During breakfast, the mood was rather pleasant except for the fact that Blanche felt like she shouldn't eat so much in front of the emperor.

For a moment, it was quiet until Theodore spoke up. “You seem to like sweets a lot. I saw that you tried almost all the desserts we had here. You liked the macarons a lot too. Do you have other things you like? What is your favorite food?” Was he really trying to get to know her?

Blanche's heart skipped a beat, and her response came immediately. “Salmon. It definitely has to be salmon. I like it with almost every dish.”

The emperor was silent for a bit too long and stared at his plate. “Salmon is your favorite, huh?” He paused for a few seconds while seeming oddly serious before smiling at her again. “Then I shall get some for you by lunch. You will be overjoyed upon tasting what our cooks do with fish. It will be the best you've ever eaten.”

“I believe that. This breakfast was the best I ever had. Everything was so fresh and tasty that I can't believe that I really got to eat this. It was delicious. Thank you so much for letting me try this.” This time, Blanche didn't get a response, which worried her a bit. Had she been too informal with him? Was he mad at her? She carefully scanned his expression and prepared to apologize.

But Theodore spoke up before she did. “I'm happy about that. We should go to get you a dress now so that I can show you around the palace. We can't be lazy for too long.” He stood up and smiled at her again. “I will ask the servants to clean this up, and we can go to the dressing room in the meantime.”

Blanche jumped up to follow him and almost knocked over a cup in the process. She hurried to stabilize it before rushing after him.

That earned her a concerned look from Theodore. “You don't have to go that fast, you know? What if you trip? We have all the time in the world, so you can go slower.”

She weakly nodded while trying to calm her excited heart. It wasn't special for him to worry about her injuring herself. After all, he would have to deal with the problem afterward if she fell. So, she shouldn't interpret too much into this. Still, she dared to think that he cared about her a little. After all, he walked slower now too so that she could keep up with him. Just walking by his side felt so wonderful that she could die out of happiness.

Theodore stopped by the door and scanned her attire again. “We should probably give you something to cover up with for now.” He glanced at Owen and then at her again before extending his arm toward the knight, who handed him the cape immediately. Theodore examined it for a moment before giving her an encouraging smile. “Unfortunately, we don't have anything else here, so...”

Why would Blanche complain about that? She got to wear something that belonged to her first love again. She showed him a bright smile while trying to hide that she wasn't unhappy about this at all. “Thank you. I'll be careful not to dirty it.” It took all of her self restrain not to thank him in a more euphoric tone, but she quickly lost that self-control when he moved.

Theodore came closer to her and put the cape around her shoulders. He was directly in front of her while doing that, and the fact that he gently pushed her hair aside to pull it out from below the fabric only made this gesture seem even more intimate.

Blanche's mouth fell open, and she could only stutter around a bit. Her brain felt as if it had been fried. She certainly didn't think clearly anymore, especially not since Theodore's hand was on her cheek again.

When the emperor noticed what he was doing, he pulled back and took a step backward. “I apologize. I didn't mean to...” He didn't finish that sentence and just looked to the side before he began again. “I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” Either she was imagining it, or he was as embarrassed as she was.

Hopefully, it was the second option since Blanche couldn't stop herself from replying. “You didn't. I...uhm...like it when you...” She cut herself off and buried her face in her hands. What did she want to tell him? That she liked it when he touched her? That sounded way too creepy. He would definitely stay away from her if she said this out loud. When she dared to look at him from behind her fingers, she only felt even stranger and quickly lowered her hands. Her face had to be as red as a tomato by now.

For a moment, the both of them were quiet before Theodore coughed. “It would be better for us to go now. Leon will get upset if we make him wait for too long.” He turned to the door and opened it for her before signaling that she could exit.

Blanche didn't dare to say anything else and just stepped outside. As soon as she did, she felt like she had intruded into a sacred space. There were countless servants standing around here, and all of them had watched the door. When she came outside, only to be followed by the emperor, it almost seemed like she had done something wrong.

Everyone stared at her. Some with unveiled curiosity and some just with neutral expressions while they whispered to their colleagues. She hated it. Having so many people look at her as they judged her every move was horrible. She wanted to hide in the room again and took a step backward.

But she hadn't calculated that Theodore would be there.

She wasn't fast, so it wasn't too bad, but Blanche bumped into him and leaned against his chest for a moment. The collision had been barely noticeable, but she felt as if all air was sucked out of her lungs, and her heart pounded so loudly that everyone had to hear it. Would the emperor be angry now? She had dared to touch him after all. Blanche barely managed to breathe as she wanted to turn around, but her body didn't obey. She didn't dare to face Theodore. Not when her face had to have revealed that she was definitely reacting way too strongly to this. But then she felt hands on her shoulders.

Theodore's voice sounded like he was directly next to her ear as he whispered to her. “Ignore this nosy pack. They're not used to strangers. We'll just pass by them. Everything is fine.” No, not anymore.

Blanche was sure that her whole face was flushed. She hadn't been able to hide the shiver that ran down her spine either. Why was she so sensitive when it came to Theodore? This was ridiculous. Just hearing his whisper made her whole body act as if she was going to faint any second. Her heart might not stand another day if it went on like this. When she didn't respond immediately, it only got worse.

“Blanche?” By the gods. Him saying her name like this definitely gave her the wrong idea.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to reply. “I'm fine. Thank you.” Her voice was shaky, so she probably didn't sound convincing at all. But she would have to put on a somewhat confident expression now, or it would be over.

All of those servants had probably seen her reaction and were able to guess what was going on inside her head. This was so embarrassing.

When Theodore took his hands off her, Blanche was almost disappointed, but her heart was relieved. Now she only needed to calm herself a bit, but that was easier said than done. She still felt like his hands were burning into her skin and sending pleasant prickling across her whole body. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't stopped touching her.

Blanche quickly scolded herself for that thought and hurried to walk forward a step before whispering to him. “I'm sorry for bumping into you. It won't happen again.” Even if her body would be happy about it happening again. But how could she dream about that when she didn't even dare to look at him now?

Theodore was still behind her, and she could basically feel his gaze burning into her back. He was silent for a moment before replying. “It's fine. Let's hurry to our destination.” With that, he walked past her, and the crowd of servants was split in two as they made way for him. It seemed like his presence wasn't just impressive to her.

Still, Blanche felt unwell while hurrying to follow behind him. It felt like everyone was scanning every bit of her body, which made her cuddle into the cape again. She was glad that this hid most of her, or she might have already lost her remaining bit of confidence. Even with this shield, she felt vulnerable and stayed as close to Theodore as she could without stepping onto his heels. She was careful not to run into him and kept her gaze trained on his back, which also gave her a chance to ignore the servants.

Blanche had hoped that she would calm down after rounding the corner, but that wasn't the case. She felt even tenser when she saw that even the knights and servants that hadn't seen Theodore coming out of her room skeptically examined her from afar. Why did they have to be so nosy? This was infuriating.

But Blanche didn't dream about complaining. She just did her best not to seem inconspicuous and hoped that it would be over soon. When they reached their destination, she almost ran into Theodore's back and was glad that she stopped herself in time.

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The emperor brought his hand to the door handle and froze before turning back to her. “I should not have done that just now. I'm really sorry.”

Blanche was taken aback by that. What was he sorry for? For touching her? She had liked that though. If he had been uncomfortable because of it, it wouldn't happen any time soon again. She tried to hide her disappointments and fiddled with her fingers. “No. I'm sorry for running into you. I should have looked behind me before walking. I'll be careful not to touch you from now on.”

Theodore looked at her for a moment before replying. “That's not...what I meant.” He was quiet again before resuming. “I was referring to me...grabbing your shoulders. There were too many people that saw.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “This will cause so many rumors, and I bet that you didn't want to be involved in something like that. I just...saw that you were uncomfortable and wanted to make it better and distract you. That was the worst way to do it. I don't think that you will be able to talk your way out of this misunderstanding, even if you tell those people that it's not like that.”

Blanche could imagine what he was referring to. It was easy to guess what people thought if a man left a woman's room in the morning and then almost hugged her. Only the thought of people seeing her and Theodore like that made her heart jump. It wasn't too bad if others at least saw that there was something special between them. It made it seem like Theodore wasn't like this with everyone else too. She gave her best to smile despite her burning cheeks and replied. “I don't mind. You wanted to help me. Thank you for that. If others make a rumor out of it, it's not your fault. They will probably forget about it in an hour.”

Theodore looked rather dejected, so that probably wasn't true. “I wish. There are some people here that have nothing to do with their lives. They gossip the whole day. If something happens, every single servant knows a day later. They usually spend weeks discussing that topic before something else catches their attention. I guess that they will love to chat about this now. It would be troublesome if this somehow causes issues for you. If you are from a noble family, this could certainly tarnish your reputation and make the matter of marriage much more difficult.”

Blanche almost wanted to shake her head and announce that she didn't plan on marrying anyone but him in the near future anyway, but she shut herself up. She didn't want to make him think that she was awkward just because of such a comment. So, she swallowed that part and quickly responded. “I'm not a noble. It won't matter much. And I don't think that being close to a man like you would tarnish anyone's reputation. Won't it do the opposite?”

Theodore was silent for a moment and then turned around to the door again. “That's a compliment I never heard.” He sounded as if he was doing his best to sound calm, but his voice was trembling slightly. After another few seconds, he caught himself though. “Just a quick warning. As I already said, Leon is a bit harsh. He likes being sarcastic. There is no need for you to feel intimidated by him. I'm here to intervene if he does end up being too brazen. You can also talk back to him if he oversteps the boundaries. He wouldn't get upset because of that.” With that, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Blanche hurried to follow him and was immediately stabbed with gazes again. There were two maids here and both of them stopped sorting the dresses to stare at her. This time, she didn't back off and just stared back even though she was uncomfortable. When the women turned away, she was a bit relieved and took a moment to look around.

They were inside a big room with countless racks and many mannequins in different attires. There were blue and golden dresses everywhere. Blanche wasn't proud of it, but her mouth immediately fell open, and her eyes began shining. She had only seen the first five gowns, and she was already in love. Such beautiful clothes could only belong to nobles, but she had always dreamed about wearing something like this ever since she had been a child. She could only stand there in awe, even if she probably shouldn't be so open about her interest. She couldn't dare to abuse the hospitality she was offered. So, she wouldn't touch those dresses even though they were beautiful, heavenly, divine. She would only admire them from afar. But she hadn't been really inconspicuous with this.

Theodore only looked at her for a second and immediately smiled. “Do you like those dresses?”

Blanche wanted to deny it so badly. She couldn't just admit that she came into someone's home and then gawked at their belongings. But her face had been like an open book. Theodore would know it when she lied. So, she didn't even try and nodded bashfully while playing with a strand of her hair. “They look very pretty. But I won't touch them.” A few longing gazes had to be enough to satisfy her.

Luckily, Theodore still smiled, so he didn't think that she was insolent. “It's good to hear that someone appreciates them. If you like them, we can order some with a similar design. As long as we ask for different colors, it should be fine if we use these dresses as ideas.”

Blanche could only blink at that. He had mentioned bringing a tailor yesterday. But did he really intend on giving her such expensive dresses? She scanned his expression for an indication of this being a joke and only spoke up when he gave her a questioning gaze. “Will...you really buy something for me? Even though we just met?”

“You will need clothes no matter where you live. And since you don't remember where your home is, you can't pick up anything either. So, we need to get you something new. Since we will already buy a full new wardrobe so that you can wear things fitting for each occasion, we can also take the best things that are offered. Our tailor is competent. Her name is Madame Charture, and she will create the most elegant outfits you have ever seen after she takes your measurements. If you like these styles, you will certainly enjoy what she offers too. You can even order something from the catalog if you want to.” Theodore spoke as if this was completely normal. But she knew well that that wasn't it.

Julien had never brought her to a tailor and argued that this would be way too expensive. He had just given her the old clothes of some niece, which had been fine. Blanche had liked those dresses, but they were nothing when she compared them with what she saw here.

And now the emperor told her that he would order custom-made designs for her after she had barely lived here a day? This was certainly a fairy tale. Blanche was about to agree happily before she remembered Julien's words. She couldn't just let everyone else pay for her the whole time. That would be more than embarrassing. Especially since this wasn't her father or the marquess that had basically adopted her. This was a stranger who just pitied her. She couldn't trouble him too much since even letting her live here was such a wonderful gesture.

So, she played around with her fingers again and quietly voiced her thoughts. “But isn't that going to cost a lot of money?”

That only earned her a confident smirk from Theodore. “Did you forget who I am? I'm the emperor. I don't think money will ever be an issue for me. Of course, I'm not touching Artias' funds. I have my own personal funds, and I can assure you that I could buy every single dress in the nation and would still be able to live comfortably. There is no need for you to worry about this.”

Blanche almost wanted to hit herself for not thinking about that. She truly was stupid sometimes. She had seen the emperor's palace. There was no way that this man lacked money. So, she didn't have to feel bad if he spent some on her. This was his own choice, and if he wanted to gift her something, it proved that he liked her to some extent. And if he said that he wanted to give her so many clothes so that she could live here, this meant that he would allow her to stay much longer than for just a few days. Blanche's heart fluttered, and she almost choked on her own spit. Was she just over-interpreting this, or could he really like her as much as she liked him?

She averted her eyes and hurried to speak. “Ah. I guess so.” A bright smile came onto her lips when she couldn't hold it back anymore. “I have to thank you again. You are really kind to me. Or are you just like this with everyone?” When she gazed up again, Theodore was directly in front of her and one look into his eyes paralyzed her.

Theodore almost sounded a bit uncertain as he spoke. “I'm not like this with others. I'm polite but not...” He searched for the right words before continuing. “I would never touch other people like this. As you said, we've just met, and I'd normally never consider being so...impudent. I sincerely apologize for what happened yesterday.”

Blanche should keep her mouth shut, but she didn't want him to apologize to her for touching her. She had liked his touch, but him apologizing made it seem like he had hated it. Her young enamored heart didn't want to hear that. “Don't apologize. I liked it. I mean...only if it's you. Because yesterday was the first time that I ever...” She cut herself off upon noticing that she had almost confessed her love to him. “I...I-” She stopped again and desperately tried to save what was left of her dignity. “I mean...you consoled me, and you held my hand just so that I would feel better. You even brought me into my room and lent me your cape. And now you allow me to move in with you and even buy clothes for me. You're a really wonderful person, and I am forever grateful to you.”

Theodore seemed serious as he responded. “I don't want you to feel indebted to me. I wanted to help you. That is true. But at the same time, I did something very selfish. I must have overwhelmed you yesterday. For that, I apologize, not for...anything that you liked. And I promised that I would take care of you, so it's only natural that I would help you with everything.”

Then the couple was quiet, and they just stared at each other. Blanche felt like Theodore had taken her breath away just by looking at her. How could anyone make her feel this defenseless? This definitely wasn't good. Her thoughts were getting sidetracked again.

Theodore's hair looked so soft that she wanted to stroke over it. For some reason, she also wanted to cup his face and pull him down to her. He was taller than her, so she had to tilt her head up to see him. He had the perfect height to tower over her so that he could lean down to kiss her. That thought made her hands tremble a little as her eyes unwillingly wandered to his lips. They would certainly feel as wonderful on her skin as his hands had. For a moment, Blanche truly considered standing up on her tiptoes to confirm whether he would meet her halfway for a kiss.

For that reason, it was good that Leon's voice interrupted them here. “You can leave and take care of your work. Without any unnecessary chattering. Have you understood?” He glared at the two maids, who hurriedly nodded and rushed out of the room. The advisor turned to the couple, and it looked like he was about to explode. “What was that? Have you lost your mind? What do you think will those maids tell their colleagues now?”

Theodore took a step backward as if he had been jolted awake. He whipped his head around to the other man and replied in a hurry. “What do you mean? We only talked. The thing in front of her room was worse.” He only noticed that mentioning that might not be a good idea after saying that.

Leonard held his head and took a deep breath before beginning to voice his complaints. “Worse than that? What did you do? There is no way that anything was worse than this. You have to be kidding me. Both of you! Did you listen to yourselves? ‘I would never touch others like this’? ‘Yesterday was the first time that I ever’? Which you said right before explaining how you brought her to her bedroom. And now you act like you have to take responsibility while she covers her whole body with your cape. Do you have any idea how that sounded?” He plopped down on an armchair and glared into the distance. Blanche was about to apologize, but his gaze snapped to Theodore. “What happened in front of her room?”

The emperor was silent for a moment as if he considered keeping quiet, but he gave up in the end. “We ate breakfast together, and when we were done, we left her room together. As expected, there were spectators, and they saw how we bumped into each other. It's not that bad.” He himself had said that it had been pretty problematic a while ago, so lying now didn't help much.

Leon buried his face in his hands and shook his head slightly. “I can't believe it. Duke Duremont will kill you. A commoner woman, who is probably a spy. Really, Theodore? We don't even know how-” He cut himself off and lifted his gaze to stare at Blanche. “How old are you? Please don't tell me that you are much younger than you look.”

Blanche quickly shook her head. “I'm twenty.” She froze right after saying that. She was supposed to have amnesia, so she couldn't just blurt out information about her past. Blanche gave her best to save this in some way. “At least I think that I'm twenty... That may not be true.” This earned her a glare from Leonard, but she just looked to the side. He wouldn't hurt her as long as she wasn't a threat. Probably.

Theodore, who had already known, quickly moved on with the conversation. “Leon, did you find a dress she could wear?”

The secretary vaguely gestured to the box on the table as he massaged his temples with the other hand. “The simplest one I could find. It's blue and has some white in it too. That way, you can at least avoid golden items and say it was a coincidence. Still, it's problematic. Because giving a random woman you just met a dress that was designed for an empress will only underline what you just made everyone believe. This is a horrible idea.”

Theodore made a rejecting movement with his hand. “It will be fine. No one knows how the dresses in here look either way. As long as you don't make a big deal out of it, people will think that she is just the daughter of some noble.”

Leonard replied without looking up. “That doesn't make it better. And for how long will they believe that? How long is this woman supposed to stay here?”

He was only met with silence in return.