After the three of them had put some distance between them and the Duremonts, Theodore stopped and faced his lover. Seemingly, Blanche wasn't as skilled in disguising her thoughts, and he saw her conflicting emotions since he bowed down to calm her. “I'm sorry for taking you by surprise, but you don't have to be worried. It's nothing to be concerned about.” He whispered so that Evelyn couldn't hear him, but doing that in the middle of a ball might not be the best idea. Thankfully, he quickly stepped away from his lover and gestured towards the other woman. “This is Evelyn Lemares, the Marchioness of Lemares and sister of the Duchess of Duremont.” Afterward, he turned to his concubine. “This is Lady Blanche, a guest who has lived in the palace with us for a long time now. Though you are already acquainted, I wished to re-introduce you.”

Evelyn immediately made a curtsy. “While we have met countless times, I am honored to be introduced to you formally, Lady Blanche.”

Despite hating to be addressed by this cruel person, Blanche could only force herself to lift the corners of her lips and hope that her smile didn't appear too forced. She returned the curtsy as gracefully as she could. “The honor is all mine, Lady Lemares.”

Theodore appeared content at this interaction and began explaining. “There is a specific reason that I wanted you to meet today. Lady Lemares has grown up with connections to the most influential noble houses and is a paragon of well-mannered conduct. In the many years that she has visited all sorts of social events, she has always paid attention to the conventions of our society and is experienced in teaching as well. The families in which she worked before all confirmed that she is exemplary and are very satisfied with her services.”

Blanche's face fell, and she could feel the color draining from her cheeks. She quickly hid her dread as well as she could.

Theodore's introduction could only be referring to one thing, and as he continued, her guess was confirmed. “We talked about employing an etiquette teacher for you, and I told you that I had a person in mind. I contacted Lady Lemares, and she agreed to become your teacher. She will stay at the palace for two weeks so that you can learn the basics. After that, she will come once every week to make sure that you can go over each important topic. I'm convinced that you will progress fast with the help of such an incredible teacher.”

Evelyn grinned from one ear to the other one as she replied. “Oh my, I don't deserve so much praise, let alone from Your Majesty himself. I am nothing special. Still, I promise that I will give my best to help Lady Blanche improve her manners as soon as possible.”

The concubine didn't like seeing that expression at all.

Surely, Evelyn wouldn't cause trouble in the royal palace since that would harm her reputation and the faith the emperor had put in her, right? Doing that wouldn't be logical, but Evelyn was revealed to be completely deranged in the latter half of the novel. Her ignoring all rational thoughts wouldn't be out of the question.

Though as long as Blanche didn't remind Evelyn of the envy that that woman felt for her own sister, she would hopefully be able to evade the teacher's maniac side. Nonetheless, being forced to spend time with that psychopath didn't make the concubine joyful. She was aware of the ruthlessness Evelyn had shown in hopes of marrying the man she loved after all.

In the novel, Evelyn had drowned Sophia's baby even though the young mother didn't hold any responsibility for her aunt's hatred. Before and after that, she had assisted the original Blanche, who had promised to make her the Duchess of Duremont. To reach that goal, Evelyn had harmed Seraphina, her own niece, as well. Even when that madwoman's deeds had been revealed, she had insisted that she had done it out of true love, but Blanche doubted that. In reality, Evelyn had envied Elaine since their early childhood and only wanted to marry Henry because he had become her sister's husband.

Seeing that woman every day while all of this was on Blanche's mind would be unbearable. Her own counterpart in the novel had to have been driven insane to be able to work with Evelyn. The concubine would never consider partnering up with a child's murderer when thinking clearly. After all, she didn't even want to talk to that woman once while being in her current state. That was exactly why she had a problem now though.

For a moment, Blanche contemplated refusing Evelyn as her teacher. Theodore had asked for her consent, and should she withdraw it now, he would certainly be disappointed, but he would never make her do this against her will. He had promised that she could send the teacher away if she didn't like that person. So, it was tempting to speak up now. One sentence would suffice, and she wouldn't have to meet Evelyn.

But at the same time, she couldn't give a reason for disliking her chosen teacher. That meant that Theodore would believe that she didn't want to attend lessons in general. He wouldn't search for another person to replace Evelyn then, and the concubine wouldn't get educated.

However, improving her manners was a big part of her survival plan. Blanche needed to be aware of the norms of society and etiquette to follow them properly and avoid becoming the villainess. She couldn't give up that opportunity just because she resented Evelyn. At the same time, she didn't want to upset Theodore or render his search for a teacher useless.

This meant that she couldn't refuse in her current situation.

Since Blanche still didn't want to see the other woman often, she might have to compromise. Maybe she could stop the lessons after she had rehearsed the most crucial things. Blanche could tell Theodore that she was bored with the lessons when she felt confident in her understanding of the rules she had learned. She would still have to handle being with Evelyn for a few weeks, but she would simply listen to the tutor's instructions, and no problems should arise. Right?

Still, this didn't make her happy at all.

Blanche formed a fake smile with her lips. “Thank you for your help, Lady Lemares. I am certain that your guidance will help me a lot.”

Evelyn hesitated for a second before she returned the grin. “I am thankful for the trust Your Majesty and Lady Blanche put in me. I look forward to working with you and sincerely hope that we can get along well.”

Theodore's face lit up when he heard that. “I'm glad that Lady Lemares agreed to my request. I will order a room to be prepared before your arrival.” While speaking, he slowly walked towards the Duremonts again.

Evelyn let out a fake laugh. “No, I'm honored that Your Majesty considered me worthy of entering the royal palace and even staying there. I will not disappoint.”

Despite just having made her decision, Blanche already regretted it slightly. Just hearing her new teacher talk made her feel nauseous.

Evelyn's whole personality seemed to be an act of disguising her unstable mind that was slowly corroded by her jealousy. How could no one else realize this? Her family might not want to see the truth, but everyone else should have become cautious already.

Though Blanche hadn't suspected the woman of being a psychopath before either. She was only able to pick up the little cracks in Evelyn's facade because she had known about their existence in the first place. Thanks to the novel's memories, seeing through other people's lies was much easier now.

As they reached the group of nobles again, they were met with questioning gazes. Especially Seraphina scanned Blanche's expression for a hint of satisfaction. The heroine had always been suspecting that her aunt wasn't as innocent as Evelyn pretended to be. Naturally, she grew wary upon seeing that her archnemesis and Evelyn had had a conversation in private.

Based on Seraphina's and her family's faces, Evelyn hadn't told them that she would become Blanche's tutor. This decision would have been met with a lot of resistance considering how the Duremonts felt about the emperor's concubine, but Blanche didn't care about that in the slightest. That would be Evelyn's problem.

To Blanche's relief, Theodore only stayed for a short moment before he excused himself to greet the other nobles. So, the concubine had gotten through the conversation with the people who had the most unfavorable impression of her. The rest of the evening should be less exhausting.

At this point, the emperor finally seemed to regain some sense of caution. He went over to the empress and offered her his arm. Seraphina took it and let herself be escorted by Theodore. The royal couple crossed the whole ballroom to approach the family of Duke Vasquez, who came second in terms of influence and was only a little below the empress' family. While the couple strode over to them, the emperor made eye contact with Blanche and slowed his pace to gesture her to follow him.

Blanche bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed down her disappointment. She had hoped that Theodore would forget her if she just walked in the other direction, but he had immediately seen how she tried to run away. With a sigh, she caught up to him and stayed by his side while being careful to not stand closer to him than the empress did.

When Theodore saw that she was next to him, he sped up again. Now they finally move towards their destination, which would hold a rather unpleasant conversation ready.

They reached the Vasquez family, and Blanche noted that only Claude and Selena, the duke and the duchess, were present. Their son was missing. That wasn't very relieving though. Despite there just being two people that the emperor would have to entertain instead of a group of ten, it would be more much difficult for him.

Selena was the younger sister of the dowager empress. She and her husband supported Theodore's mother and the second prince, and that made them the emperor's enemies. Conversations with them often consisted out of threats or declarations of hostility that were thinly veiled behind carefully crafted word structures.

This often led to verbal battles, in which Theodore couldn't back down. For him, the interactions with Claude, who was definitely the more provoking person, were stressful and demanded him to keep his guard up the whole time. Taking Blanche, who often said inappropriate things and didn't know what she could or couldn't voice, with him actually wasn't beneficial at all.

Previously, Theodore had kept the Vasquez family from exchanging more sentences with his lover than necessary, and Blanche was thankful for that. She could certainly be mean, but offending a duke wasn't good, and she didn't doubt that Claude would be able to twist her words to his liking. She was cautious even if Duke Vasquez probably wouldn't wish to harm her since she was his friend's pawn and thus, aided in the completion of his goals.

Theodore greeted the Vasquez couple, and they returned it along with a bow and a curtsy.

Claude put on a smug grin as he spoke. “I'm honored that Your Majesty has made his way over to us at this point in the evening.” He was referring to the fact that the emperor had stayed with the Duremonts for so long and only came to him now. Most likely, he had also seen that Theodore had greeted the Bellfaux and the Ravillot family before his and subtly vented his annoyance. What a great start.

The emperor returned a fake smile as well. “I hope that Your Grace hasn't waited for too long. I was merely catching up with the Duremonts and learned about some developments in the capital. You must excuse that the empress wishes to spend time with her family.” He had used his words to emphasize that the Duremonts had a higher rank than the Vasquez family and that it was normal for him to interact with them for a longer amount of time as they were related to him.

If the first sentences, which had already been attacks that were aimed at each other's throat, were an indication, this dialogue would not become any more pleasant later on.

Claude replied with a fake uncertainty in his voice. “Oh, you do not need to worry, Your Majesty. We were having a discussion with other nobles as well and heard about the news regarding the Besseta family. Has Your Majesty been made aware of that already?”

Theodore nodded and didn't bother with hiding his satisfaction. “I have been quite surprised upon finding this out as well. It seems that the standing of aristocrats in the capital isn't as stable as we thought it to be.”

The duke laughed shortly. “It really is unexpected when the tide turns on you so quickly that no one is safe. Though Your Majesty won't have to worry about such a thing.” Then he turned his head and stared at the concubine for a moment. This couldn't mean anything good. Claude's smile widened as he spoke up with a complacent tone. “I have to admit that I am a bit taken aback to see that face here. Greetings to Lady Blanche, whose presence is as charming as ever.”

The concubine's bad premonition had become true. Duke Vasquez had disregarded the chronology in which he would have to greet the people before him.

Due to his rank, the emperor naturally was the first one to speak, and the person he spoke to would address him after that. The empress would be given a chance to raise her voice next. Then the other party would address her specifically in their response.

Ignoring this to talk to Blanche implied that her status was higher than Seraphina's which was an obvious insult to the empress. Along with Claude using the greeting that was normally used for the royal couple, he had created the most offending insult possible without saying any bad words.

Blanche swallowed and tightened her fist. She was in a dilemma. Answering meant that she agreed with the hierarchy Claude had suggested. She couldn't do this without being presumptuous and antagonizing the heroine. But the person of lower rank had to respond when they were spoken to. Remaining silent or even pointing out his mistake was offending to the duke. It was truly upsetting. Especially since the original Blanche would have immediately taken this chance to be placed above the empress.

Claude, as well as the rest of the nobles in the capital, was aware of the rivalry between the two women. Presumably, he also received the letters that the concubine had sent Sefare, which only gave him more information about Blanche's jealousy in regard to the empress. He obviously wanted to use that to his advantage. He hoped to instigate a fight just with a few words and surely couldn't be blamed if he apologized for his error.

But thankfully, Theodore chimed in here. “Your Grace.” He warned the other man in a low voice. “Have you drunken something that might affect your long-term memory?”

The duke turned his head in an exaggerated motion and widened his eyes as he pretended to notice Seraphina. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I do not know where my mind was headed. I was just so surprised to see Lady Blanche here that I momentarily blacked out. Maybe Your Majesty is right. Honey, do you think I drank too much?”

Selena shook her head and put on an apologetic face. “Oh my, I don't think so. Your Majesty, please excuse my husband. I fear that our son's sickness might have influenced him too. Darling, are you feeling well?”

Claude nodded and then looked at Seraphina. Now he suddenly waited for her to speak up first. Apparently, he knew that he couldn't be even more insolent without getting in trouble.

The empress narrowed her eyes but spoke up in a perfectly calm voice. “Good evening, Your Grace. I sincerely hope that you did not get too sick due to your son's illness.

Claude quickly bowed again. “Greetings to Her Majesty, the empress of Artias. Please forgive my insolence. I did not know where my mind was headed. I must truly have drunken too much.”

Seraphina replied calmly again, even though her face expressed her freezing anger. “I will excuse it this time, but do pay attention to not repeat such errors. Otherwise, some people might begin to doubt Your Grace's intellectual capabilities.” Even if her wrath was directed at someone else, it was still terrifying.

That only made it even stranger that Claude smiled again. “I sincerely thank Your Majesty for her patience and her generosity to overlook other's indiscretions.”

Seraphina's jaw tensed. She had understood what that comment had indicated. But she couldn't bring up the ambiguity of the duke's words, or he would simply insist that she had misunderstood.

Judging by Theodore's expression, he had also realized that Claude had been referring to his affair, but he remained quiet too.

Claude used that chance to turn to the concubine again. “Now, I can repeat what I had intended to do too hastily. I hope that Lady Blanche is doing well. It is truly a pleasant surprise to see that you are accompanying His Majesty from the very beginning so that we have the chance to speak. As normally, you have quite the captivating presence.” He really seemed keen on upsetting the empress today. Claude had complimented the concubine twice but not Seraphina. Either he wanted to deteriorate the heroine's mood or fuel Blanche's pride. Both usually would have made the outbreak of an argument later this evening much more likely.

But Blanche didn't have any intention of fighting with someone. She wanted to be polite and invisible, as she reminded herself. “Thank you for your courtesy, Your Grace. I wish you a wonderful evening. May you enjoy the ball to the fullest.” She made a curtsy and lowered her head.

The Duke of Vasquez let out a booming laugh. “I'm not being polite, Lady Blanche. I really was admiring you. Your attire is mesmerizing, especially the necklace.” He smiled, but his eyes showed that he felt superior and that his kindness was nothing but an act. As soon as he mentioned the accessory, it was clear what he intended to do. Claude lowered his voice a little. “I planned to find a skilled jeweler to buy presents for my lovely wife, but I have been unsuccessful until now. Say, would you inform me where you obtained this masterpiece from?”

It was too obvious. Claude wanted Blanche to admit that she had chosen the necklace herself. Based on her previous behavior, he probably assumed that she had worn an accessory in the royal colors to make the impression of being part of the Estien family without Theodore's consent. This would be pretentious, and certainly, the empress wouldn't be pleasant upon noticing that the concubine had overstepped her boundaries yet again.

Seraphina had already turned her head to look at the concerned necklace. She was definitely not too happy. But she couldn't blame the concubine for no reason here.

Blanche hurried to speak up to make clear that she hadn't worn this on her own decision. She gave the duke a forced smile. “This really is a beautiful example of excellent craftsmanship, isn't it? Though I haven't chosen it by myself. I would never dare, even if I know that this small accessory is not supposed to mean anything. The person who gifted this to me was Theo.”

As she finished, Claude's face fell for a second until he caught himself again. He responded with a grin that was even wider than before. “Is that so? Well, His Majesty seems to have a good eye for accessories.” Then he scanned the concubine to emphasize the ambiguity of his statement. Blanche could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to fathom why the emperor would give a concubine a necklace in the royal colors and let her wear it in public. But for some reason, he seemed content with that which scared her a bit.

Theodore was the one to laugh this time. “I do pride myself in being able to see the true core of all things.” He looked down at his lover and gave her a confident smile. That certainly didn't make the situation much better.

Blanche felt like she had evaded the trap that the Duke of Vasquez had laid out, but Seraphina's expression was still sour. The empress was now aware that her husband had given his mistress an object that would imply that the other woman was an unofficial part of the royal family.

Even though the nobles knew what kind of relationship Theodore and his lover had, he had never announced the truth in public. He always introduced Blanche as a baroness living in the palace and nothing more. This was enough to make the people speculate about an affair, and the emperor had never refuted the rumors. He spent a lot of time with Blanche, even in public, without ever pushing her away when she had clung to him which was proof of his affair in itself. But letting his concubine wear a necklace in the royal colors implied that he saw her as a family member which didn't leave any doubt regarding their relationship.

The empress had already struggled to endure the concubine's arrogance, which would only grow to be a bigger problem should the emperor reveal that Blanche was his lover. Due to the novel's memories, the concubine had changed, but the heroine wasn't aware of that and thus, probably dreaded her enemy becoming even more audacious.

In the end, admitting that the necklace had been the emperor's gift might not have been the best idea, but it was too late.

Theodore seemed to realize that the atmosphere had gotten tense and changed the topic. Later he would have to pacify his wife, but he certainly wouldn't have this discussion in front of the Vasquez family. “Your Grace mentioned that your son is sick. Is it something alarming?”

Selena shook her head and put her fingertips on her lips for a moment. “Oh no! It's nothing serious. Thankfully, Luciano is very lucky regarding sicknesses. He just caught a little cold and is resting in bed. Since he didn't feel well and also feared infecting the other guests, he decided to stay at home. He regrets that he will miss the ball, but it can't be helped.”

In Blanche's mind, something clicked at hearing the son's name. Luciano Vasquez had been a character that appeared fairly often in the novel. He had approached the heroine on multiple occasions and even hinted that he had romantic feelings for her despite Seraphina being his family's enemy and the emperor's wife. That conflict hadn't been resolved in the first book and thus, would be a possible obstacle in the sequel.

Though Blanche still found the role Luciano had played in the novel strange. Not much about him had been revealed, and he hadn't acted on his own except for initiating conversations with Seraphina, but he was treated like an important character anyway. This made the concubine suspect that he would play a bigger part in the second book. She doubted that his only role would be being a love interest since the heroine would already have chosen Theodore at that point too. Seraphina had used Luciano to take care of some things for her as well, and there had been a conflict about her worrying about why her husband wasn't jealous of her spending time with another man. But that surely wasn't the only reason Luciano had appeared in the novel, right?

Something else was much more likely. Maybe that man wasn't just supposed to be an element to add more people for Seraphina to twist around her finger to the story. Luciano's background would create the perfect starting position for him to become an antagonist, wouldn't it?

Since Blanche was executed near the end of the first novel, Marquess Sefare's deeds had also been discovered. He wouldn't be able to act as a villain in the sequel since he would already be dead after being poisoned at that point. So, the Duke of Vasquez as well as the dowager empress and the second prince would be the most obvious antagonists. But this wouldn't surprise readers, so a sudden plot twist wasn't unlikely. Even though Blanche had no reasoning that backed her theory, she suspected that Luciano might become a villain in the future. It didn't matter if she was right, but there was a possibility that he would be a danger soon. So, she would simply avoid him which shouldn't be remarkable to others anyway. Luciano was Theodore's enemy, so not interacting with him was a given.

Seraphina kept her flawless stoic expression upright as she replied to the duchess. “Send your son our regards. Hopefully, he will recover soon.”

Theodore nodded in approval. “If he is as tough as his parents, he will surely become healthy within a few days.”

The conversation didn't go on for much longer. The Vasquez family thanked the royal couple for their kind wishes, and Theodore quickly announced that they would move on. The two couples said their goodbyes, and Theodore led Seraphina to the third duke while Blanche trailed behind them.

The concubine considered starting another attempt to get away, but her lover already gave her a look that assured her that he wouldn't let her run away. She sighed and followed the royal couple before freezing in place. For a second, she felt something cold on her back and turned around to find Duke Vasquez staring at her with an expressionless face.

When Claude saw that she looked at him, he put on a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Blanche quickly focused on the path in front of her again while trying to suppress a shiver. She didn't like that man at all. For Claude, she was probably a marionette dangling on a string, which he could cut whenever she did something he didn't approve of. This was another reason to break off all contact with his friend, Marquess Sefare. That thought made her remember that she had forgotten to search for Sefare ever since Theodore had approached her.

The concubine stopped and let her gaze wander through the ballroom. She scanned the nobles for a trace of platinum blond hair one more time. She remained unsuccessful and mentally noted that she would have to send the letter at the next opportunity she had. Otherwise, she might waste time, which was the one thing she didn't have.

“Blanche?” A voice pulled her out of her daydream.

The concubine's eyes snapped to her lover, who was waiting for her a few steps away. She hurried after him and gave him a smile in response to his questioning look.

Seraphina eyed her skeptically, but Blanche paid no attention to that as they reached the last duke.