that this was destined to happen.

“Lady Blanche?” Sophia's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Blanche hurried to respond while hoping that she could hide her uncertainty. “My apologies. I got lost in thoughts. I didn't mean to make you wait.”

Sophia gave her another beautiful smile that almost made it seem like she was beaming the whole day. “There is no need to apologize. I often do that too. It makes my husband worry quite a bit, so I attempt to stop dazing. But I just can't help myself.”

Blanche didn't know much about the other's husband, but she could definitely recognize the obvious that gave her a perfect chance to continue the conversation. “Lord Ravillot seems to care for you a lot. It's refreshing to see such a harmonious couple. Unfortunately, most marriages have been arranged by the parents and don't make either one happy.”

“That is something I regret too. I was rather lucky to have parents that always wanted the best for me and allowed me to marry the man I love. Even though his rank was below mine, they never hesitated to give me their full support. I couldn't imagine having better parents. The only time that they have ever troubled me is by being too careful.”

It was clear that the Duke and Duchess of Duremont adored each of their children and would begin wars if it meant the best for their daughters and their son. It was almost a cliché. Of course, the heroine's parents would be extremely loving and protective. After all, their role in the novel was to back Seraphina and take her side, even if they fought with the emperor because of that. They were supposed to be an example of the perfect parents that no other couple in the book could match except for the main characters near the end. The book had even called the Duremonts the most harmonious family in Artias.

But Blanche had to disagree. Even if they had only served as the villainess' background to make her a brat that was dependent on others, her family had been at least as wonderful. Her parents had pampered her and the twins with all the resources they had had. She couldn't remember more than one or two serious arguments, which had also been resolved within a couple of hours. The only reason that she, her parents and her siblings weren't happy together anymore was her family had been executed.

Blanche clenched her jaw and tried her best to hide the grief that was slowly starting to make her heart ache. In an attempt to change the subject, she spoke up. “I can imagine. Have they been worse than your husband with their overprotectiveness?”

Sophia laughed. “Oh, no. At first, I thought that there was no way that my husband could be even more worried than them, but I was wrong. He has always treated me like I was made out of glass, but ever since I got pregnant, he seems to believe that lifting a finger would harm me and our child. The closer the estimated date of birth comes, the more nervous he gets. He almost wouldn't let me come today because he is worried that it might happen if I get too excited.”

Now that she had mentioned that topic, Blanche remembered that the countess' stomach was almost completely round now. It looked like it couldn't take long anymore. In “To Be Empress”, it had only been written that Seraphina was with her sister during the birth, but other than that short scene describing how they held hands, nothing had been mentioned.

This meant that Blanche had no hint about a date. Still, she was curious. “If you don't mind me asking, when is the child supposed to be born?”

Sophia put her hand onto her stomach and gently rubbed circles on it. “The doctor gave me a date in two weeks. Of course, that is only an estimated date, so we cannot be sure. If we're unlucky, it might be during the hunting festival too.” That didn't sound good. Was the hunting festival that close?

Blanche had hoped that she would still have some time until she had to face Henry's lecture and Sefare, however, it seemed like she only had a bit over two weeks. But she didn't want to bother Sophia with her frustration, so she put on a smile. “That is very soon. I understand that your husband was reluctant to let you go. You could give birth earlier and wouldn't be at home then. Surely, the royal doctor could tend to you here, but I assume that you have prepared your house already. Your husband won't be willing to miss seeing his daughter immediately either.”

Sophia grinned at that. “I can't just stay at home the whole time. I did so for the last weeks already. But I have to say, I'm a bit surprised. Your intuition still tells you that it will be a girl, doesn't it?”

Blanche scratched her neck and let out a nervous chuckle. “Well... I'm sorry. I don't mean any harm with it. Your child might be a boy too.” But it would definitely be a girl.

“I don't mind. As I told you already, I also feel like it will be a girl. In that case, we want to call her Grace.” Sophia's radiant beam was so innocent that Blanche felt terrible about knowing that her daughter would not make it if nobody interfered.

Still, the concubine forced the corners of her mouth to lift. “That's a beautiful name. I hope that Grace will live a long, wonderful life full of happiness.”

“Thank you. We're already giving our best to make sure of that.” Sophia chuckled. “If we have a girl, I'm almost certain that my husband is ready to lock off our whole estate to keep any boys her age away. He is quite protective already, and having a sweet little daughter will only cause him to worry even more.”

That made Blanche think about Theodore immediately. Her lover was keen on always securing her safety, and she was convinced that he would see even more things as a danger if he had a child. Though she didn't even have to think about that but could rely on the novel's ending. As soon as Seraphina had gotten pregnant, Theodore had doubled his efforts to keep their baby safe. That desire had been so strong that he had ordered his former lover's execution to protect the people he truly cared about.

A knock from the door pulled Blanche away from her thoughts. Quickly, she caught herself again. “That must be the tea.” She turned to Stella. “Would you please open the door?”

The maid complied after nodding and took a step backward to make way for the servant coming inside.

The concubine only needed one second to recognize Angelica, who gave her a bright smile as a greeting before carefully placing the two steaming pots on the table.

For a moment, Blanche contemplated whether she should speak up despite Sophia being there. But then she remembered how kind the countess was and simply opened her mouth. “Angelica, I forgot to tell you something. I won't come to the kitchen today. If someone asks, could you inform them that I'm fine and am currently taking care of a guest?” She didn't want anyone, especially Clark, to think that she didn't visit because of the events of yesterday's afternoon.

Angelica nodded. “Naturally, Lady Blanche.” The maid then left after she was dismissed but not without giving the concubine another grin.

Blanche smiled back until the door closed. After that, she didn't lose any time and grabbed one of the pots to fill up her cup. Only when she finished, she remembered that this was supposed to be done by Stella

Fortunately, Sophia didn't seem to mind and simply poured herself some tea too. Even though she was doing such a simple task, her motions appeared so graceful, and the way that she held the cup made it look like it didn't weigh anything, similarly to what Leon had always shown.

Blanche was trying to imitate that, but she doubted that it would come across as natural as it was with the countess' movements. She paused when Sophia swallowed the first sip of tea while being unsure what kind of reaction would follow. But once again, it became obvious that her guest didn't do anything unexpected.

Sophia continued to beam as she put down the cup. “As I thought. Every tea flavor within the royal palace will be delicious. I can understand why this one is your favorite too. It's sweeter than most of the teas that I usually drink, but I like it. Do you think that your servants would sell me the recipe or at least of a bit of the mixture so that I can recreate this at home?”

Blanche was unreasonably happy about the other woman sharing her opinion. Immediately, she replied with a wide grin. “I'm sure that they won't mind. Our recipes aren't confidential secrets after all. We could walk by the kitchen and ask them when you leave.”

“I would be grateful if we could do that. I didn't manage to enter the kitchen during a single one of my visits in the last year. I was always curious how it looks there.” Sophia made a short pause and then resumed. “Though I would like to stay a bit longer first before we go downstairs.”

Blanche nodded without letting her smile falter. “Of course. You just arrived here. I don't have anything to do for the whole day, so you may stay for as long as you would like to. I'm very happy to be able to talk to you while not being at an event. Naturally, I wouldn't send you away early.”

Sophia reacted as one would have expected it of such a gentle lady. “I'm pleased to hear this. It seems that we are very similar. We both have too much free time and enjoy speaking to new people without the pressure of being seen in public. It may not have been under the best circumstances, but I'm still glad that we had the chance to talk after the tea party.”

Blanche was thankful for that opportunity as well. She still didn't think that Seraphina's sending her away on that day been justified, but at least that had given her one advantage. Otherwise, she might have never been alone with Sophia to warn her about Evelyn. “I believe that too. Well, now that the tea is here, we can also eat some of the mouthwatering sweets that the kitchen staff prepared. You can take everything that looks good to you.”

Sophia didn't need a second invitation. Both of the women began to devour the food while chatting about different lighthearted topics. Sophia spoke about her marriage and her life in general as well as about her family while Blanche mainly talked about the palace. Even though the subjects might not seem very interesting, the concubine had fun. This was probably why time felt like it raced, and the sun started to set way too soon.

Only then Sophia looked at the clock with shock. “Oh, it has gotten quite late. I fear that I have to go now, or my husband will take a horse and personally ride here to pick me up. I fear that this also means that we won't be able to visit the kitchen after all.”

The countess appeared to be so disappointed about that, so Blanche quickly tried to cheer her up. “The kitchen won't disappear overnight. If you wish to see it, you could visit again at any time. I was overjoyed to have been able to welcome you, so I wouldn't mind you returning in a few days.”

Sophia's eyes lit up. “I would be ecstatic to do so. You see, being at home right now is very boring. My husband refuses to let me do anything fun, and when he is gone, I only have my maid to chat with. In three days, he will leave for a day to meet a merchant in the capital, so I would be free to visit you again. Naturally, I understand if you have already planned something on that day.”

Due to her nonexistent duties and her teacher's lacking free time, Blanche didn't have to check first before responding. “As always, I have no plans. I would be happy to see you. Would you like to drink a cup of tea again on that day?”

The women rose from their chairs and began to walk to the entrance with their maids trailing behind them.

Sophia quickly agreed. “Of course. How could I pass up on an opportunity to drink more of this heavenly tea? They truly don't exaggerate when they say that the chefs here prepare every dish or drink perfectly.”

While continuing to praise the kitchen staff, they climbed down the stairs and passed the foyer. The carriage was waiting in front of the entrance, and the coachman was already ready to depart as well. Seeing that made Sophia hurry. She bid the concubine farewell and turned to leave, only to freeze for a moment and then slowly turn back.

This was the first time today that Sophia's face was missing a smile and instead showed concern. “Lady Blanche, about the topic that you addressed after the tea part.” She paused and then continued after a few seconds of silence had passed. “About my aunt.” Sophia lowered her gaze to the floor and hesitated again. “She is still my aunt, and I care deeply for her. Still, I... I don't think I trust her fully anymore. Both you and my sister told me to be careful about her because you had a bad feeling. And I'm of the conviction that one should always listen to one's intuition. Since two people warned me and I assume that you didn't even speak to each other about this subject, I believe you. I won't push my aunt away, but I will make sure to keep a watchful eye open.”

That relieved Blanche tremendously. She had always wondered why Seraphina hadn't informed her sister about Evelyn's odd behavior despite noticing that something was wrong. Seemingly, the empress had spoken to Sophia, which was a great advantage now. As long as the young mother didn't trust her aunt, she would also be careful with handing her child to Evelyn.

Blanche still intended to pay attention during the emperor's birthday party to protect Grace, but now she was more convinced that Sophia would be watching too. “That's good. I didn't mean to upset you with my words back then. I truly fear that something bad might happen to you or your baby if you aren't cautious of Lady Lemares. I'm content if you just keep that in mind.”

Sophia nodded with an uncharacteristically serious expression. “I will. Thank you, Lady Blanche. Take care of yourself. We will see each other in three days. Have a nice evening.”

“Goodbye, Lady Ravillot. Until then. Have a safe carriage ride home.”

Sophia climbed into the carriage with the coachman's and her maid's help and waved out of her window as the horses began to pull the vehicle away from the palace.

Blanche stood by the stairs until the carriage had passed the golden main gate in the distance before returning to her room. It was getting dark already, so she didn't intend to do anything else except for freshening up and falling into her soft bed while looking forward to baking again the next day. After all, eating all the delicious pastries had motivated her to try making them herself.