Theodore seemed rather calm when he continued the story about his childhood. “I told you the summary but never the details, did I? There were some people that tried to hurt me back then. They bribed servants into putting poison in my food, purposefully made me trip on the stairs and sent mercenaries on multiple occasions. After my coronation, I got attacked too, and those had been the attackers with the most skill and the best plan until now. I nearly broke my arm that day, and the only ones protecting me from certain death were Owen and Leon. The incident in the forest a few days ago, on the other hand, was rather ill-conceived. But it might have been good that it happened. We know that someone is targeting us now and can prepare the needed measurements against that.”
He had said something about the current situation, but Blanche could only focus on his story about the past. Her lover had addressed that topic very slightly a while ago, but hearing more in greater detail made Blanche's heart ache. How could anyone bear to hurt an innocent child just to grasp power that wasn't theirs? She could imagine how much he still had to suffer because of that even now. If he claimed that an assassination attempt didn't upset him because he had experienced worse things, his mental health had to be in terrible condition.
“That's horrible. How...” She swallowed and ignored her pained throat complaining. “How old were you when that began?”
Theodore shrugged. “I don't remember the first times. By the age of ten, I was already used to not trusting anyone except for my father and my nursemaid, the woman who raised me and was basically my real mother. She told me that I had already been targeted as an infant, and due to the huge amount of corrupt people in the palace back then, I can believe that. She said that people pressed pillows on my face, dropped me purposefully, left small things lying around for me to choke on and put things in my meals that are harmless to adults but dangerous to babies. It's a wonder that I only have a few barely visible scars, but seemingly, I had a guardian angel that works really hard to make me happy. Though I have to admit that my father and my nursemaid also were the ones protecting me, she more than him since he was too blind to see his faults during his reign. But I would still like to thank my guardian angel. They brought me to you after all.” He conveyed that positive ending in a happy tone, which didn't serve to make Blanche feel better in the slightest.
Theodore had just admitted to having been through one of the most traumatic childhoods one could imagine. Why wasn't he concerned about that at all? He shouldn't try to change the topic like this and seemingly dismiss his own past pain by talking about it in such a careless voice.
Blanche couldn't simply get over that no matter how strangely unaffected he appeared to be. She opened her mouth to say anything that might help him, but she didn't know what. There was nothing that could just undo all the terrible things he had faced before even being an adult. He was the one that had to be desperate because of that, and yet, she was the one being much more upset about it. “Theo...” She whispered his name and extended her arms to hug him, only for him to be faster.
Her lover pulled her over onto his lap and let her bury her head in his chest. He shushed her before he whispered into her ear. “You don't have to be sad for me. I'm safe. Now that you are here, there is nothing left that can hurt me.”
Just at that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Theodore stroked over her head and muttered something under his breath before whispering again. “That's a bit inconvenient now. That should be the steward and the head maid with our dinner. I would like to let them inside to tell them something. Is that alright with you as long as you can stay like this? They won't see your face, and we don't have to let go either.”
Blanche sat upright to make eye contact and reluctantly loosened her hold on him. “Isn't it better if I go into the neighboring room for a moment? They won't necessarily like to see us cuddling.” And she also really didn't want to reveal that she was about to cry again.
Theodore shrugged again. “That's a sight they should get used to. I don't plan on acting in a way that they enjoy while they enter my chambers. Besides, they shouldn't question anything right now. It's only natural for us to be more clingy after being petrified by the fear of being separated. I, for my part, don't want to stop hugging you.”
At any different moment, Blanche might have refused anyway, but in her current state, his arguments sounded pretty reasonable. She didn't want to let go either, even if it was just for a few seconds. “Fine.” She rested her chin on his unhurt shoulder to not allow the others to see her.
Theodore pressed a kiss onto her hair before raising his voice. “You may enter.”
The door was opened immediately, and two sets of footsteps echoed through the room along with the sound of a cart, similar to the one Stella was using, rolling across the ground.
Theodore turned his head to meet the gaze of the people who had entered. “Good evening to both of you.”
The steward, an elderly man with a rather kind voice, replied first. “Good evening, Your Majesty. We are overjoyed that you are already able to leave the bed again. The whole palace sincerely wishes you a fast and painless recovery.”
Then Gloria added something. “I can only agree to that. We were all relieved to hear that Your Majesty was not hurt too badly. If there is anything you need the servants to arrange, we will swiftly convey that order.”
Theodore didn't stop patting his lover once during the time that they were talking. “I'm grateful for your kind words. Right now, I don't need anything special. I will give you some orders later, but that can wait. Something else comes first.”
After that, silence followed. This went on long enough to make the concubine uncomfortable as well, even though she wasn't looking at the people at all. A few more seconds passed before Theodore gently nudged her side. Seemingly, the emperor had just been quiet until the others properly greeted his lover, which evoked a warm feeling around her heart. Blanche swallowed quickly before speaking up. “I wish you a good evening too.”
The steward began again. “Good evening, Lady Blanche. We hope that this incident didn't worry you too much. We were all quite shocked, so it is a great relief to see that His Majesty is better again. Now it seems to be fine, but the doctor will be here to help at any time in case that something appears strange. If you require any advice, you can call for him at all times.”
Like before, Gloria was the next one to speak. “Naturally, the same offer applies to all other servants as well. If there is anything that makes you feel unwell, please do not hesitate to contact us. The staff of the royal palace will do its best to fulfill all your wishes.”
Blanche took a deep breath in an attempt to stabilize her voice enough so that it wouldn't break before replying. “Thank you very much. I will remember your kind words. I apologize for not turning around. I know it's disrespectful not to greet you properly, but right now, I'm a bit...” She paused to find better words that didn't include that she had been pondering about her lover's traumatic childhood moments ago. “I'm not in the best state. Being seen now would be rather inconvenient.”
Gloria responded. “We do not mind, Lady Blanche. We all know that this is a hard time right now. That is why we will give everything to move past this incident as fast as possible. All the servants are ready to help you at any hour of the day.”
The concubine hadn't expected so much understanding from the people who disliked her. She voiced a curt “Thank you” before focusing on breathing in and out again.
Theodore took over at that point. “Since the two of you are here, I assume that you read the notes Leon was supposed to give you. Did you read them carefully and burn them as I instructed you?”
Both of the visitors replied with a “Yes, Your Majesty” simultaneously.
Theodore resumed without skipping a beat. “Good. Then I can guarantee you that the things I wrote on that paper are extremely important, and I expect you to take care of them immediately in the case that issues arise.” The emperor made a short pause before continuing. “Gloria, I can see that you are struggling with your orders. Voice your concerns.”
Gloria hesitated for a short moment, which was rather unusual for her, before she responded. “Very well, Your Majesty. I don't question the part regarding the second person you pointed out. I had been suspecting that for a while already. However, the other person... Naturally, I won't disobey your orders. Still, I haven't been able to understand the reasoning behind this.”
Despite this reply, Theodore didn't change his mind. “That's why I didn't order you to interfere for now. Keep an eye on those two people and report any suspicious action of them, or anyone else for that matter, to me. I won't force you to act against your morals unless those people give me a reason.” Theodore's voice sounded completely calm while he spoke despite having addressed a topic that even seemed problematic to the head maid, who had worked under pressure in the palace for years.
Gloria didn't speak up again, so it appeared like she had agreed. With that, the conversation seemed to be over.
Theodore moved his hand, most likely to gesture to the table. “If the both of you don't have any questions, I would ask you to set the table.”
It was rather unusual for such high-ranking staff members to take care of such tasks, but the visitors didn't complain. How could they when the emperor had ordered them to? Quickly, a pleasant fragrance began filling the room, and Blanche had to remind herself why she couldn't turn around and look at the food yet. Her mouth was watering at whatever dish just had been served. It smelt like salmon was in there as well, and that was her favorite.
After a while of quiet clinking of porcelain against the table, the noise stopped and the two servants were dismissed.
As soon as the door fell shut, Theodore addressed his lover. “We're alone again. You can lift your head if you want to.”
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Slowly, Blanche leaned backward without letting go of her lover. His blinding smile quickly appeared in her field of view, and she couldn't help but imitate this expression.
That made Theodore kiss her for a short moment before he pulled her waist closer again. “That's the face I want to see. You stopped crying already. So, those two interrupting us did have an advantage.”
Blanche sniffled one last time and furrowed her brows. “That doesn't make your situation better though. The short story you gave me before was bad enough, and I just heard the rest of the cruel details. How could anyone hurt you only because you were the emperor's son? Those people are terrible, horrible, they don't deserve-”
He gently silenced her with another kiss. He only pulled back after she had already begun melting into him and cupped her reddened cheeks. “That's why I got rid of them. Anyone who attempted to harm me or targeted other innocent people has been dismissed or punished depending on the severity of their crimes. Servants that accepted bribes or voiced their dismay regarding me becoming the emperor at such a young age have been thrown out of the palace as well. I'm not as careless as my father, and I will make sure that our children won't have to deal with even a portion of the things I had to go through.”
The topic of pregnancy still brought Blanche a small amount of discomfort due to multiple reasons. Those included but weren't limited to the questions of whether she was infertile and how having children that Theodore couldn't introduce as heir would work out. Blanche gave her best not to show that to him though. Her lover was the person that had been hurt, so she shouldn't expect him to console her.
To distract herself, Blanche turned to the table and gawked at the dishes that appeared to be as delicious as ever. It didn't take long until she had found the part of the meal that she had looked forward to the most. “I knew that I smelled salmon.”
Theodore grinned at that. “I thought that you might be happy about that, so I made Leon go to the kitchen to request it. He accused me of forcing him to run around for my own amusement, but as long as you are smiling for me, his frustration was worth it.”
She couldn't help but beam at the way that he gazed at her. After Theodore had calmed her because of her nightmare, he had claimed that he knew that she loved him because he could see the love in her eyes. Back then, even though she never doubted that her face lit up whenever he came, she hadn't had a clear image of how that would look in mind.
Now, however, Blanche could be sure of how Theodore's eyes conveyed his emotions. She couldn't even describe it. There was some glow in his gaze that just showed how enamored he was with her, and she adored how happy he seemed to be right now. She threw her arms around him and thought that she was about to tip over the chair with that, but Theodore had balanced them out.
Her lover pressed a few short kisses onto her cheeks before speaking up with a smirk on his lips. “It seems that you will have to stay on my lap for the meal. My shoulder is hurt, so you can't make me eat on my own, right?” His voice was dripping with playfulness.
For a moment, Blanche considered teasing him a bit, but she had no desire to do anything but pamper him with affection right now. “Of course. I'll have to turn around for that though. I can't cut off a piece for you behind my back.”
“How unfortunate.” Theodore kissed her forehead again, which made her giggle.
Blanche enjoyed that fully, but she commented on it anyway. “You truly can't keep your hands off me, can you? We have always been unbearable for anyone around us, but ever since this morning, you have already used up all the kisses planned for the next week.” She had been joking, but her lover was more than serious.
“How could I refrain from doing that when you are right here in my arms? In my room, no one can stop me from kissing you as often as I want to, so I won't hold back. You should get used to that.” That seemed like a rather pleasant thing to get used to, so Blanche didn't mind much.
She stood up slowly, and her lover reluctantly let her go so that she could turn around to face the table and sit down on his lap again. Immediately, his arms circled her waist, which made her worry about his injury. “I won't run away, so you don't have to hold me that tightly. I don't want you to strain your left arm for a while, otherwise, it won't heal. Doesn't moving it hurt?”
Theodore lifted his left arm off her and raised it for a moment before putting it back into its original position. “No, not even a little bit. Apparently, you are more concerned about that small amount of pain than I am.”
Blanche would like to simply believe that it didn't hurt, but she was far too uncertain for that. “Well, apparently, the cut looked worse than it actually is. I thought that it was a pretty deep flesh wound, but it sounds like you were lucky enough to have been injured in a less sensitive area.”
It really seemed like Theodore wasn't in agony. Hiding that for a long time would be almost impossible, but he hadn't flinched or grimaced after he had woken up at any point. Either he was a phenomenal actor, which Blanche doubted since he wouldn't be able to dismiss his pain completely even then, or the wound truly wasn't that bad.
The worst option was that Theodore was simply used to such pain, which would crush her heart.
But in the novel, he had complained about the wound occasionally like after the hunting competition, so it seemed like he would voice it when the pain got worse. At least she could depend on that.
Blanche leaned forward slightly to grab a fork and a knife and moved two pieces of salmon onto their plate. She repeated the same with all the vegetables before starting to cut them into smaller bites. After piercing the first piece of fish onto the fork, she lifted it to Theodore's lips while holding her other hand under the salmon to prevent anything from falling. When her lover happily began chewing, she also got herself a bite at a way faster pace. As the delicious flavor filled her mouth, she couldn't help but close her eyes to enjoy it to the fullest. This dinner would definitely take a while.
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As Blanche had expected, they almost spend two hours at the table before letting servants in to take away the dirty plates. A maid brought her a tea made with the doctor's herbs, which she quickly drank while the table was being cleaned. After that, it was already time to go to bed, and for once, she insisted on lying down immediately.
Theodore had to get as much sleep as possible, so it was natural for her to push him into the bathroom directly after the servants left. Since Blanche had bathed already, she only needed to brush her teeth, and the rest of the time was spent helping her lover. She suspected that he enjoyed her washing his back and massaging him enough to draw it out, but she didn't complain and only made sure that he was clean. The only spot on his torso that she left out was the part that was covered in bandages, which she avoided with great care to not hurt him and to not get dirt into his wound.
After that, Blanche pulled her lover to the bed, made him sit down and walked around to extinguish the remaining candles. She blew out all except for the singular one on the nightstand, which now served as the sole light source of the entire room, before taking the last few steps to the bed.
Theodore already welcomed her and pulled her down to lie next to him as he covered her with the blanket. His bent arm made her frown, but he didn't seem too uncomfortable in that position despite his injury, so she let it be. She expected her lover to put out the candle instantly, but he just propped his head on his right hand and smiled at her.
After a while, in which they were silent, Blanche spoke up. “What is your plan for tomorrow? It sounded like you wanted to work again.”
“Yes, I will do that. I prepared a few things today and have to finalize them. But as I promised you, I won't overdo it. Actually, I will try to take it slower in general. I can't immediately throw away all of my work, but I'll definitely give myself a bit more free time. Of course, I will spend that time with you.”
This kind of news was wonderful. It had been long overdue for Theodore to relax a bit more and delay some of his suffocating duties.
Blanche's stomach began to tingle from happiness. Her lover would finally stop burying himself in his work and pay attention to his health more. At least she hoped that, even though his behavior despite his injury decreased her trust in that. “That's a good idea. Everyone was already worried that you might pass out from that much work. While I'm glad that you want to be with me more, you should also consider sleeping for longer. That would be more beneficial for your health.”
“I'm pretty sure that being with you is the best thing I can do for my mental health. But if you really insist...” Theodore leaned forward so that his face was closer to hers. “We have to connect those two needs somehow. It seems like you will have to sleep in my room in that case.”
Blanche glanced at his shoulder in worry, but it appeared like he still didn't feel much pain despite his movement. Only when she was sure of that, she carefully put an arm around his neck and smiled at him. “I don't have a problem with that. You have a huge bed with more than enough space and soft blankets. And then my lover will hold me in his arms for the whole night? That sounds tempting. As long as you don't have to rush out early.”
Theodore's face lit up with a beam that looked like he was reminiscing. “I always woke you when I did that, didn't I? If I really have to go, I'll try to be quieter from now on.” He had promised that multiple times and never succeeded.
Blanche wasn't angry at him though. She didn't have to wake up at a specific time and could just lay in bed longer while he had to dress in the dark without making a single noise to disturb her light sleep. It was easier for him to just get ready and tell her goodbye so that she could wish him a good morning and close her eyes after he left. “You know that I don't mind you being loud. I'm just sensitive to sounds while I'm asleep, so it's almost impossible for someone to move without waking me up. Except for Stella, of course. She seems to have magic powers that allow her to juggle porcelain and set the table without making a single noise.”
Theodore was quiet for a moment, and a slight frown appeared on his face. “Your maid, right? Do you remember her ever dropping something?”
That question caught Blanche off guard. “Uhm, I don't think so? When we first met, she did drop one item, which made a big mess. I was pretty annoyed then. And I snapped at her whenever she woke me too early, so she perfected moving silently under pressure. She stopped waking me unintentionally only a few weeks after she was assigned to me. Now that I'm much kinder, we are very close, so I wouldn't scold her for an accident anymore, but nothing like that happened in the last...” She paused to think about it for a moment and realized that another month had almost passed in shock. “In the last four months, she didn't drop anything either. She really is lucky.”
Blanche wasn't thinking about her maid anymore at that point. Her awakening had been almost four months ago, which meant that she had reached the end of a third of the time that had been covered by the novel. Her time was slowly but surely running out. However, her circumstances weren't too bad right now. She still needed to carefully keep the main characters apart and make sure that Sefare wouldn't hurt her, but that should keep her safe.
“Blanche?” Theodore pulled her back into reality.
She jolted at that, and her gaze snapped to him. “What? I just got lost in thoughts. What did you want to say?”
Her lover gave her a questioning look but didn't comment on her being distracted. “If she does end up dropping anything, tell me.” Before she could voice her confusion about that statement, he was already leaning in to kiss her.
From the spot where their lips touched, small tingles seemed to spread through Blanche's entire body. She put her arms around his neck to pull him closer, and he gladly complied. When they separated after a while, she realized that he was above her and using his arms to hold himself up, which immediately scared her. “Theo, your shoulder!”
He countered her concern before she could even voice the rest. “It doesn't hurt, so it can't be that bad.” He didn't let her object but leaned down to her and pressed his lips onto the side of her neck and slowly moved down to her collarbone.
It felt like all air slowly oozed out of her lungs as she held her breath. Blanche only managed to open her mouth when Theodore glanced at her with a look that could only mean one thing. “Theo, you're hurt.”
“I know.” Theodore let out a quiet groan and nuzzled his nose into her shoulder. He remained in that position for a moment, which made her nervously gaze towards his bandage. Then he lifted his head to make eye contact. “I won't be able to convince you even if I ask very nicely, right?”
Blanche lifted her hand to caress his cheek and hid the conflict of anticipation and nervousness as well as she could. She wasn't ready yet. In only a few weeks, during the vacation, she could be sure about whether she was able to change the novel's development, and if that was the case, she could finally embrace Theodore again. But right now, the uncertainty about whether his love for her would fade and be directed to Seraphina would be too big for her to not get distracted if they got intimate. Plus, he was truly hurt, and she refused to let him do anything that could re-open his wound. “I'm sorry, but I don't want to risk it. You have been fortunate to come back with only a single cut that seems to be almost painless. However, that doesn't mean that it can't get worse if we overdo it. What you need now is rest.”
Theodore leaned down to kiss her forehead and stroke over her hair. “Don't apologize for that. We won't do anything you aren't keen on doing at the moment. Besides, you're just giving me more motivation to get better quickly.” He slowly moved to the side and turned around to blow out the candle. Then he lay down again.
Even though the room was almost pitch black except for the light coming in from the slit under the door, Blanche knew that he was facing her, and his warm breath confirmed that. She was careful not to touch his upper body too much as she moved closer to him until he put his arm around her. “Goodnight. I love you.”
Her lover replied immediately. “I love you too, more than anything else. Have sweet dreams.”