The next morning arrived without any special occurrences. The couple awoke in the same manner as they always did.
Blanche opened her eyes while Theodore was already staring at her, and she had to fight against her drowsiness while he was wide awake. Luckily, they were able to take their time and didn't have to rush through the morning routine. For the most part, that meant that they stayed in bed for another twenty minutes and cuddled before finally forcing themselves to rise.
Breakfast was accompanied by an equal amount of body contact. Only after they finished that, the emperor ordered someone to inform Stella that her mistress needed new clothes. The maid brought a comfortable attire for the day, and despite Blanche's complaints, Theodore helped her after sending the servant out, still without feeling any pain.
Then the couple separated after a long cuddly goodbye so that the emperor could go to his office while the concubine returned to her room to pass the time until noon when she was supposed to pick him up for lunch. Since they had slept in, she didn't have too much time.
Blanche didn't do anything but sew with Stella to prepare for her attempt to create a gift. Since Theodore wouldn't participate in the hunt, he wouldn't get a handkerchief from his wife, and his lover could step in to give him the present. It would be perfect. Blanche had imagined handing over the present already, but unfortunately, she was pulled back into reality due to her lacking sewing skills. She only managed to imitate Stella's movements in a barely recognizable way without making any significant progress. At this point, she doubted that her skills would suffice to create something beautiful enough to be given to her lover, but she wanted to at least try it. So, she would continue to practice with Stella.
After she was done, Blanche hurried to the emperor's office. On the way, they met Darlene and gave her the most important information so that their friends didn't have to worry about the ruler's health or why Blanche wouldn't come to bake until the hunting festival anymore. They only chatted for a short moment before Darlene had to leave, and the women walked towards their destination again.
The palace's corridors were full of staff members that were skipping work and gossiping about the assassination attempt and about how Theodore was doing, which Blanche ignored with a roll of her eyes. Luckily, she got past those people quickly. In contrast to the busy areas, the hallway in front of the office was completely empty except for two knights that were guarding the door.
Just now, a person was climbing down the stairs at the other end of the corridor as well. Blanche was sure that the man had been Noah, who would now be assigned to be the empress' personal guard. Theodore had probably informed him about his duties right now. She was a bit curious but didn't intend to yell through the whole hallway to ask, so she let Noah go.
The concubine approached the office's door and stopped next to the knights. But in contrast to the usual process, none of them asked her whether she wished to see the emperor. After she exchanged a few irritated looks with Stella, and they still didn't speak up, she addressed them. “Uhm, good day. Is Theodore not inside? Or is he busy?”
The guard that answered seemed to be surprised at that. “Good day, Lady Blanche. His Majesty is currently working in his office, but naturally, we do not know whether he is able to welcome visitors at this point. However, that does not matter to you, does it?”
Blanche frowned a bit upon hearing his confusing question. “Why wouldn't it? You need to announce me first. I can't just rush inside. I mean, I can knock by myself too, but the guards normally do that.”
The guard responded without batting an eye as if he wasn't claiming something completely ridiculous. “Oh, well. His Majesty set up new rules. He informed us that you may enter his office whenever you want without needing to announce yourself. If he was in a meeting with the ministers or engaging in a similarly important conversation, we would tell you that. While His Majesty isn't in a meeting, you are free to go inside at any given time, even in the case that he isn't present.” The guards acted like this was fine and seemed to be as confused about the concubine's irritation as she was about their words.
Blanche blinked a few times before slowly understanding and letting out a sigh. So, Theodore had truly been serious about giving her permission to go wherever she wanted. He hadn't phrased it like that officially, but the emperor's office was the most secured room inside the palace due to the massive amount of important documents being stored here. If she was allowed to freely enter and leave however she saw it fit, then all other doors wouldn't be locked for her either. This meant that he truly underestimated the power of the rumors that could spread because of this.
The concubine massaged her temples for a moment as she thought about the problems that could arise but had to suppress a smile. Her lover was trying to tear down anything that could create a distance between them so that she could always see him. If she didn't fear that the empress would misunderstand this, she would be touched. But it should be fine if the concubine just held back with entering the office to avoid letting anyone talk about this, so she didn't dwell on it too long.
Blanche voiced a small “Thank you” to the guards before taking the few steps to the middle of the double door and carefully knocking on it. For a moment, she thought that she had used too little force to create a noise that would pass through the massive wood, but then a voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
Hesitantly, she pushed open the door that was as heavy as it looked and glanced into the room before stepping inside.
Theodore was already greeting her with a smile.
Blanche nodded at Owen and Leonard, who were sitting at the table and were seemingly lost in thoughts, before going to the desk. “You were already grinning before I saw you. Did you know that it would be me?”
The corners of Theodore's lips twitched as he gave her an amused look. “It's a few minutes before noon, so I was just waiting. But the reluctant knock was the most obvious clue. None of the knights or servants are that quiet.”
Blanche could imagine that. She had been rather careful, but it wasn't like that mattered now. She walked forward and only stopped right in front of the desk. “It seems like I'm too weak to knock properly. But as long as you heard it, it's fine. Though I'm a bit unsure whether telling the knights that I can just go in without your explicit permission is a good idea.” She crossed her arms as she waited for his response.
Leon spoke up before the emperor could. “I told him that too. While I have no doubts that you don't intend to abuse that right, I do think that it could cause serious problems. If you come here every day, Theodore will stop working completely.”
Her lover chuckled at that, and Blanche shook her head. She made a dismissive motion with her hand before explaining. “I didn't mean that. There are other issues. First of all, no one can just enter this office without announcing themselves, not even the empress. Allowing me to do so will create misunderstandings of a kind that we don't need. Secondly, what if I come in at an inconvenient time? The guards will tell me about a meeting with the ministers, but you could also just focus on your work, and me intruding without a warning will distract you while you have to stay concentrated.”
Theodore gave her a bright smile in return. “But you did warn me. It's kind of you to knock so that I'm not completely surprised by you suddenly standing in front of me. But other than that, there is no need to make this more difficult. If you insist on asking the guards to announce you, you can do that, but it would only complicate the process. Whether they or you knock doesn't make any difference. After a guard knocks, I give him permission to enter. Then the guard comes in and states your name. After that, I have to tell him that you can enter, and he informs you. It would be easier for you to knock so that I can hear that you are here immediately.” If he put it like this, using the knights did seem useless.
Blanche let out a sigh and plopped down onto the stool that stood near the desk. “Alright. I won't enter when you aren't here though. That would seem odd to others.”
Theodore's smile only widened at that. “If you insist. Do you mind if I finish this page before we go? I would like to move on to another thing in the afternoon, so I want to write down the last few sentences. It won't take more than five minutes.”
Blanche nodded. “Of course. I will be quiet.”
“There is no need for that. I love to hear your voice.”
Leon cleared his throat at that while shooting the emperor a glare that seemed more serious than it actually was. “Aren't you always the one reminding me not to talk while you write because you accidentally write down what I'm saying?”
Theodore looked up from the book for a moment, which was enough to reveal the mischievous glint in his eyes. “You are a different case, Leon.”
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The secretary pretended to be annoyed and turned around, but the smile on his lips betrayed him.
Theodore turned to his book again before pausing after a few sentences to make eye contact with his lover. “I just remembered. The hole in the wall you told me about is closed off, so there is no need to worry about that anymore.” That was quick.
Blanche hadn't expected anything less, but her lover's tranquility regarding the situation was odd. Normally, the slightest issue in terms of security troubled him tremendously, and now he wasn't panicking despite the huge gap in the safety measures that could lead to someone intruding. Supposedly, the hole didn't bother him so much since no one had used it to come in and the danger was eliminated now. Still, there was one other thing that was strange too, which Blanche pointed out. “I didn't tell you where it was. How did you find it so quickly?”
Theodore shrugged before continuing to write. “I told the knights to examine the walls all around the estate to make sure that there weren't any other problems. The hole was the only true issue, but they also gave me advice on how to improve our security even more. I'll take care of that during the next days.” That was why he was so calm. He had already ordered his subordinates to search for all weak spots within the estate, and they were done with their assessment.
In this case, his caution was rather helpful. After all, Blanche didn't have to worry about Sefare, who had to have used that hole before, coming into the palace secretly anymore. She smiled in response and just waited the rest of the time.
Theodore closed the book about a minute after that. “Done.”
Blanche glanced at the tome and took a few seconds to realize that he meant the whole book and not just the page. “That was the book you wrote in while I slept, wasn't it? Did you write all of this in the last two days? That's a lot for such a short time.”
Theodore just grinned while sorting the papers on his desk and neatly placing them on one stack by the corner. “I'm efficient. Especially when I spent most of my time with you before I begin working.” He put his pen into one of the drawers before attempting to stand up, only for his lover to be faster than he was.
She jumped up and hurried to him to hug him.
Theodore immediately relaxed when she stroked over his hair and closed his eyes while speaking. “Now that this is done, I finished all the things that have the main priority. My list was taken care of, and the hole is closed. I wrote an open letter to the public about this ambush, and Leon had already informed Duke Lamont before I awoke. The letter for Ocrea's crown prince is sent too, and we have to wait for a response, but I'm pretty confident. The ministers have also been invited for a meeting in ten days. Now I just have to explain that I won't attend any birthday parties anymore. After all, it's too dangerous to leave the royal estate too often, and only visiting a few of the countless nobles' households is unfair. Though, honestly, the main reason is that I don't want to go there. It's exhausting, so I would rather avoid events as much as possible now that I can use the attack as an excuse.”
Blanche was a bit overwhelmed by the many tasks her lover had supposedly taken care of. When he added the last sentence, she chuckled though. “It seems like we both don't like appearing in public.”
“Oh, I usually don't mind that. It's just that the people that I have to talk to are annoying.” Theodore opened his eyes and gently guided her away from his chair so that he could stand up. “Now I don't have to see them until the ministers arrive here and can use my wound as an excuse to work less. Perfect. But that was enough talk about my duties. We'll go eat lunch now.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the door. “Do you want to sit outside or in the dining room? My room would be an option too.”
Before she could respond, Leonard stood up and intervened. “Theodore, I know that you don't want to focus on that now, and it's probably nothing urgent. But shouldn't you still read the empress' letter before you run off? It's been lying here untouched since this morning.”
Theodore paused for a moment before smiling. “Ah, I completely forgot about that. Put it on my desk. I'll read it later.” He opened the door and pulled Blanche out with him before Leon could object.
Owen followed them a few seconds later and closed the door behind him.
Theodore acknowledged him with a nod before turning to his lover with a radiant smile. “So, where do you want to eat?”
Blanche's mind was still focused on the empress' letter, so she took a moment to react. “Let's go to the dining room. It's been a while since we've been there, but it might be good to use it for its actual purpose.”
“Very well.” Theodore pulled her through the hallways without letting go of her hand once. On their way, he addressed one of the servants and sent him to the kitchen to inform them of where they would eat.
Naturally, the couple still arrived before the kitchen staff could and already went inside to sit down. The emperor seemed to be in a good mood and chatted about random lighthearted topics while Blanche still couldn't stop thinking about the letter. Why hadn't Theodore read it? Normally, he should be worried about the empress' health so much that he wanted to see her directly after waking up. Thanks to his lover's meddling, he hadn't done so, but apparently, he hadn't delayed his visit either. He had even ignored the letter that Seraphina had sent him because he concentrated on his work. If he was already this distracted by his duties, one really had to worry whether he wasn't overdoing it.
Theodore interrupted his talking to scan her expression. He seemed to notice her internal struggle at this point and quickly spoke up. “What's wrong?”
Blanche kept quiet at first. Wouldn't it be odd to suddenly address this issue without a real reason? After all, they had talked about other things for a while now. But then again, she was too curious not to speak up. “I was just wondering about the empress. Normally, you aren't the type to forget something that is lying around in your office, especially not any letters. Did you visit her to see how she was doing after the attack? I haven't heard anything about whether she has gotten hurt. She could be scared now too, and you saved her life, so she might want to-”
Blanche cut herself off when she realized that her words would only encourage Theodore to meet with Seraphina, which she definitely had to avoid. Just because she had prevented the first kiss between the main characters, that didn't mean that it couldn't happen later. So, she quickly added something else. “Actually, she might need some time for herself now. The empress has always been the independent type, so she probably wishes to recover on her own. Though you could still read her letter and write back a short note to prove that you aren't ignoring her.” Even though Blanche actually wasn't keen on him sending the heroine anything. His letters were usually so sweet that she didn't want to think about what he could write for the empress.
Theodore listened closely until she was done before replying with a nervous chuckle. “It's true that I don't forget things like this often, but admittedly, my mind is busy with other things right now. I had to take care of all the important matters like the ministers and the letter to Ocrea. In comparison to that, a note thanking me for helping her is less urgent. I didn't visit the empress because of that either. One of the doctor's assistants is with her, and seemingly, she doesn't have any complaints. So, I don't know why I would have to rush to her. I'm the injured one, so if she wants to thank me, she could at least stand up on her own two feet and walk over. I know that she is unharmed since I protected her by jumping in front of her. That means that nothing is confining her to her room. If she wants something from me, she'll have to come to me first.” If he hadn't spoken with a slightly amused tone in his voice, those words would have sounded rather harsh. To be honest, the concubine could swear that there was a hidden tone of frustration in his voice as well.
Blanche's heart skipped a beat when she witnessed this attitude. That definitely wasn't remotely similar to how Theodore had acted in the novel. Hadn't running to Seraphina's room been the first thing he did after waking up? Why was he this disinterested now? Had the fact that his lover was with him as he opened his eyes truly changed the story this much? It made sense in some way.
Checking on his wife had been an impulse since Theodore had protected the empress in the last moments before he fell unconscious. But now his lover had appeared next to him, and they had cuddled for a while. After that, Blanche had forced him to stay in bed for another few hours, which should have given him enough time to sort his thoughts. In the end, his logic now wasn't incorrect. He had been cut with a sword while jumping in front of Seraphina, so the unharmed empress could definitely come to him on her own.
At least it would seem that way if one hadn't read the book. In reality, the empress was still in shock. While Seraphina had been raised in an influential family and thus had always been surrounded by guards and fences, no one had ever tried to kill her. In fact, she had never experienced a life-threatening situation like this before. Now that this had happened, she was beyond terrified, which was a more understandable reaction than Theodore's calm approach. If Blanche remembered correctly, the empress wouldn't leave her room for the next few days until her husband began worrying and pulled her out for a walk.
This made Blanche feel a bit guilty since she had no intention of letting him do that now, so Seraphina would have to calm down by herself. She was quiet for a moment before meeting her lover's gaze. “About that... Did you hear about whether she is feeling alright? She might not have been wounded or anything like that, but an assassination attempt will leave mental scars. I mean, you can't really do something about that.” Since Theodore shouldn't go to Seraphina at all. “She'll have to approach others to talk herself, for example her maids since she trusts them, but I'm still a bit concerned about her health. Maybe she needs a doctor.” One that kept the empress busy so that she wouldn't try to spend time with the emperor.
Theodore gave his lover a gentle smile before resting his hand upon hers on the table. “You don't need to worry about her. I already spoke with the doctor's assistant and was told that the empress only had to take a break for a couple of days. After that, she will be fine, and if something else concerns her, she is free to address the royal doctor, and he will gladly help.” Somehow he didn't seem to be worried at all.
Blanche found it a bit amusing that she was currently more interested in Seraphina's state than the man who was supposed to be the heroine's true love but didn't speak up again. She felt sorry for the empress, but she couldn't suppress the joy at knowing that Theodore didn't intend to visit that woman in the near future. She certainly wouldn't send him there either, even though that might slow Seraphina's recovery process.
The thought of possibly being attacked by a group of mercenaries in the middle of a forest with no way to protect yourself was petrifying. So, it would probably take a long time until Seraphina forgot about it completely, if that was even possible. The images of the empress's horrified expression upon being brought back into the palace made Blanche feel more guilty with every passing second. For a single moment, she had felt some odd sense of satisfaction, but that was quickly replaced with even more concern about her unfair reaction.
But the heroine was a strong woman, so it should be fine, right? She would get over that quicker than anyone else would, right?
Despite trying to convince herself of that, the concubine found herself making a mental note to ask Stella whether there were any rumors about the empress' condition. Luckily, the servants came in at that moment and brought lunch so that Theodore wouldn't notice how distracted she truly was.
During the rest of the meal, Blanche completely forgot about her concern about letting Seraphina suffer just because she wouldn't risk losing Theodore's affection. However, as soon as her lover said goodbye and left after giving her many kisses and a very long hug, her mind immediately jumped back to that topic.
When the emperor wasn't in her field of view anymore, Blanche pulled Stella along toward their chambers. “Say, have there been any rumors regarding the empress? I haven't seen her since the day of the attack, so I assume that she stayed in her room.”
Stella quickly nodded. “I haven't seen her either, and it's the same for most of the servants. Of course, I can't guarantee that it's true, but the friend of a friend of one of Her Majesty's attendants claimed that she is still in shock. Apparently, Her Majesty has suffered from nightmares during the last two nights but refuses to call the doctor since she doubts that he would be able to help.”
Blanche was silent upon hearing that at first. The pit of guilt that had formed in her stomach was already growing just at those words. Why had she been content about this for a moment? She didn't want the empress to suffer. If she was at fault for keeping Theodore from consoling Seraphina, then she had to do something to make up for that. She definitely didn't just want to do this to keep Theodore from worrying later but out of concern for the empress. Her idea was more of an impulse than a plan, but she spoke up immediately. “I could offer her some of the herbs that the doctor gave me. I can't be sure whether they work yet, but she can try them too. If we visit her for a short moment, we can also check on her. I would like to know how she is doing right now.”
Blanche was well aware that doing this mostly to get the empress to recover so that Seraphina wouldn't attract Theodore's pity was selfish, but it wasn't like one could demand anything else of her. The villainess didn't necessarily need to have good intentions, right?