The door was opened with so much force that it flew against the close next to the frame.

Blanche whirled around to see the person that was insolent enough to break into the empress' chambers while trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. She took a few seconds to realize that this person wasn't standing in the doorway anymore but already was directly in front of her. She raised her head to see their face and almost forgot to breathe. “Theo?”

Theodore looked at her with an icy expression. Just a glimpse of that angry face was enough to remind her of a scene she'd rather forget and make her shrink in herself. But within a second, her lover's expression neutralized. When he spoke, he didn't accuse her of poisoning the empress nor did he threaten to throw her into a cell but instead sounded strangely calm. “Thank the gods. So, you were here. I was already worried when the guards just said that you disappeared.” He gave that explanation as if it was fine to come in here like this while giving everyone a heart attack.

All the other people in the room were as startled as the concubine. They sat or stood by the sofa and were frozen in place. Noah had already gripped the handle of his sword and slowly let go of it while the maids appeared like they were about to cry due to the shock.

Even Seraphina's usual composed facade had vanished as she looked at Theodore with wide eyes. “Your Majesty? How come you...”

The emperor only turned to them when she spoke up and replied quickly. “I apologize for intruding. I didn't mean to surprise you. Something important came up. We'll take our leave then.” Blanche could only see his face from the side, but even with this perspective, it was obvious that he was showing them a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he said this. He gave no time for a reaction either.

Before the concubine or anyone else in the room could say anything else, Theodore grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the door. She was too shocked to fight against him, much like all others were too surprised to complain about his disrespectful appearance.

Theodore shut the door behind them exaggeratedly slowly before moving on without giving Blanche a chance to process what just happened. Was he angry? He definitely seemed like he was angry. Maybe something upsetting had happened in the office, or he had received a terrible letter. But why would he act like this? Normally, he would control his fury as long as he was in public, so this didn't make any sense. He couldn't be angry with Blanche either, right? She hadn't done anything special, and her lover only got mad when she truly did something stupid. The emperor led her into his own room just a few steps away before she managed to put any of her thoughts into words.

Blanche waited until he shut the door before she finally pressed out her first thoughts. “That... Theo, what was that just now? You don't normally...act like this.”

Theodore turned to her with an expression that revealed nothing but exhaustion. She hated seeing that, but in any case, it was better than his anger that made her shake even after one second. He didn't leave her any time to react when he stepped forward to trap her between his body and the door. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I'm sorry.” He muttered to her before nuzzling his nose into her neck. He didn't say anything after that and left her with no hint as to why he was so upset.

That could only mean that he was feeling too awful to explain anything.

Quickly, Blanche returned the hug and began stroking over his back. “It's alright. You just scared me for a moment. I really thought that something bad was going on before I saw you.” Like some royal guard coming in to accuse her of harming the empress. Blanche was relieved that this wasn't it. “What happened? This is the first time that you...stormed in like this.”

Theodore moved around a bit while covering her neck in tiny kisses before replying. “Politics. A whole mix of issues with the assassination attack and lacking evidence, Ocrea and the fact that I can't find anything useful in some old documents. I don't want to think about that now. To be honest, that just stressed me, and I searched for you. The guards couldn't tell me where you were, and I had to ask at least a dozen people until I found out. I was a bit nervous at that point, forgot to knock, and then my hand slipped off the door handle. I didn't mean to rush in like that. Sorry for startling you. Why were you with her?”

Blanche was stunned at this for a bit. Seemingly, some rather stressful matters came together here. Of course, it was connected to the assassination attempt and Northern Ocrea. In that case, it would make sense for her lover to be so infuriated. And the first thing on Theodore's mind upon needing comfort had been searching for her. Her heart felt warm at that thought but also clenched when she remembered how desperate he had been. She pulled him closer and hurried to answer his question despite the sudden mention of the empress. “I heard that she was having nightmares ever since the attack, so I brought her some of the herbs the doctor gave me. I wanted to check whether she was fine so that I could try to sate my curiosity and distract her from the incident at the same time.” Possibly, more to keep her lover from needing to check than for her own entertainment.

Theodore let out a huff at her words. “Since when do you worry about her? She isn't really in a position in which even more people have to care for her. It's kind of you to help, but she has three maids, a new personal guard and the head maid that often visits her too. She could ask either one of them to search for the doctor, or she could make him come to her. If she was truly suffering, she would have gotten some medicine already.”

Thinking like this made sense, but Seraphina's appearance made Blanche question that. The novel had touched upon the heroine being affected by the attack, but the concubine hadn't believed that it was this bad. The empress had looked very shaken by the recent events, so most people would agree that she had to get help. However, Seraphina was a proud person. It might be one of her biggest flaws that she didn't wish to let others solve her problems but wanted to do everything on her own. Near the ending, she had started to rely on Theodore, but right now, she was still of the conviction that she, as the empress, had to be independent and wouldn't accept others' criticism. So, she might have refused to see the doctor despite being unable to sleep because of that.

Blanche didn't know whether the empress would even consume the herbs that she had brought, and she hoped that the other woman wouldn't, just to avoid another poisoning accusation. But at least she could rest assured that Seraphina had the chance so that Theodore wouldn't have to get involved. “You're right. But I believe that she might not go to anyone despite feeling terrible. She might be too...” She stopped to search for the right words, and her lover chimed in.

“Arrogant?”

The concubine frowned at that. “You think that she's arrogant? I mean, she is confident, but I've never seen her as overbearing or something like that.” Maybe. It wasn't like she completely denied that since there were moments in which the empress was too certain about her own stance without considering that she might be wrong. But if the emperor viewed his wife as arrogant, it would be a bit hypocritical. After all, he had pointed out that Seraphina's confidence was one of the things he admired about her in the novel.

Theodore pressed a short kiss onto his lover's shoulder and responded without lifting his head. “I have to admit that I sometimes feel like she thinks too highly of herself. No, actually, I don't just feel like it. It's a fact. Just because her family spoiled her as a child, she can't expect anyone else to do so too.” His words were rather harsh, which surprised Blanche.

“Actually, she does most things by herself, doesn't she? She isn't that spoiled.” At least the empress was less dependent on others than the concubine was.

The emperor was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. “You don't need to defend her. I'm aware of that. That wasn't what I meant in the first place, but it's hard to explain. I just don't think that she is the type of person we can get along with in this situation.” He slowly lifted his head to make eye contact with his lover. His expression showed that his previous disdain hadn't disappeared fully and that he was barely keeping it under control. “In fact, I'm convinced that she won't do us any good, no matter how kind you are to her.”

Blanche's heart began to beat faster at the serious look in his eyes. “That almost sounds like you don't trust her.” Which didn't make any sense since Theodore was supposed to respect the heroine for her political knowledge from the very beginning.

But his sharp response proved that this might not be the case. “I don't.” Theodore paused shortly before adding the other half. “Not when it comes to you.”

In Blanche's head, joy and irritation fought for the rank of the strongest emotion. As long as Theodore thought like that about the empress, he wouldn't have the desire to get closer to his wife, which was definitely a great scenario for the concubine. However, it was also strange for him to suddenly feel that way. Had Blanche changed the relationship between the main characters this much already? “What do you mean by that?”

Theodore looked to the side for a short while before meeting her gaze again and responding with a slight tremble in his voice. “You should know that. There were...multiple occasions on which she didn't act fairly because you were involved. The tea party is one example. Another one is the ball. She didn't let you speak despite seeing you stumbling around and thus is at fault for you collapsing there. And that is just the beginning of a long list. As long as I'm there to protect you, it's fine. But if you're alone with her, she could just lie afterward, and most people would immediately believe her story. So, I would be reassured if you avoided being alone with her.” The longer he spoke, the grimmer his expression became, which made his dismay even more apparent than the irritated tone of his voice.

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His words were rather easy to understand, but their meaning changed a lot.

The things he had named had only happened because Blanche behaved differently than she would have in the original storyline. Had she truly been able to influence him this much by creating these scenarios? If that was true, didn't that mean that her world was changing according to her actions, not only through direct but also through accidental meddling? Blanche hadn't planned on making Theodore suspect that the empress treated his lover unfairly and hadn't purposefully shown him anything that would make him this angry, but this development had still happened.

This change was surprising, however, it was rather helpful as well. If Theodore was on Blanche's side and thought that Seraphina's judgment was clouded, he would be able to intervene if any of the novel's situations appeared despite the concubine's efforts to prevent them. The emperor would support her in that case, and she wouldn't have to be scared of being condemned for something she hadn't done, like at the tea party. He also wouldn't wish to interact more with the heroine and would consequently not fall in love with his wife.

Ultimately, this accidental change was perfect.

Blanche put her arms around her lover's neck and pulled him down to her with a wide grin. “If that is your worry, I can calm you. I don't spend time with the empress unless I absolutely have to. I don't think that she wishes to harm me, but she is intimidating nevertheless, so I didn't plan on meeting her privately either way. Today was an exception. I'm actually already giving my best to avoid her, and I will continue to do so.” When her lover didn't speak up after a moment of silence, she added a short extra bit. “I promise.”

Theodore exhaled deeply when she said that and gently put his hands upon her cheeks. “It's better like this, believe me. But if something still goes wrong for some reason, you can be certain that I will step in and make sure that the result is in your favor. You won't ever have to worry about the empress.” He leaned down to kiss his lover gently. His lips brushed over hers, and she carefully grasped his hair to pull him closer. He only seemed to have waited for that and deepened the kiss. With every second that passed, he became more passionate.

Blanche seriously considered going further than this today until she unwillingly leaned against her lover's chest. In an instant, she remembered his wound and abruptly stopped. “Wait.” She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. “We can't move that quickly. You'll hurt yourself.”

Theodore sighed at that and pressed his nose into her hair before slowly breathing in. “I shouldn't have gotten hurt. The worst thing about this is you not allowing me to touch you. By the end of this week, I'm going to be insane. How long does a cut like this take to heal?”

Blanche stroked over his hair in a halfhearted attempt to straighten it again. “I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that it depends on the concerned person. If the doctor says that the wound closed, you can move around normally again. But that won't happen any time soon. A month might be the least amount of time that your body will take to recover. It has only been two days since you received that cut, so it's too early to complain. You should be happy that it doesn't hurt. Or did you have any difficulties after lunch?”

“No, nothing. In fact, the pain is even less noticeable than yesterday.” Theodore said that as if this issue wasn't a truly worrisome matter.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “You're joking.”

He gave her a small smile and shook his head.

Blanche could only blink in disbelief at that. “I understand that you were lucky. And maybe your shoulder is really insensitive. But this is just ridiculous. How can a flesh wound not hurt? Are you even human?” Was the main character so much more enduring that he had an unfair advantage against anyone else? The novel had made it seem like the emperor had been in pain though.

Theodore chuckled quietly in response. “Aren't you the one always reminding me that I'm human when I work too much? If my plan succeeds, you won't have to worry about that anymore though. I just have to fight with the ministers a bit first, but that still has time. I will take care of that after our vacation. Let's plan that before anything else. Until our departure, there is only a month left, so you can begin to look forward to seeing the ocean.”

Blanche's eyes widened at that. One month? That was so close. At that point, she would be able to confirm whether she had changed the novel. If the main characters didn't show any desire to spend their first night together, she could be sure that their romance hadn't progressed secretly. Right now, it didn't look like that had been the case either, so could she truly have a chance to go against the original story? Her heartbeat quickened, and she unwillingly tightened her grip on her lover.

When he opened his mouth, she was already sure that he would do so to ask her what was wrong, so she put one of her hands on his head and guided him down to her. She pressed her lips onto his and couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

Theodore quickly went along with her plan and held her close enough that she was worried about his wound again.

When they eventually separated, Blanche was still beaming and met his gaze. “I can't wait to see the ocean with you. You promised that you would teach me how to swim, you remember?” She felt tears pricking in her eyes, and for a change, it was out of happiness. She could really look forward to that without having to fear that her lover would abandon her without a reason. He would never hate her as long as she didn't harm anyone he cared for, she was sure of that.

Theodore leaned his forehead against hers and smiled back at her. “Of course. And I intend to keep every promise that I gave you until now. Understand?”

She nodded ecstatically and enjoyed the warmth of his hug for a moment. Quickly, it became clear that none of them wanted to let go.

Her lover eventually turned them around so that he could look at the clock before speaking up. “It's already time for tea. That means that it's way too late for an injured man to work. Will you spend the night here again?”

The answer was more than obvious. “Whenever I have the chance, I will. You know that the only reason that we don't always sleep together is that you come late and leave early and that you used to wake me up every time.”

“Luckily, I have a bit more time now. And if everything goes well, it will stay like this.” Theodore sounded serious here, which promised something they hadn't been able to hope for before.

The concubine couldn't help asking. “You mentioned a plan already. Is that really going to give you more free time?” If so, that would be wonderful, both for his health and her desire to cling to her lover, even if this was yet another difference in comparison to the novel.

Theodore raised his hand to his mouth and held his index finger in front of his lips. “It will work. I just need some time to prepare it. For now, I can't say anything, but it will be great.” He slowly let go of her after that. “Since we decided that you will stay already, you can also get your clothes now so that you don't have to run around when it's dark. I'll bring some documents from here to my office and put away some papers in the meantime, alright?”

She nodded immediately. “I will. But I won't hurry, so you should take your time. I won't allow you to run with your wound.” She skeptically narrowed her eyes at him to emphasize her statement, which made him laugh.

“Fine, you convinced me. I won't run.” Theodore gave her a short kiss on the forehead before moving over to one of the cupboards and beginning to sort a few books.

Blanche saw that he was already hurrying now and rolled her eyes before leaving the room. When she turned around to close the door, she prepared to wave, but she caught a glimpse of her lover's expression and froze. The same cold glare from earlier had appeared on his face again, and he was just standing there and staring at the documents in his hand. She couldn't help but take a step back, and she only snapped out of her trance when the door fell shut.

The concubine hugged herself. This had nothing to do with the resentment Theodore had felt for her in her nightmares. Of course, his anger would always look similar since he was still the same person, but there was no need for her to be reminded of those horrible scenes. Right now, Theodore was merely upset because of some problem with his work. He wouldn't ever hate his lover if the concubine stayed clear of the novel's developments.

Blanche shook her head before she turned around and approached Stella, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the hallway and almost seemed to be sleeping. If she was less tense, which she wasn't because of her stupid tendency to overthink, she would have smiled at that. Now Blanche could barely bring herself to push down bad memories and clung to the first chance she got to distract herself. Maybe using Stella for that would be best. The concubine crept closer and leaned down in front of her maid before whispering a low “Hello” into her ear. The servant jumped up, and Blanche barely managed to step back in time to avoid a collision. Unfortunately, even Stella's adorable reaction didn't get rid of her concern fully. Still, she laughed a little, just to make it seem like she wasn't currently intimidated because of something that didn't mean anything.

Stella stared at her mistress with widened eyes and unwillingly raised her voice a little as she began to scold the other woman. “My Lady, you can't do something like that! I might have a heart attack. It was bad enough that His Majesty just pulled you away without any warning! I thought he was going to kill someone when he rushed into Her Majesty's room with that look in his eyes.” At least others noticed that too, not like the empress' expressions that seemed to pass by most people.

Blanche stopped laughing and wiped away imaginary tears while ignoring the irritated stare of the guards by the emperor's room. “I was surprised as well. He didn't want to talk about it, but apparently, there are a few issues of political nature.” The thought of that worsened her already dim mood again.

Stella shook herself before repositioning the chair that she had almost knocked over. “How scary. I don't want to be his enemy.” Admittedly, she was right about that. Theodore's anger was horrifying enough, but since he was the emperor and the main character of a novel, he was also sure to win. So, opposing him wouldn't lead to a good ending for that reckless person.

Blanche just hoped that she could stay by his side, and the same held true for her friends. “Well, that's why you work for him. We are doing the opposite of fighting against him. Anyway, I will spend the night with him again, so I would ask you to help bring my clothes here. After that, you can have some free time until tomorrow morning.”

Stella crossed her arms at that and suddenly began scolding again. “My Lady. I know that it's not my place to meddle with this, however, you need to hold back. His Majesty is hurt after all. Visiting him every night might make his wound worse again.”

Blanche felt her cheeks burn up at that and hastily shook her head. “No, I'd never risk-” She cut herself off when she saw her maid grin. “Ah. That was your revenge for the scare, wasn't it?” She had wanted to pretend to be offended, but she couldn't help but smile at the other woman's cheeky smirk.

Stella shrugged in response to her assumption. “Maybe.”

The concubine prepared herself to reply, but she glanced back at the door to Theodore's room and saw that he was leaving right now. This time, her lover wasn't furious but showed her a gorgeous smile. She waved toward him, which he returned before walking down the hallway. She turned back to her maid after he had disappeared. “We should go now, or he will end up having to wait for me.”

Ultimately, her guess was proven to be true. The women searched out a nightgown and a dress for the next day before going back, and seconds after Blanche had said goodbye to Stella, her lover came back.

Blanche addressed him in a playfully accusing tone. “Didn't I tell you not to hurry?”

Theodore responded by pulling her into his room and embracing her to cover her face with small kisses. “I didn't run, as I had said. Other than that, we didn't specify how fast I can go.”

She rolled her eyes at that but didn't say anything.

After eating dinner, which was as delicious as always, they changed into their clothes for the night and lay down in bed.