“Blanche?”

Theodore's voice was barely audible and had cracked in the middle, but she heard him.

Blanche let out a shaky breath and gave him a smile as tears began rolling down her face. “Yes, yes, yes. It's me. I'm here next to you. We're in the doctor's office right now. He took care of your wound. It only needs time to heal, and you will be fine in a few weeks.” She had spoken so much by now, and still, she wasn't hoarse. She could speak properly in full sentences and clung to his hand.

That made the last gears in Theodore's head turn as well. It didn't matter where he was when he could really hold her hand in this world. But she spoke as if they were in the palace. She seemed to have waited for his recovery after he had been hurt. It was clear to see that she was right here, but he couldn't believe it. Was his angel really with him? He stared at her with widened eyes and dared call out her name once more. “Blanche?”

His lover stood up to sit next to him on the mattress and tightened her hold on his hand. “Yes. I'm right here. See? I won't leave.”

He could still touch her. This wasn't an illusion. Theodore shot up into a sitting position. “Blanche!”

She immediately lifted her arms to stop him. “What are you doing? You're hurt, you can't just-”

He didn't listen for one second. His angel was here. That was all Theodore could think about. He wrapped his arms around her in fear that he might phase through her, but he made contact with her body. He could pull her against his chest and hug her so tightly that there was no way that she could slip away. Theodore's heart was pounding so loudly that he wouldn't be surprised if it suddenly stopped. But he couldn't die when he finally had his angel back.

Blanche was trying to loosen his hold. She didn't dare to use much force, which made it even easier to pull her closer. She hadn't had a chance of getting him off in the first place. There was no way that he would let go even if she tried to argue with him. “Theo, your wound will open again! Let go of me. We have to call the doctor!” His embrace only got even tighter, and at that point, she stopped struggling. “Theo!”

It had been so long since he had heard that from her while she was in his arms. This wasn't a dream, was it? Theodore could feel Blanche's skin on his and how warm her body was. No dream could be this realistic. Wherever he was, his angel was here too. The tears came within a few seconds, and he didn't even try to hold back. He finally had his lover here in his arms, and she didn't push him away.

Instead, Blanche let out a sigh and carefully returned the hug. That tipped him over the edge.

He pressed his face into the crook of her neck and began sobbing. Blanche was here. His Blanche was truly here. There was no way that he could ever go back to anything else when he was already addicted to her, more so than ever before. He could smell her, touch her, hear her breathing. He recognized every part of her. There was no mistake about this being her. She was here in a physical form. He wanted to say so much about that, but his thoughts only went in circles. “I love you.” Those were the first words he muttered, and between his sobs, more and more flowed out. “I'm sorry, I should never...have let go... I won't ever again. I love...you.”

He apologized countless more times even though he was aware that his words were so slurred that there was no way for her to understand. He was too quiet and wanted to say too much too fast while sobs were wrecking his throat.

Even now, Blanche was here to console him. She gently stroked over his back and whispered to him. “Theo...Don't cry. I'm here, and you are safe. Everything is fine now. I love you.”

He loved her too. He loved her so much that he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. If she wasn't truly here and his sanity had just bid farewell completely, he would break down. At that dreaded thought, Theodore's head shot up, and he looked right into her teary eyes. He could even see his reflection in her irises. There was no way that all of this was an illusion, right? And she wouldn't just disappear, would she?

Theodore couldn't let that happen. He needed to know that Blanche was here without the chance of her vanishing into thin air. If he could touch her, he had to be able to kiss her too. Without thinking, he brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her to him to press his lips onto hers.

They fit together perfectly.

His body remembered exactly how she had felt in his arms, and just now, he felt that same sensation. He could even taste her on his lips. There was no denying it. His Blanche was back. He lost all self-restraint at that and kept kissing her while holding her as close as possible. His angel was here. How could he ever let go of her again? He probably kissed her for an eternity, but since he had no sense of time, that didn't bother him. He only pulled back when he noticed how she had trouble breathing.

Blanche's face was reddened, and she panted in an attempt to get the much-needed air into her lungs. Still, she was so beautiful and warm. She was real.

A bright smile lit up Theodore's face. His angel had come back to him. He pulled her into a tight hug and pressed her lips onto her forehead. “I love you.” He had longed to do that for so long. “I love you.” He kissed her nose and then her cheek. “I love you.” He had missed each part of her. He kissed every bit of skin that he could reach and told her that he adored her over and over again.

Blanche accepted all of that with worry ingrained in her features. She occasionally kissed him back and told him that she loved him too. Those gentle gestures only made him want to remind her that he loved her more often.

He continued to shower her with kisses for a long time. He wasn't sure what gave him the strength, but he forced himself to stop at some point. Still, he refused to take his hands off her and kept his eyes glued on her. He could only smile at her and patted her head, just like she had enjoyed it in the past. The way that she leaned into his touch made his eyes water again, and he quickly blinked the tears away.

He needed to talk to her, but it was hard to form a single coherent thought when he had his treasure back. He had to confirm where they were and whether they could stay here together. And he needed to find out what she knew. Why she wasn't surprised to see him here and why he hadn't died. But all of that could wait when he could just look at his angel while caressing her.

Blanche returned a soft smile and enjoyed his affection for a moment before she spoke up. “I'm very happy that you are awake too. And it's great that you aren't in too much pain, but you still need to be careful. The doctor stitched your wound, and the thread might come out if you move around too much.”

Theodore was more than reluctant to take his eyes off her, but he needed to confirm how he had survived those wounds or whether he was truly dead. He kept his hands pressed against his lover and looked down. Bandages were wrapped around his left shoulder, but he couldn't even feel the wound.

This was why he had scared his angel to death? For something that didn't even hurt? That was ridiculous. He had endured way worse things. At least he had thought that. But the huge gash on his stomach and chest was gone. He wasn't bleeding, and just the bandages covered his torso, so he was pretty sure that he saw every bit of skin that could have been injured. That made him realize one more thing. None of the scars from the war were there. So, this couldn't be his body.

But he didn't care about that now. He needed to know how deep the wound was. Theodore bargained with himself, and despite hating to let go for even a second, he withdrew one hand from his lover to press onto his shoulder. Now he felt a little sting. Surely, this would have pained him a lot if it happened a few years ago, but he was used to much worse things. That could only be good since he could calm his angel now.

He raised his head and shrugged while smiling at her. “It hurts a bit, but I've through worse. The doctor already took care of it, so it should be fine.” It felt strange to speak so much with her all of a sudden. But it was wonderful that he could have a proper conversation with his lover again. He would definitely spend the next years talking to her much more.

Blanche pouted at him and scanned him with concern in her eyes. “Still. It was awful. While you slept, you were definitely in more pain. Don't overdo it. I don't want you to make it worse again after you just got better. And you shouldn't even think about working for the next few weeks.”

Theodore could only smile more at that. Blanche was as adorable as ever and sat by his side because she had waited for him to wake up. He didn't deserve any of this, but he would never let go. He patted her again and then let his hand wander down to her cheek. When she nuzzled her face into him, he thought that he would lose his mind for a moment. He grinned at her as his chest felt warm like it hadn't in three years.

But only a second later, his brain felt like it was fed way too much information at the same time. Theodore remembered sitting in a carriage and speaking to someone. The other person had talked about something, and he hadn't understood what they were referring to. Hadn't they spoken about him and Blanche doing something indecent? Then he had begun laughing at them, to the other person's dismay. But a moment later, the carriage had stopped, and yells had become loud.

His face fell. That memory...was a bit familiar. But it felt fresher than it should have been. When had the last assassination attempt on him happened? Hadn't that been a while ago? He quickly gave up on wrecking his brain and addressed his lover. If she had been waiting for him to wake up, she had to know what was wrong with his memory. “What exactly happened? I remember...” He paused and furrowed his brows. His memories were hazy. “I was in a carriage in a forest... I think there were guards with me too.” Then mercenaries had come, and he had fought. But those men hadn't been good. How had he allowed himself to get injured like this?

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Blanche met his gaze and nodded. “Yes, you went on an outing with the empress to visit-”

Immediately, Theodore's attitude changed. He narrowed his eyes as he tried his best not to yell out some curses. Now that he was back with his angel, there was no way that he would allow that woman to interfere. He would get rid of her as soon as possible. But before that, he had to find out why he would ever sit down in a carriage with that murderer. He spoke up before Blanche could finish. “Why?”

His lover looked at him as if he had lost his mind. She tilted her head and gave him a calm explanation. “You were on your way to attend Duke Lamont's birthday banquet when you were ambushed. For some reason, you didn't tell me about you going there before though. I just found out today when I searched for you, and you weren't there.”

Something inside Theodore clicked at that. The attack on Duke Lamont's birthday had happened three years ago. If he was experiencing what had happened back then now, hadn't he gone back in time? Then his missing wounds and Blanche not being hurt would make sense. Had this world really given him another chance?

But had Blanche originally been with him after he had been injured? He didn't think so. She had heard about the attack rather late, hadn't she? And this time, she had been waiting for him even though he hadn't told her about the banquet.

Now that he thought about that, why hadn't he?

For some reason, Theodore immediately knew the answer. Leon had asked him not to tell Blanche anything because Theodore had found her letter for Sefare a while ago. Out of worry, the secretary had wished to hide this outing so that they could confirm whether to trust her before sharing information with her again. Theodore hadn't cared for that logic, but he had agreed for another reason. He hadn't wanted to make his lover jealous. After all, he had been forced to go alone with the empress, and that had been a sensitive topic to Blanche in the last few weeks. Had he done that the first time too? He wasn't sure about that, but right now, that didn't matter. He had to assume that he had gone back in time.

Theodore let his gaze roam across the room and froze upon seeing Owen in the corner.

Owen, with both eyes fully intact. The knight was expressionless again as he nodded at his ruler and didn't gaze at him with concern while begging him to stay alive.

The emperor almost sobbed at that. He had gone back in time. He thanked all gods in this whole world for that and quickly looked back at his lover.

Blanche moved closer to him and gently placed her hand on his cheek. “What's wrong? Should I get the doctor?”

Theodore paused for a moment and then shook his head. “No, no. I'm alright. I remember again. It's just you...” It only took a second before he pushed his worries away. He had received another chance. He would keep every single one of the promises he had voiced before his death. He would protect his angel.

Theodore couldn't hold back this time either and pulled her in for a kiss. He tried to be gentle now to avoid surprising her again. It felt like she melted in his arms, and that was the most wonderful thing he had witnessed in years. He grinned into the kiss and did his best not to cry again. He had longed for this so much. If he had known that dying would have granted him this chance, he would have ended it sooner. But that didn't matter anymore. He was with his angel now and could give her what she deserved this time.

The emperor could barely bring himself to pull back, but he did it to cup his lover's cheek to tell her the most important thing. “I should have told you more often. I love you more than anything else in this whole world. I won't allow anyone to ever stand between us. No matter who attacks us, I will always come back to you.”

Blanche seemed a bit surprised, but she quickly responded. “I love you too, Theodore. I'll be by your side forever.” If she wasn't used to him declaring his love for her without a warning, he definitely needed to do it more often.

Theodore swore that he would tell her this over and over again until she understood. And this time, he would keep his word. Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he barely held back as he took his lover's hands in his. For now, he had to hide his euphoria. There was no way that he could explain that he had gotten a second chance so that he could be loyal to her instead of throwing her away.

He had other things to take care of. He would get rid of everything and everyone that had wished to harm his angel and would bring her a wonderful future full of happiness. For that, he had to get used to this world first. So, he swallowed all his thoughts and smiled at her for the time being. He needed to orientate himself, so asking questions would be the best option, especially since he could finally hear Blanche's beautiful voice again. “What day is it today? Did I sleep for long?”

She weakly shook her head, and this time, no traces of blood were visible on her neck as she did so. “No. You drove to the banquet yesterday and were unconscious for the whole afternoon and the night. I didn't leave your side during that, so I know that you didn't wake up in between, but it's only...” She turned her head to look at the clock. “A few minutes before half past five. So, you didn't sleep for more than twelve hours. By the way, the doctor or one of his assistants will come at six to check on you.”

Theodore began kissing her hand and fingers wherever he could reach. He wasn't surprised by what his lover had said. Blanch had always been by his side when he was feeling unwell and when he was happy. He had paid it back by abandoning her. There was no way that this would happen again. He would cherish her this time. He would give her the world and grant her what she had longed for most. His eternal love and the position as his wife. He would get rid of the current monster empress within the next couple of days, and then everything would be ready for Blanche to take her rightful place next to him.

He continued to shower her hand in kisses before he spoke up. “Of course, you stayed with me the whole time. You always do when I need you. And since there will never be a moment in which I don't need you, you will have to be by my side forever, like you promised.”

Blanche should have been glad to hear that. But she averted her eyes, and for a moment, she couldn't hide the sadness in her gaze. “I would love to. As long as I make you happy, I won't ever think about leaving.”

It pained him to see her like this. At Duke Lamont's banquet, nothing bad had happened yet. But even now, his angel didn't trust that he would stay with her. And he hadn't reassured her but proven her doubts to be true. He gritted his teeth and quickly leaned forwards to give her a short kiss. This time, it would be different.

Theodore looked right into her eyes as he spoke up. “Forever means forever. I won't ever let you go, my angel.” Even if he didn't have the right to be in her presence and enjoy her laughter. But he didn't have the strength to stay away either. So, he would be selfish in this case and grant her whatever she wanted in return. The only thing he could not give her was a chance to let go. He would make up for that by doing everything else for her. He would stay by her side and defend her no matter what. Theodore would listen to her and believe her when she told him about her problems, no matter what. He would-

Theodore froze at that thought. Hadn't Blanche already mentioned wanting to visit him in his office when he hadn't been there? Didn't this mean that he had already been missing when she needed him once? He cursed his stupid past self at that and immediately spoke up. “You said that you wanted to meet me yesterday. Did you want to tell me something?”

Blanche's eyes widened for a moment, and then she looked to the side. She was uncertain whether she should respond honestly. That only meant that he hadn't been there for her until now to the point at which she was scared to voice her thoughts. He needed to make sure that she would trust him from now on. He was about to tell her that he would support her unconditionally, but Blanche already began talking. “I wanted to warn you about a gap in the palace's security measures.” She gave him an uncertain look and waited for his reaction before she continued in a quiet tone. “By a coincidence, I found a hole in the walls behind a tree and a bush during a walk. It is big enough for an adult human to go through easily, so it might be better to close it off and look for other cracks in the walls as well.”

The secret pathway. The one that had only been revealed during Blanche's trial because assassins had used it to enter the royal estate. For a moment, Theodore felt like he couldn't breathe. Why did she know about it now? Blanche had sworn that she hadn't been aware of it before, and after all of her other crimes had turned out to be lies, that had confirmed that she hadn't known about the pathway. She surely hadn't found it due to a coincidence either. She was too nervous for that and avoided eye contact for a few seconds before finally meeting his gaze. Did she...

He couldn't think about that. Theodore immediately pushed that idea away. The people around him didn't remember as well, right? Then a second chance was almost useless if he had already broken Blanche's heart.

But even if she did have her memories, she was sitting right here and cuddled with him. She still loved him. No matter whether she was truly aware like he was or not. She was here in his arms, and that was the only thing that mattered.

When Theodore moved forward to kiss her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gladly took her breath away again. After reluctantly separating from her lips, he ran his fingers through her soft hair and massaged her scalp.

Just a few seconds were enough for her to melt into his touch as she closed her eyes.

Theodore looked at her the whole time while his thoughts raced through his mind. He needed to make sure that this was truly the past. Theodore would only need to talk to Leon for a moment, and then he could be certain about this. If it truly was the same as three years ago, he needed to prepare a lot to ensure that everything went right this time. Even if he didn't want to let go of his angel, he needed to get rid of the people that wanted to harm her before doing anything else. Maybe he should ask her to come with him so that he could hold her hand the entire time.

He quickly eliminated that thought again. He couldn't let her know what kind of methods he planned on using. Leonard would be happy that he finally stopped being overly cautious, but his lover might be terrified. So, he would have to fight the urge to cling to her to protect her in the long run.

Still, his heart ached as he spoke up. “Thank you for telling me. I will take care of that matter this instant. I'll be back in a minute.”

Blanche's eyes flew open as she stared at him in shock. “You don't intend to leave now, right?”

He didn't truly want to, but he had to. He gave her an apologetic look and tried to explain it as well as he could without giving anything away. “I have to go see something for a moment. If I'm up already, I can tend to this matter at the same time.” He forced himself to look away to avoid immediately being swayed by her pleading gaze. Theodore moved his legs over the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. His wound didn't hurt, but his movements were a bit uncoordinated. Apparently, the doctor had given him something strong against the pain since he took two attempts before he stood up. He didn't manage to take even one step away from the bed though.

Behind him, something rustled, and a second later, arms circled his waist as Blanche threw herself against him. “Don't go! If you go now, you'll...” Her voice cracked, and she just began crying quietly.

Theodore felt as if his heart was splintered into a million pieces. Why was she so desperate? She sounded almost like she had upon begging him to stay while waiting for her trial in the cell. He spun around immediately and put his arms around her. Seeing her tear-stained face made his chest ache, and he fought to keep his composure. Still, he couldn't suppress the panic in his voice as he replied. “Blanche? What's wrong? I'm alright, so it doesn't matter if I walk around and-”

He froze at a single thought. She wasn't just worried about him hurting himself. She would have been angry then and not in such utter despair. But she was here and pressed her face into his chest while clinging to him as if he would leave her. Did she know something he didn't?

“You...”

He didn't speak more than that as a memory appeared in front of his inner eyes. It was the moment in which that witch had first sunken her claws into his relationship with Blanche. He couldn't deny that he was at fault as well. But using his euphoria about having survived an assassination attack and being able to save someone's life to steal a kiss and then blackmailing him with it was one of the most manipulative things someone could do. There was no way that this would happen again.

He wouldn't ever go see that disgusting insect. If he ended up doing it, it would be to take her life.

But right now, he couldn't focus on his anger. There was something that only filled him with grief. The fact that Blanche was in a panic might be because she knew what had happened at this point in time in the past.

She remembered. She remembered for sure. And still, she held onto him. Even though he had been the one that pushed her away so often.

He would never do that again.