Leonard didn't seem to like the fact that Blanche was supposed to wear a dress that had been designed for an empress, which was somewhat logical. Apparently, even Theodore's claim of it being not that obvious made Leonard rage more. “That doesn't make it better. And for how long with they believe that? How long is this woman supposed to stay here?” He was only met with silence in return.

Instead of reacting to his secretary's growing irritation, Theodore turned to Blanche and gave her an encouraging smile. “Don't feel pressured because of him. You will stay for as long as you want to. For now, you should try on this dress. It doesn't have to fit perfectly. It should just be enough for today. Your maid will help you change.”

Blanche glanced over her shoulder and found Stella, who awkwardly stood in the corner and scanned the situation with worry. A short second of eye contact was enough to make her avert her gaze. She didn't want a stranger to see her undressed. That thought alone made her way too uncomfortable. Noble ladies normally allowed servants to attend them, but she had never been the type to enjoy that. Even in Julien's mansion, she had only asked servants for help when she had been unable to do it alone after a dozen tries. And then she had always made sure to wear something already before they came in. That she was supposed to let a stranger help her change made her a bit unhappy. So, she attempted to get out of this. “Actually, I can do that alone. I'm old enough to change by myself.”

Theodore was quiet for a moment. “Well, I guess so. Since you don't have a corset yet, you may be able to do it by yourself. But such dresses are not always easy to wear. Even if you manage to get it on in some way, you might end up doing it in a much more unpleasant way. Especially since you probably won't be able to do it without assistance in the future either, so it may be better for you to get used to it. It is more complicated if you don't accept help, but you are free to decide.”

It was almost scary. Blanche had been convinced that she would refuse, and with just a few words, Theodore had changed her mind. She blinked at her own indecisiveness, but it was already too late. “Alright. I'll go get changed then.”

Before she could even look around, Stella was by her side and picked up the box with the dress. Then the maid led her toward a room divider.

Blanche sighed inwardly but followed the other woman and settled for going along with Stella's movements while trying to hide her embarrassment. But that was quickly forgotten when she looked into the mirror.

This dress was gorgeous. It was a long dark blue gown with a puffy skirt and some layers of white lace that adorned the bottom part. Blanche had only needed two seconds to fall in love, and now she was staring at herself with an open mouth. Wearing such pretty dresses had always been her dream. She looked like a real princess when she saw herself like this. As if she had truly stumbled into a fairy tale and had met her dream prince.

Stella's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “We are finished, My Lady. You look beautiful.”

Blanche looked to the side for a moment. “Thank you.” Why was her first thought whether Theodore would believe that too? This didn't matter at all. There was no way that the emperor, who was regularly showered with the attention of the nation's most sought-after beauties, could ever find her pretty. But he had told her that after they met.

This thought made Blanche's heart skip a beat. She wanted to hear him say it again. So, she unwillingly dashed out from behind the room divider, which seemed to startle Stella a lot. But she didn't turn back and just met the emperor's gaze.

Theodore had been in the middle of a quiet conversation with Leon, but as soon as he saw her, he froze and stared at her. Hopefully, these were the signs of a pleasant surprise and not ones of a bad one. For a moment, they just looked at each other. The emperor brought his hand to his mouth and began speaking after a while, only to stop in the middle of the first word. He took another few seconds before beginning a second attempt. “You...are very...” He seemed to struggle with the words.

Blanche looked at him with a hopeful gaze and desperately waited for a compliment. She had never imagined that she would care about someone's opinion this much. She wanted him to praise her so badly. Blanche just wanted to hear a single positive word out of his mouth, and that would be enough to please her for the entire day. It was ridiculous, and she knew that. Still, she couldn't help but wait for him. If he said something unpleasant, she would probably start crying, so she had to hope that he would be nice.

Theodore met her gaze, and after a short pause, he finally spoke up. “You are gorgeous.”

She felt like the world around her lit up at that. It was as if everything had changed in a single moment, and her heart was squealing with joy. She showed him a radiant smile and had to hold back from squealing out loud as well. “Thank you very much...” Her cheeks were probably red by now again, but she didn't care. Not when Theodore had called her gorgeous. She just wanted to run up to him and hug him, but that might not be a good idea. He was still a stranger and, more importantly, the emperor. She couldn't forget about that even when he was so kind to her.

But her brain wasn't very helpful when it was up against her heart. She couldn't stop beaming and actually felt like she might be pretty. This dress only made everything seem more like a fairy tale.

Especially when Theodore just stared at her. Was he mesmerized? That was probably just her imagination, but it would be nice.

For a while, the couple just looked at each other without really knowing what to say. Blanche considered complimenting him too, but that would probably end up with her praising him way too much. Besides, she was already way too flustered because Theodore kept his eyes on her the whole time. She probably looked like a tomato by now.

Leon watched the two of them with a deep frown and massaged his temples again. “This will be a hassle. A really, really big one. This won't just get resolved with a few words. We will need to spend the rest of our lives making up for this.” He sighed and stayed quiet afterward.

Theodore seemed to snap out of it at this comment. He looked away and spoke so fast that he almost tripped over his words. “It's good that the dress fits you. Tomorrow, you will get some new ones, so this will have to do for today. I hope that this is fine.”

Blanche quickly nodded. This dress was gorgeous. She would never complain about being given a chance to wear something like this. “I really, really like it! Thank you so much for giving it to me.” She only realized how that sounded after she had finished. “Uhm... I mean thank you for lending it to me. I will give it back as soon as I have something else to wear.” Even if she was already in love with this dress, there was no way that she could just steal it from them. She couldn't be greedy when Theodore already offered her way too much. But for some reason, being with him just made her want to be pampered by him.

And Theodore's response didn't make it better. “Well...you can actually keep it. After all, we don't have anyone here that would wear any dresses. It would just hang around here anyway, and we don't have to waste it like this. Since it fits you well, it may be better for you to have it.”

Blanche's eyes lit up before she could hold herself back. “Really? I can't believe that I get to wear such a pretty dress. Thank you. I never thought that I would ever receive such a beautiful gift. I will treasure it until the end of my life.”

Next to her, Leon groaned, but he didn't comment on it anymore.

Theodore glanced at the other man for a moment before focusing his attention back on Blanche. “It's not even that special. When it comes to dresses, this may be one of the least flashy ones we have. Since you're still...beautiful, I guess that even this won't keep people from staring at you. If we gave you one of the other dresses, it would probably cause an even greater commotion, so it had to be this one.” He froze when he finished and cleared his throat before looking to the side. “You said that the other gowns look pretty too, right? You could walk around and take a look at them if you want to.”

Blanche was frozen in place and took a moment to process his words. Hadn't he just told her that she was pretty again? Her heart began pounding at that, and she quickly nodded before spinning around. She tried to distract herself by looking at all the dresses here and bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from squirming around.

How could Theodore completely knock her out with just a few kind words? This was ridiculous. Even she in her hazy state of mind noticed that. Everyone around her had to think that she was a complete idiot. Hopefully, Theodore didn't think that.

Blanche randomly approached a few mannequins and stared at the dresses that hung there. She took a few minutes, in which the emperor and his advisor quietly talked about something, to calm down before she could focus on the attires. As soon as she did that, she regretted it already. She felt like a little child that wanted to have everything within its reach in a toy store. The dresses around her were so beautiful that they looked like they were from a picture book for young girls, who imagined themselves to be princesses. The fact that she was allowed to look at them was great enough, and now she could even inspect them from up close. It was like a dream.

Blanche couldn't stop admiring the clothing, and when she found some jewelry, she was even more enchanted. She didn't dare to touch anything, but she brought her face much closer to some items to get a better look at them. In the end, not a single thing in this room hadn't caught her eye. She wasn't sure how long she had stared at everything here, but when she was done, Theodore and Leon were already watching her.

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The secretary looked skeptical, but the emperor smiled at her as if she had done something wonderful.

Blanche couldn't help but return the smile while still being a bit bashful. Her young heart wasn't prepared for things like this.

Theodore waited for her to walk over to him before he spoke up. “It looked like you liked a lot of the things here. You don't seem to be too picky.” It was rather the opposite.

Blanche loved almost all kinds of dresses and sparkly jewelry. Her parents had always made fun of that by saying that she was like a princess that had been reborn into a commoner girl because she had favored flashy things ever since her childhood. But she was a bit embarrassed because of that now. She didn't want Theodore to think that she was materialistic. So, she held back most of her joy while replying. “I have to admit that everything is here way prettier than every dress I've ever seen. They look like they are so well-made, and the fabric is probably as soft and silky as the one of the dress I'm wearing. And the jewelry looks so shiny that it must have been polished regularly.”

Theodore grinned at her. “If you like it that much, you can get a closer look at them. You can't leave with anything that belongs here, but since this room is empty, you can even try some of them on. Only if you'd like to-” He didn't get to finish.

Leonard jumped to his feet and glared at the couple. “No, she can't. Do you want me to remind you why? These items belong to the deceased members of the royal family. You cannot just give them to a person that you met a day ago, that should be obvious. So...” His gaze fell onto Blanche. “You will keep your hands off those things unless you receive explicit permission to touch a specific item. Understood?” He didn't wait for her response before he turned to the emperor again. “Theodore, we will need to talk about this. The sooner, the better. It's quite obvious that this will be a long-term problem.”

Blanche shrank in herself as she heard that. Being called ‘a problem’ wasn't nice. Especially since she had done her best not to cause trouble for the emperor. She had just silently spent the night in one of the guest rooms. Theodore had decided to eat with her on his own, and he had also taken her in without her insisting on it. There was no way that she could be blamed for being here now.

Theodore glanced at her and was quiet for a moment before speaking up. “You know very well that her presence here isn't a problem, Leon. The problem is what kind of rumors may surface because of this. But that isn't our fault, so there is nothing we can do about it. I will try to be careful.”

Leonard let out a snort. “Sure. I've seen how careful you were until now. Do you think that this is going to get better with time?” He vaguely gestured to the couple. “No way. It will get much worse. There is no way that you can avoid rumors. This will not be pleasant for us at all. I don't have to spell out what Duke Duremont will be saying about this. So, I think that preparing a plan on what excuse you will use is in order.”

Theodore ran his fingers over his hair and let out a shaky breath. “I know. We will do that later. In the afternoon. I have something to do before that. I promised Blanche that I would give her a tour of the palace first.” He gave her a small smile before looking back at the secretary.

Leonard laughed without any amusement. “By that, you mean that you are going to show the entire staff that you picked up a young woman and dressed her up in the royal colors? And now you run around with her the whole time? Wonderful. Who wanted to be careful a minute ago?”

Blanche still didn't understand what about those colors was the issue here, but she got the general picture of what might discomfort the advisor. Certainly, rumors about the emperor having a mistress wouldn't be good. But she couldn't keep herself from being flustered at that thought. She liked Theodore a lot, so she wouldn't mind being closer to him. She pushed that thought away as quickly as it had come and shook her head to herself. What was she doing? That man had taken her in selflessly. She shouldn't have such weird thoughts, but when it came to him, it was hard to hold back.

Theodore gave the secretary a look of slight annoyance as he responded. “Leon, what are we supposed to do? If she is going to stay here, she has to know her way around. Unless you want me to bring her everywhere myself.” That didn't sound like a bad idea. “It can't be helped that she will have to wear one of my family's dresses either. Since it's blue and she doesn't have any golden accessories, it should be fine. This won't do anything regarding the rumors. They probably already exist, so we don't need to pay attention to such a stupid small detail. You can stop making frustrating comments. I know that this is problematic, but I won't be able to do anything about it. You coming with us would certainly make it more appropriate, but I don't think that I want to have you here because of your constant complaints.”

Blanche knew that she shouldn't ignore most of what she heard, but she only cared for the indication of her and Theodore walking around alone. Would he really allow her to accompany him and show her around with only the two of them being together? That would be extremely romantic. Even though she was aware that her reaction was exaggerated, her stomach churned, and she forgot how to breathe for a moment. Being alone with Theodore sounded really nice. As soon as she thought that, she hated herself for it again. Why was she so focused on him? Just the prospect of a walk with him made her heart flutter more than it should, especially since he had told another man to leave them alone.

Leonard threw his hands up in the air and walked to the door. “So, I can now take care of your work while you stride around with a random woman? I'm very thankful for that.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he put his hand on the door handle. “But do what you want. You won't listen to me anyway. But let me tell you that you not wanting anyone to join during your tour only proves that this is moving in a problematic direction. I will only ask you to keep some discretion. You've known her for two days, so hold back.” He turned to Owen and gave him a nod. “Keep your eyes on them. If she tries anything, intervene.” With that, he rushed out and closed the door behind him.

Blanche could only stand there and asked herself why she seemed so dangerous to the secretary. Her wrists were as thin as sticks, and she had never held a weapon apart from a lousy kitchen knife in her hands. How would she be able to hurt Theodore, a man that was much taller and stronger than her? The fact that the intimidating Owen and countless knights were around them also made it even more unlikely for her to try anything. Besides, it should be rather obvious that her intentions weren't vile. She might have thought about kissing Theodore a few times, but she would never want to hurt him.

The emperor shook his head to himself and sighed. For a moment, he was silent before he turned his head to Blanche. “I apologize for that. He is a bit stressed at the time. There was a lot to do in the past few weeks. No one here believes you to have bad intentions, or you wouldn't be allowed to roam around freely. I will show you around the palace now if it's fine with you.”

Blanche hurriedly nodded and tried to ignore how her heart fluttered. “I would be honored to be able to look around. I've never seen the royal palace from up close. Yesterday, it was dark too, so it will be something completely new today.”

Theodore stared at her for a few seconds before he gave her a weak smile. “I guessed that you had never seen it. But we can change that. It may seem a little confusing at first, but I'm sure that you won't have a problem finding your way around in a few days. We will start with the building, and then I can show you the garden.”

Blanche happily agreed to that. They did as Theodore had proposed and walked around the palace for a while. She was a bit disappointed upon noticing that Owen and Stella would accompany them, but in the end, Theodore still gave her a tour of his own volition, so she wouldn't complain.

The layout of the building itself was simple, so she was sure that she would remember most rooms, even if she still doubted that she would need to visit many of these places. Theodore assured her that she could just ask anyone if she had trouble finding her way around, but she was reluctant to do that as well. Everyone they met seemed unpleasant to her, which might be because they gawked at her as if she was some attraction in a theater. That was rather annoying, but there was little she could do against it. So, she gave her best to ignore them and kept her eyes on Theodore, who explained a few things about the palace.

Every single door revealed another beautiful surprise, but the most impressive room was without a doubt the ballroom. When Blanche entered and her heels clicked on the floor, she could barely keep herself from admiring the huge room out loud. Just imagining how couples danced around here during a ball made her want to learn how to waltz, but that wouldn't happen any time soon. She was almost a bit sad when they left the ballroom, but that quickly changed when they stepped outside on the balcony and visited the terrace.

The garden was beautiful. Every single flower looked like it was tended to by professionals, and the hedges had been cut in gorgeous forms as well. It was like right out of a fairy tale. Blanche almost poked herself to confirm whether she was awake, but the cool breeze was enough to prove that this was real. Even if she had to admit that normal people would be irritated by the size of this garden. It was impressive to see how huge the royal estate had to be when the walls didn't even contain the biggest part. Blanche was surprised at every corner and found an even more beautiful scenery with each step. Especially the pavilion was gorgeous during the day. There were so many colorful flowers around it that she could spend hours there staring at them.

When noon arrived, Theodore offered to eat with her again, and she happily agreed. Sitting with him and sharing food still made Blanche way too nervous, but having a conversation with him made her incredibly happy at the same time. This time, the dishes were even more impressive than the ones for breakfast, and Blanche stared at everything in awe while trying to limit herself to not eat too much.

After they finished eating, the emperor bid her farewell to return to his office and work. She had no idea what that meant for him but said goodbye, waved for a while and then returned to her room. She had originally planned to go into the garden again, but she wasn't willing to subject herself to being watched by so many people. So, she stayed in her room the entire day while busying herself with daydreaming. She was a bit embarrassed, but thinking about Theodore lit up her world enough for her to be fine with just that. It also meant that she had nothing to do though.

So, when a knock came from the door in the evening, Blanche jumped up and opened the door herself before Stella could do anything. As soon as she saw the person in front of her, a bright smile lit up her face. “Theodore! Did you finish work?”

The emperor genuinely seemed surprised to have her open the door for him, but he quickly showed her a smile. “Yes, I did. I wanted to stop by to hear whether you were comfortable today. Were there any problems that need to be taken care of?”

Blanche shook her head. “No, everything was wonderful. I felt very comfortable. I'm really thankful to be allowed to stay here. The room is beautiful and the view from here is too.” She wouldn't mention that the most gorgeous sight here was the master of the house though.

Theodore smiled at her even now, which only made her silently admire him even more. “I'm happy to hear that. Are you very exhausted from getting to see all of those new things, or do you still have some energy left? If it's the latter one, we could take another walk. Only if you want to, of course.” His voice sounded a bit uncertain while he said that, and this only made Blanche melt even more. Why would anyone refute this flawless man here? There was definitely no one that would say no to such a kind invitation.

She, for example, was way too excited to even respond calmly. “Gladly! It would be a great pleasure.” She stepped out of the room before realizing that she didn't even know whether he had intended to do it now. That wasn't the only issue she had caused with this rash motion though.

Blanche had also gotten much closer to Theodore than she had planned to. There wasn't even a single step of distance between them anymore. If she just lifted her hand, she could probably stroke over his face or chest. Such indecent thoughts certainly shouldn't be the first thing on her mind upon seeing him, but she couldn't help herself.

She swallowed and looked up at him while trying to keep her expression straight.

Theodore was staring right into Blanche's eyes too. It took him a few seconds before he backed away and gave her some space. “Then we should go.” His voice trembled a bit, which made her question whether she had accidentally angered him in some way. But while they walked down the corridor, he didn't seem to be very upset. Thankfully, he was in a rather good mood and began chatting with her as soon as they stepped outside into the garden.

When the scenery was tinted in a dark red, it looked even more eye-catching than before. Blanche was once again busy admiring the world around her, but she kept her eyes on Theodore for the most part. Looking into his eyes while he spoke felt much more intimate than it was. They were being followed by his personal guard and her maid, so they never truly were alone. But still, it seemed like they were in their own small world when they conversed with each other.

When the last rays of the sun disappeared, the emperor brought her back to her room and bid her farewell there. As Blanche went to bed that day, her heart wasn't in any less disarray than it had been the day before.