Hearing that the empress was still in shock after the attack might have caused Blanche to say something thoughtless. “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.”
Just as this left her mouth, Blanche silenced herself. That wasn't a very clever thought. Everyone in the palace knew about the strained relationship between the concubine and the empress. What had made her think that Seraphina would be happy to see her? In fact, the heroine would probably be more frustrated than before, or she wouldn't even let the other woman in.
Blanche stopped in her tracks at that thought. Wasn't being annoyed better than being scared? The empress definitely didn't fear her husband's lover and only got angry when she saw her. But a distraction was the exact thing that Seraphina needed right now, wasn't it? As long as the heroine didn't think about the assassination attempt, anything else was better. Then the empress would be a little less scared for a moment, seem less pitiful and Theodore wouldn't be required to see her at all. Blanche nodded to herself at that and turned to Stella, who was staring at her mistress in disbelief.
“My Lady, what makes you want to visit Her Majesty when she never showed any concern for your sickness? She didn't treat you kindly even though you were behaving flawlessly, so why-”
The concubine made a dismissive motion with her hand. “She did send me a letter wishing for my recovery, so it's fine. I'm just going to bring her some herbs and use that opportunity to sate my curiosity. They might not even let me in, but I'll feel better after that. Just ignoring her would be cold.” And risk that Theodore was called to take care of his shocked wife. Blanche didn't want that, so she would step in. If the empress rejected her immediately, it would prove that Seraphina didn't want help and keep Theodore away too, right? “Let's just get a small bit from my stack of medicine and put the herbs into a jar, just as an excuse for why we have to visit her. Then we can go to her room. It's on the third floor next to Theodore's chambers, right?”
Stella sighed but nodded before opening the door to her mistress' room.
The first thing that Blanche noticed when she entered was the object lying on her table. She froze and stared at it from afar. It already dawned upon her what this had to be, and she stepped closer to confirm it. When she reached the table and picked up the object, she didn't know whether she should sigh or smile.
Blanche carefully opened the fan from Theodore's room and admired the gorgeous patterns on the fabric before reading the note that was on the table as well. In just a few sentences, her lover managed to make her squeal in joy because of his sweet words so that she almost forgot to be irritated at him ignoring that she didn't need the fan. Now that the gift was here, she had no intention of giving it back unless he specifically asked her to. After all, he had insisted on her taking it, so he couldn't blame her for being materialistic but only himself for indulging her so much.
After looking around for a moment, she decided to put the fan on one of the dressers that could take some more decorations. Now she only needed a holder to display the accessory properly. However, she would deal with that later.
For now, the concubine took the herbs out of the cabinet and prepared to bring them to Seraphina. Even though the maid was reluctant, Stella helped her mistress with filling the herbs in a container and closing it off so that nothing would fall out. Blanche was rather sure that the empress wouldn't accept anything the other woman offered and that they wouldn't even catch a glimpse of the heroine, so she didn't worry about the aesthetic of the gift too much. After they finished, they made their way to the third floor without searching for any decorations for the jar.
The closer to the empress' room they came, the more nervous Blanche became. At first, she had just brushed off being unwanted there as a chance to distract the empress, but now she was a bit more doubtful. After all, she would definitely be irritated if the roles were reversed and Seraphina suddenly knocked on her door. It was more than questionable whether empress' maids wouldn't just send the concubine away immediately, but since that worked as a reason for Theodore to stay away too, it would be fine either way.
Blanche clutched the little jar, which she had insisted on carrying, a bit tighter. She entered the hallway in which both the emperor's and the empress' chambers were located. She could already see the door from afar and swallowed after making sure that Stella wasn't observing her. When she stopped in front of Seraphina's room, the guards gave her an odd look that she ignored in favor of addressing them. “Good afternoon. I would like to give something to Her Majesty. Would you mind announcing my presence, please?”
One of the knights just blinked at her while the other one replied. “Of course, Lady Blanche. Though Her Majesty ordered us not to announce anyone since she isn't willing to receive any guests right now. We will knock, and one of her attendants will greet you though.” Seemingly, Seraphina really didn't want to see anyone right now.
Blanche didn't care either way. She would be fine being sent away since that would spare her some trouble. As long as this proved that Seraphina didn't want to see anyone, Theodore probably wouldn't come here either. So, that outcome was good for Blanche, and she didn't even need to enter. Staying outside would definitely be better for her nerves. She still did her best to seem polite though. “Naturally, that's alright. Go ahead.”
The guard knocked against the door, and seconds later, it opened.
The maid that Stella had fought with stepped out. She closed the door behind her immediately before looking at the visitors. The woman's expression turned sour. “What does Lady Blanche require?” Her words were polite, but her tone was obviously full of anger. She hadn't even waited to be addressed first, which revealed that she was currently in a rather strained mood.
If Blanche had to guess, she would say that the maid expected her to attempt to make fun of the empress in some way. In reality, she was trying to do the exact opposite. She did her best to seem respectful as she began. “Good afternoon. I wished to bring this to Her Majesty.” She lifted the jar to show it to the maid. “These are herbs that the doctor has prescribed to me to prevent nightmares. I heard that Her Majesty was currently struggling with the same issue, so I thought that this might be useful to her. Even if that was only a rumor, drinking some calming tea after the unnerving events of that day should be good.”
For a moment, the maid forgot to hide her expression. She stared at the jar and was obviously about to accept it before she realized who was offering it to her. Quickly, she shook her head, and her face showed resentment again. “Thank you for your concern, Lady Blanche. However, Her Majesty is in no predicament that would require-”
A voice from the inside interrupted her. “Who are you talking to?”
The maid flinched and bowed to the visitors. “Please, wait for a short moment.” Then she went inside and closed the door before one could even look inside.
Stella crossed her arms at that. “It's that unpleasant girl from the kitchen. It should be obvious that she would be too arrogant to accept something from the person that she badmouthed. I wouldn't expect her to let us in. She might not even tell Her Majesty that we came here. Maybe we should go.”
“You're right. It was worth the try though. We'll just stay here for two more minutes so that no one can accuse us of running away.” Blanche said this with a calm voice, but she was actually a little relieved. She had hoped to distract Seraphina for a short while, but she had to admit that her motives had been rather selfish, so she didn't really care for a meeting. If she could leave now, it might be better. She breathed out deeply, only to jolt as the door flew open, which almost made her drop the jar.
The same maid held the door open for them while speaking, with her dismay being apparent on her face. “Her Majesty allows you to enter, Lady Blanche.”
The concubine forgot how to walk for a moment and blinked a few times before she had processed that. This was unexpected. It was also somewhat unfavorable since she hadn't believed that she would be allowed in and hadn't prepared mentally. Now she couldn't turn back anymore though. “Thank you.” After one last glance to Stella, who was just as surprised by this, she walked into the room. All of her muscles were tensed as she gave her best to move as gracefully as possible as she looked around.
The interior was definitely as beautiful as the one in Theodore's chambers, but the concubine didn't focus on that. The empress, who was sitting on the velvet sofa in the middle of the room, was far more important. Upon seeing her, Blanche's heart skipped a beat.
Seraphina looked awful. She had dark rings under her eyes, which showed that she probably hadn't slept since the incident in the forest, and dug her fingers into the blanket that she had wrapped around herself. The usually so strong woman looked pale as she sat there in the midst of such luxury. Her obvious exhaustion didn't match her normal behavior at all and made her appear uncharacteristically helpless. Her maids sat next to her, but that didn't seem to do much against the fear that had to plague Seraphina's mind. Despite this, she still looked more intimidating than the concubine could ever hope to be. There was just some aura of authority around her that didn't disappear no matter what.
The empress scanned the visitor for a moment before speaking up. “What led you here, Lady Blanche?”
The concubine hurried to make a small curtsy before showing the jar to the people inside the room. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Among the servants, there has been a rumor regarding you having nightmares. I don't trust gossip in any way, however, since I also had a problem like this, the royal doctor recommended me a mix of herbs a few days ago. One is supposed to drink it as tea before going to bed. Apparently, the contained plants let you sleep calmer so that fewer dreams will appear, and if you do dream, it will be a peaceful one. I have only had the chance to try this twice, so I cannot confirm whether it will help, but the doctor ordered a big amount of these herbs, so there is more than enough being stored in his office. For that reason, I thought that Your Majesty might be willing to try this method of treatment as well. After all, even if you aren't having any nightmares, this could help you sleep more easily.”
The following silence was very unpleasant, so Blanche was glad when Seraphina finally replied. “What kind of herbs are in there?” The concubine had guessed that the empress wouldn't be willing to just consume anything her archnemesis gave her. There could be strange things being mixed in, so it was easy to understand why Seraphina was doubtful.
Blanche, unfortunately, hadn't expected to even meet the empress to be able to hand this over, so she had just thought that it would seem like a nice gesture to outsiders if anyone saw this. Now she was a bit more unwilling to actually give Seraphina something consumable. What if she was accused of poisoning the empress with this? Blanche quickly revised her words a bit. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I am not sure about that. I believe that it tastes like chamomile, but I have to admit that I did not try to find out what was inside. I just trusted in the doctor's words. Naturally, you should ask him before simply taking my advice. And he still has the biggest portion of the herbs, so you do not have to use mine and could ask for his instead too. That might, in fact, be better as the herbs stored in his office might be fresher. It was careless of me to offer the slightly older ones, so I would suggest asking the doctor for his newest share.” Had that worked out?
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The empress stared at the jar for a moment and then met the concubine's gaze. “These seem to be dried herbs. You said that you have had them for two days, so I doubt that they already became inedible when they are supposed to be stored for a long time. Bring the jar to me.” It hadn't worked. That was unfavorable.
Blanche suddenly didn't feel comfortable giving the other woman anything anymore and opened her mouth to stop her, but she was too late. Before the first word left her mouth, one of the maids already acted and took the jar out of her hands to give the container to Seraphina.
The empress lifted the glass to inspect the herbs more closely before setting the jar down onto the table in front of the couch. The concubine already expected to be accused of putting poison inside again, but Seraphina didn't say anything like that. “Thank you. I will be sure to educate myself about this matter. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?” It was clear that she believed the other woman to have ulterior motives just by the tone of her voice.
Blanche was already tense enough. She didn't really need to be interrogated as well, especially not when it could just end in Seraphina calling for someone to arrest the other woman for treason. The concubine didn't want to stay here anymore when the risk of that scenario suddenly seemed too realistic. She would just tell the empress to get better and then withdraw. That should be fine. Just when Blanche opened her mouth to do that, a knock sounded on the door, and a male voice spoke up.
“Your Majesty, it's me.”
Seraphina didn't seem surprised and turned her head to the door to speak up a bit louder. “You may enter.”
The person pushed the door open, and Noah's purple hair came into view. He stepped inside with a serious expression and was ready to voice something else, only to freeze in shock upon seeing the visitor. “Lady Blanche? What are you doing here?”
If Blanche was less tense despite currently being in enemy territory, she would have needed to hold back a small smile at his exaggerated surprise. Now she had to force herself to give him a fake polite one. She gave him the short version instead of explaining the same thing for the third time. “Hello, Sir Aldis. I came here to offer Her Majesty some of the herbs that I take to improve my sleep. The doctor gave them to me, so I was sure that they could help others as well. Since I finished that, I didn't mean to disturb anyone for much longer.” Meaning that she hadn't tempered with the herbs in any way and that she really wanted to leave.
The empress either didn't figure out that underlying request or she ignored it. She observed the interaction with a neutral expression before speaking up. “From the way that you two are addressing each other, it seems that you are already acquainted. Am I correct?” Apparently, she had noticed the wrong order of the greetings, which had led her to this conclusion.
Noah still didn't seem to realize his error as he nodded and happily replied. “Yes. I was stationed in front of Lady Blanche's door rather often, so we had a few conversations in the past. I apologize for interrupting you. It wasn't my intention to disturb the conversation. I was merely taken aback upon seeing her here.” He turned to the concubine and gave her a soft smile.
Seraphina was silent for a moment while keeping a close eye on Noah before resuming. “It is alright since this was not a public interaction and Lady Blanche wasn't upset. However, in the case of a meeting in front of others, many would appreciate it if you were a little more subtle with your emotions.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Noah positioned himself behind the sofa so that he wasn't in the empress' field of view, but Blanche could still see his expression. His mood had dimmed a bit after being scolded, but he smiled at the concubine nonetheless, which she returned more stiffly. This eye contact didn't go on for long though.
After all, the empress turned back to her visitor just a moment later. “You were about to speak, Lady Blanche?”
The concubine took a few seconds to remember how the conversation had ended before responding, and her nervousness came back with full force. “Apart from bringing this jar to Your Majesty...” Which she might want to take back now. “I would also like to express my relief about your safe return. The palace was in an uproar when the news of the attack arrived since no one had expected that something terrible like that could happen. Luckily, no one was killed, and seemingly, most guards also weren't injured. Still, that incident was a shock to all of us, so I hope that you are doing well now.” At least well enough to not need Theodore's help.
Seraphina put her elbow on the backrest of the sofa and leaned her hand against her chin while showing an expression that looked too determined for her exhausted appearance. “Thank you for your concern. It is true that an attack had not been expected previously. That only serves as a reminder that we cannot let our guard down under any circumstances, or we might regret it later. Despite our unpreparedness, we were fortunate enough to be able to leave unharmed for the most part. Thanks to our brave knights and His Majesty's protection, I managed to return without a single scratch. Still, I have to admit that experiencing an assassination attempt is not pleasant, and even now I catch myself thinking about it.”
That the empress even admitted this was weird enough, but Blanche was only more confused when the remaining part followed.
Seraphina resumed without showing the slightest hint of uncertainty. “However, my nightmares, which already seem to be known throughout the entire palace...” The empress glanced at her maids while saying that, which made them lower their heads. “Are definitely worse than this whole situation has been. That is why I'm thankful for your recommendation. I will be sure to try these herbs out. Though I am unsure whether they will help me. After all, I am currently not truly scared but rather furious.”
Blanche was utterly confused why the empress would admit to such a weakness in front of her. Was this one of Seraphina's tests to determine whether her enemy would latch onto a chance to harm her? The concubine didn't know, and it didn't matter either. She wouldn't do anything that could trouble the empress, so she focused on the most harmless part of the other's words. “Your Majesty, if I may ask, what about this made you angry?”
Seraphina's eyes narrowed, and for once, the concubine didn't seem to be the cause for her dismay. “The damages on our side were limited to small injuries. Still, someone attacked us intending to kill His Majesty, me and any of the royal knights that were risking their lives to protect us. Such impudence infuriates me greatly. For that reason, I hope that the perpetrators behind this can be found and punished quickly.” She paused for a short moment before lowering her gaze slightly. “That incident itself would have been enough to make me resentful, however, it also happened to be that my sister gave birth yesterday. Due to the recent attack, we are forced to pay more attention to the security measures, so His Majesty refused to let me visit her. I was a bit upset because of that. After all, I planned to support her during the birthing process ever since she told me about her pregnancy. I wished to meet my niece or nephew as soon as possible. Naturally, I understand this decision though. Paying attention to the well-being of the royal family is the most important thing.” Her cold eyes betrayed that she was more than a little upset because of that, but that wasn't the concerning part.
This was different from the novel. Originally, the empress had been supposed to hold Sophia's hand during the birth and had even narrated that she had hugged the little Grace directly after the parents had. Seemingly, Blanche's actions had somehow made Theodore more careful without her noticing it since the emperor suddenly hadn't given Seraphina permission to visit her sister.
At the same time, another thing bothered the concubine though. If Theodore had forbidden Seraphina from leaving, they had to have met at some point.
Panic rose in Blanche's stomach before she could choke it down. When had the spouses seen each other without her knowledge? Had they had their first kiss during that conversation? She tried to keep her fear out of her voice as she began speaking. “Did he give you any reason for his decision? Since the birth of your niece is rather important, I thought that he would let you go.”
Seraphina's eyes wandered to the side, and her annoyance about this topic only became even more obvious. “I thought the same, Lady Blanche. I understand that we must heighten our security now, however, I could have traveled with more knights, and everything would have been fine. My sister lives directly next to the capital, so the area is not likely to be used by possible attackers. For that reason, I would have liked to argue about this with His Majesty too, but I did not see him after the incident. He sent Lord Astame to inform me about his decision, and I was told that there would not be a discussion about this matter. Not wishing to argue about this is one thing, but I would have liked to personally thank His Majesty for saving my life. I also would have liked to talk about the assassination attempt with him. Apparently, he does not have any interest in that though.”
Blanche almost sighed in relief at that. Theodore hadn't gone to meet his wife. This meant that the story still hadn't progressed and that she had the chance to change everything. But the emperor's strange actions confused her too. On the one hand, Blanche could understand Seraphina. It was unfortunate that the empress hadn't been able to be by her sister's side at such a crucial moment. However, on the other hand, the empress was acting a bit spoiled.
Blanche, who usually took on that trait, might not be entitled to judge, but she still couldn't help but address that. “Your Majesty, I comprehend that you are displeased upon not being allowed to visit Lady Ravillot. But you shouldn't blame Theo for not seeing you. He is already focusing on his work again despite the doctor advising him against doing that, and he dealt with many urgent matters. He might not rest enough, but he is still injured, so he can't be blamed for not coming here yet. Theo asked the person that examined you about your condition and knows that you are fine. So, I assume that he did not visit because he is aware that he does not necessarily have to worry.”
For a moment, the empress' face fell. “His Majesty is injured?”
Blanche froze. There was no way that Seraphina hadn't noticed that. Theodore had jumped in front of his wife to deflect the attack of one of the enemies. How could the empress not have seen that or how the knights had carried the emperor into the palace? “Did Your Majesty not know about that?”
“No, I did not.” The empress genuinely looked like she was shocked about the news and seemed to be angry about that herself. “How did he get hurt? Is it bad?”
Blanche shook her head. “Right now, he moves around as if nothing happened. That is a little concerning, but apparently, the pain isn't very strong, so he ignores the wound for the most part. The doctor told him to go easy on his arm, and if he does that, he should fully recover in a few weeks. It seems like his shoulder was cut by a sword when he was jumping forward to save...” Just in time, she realized that stating the truth directly might seem like she was blaming Seraphina, which she wasn't really doing. So, she quickly generalized the statement. “Someone.”
Still, Seraphina understood who that person had been. Her eyes widened, and she lowered her gaze to her lap, but still, it was visible that she paled even more. “Then...” She covered her mouth with her hand and stared blankly for a moment before attempting to appear less affected. “His Majesty saved my life by stepping between me and one of the attackers. So, I assume that he got hurt at that point. I didn't even notice that. I must have been distracted by the things that were happening around me. If you hadn't said anything, I would have stayed in the dark. I'm glad that His Majesty isn't too restricted by that wound. Hopefully, he will recover fast. I still need to express my gratitude to him before that though. I should have done that from the very beginning.” She turned to one of her maids. “Prepare an attire for me to go out. I do not wish to delay this any longer.”
Only now Blanche realized that she might have made a mistake. As long as Seraphina had been angry, the main characters wouldn't have met in the near future. But now that the empress knew that Theodore had gotten hurt because of her, she would insist on thanking him even more than before. This meant that they might kiss.
The concubine felt how her stomach clenched at that thought, and her mind raced to find something that could stop the empress. But she couldn't say anything that would convince someone as stubborn as Seraphina to not visit the person that had saved her life. The blood in Blanche's veins slowly turned cold as she imagined the worst alternative. No, she couldn't let that happen. She needed to intervene somehow, but how could she do that without preventing the empress from leaving?
Maybe Blanche should just stay in the room while the royal couple talked. Then they probably wouldn't get so ecstatic, and Seraphina wouldn't try to kiss her husband out of an impulse. Even though the empress wouldn't like anyone observing the discussion, that was the only way. Theodore would never force his lover to leave, so the concubine could just use that to her advantage to make sure that the main characters kept some distance between them.
“Lady Blanche?” Seraphina's voice caused her to snap out of it.
Blanche shook her head slightly before replying. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
The empress stared at her for a moment, probably due to the concubine's obvious distraction, before beginning. “If you don't mind, I would like to ask you something. This is a question that is rather personal, so you do not have to answer if it seems too intimate to you.”
Blanche swallowed. That didn't sound good. Hopefully, the empress didn't want to know something about a topic that would bring the concubine into a predicament. “I don't mind, Your Majesty.”
Seraphina scanned the other's expression for a bit before continuing. “On the day of the incident, I was brought into the palace by a group of guards. When I entered, I saw you in the entrance hall, and you seemed to be very upset because of the previous events. For that reason, I would like to inquire whether...” She paused for a few seconds and only continued when the concubine already believed that she would change her mind. “Whether you truly-” She didn't manage to finish.
The door flew open and slammed against the wall, which created a loud crash that made all the people in the room flinch.
Blanche whirled around to figure out who in the gods' name would dare to break into the empress' room like that, and it felt like all air was pushed out of her lungs.