Blanche's mood deteriorated as soon as they reached the third duke.

Duke Lamont was the oldest of the three dukes and the only one of them that didn't have a wife. He was accompanied by his daughter Fiona, a quite beautiful young woman with long lilac hair. Her demeanor appeared flawlessly ladylike, but her role in the novel as a minor villainess proved this assumption wrong. She had the often approached original Blanche, only to be pushed away by the concubine.

Though Fiona's goal hadn't been charity or boredom but ambition. She had intended to get closer to the emperor by angering his lover. Should his concubine start an argument, Theodore would have to settle it, and Fiona wanted to use this opportunity to win his trust in one way or the other.

Obviously, the simplest way for Fiona would be to charm the emperor. After witnessing how much he spoiled the misbehaving Blanche, she had believed that he would do the same to her if she flattered him enough. Becoming Theodore's mistress would give Fiona and her father more influence. It could even enable them to overtake the rank of the second most influential dukedom from the Vasquez family, so it made sense for Fiona to see this matter from an opportunistic point of view.

Even though Fiona's materialistic interest had never been returned, and that woman had always stayed dignified while giving up rather quickly, Blanche still disliked her for trying to get closer to Theodore. It should be fine since the duke's daughter hadn't appeared much in the novel, but one or two conversations with Fiona would still get annoying in the future.

When Theodore stopped in front of the Lamonts, Blanche involuntary moved a bit closer to her lover. He gave her a soft smile in return before he began speaking. “Your Grace, it's a great joy to see you again. How was your vacation in the south?”

Duke Lamont greeted the royals and contently explained how they had hiked in the mountains. In the meantime, Fiona was eyeing the emperor with a soft smile, which already infuriated the concubine. The other woman wasn't even attempting to cover her intentions, but Blanche didn't know whether Theodore was aware of that. Either way, he wouldn't pay attention to anyone trying to sweet-talk him which was a relief.

Still, Blanche was annoyed by Fiona's obvious attempts to attract the emperor. She already had enough competition due to the heroine's presence, so she didn't need another rival, even if that woman wasn't really seeing this from a romantic perspective.

Duke Lamont finished his long narration after a while. “I also have news regarding the information Your Majesty has requested.”

Theodore and Seraphina turned to each other for a short moment and nodded. The emperor seemed much more serious when he spoke up. “Would you mind giving us the summary now? The details will have to wait until we are in a more private location.” The duke agreed, and Theodore turned to his concubine and Fiona. It was obvious that he pondered about whether to take Blanche along with him, but in the end, he needed to give up since he couldn't suddenly leave Fiona alone here. “I sincerely apologize, but this is connected to an important matter. Would you excuse us for a minute? We will be returning in a short while.”

Fiona immediately answered. “Of course, Your Majesty. Please feel free to take your time.” Her voice wasn't unrealistically sweet like Evelyn's but calm and gentle. Her bright smile also didn't look fake like the other woman's. It seemed like the novel hadn't exaggerated when describing Fiona's astonishing skills as an actress.

Blanche just nodded in her lover's direction to give her approval. The royal couple and the duke moved out of the audible range and began discussing something. The concubine would have liked to stay silent and wait for their return, but the duke's daughter had other plans.

Fiona spoke up after just a moment. “I'm glad that I finally have the opportunity to talk to Lady Blanche alone. We were introduced before, but we never could exchange more than a few words.”

Blanche was actually happy that this had been the case. The Lamonts were known for their tendency to try to curry favor with the emperor. One could never be sure whether they were truly kind or just wanted to impress Theodore. Still, Blanche ignored her unwillingness to engage in a conversation to not offend the other woman. “Now that I think about that, you are absolutely right. But luckily, a chance came up now. How are you, Lady Lamont?”

Fiona showed her a bright smile. “I am happy to be back in the capital. While the mountains are beautiful, they are too high for me. The place that is dear to my heart is still Esora as I was born here. I see no use in reaching for the skies when your origin was close to the ground. The location of one's birth is where one should continue living, don't you agree, Lady Blanche?” Her phrasing had sounded a bit odd there.

Blanche had a feeling that she knew what the other woman was talking about but didn't care enough to complain. She ignored that and responded calmly. “That is not necessarily true. If you find a place that makes you happier than your birthplace, why shouldn't you stay there? Separating your ties to your old home can be freeing to some people. Everyone should make their own decisions regarding such important topics.”

Fiona's smile didn't falter even for a second as she nodded. “That is correct. Though one shouldn't forget one's roots. A crow cannot simply move in with swans and hope to become one eventually.” Her tone didn't change, but Blanche felt like the other woman was mocking her. Fiona continued without leaving a pause for the concubine to respond. “Though that isn't something we need to talk about. Ah, I just remembered that I haven't complimented you on your attire yet. You look truly magnificent. The people truly aren't exaggerating when they praise your appearance. It's just a shame that their words are often depreciative too. Lady Blanche shouldn't listen to them in that regard.”

Blanche frowned at those comments. As always, people tried to tell her that she was stupid in the cheapest way imaginable. If she asked Fiona to specify what she meant, it would result in allowing the duke's daughter to insult her. It appeared like Fiona really did intend to make fun of the other woman. But the concubine had far bigger problems. She wasn't as explosive as in the past, so she simply smiled in response. “Thank you for your compliment, Lady Lamont. Do not worry about gossip. Shallow people often swallow more than they can chew and voice things they shouldn't. I'm used to that already. Though I do have advice for you. You shouldn't listen to rumors as they are often full of lies and assumptions.”

Fiona hesitated for a second before her answer followed in her usual gentle tone. “Thank you for your warning. I am aware of that, however, you have to admit that they often carry some truth inside them as well.” She paused and only continued to speak when Blanche gave her a questioning look. “Would you mind if I asked you something?”

The concubine could guess that the other woman had bad intentions, but she didn't have any reason to refuse. “If there is anything on your mind, please tell me right away, Lady Lamont.”

Fiona looked to the floor on her right side and covered her mouth with her hand. She imitated concern on her face and spoke in a quiet voice. “I have to admit that there is something I am uncertain about. Since Lady Blanche has directly requested for me to do it, I will voice it openly, but please be assured that I do not mean any harm with my words.” If Fiona had to explicitly state this, it was likely that the following sentences would be offensive. “I happened to notice the necklace you are wearing, and I was unsure whether you were aware of its implied meaning.” She probably knew that she could say that the other woman was either uneducated and didn't know society's rules or that the concubine simply ignored them on purpose. So, she had an insult rather no matter what Blanche said.

The concubine had to hold back from rolling her eyes. She was used to those childish games, but in the past, she had immediately told the people around her to leave her alone. Now that she needed to think about how being executed was far worse than accepting a few dumb comments, she had to keep calm though. She forced herself to reply in an exaggeratedly calm tone. “I am aware, Lady Lamont. Though you do not have to worry about me being impudent, as this was a gift by Theo.” Blanche had expected the other woman to be annoyed that her provocation had failed or surprised that Theodore would do something like this.

But instead, Fiona's smile grew brighter. “Does that possibly mean that His Majesty intends to make you part of the royal family?”

Inwardly, Blanche cursed. What did the other woman want her to say? Stating that Theodore would marry her would not only be a lie but also reveal she was in a romantic relationship with the emperor. Even though everyone knew about it, Theodore did his best to hide it. Blanche couldn't just ignore those efforts.

Fiona was probably just waiting for Blanche to admit that she was Theodore's concubine so that she could spread this information. That would put the emperor in an unfavorable position, and he would understandably be angry at Blanche for causing this with her careless words. Maybe Fiona wanted them to fight, or she just wanted the concubine to admit that there was no way for her to marry into the royal family. In either way, this was a stupid and petty plot.

Blanche didn't even bring herself to smile as she replied. She had already lost all interest in having small talk when everyone around her hated her or tried to insult her with veiled words. “I fear that Lady Lamont has the wrong impression. I merely am a guest in the royal palace, and this was a gift by Theo as a good friend. If you believe anything else, you must have misunderstood because of some baseless rumors.” Even though she had no other choice, denying her relationship with Theodore made her heart ache. Her bored tone and her typical clinging to her lover might not have made her words seem very convincing though, so maybe she could have spared the effort.

Fiona's eyes widened. “Oh my, I truly did misunderstand. The rumors among the nobles must have clouded my judgment. Of course, His Majesty would never humiliate Her Majesty like that.” She paused for a moment before resuming. “Hearing that is relieving. If you were closer to him, you would be in a rather unfortunate predicament. Because that would mean that you would have to accept that the man you love doesn't want to take you as his wife. I have to confess that I wouldn't be able to live with that. Especially since Her Majesty would always have an advantage over you like this. It would be very generous of a person to settle for a secret relationship, though that naturally would be the correct mindset. His Majesty would have to put the norms and rules of society above his own feelings in any case, right? Though he is the emperor. Doesn't that mean that he can do whatever he wishes? If he had a lover, I would assume that he simply doesn't want to marry her.”

After saying so many stupid things, Fiona pretended to be shocked at her own words. “I said something I shouldn't have. What I voiced was merely a hypothetical idea. It wasn't my intention to say untruthful things about our esteemed emperor. Please forgive my carelessness, Lady Blanche.”

Just a few days ago, Blanche certainly would have begun another fight upon hearing those words. She would have told the other woman to leave her alone if all she could do what blabbering about nonsense, while inwardly being much more hurt than she cared to reveal. Even now she had to admit that these words had hit her weak spot and pierced her heart. The question of whether Theodore truly loved her when he was destined to be with the heroine had concerned her ever since she had received the novel's memories. Still, she didn't want to give up and accept defeat by showing how much these taunts affected her.

So, Blanche seemed as annoyed as possible instead of hurt while replying. “You don't have to apologize, Lady Lamont. Since Theo doesn't have a lover, your words don't have much meaning, but you should be more cautious. If others heard this, they might believe that you attempted to insult the royal couple by proposing that he has an affair. Do you remember what I said before? People often say more than they should, and unfortunately, that has become the norm.” She had stayed calm while answering and was proud of her rebuttal. But at the same time, she had acted completely different from Fiona's expectations which could cause additional problems.

“Oh. You are a very intelligent person, Lady Blanche.” Fiona's grin widened. “You really are full of surprises, aren't you? But I have to say that it would be unfitting to say that the gossip about you and His Majesty is based on nothing. You should know that such rumors arise when you hug him or address His Majesty by his name or even a nickname in public. It has to be such an honor to be allowed to do that when no one else ever uses his first name, not even his wife. You must be close to him.” Was she trying another strategy now? If so, this one was just as annoying as the other one.

Blanche furrowed her brows and crossed her arms at the other's refusal to drop the act. “I see.” She didn't have more to say. Apparently, that had been enough to let the other party continue this act though.

Fiona pretended to be surprised about the concubine's irritation and spoke in a pacifying tone. “I apologize. I did not mean to offend Lady Blanche with my words. I hope that my remarks haven't come across with a meaning that I hadn't intended. If they somehow displeased you, please forgive me. You can rest assured that I didn't wish to insult you, and His Majesty would surely also understand that. After all, Lady Blanche often tends to take things a little too personal.” She finished with an apologetic smile. How infuriating.

Blanche tightened her grip on her arms and reassured herself that Theodore was still far away. Fiona was currently saying that even if the concubine should get the emperor involved, he would believe that his lover was exaggerating as she had previously done often. Unfortunately, Fiona was right. Most likely, Theodore would assume that his concubine had begun the fight even if he would believe that it had happened unintentionally. So, Blanche was thankful that he hadn't noticed how this conversation had turned from friendly to spiteful.

The concubine looked back at Fiona and decided to voice her thoughts openly. “I don't know what you want to accomplish by instigating a quarrel with me. It won't make Theo like you but rather do the exact opposite. He won't have any interest in you no matter what you do. I can promise you that in all honesty.” It took all of her self-control to keep her voice quiet and steady without lashing out at the other woman, but she managed to finish her response without snapping.

As soon as the words reached Fiona, her emotions disappeared like they were wiped off her face, and only an empty mask remained.

Only then Blanche realized that she had revealed that she knew about the true goal of the other party. Maybe it hadn't been clever to say things she couldn't have known about.

A second passed, and Fiona returned to showing a bright smile on her face. Before the concubine could process the other's rapid change, the other woman replied. “I am not aware of what Lady Blanche might be referring to. I, who am merely the third duke's daughter, would never even consider being so insolent and approach His Majesty with any other intention than paying him the respect that he is entitled to. Especially since he is wed to the most graceful and knowledgeable woman in the capital. I do not know what I could have done to make Lady Blanche think that I am such an immoral person with ulterior motives. But...”

Before the concubine could answer, Fiona's gaze wandered to the side, and within a second her attitude completely changed. Fiona put on an expression of fake regret and bowed deeply to show respect in an exaggerated way. Even her voice dripped with uneasiness as she spoke louder than previously. “I apologize, Lady Blanche. I did not mean to offend you, so please forgive me.” A duke's daughter bowing to a baroness would definite make everyone turn to them. The reason for Fiona's sudden act wasn't only attracting the guests' attention though.

In an instant, Theodore was by his lover's side, and Blanche had to bite her tongue to refrain from voicing her honest thoughts about Fiona. That woman truly intended to cause trouble for her just a moment after promising that she wouldn't.

Theodore scanned his lover's face and spoke up with worry in his voice. “Did something happen?”

Before Blanche could correct his assumption, Fiona already began speaking. “Your Majesty, I swear that I did not have any intention of provoking Lady Blanche. I only wished to ask about her necklace, and my words must have been phrased poorly. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Anger rose in Blanche's stomach, and she tried to keep her annoyance from being apparent on her face, but she was sure that she failed. She definitely needed to clarify the situation, or her opponent would gain an advantage. If Fiona wanted to continue this facade, Blanche could play along as well. If there was one thing she was good at, it was pacifying Theodore. She made eye contact with her lover and pouted. “Don't worry, Theo. This just seems to be a misconception. Lady Lamont believes that she somehow insulted me by mention some rumors, and I couldn't convince her otherwise. Even after I requested for her to stop, she apologized multiple times. I am not even sure what about her words should have made me angry.”

The emperor visibly relaxed at that but seemed to understand what his lover was hinting at when she mentioned rumors. “Is that so? Well, then we can end this quickly. Lady Lamont, you do not have to feel bad in the slightest since Lady Blanche isn't upset.”

Fiona immediately changed her approach and put on a soft smile. “I'm relieved. I would have been heartbroken if I had somehow offended her. Thank you for generously ignoring my mistake, Lady Blanche.”

The concubine made a rejecting gesture with her hand and faked a grin as well. “You are giving me more appreciation than I deserve. After all, Lady Lamont always exhibits perfect conduct, and your words are without exception carefully chosen.” With this, she had also implied that Fiona had been aware of the effect her remarks would have and voiced them nevertheless.

Fiona didn't point that out and just made a small curtsy. “You are flattering me too much. Naturally, I am giving my best when meeting the esteemed guest of His Majesty.”

Despite the women's innocent words, Theodore had become aware of the hostile atmosphere between the two. He stared at his lover for a moment before turning to the Duke of Lamont. “It would be reassuring if all conflicts were actually based on miscommunication. We hope that the rest of your evening will remain pleasant. Please do enjoy yourselves. We might see each other later again, but we will have to greet the other guests now. Goodbye, Your Grace.”

The duke returned similar words, and then the rest of the groups said their farewells too. It was finally over. Now Blanche just had to find a way to go back to her corner. But as always, she didn't seem to be lucky.

After that, Theodore led Blanche and the empress to the other guests. While they approached the families with the most influence first and then slowly moved on to the less powerful ones, Blanche tried to leave multiple times. But each one of her excuses and attempts to distance herself was recognized and stopped by her lover immediately. At some point, she gave up and stayed with the emperor. Aside from attracting everyone's dismay, which happened to have the chance of killing her later, she seemed to have gained a single advantage because of this.

She realized that Marquess Sefare had to have informed the emperor of his absence in advance. Theodore didn't even search for him but greeted the counts after addressing the other marquesses. That meant that she had written her letter for naught, but at least the rest of the evening wasn't as stressful as the first part.

The other nobles were less outspoken than the ones they had met already. Thus, the conversations were polite, and not much new information came up. For Blanche, this was way less exhausting, and she didn't doubt that it was the same for her lover.

The rest of the evening went by faster, and soon the first guests began to leave.

When only a few families of a lower rank remained, the emperor announced that he and his wife would withdraw. The last visitors said their goodbyes and prepared to return to their carriages as well.

The royal couple exited the ballroom through the grand double door that they had used to enter as well. Since Theodore had asked her to, Blanche joined them his time even if she disliked being so close to the royal couple. If she was unlucky, this would end up causing problems in the near future just because her lover hadn't allowed her to leave through the other door. But as always, she didn't have much of a choice when Theodore kept his eyes on her the whole time.

Blanche tried to be graceful when she took the last few steps out of the ballroom and ignored how everyone stared at her back. She would definitely not forget this ball any time soon. Her lover had made sure that all nobles would remember that the emperor had suddenly taken his concubine along to greet them. She wasn't sure why he had done that, but she was glad that it was over.

As soon as the wooden doors closed behind her, a big amount of pressure lifted off Blanche. She had overcome the ball without throwing a tantrum or being involved in a scandal, aside from accompanying the royal couple. Still, it felt like everyone had observed her with suspicion anyway. Though the worst part had been dealing with the Duke of Vasquez and Fiona, simply feeling this many eyes on her had made her tense as well. Blanche let out a quiet sigh and stretched her back.

In front of her, Seraphina let go of Theodore's arm and stepped away from him while scanning the concubine with clear dismay.

Theodore didn't seem to care about his wife's mood. He turned around and approached his lover with a soft smile. “Events like this drain one's energy quite a bit, don't they? You did fantastic today, Blanche.” Honestly, the concubine often had been the reason that a gathering had become even more exhausting than it had already been. Theodore was probably relieved that she hadn't forced him to mediate in a conflict once again.

Blanche accepted that with a small nod. “Thank you. But I actually didn't do much.” Blanche's main activity had been standing there in silence and avoiding eye contact. The only accomplishment that she had achieved was shutting down Fiona's attempt at making her look bad.

Theodore just continued to smile at her as he reached out to pat her head while being careful not to ruin her hairstyle. “That's not true. You followed the protocol flawlessly the whole evening and ignored others when they didn't go along with it. You also didn't get angry at whatever Lady Lamont said. That was very mature.”

Blanche considered letting him believe that this was what happened. But she definitely wouldn't allow others to make her look bad in front of her lover. “Actually, there really wasn't a conflict. Before you came back, she said some strange things about our relationship, but I didn't have the impression that she was voicing them without being aware of their meaning. She only started to apologize when you returned. I think she wanted to make me angry on purpose. ”

The emperor frowned and held his chin for a short moment before responding. “So, you did refer to her normally perfect word choice on purpose. I wasn't exactly sure before. I'll keep this in mind.” He stared into the distance for a moment before the corners of his lips lifted. “But that also proves that you were prepared to ignore such a stupid attempt. You managed that well. I'm proud of you.” He leaned forward and gave Blanche a small kiss on her forehead.

The concubine's skin began tingling where his had touched her, and she beamed up at her lover. Being praised by him made her feel appreciated even if she truly hadn't done much. That much was already enough to make her forgive him for dragging her along, even though she would still like to know why he had done this.

Theodore opened his mouth to add something, but a person cleared their throat and interrupted him.

The empress had approached the couple and stood next to them with her usual stoic expression. “Your Majesty, I would like to discuss something with you. In private.” While she finished, her eyes stayed on the concubine for a second which made her intention clear.

Theodore couldn't keep his face from falling, and a trace of annoyance showed up on his features. But he didn't refuse his wife. “Alright.” He turned to his lover again and smiled at her. “Have a good night's sleep. Until tomorrow.” After the concubine had wished him good night as well, he strode over to the empress and followed her down the corridor.

Blanche's gaze stayed on them until the two figures rounded a corner. Even after they had disappeared from her field of view, she continued to stare at the floor and listened to their departing footsteps.

It was normal that the spouses would have conversations alone, but after gaining the books' memories, letting them be alone made Blanche feel unwell. Every interaction between the main characters could push the development of their romance forwards. If Blanche wasn't there to witness what they did, they could suddenly improve their relationship overnight, and she would have to accommodate to that without being prepared. Though she couldn't interfere either way, she would rather keep an eye on how much the story had progressed. But as long as Seraphina was upset, no romantic progression should happen anyway, right?

Blanche heard a noise and was ripped out of her thoughts. She turned her head to see Stella, who had left the ballroom through the smaller door and needed to walk a detour to come here.

“Did you have a pleasant evening?” The maid asked that, but she probably already knew that it had been stressful. By now, she could read her mistress' mood well.

The concubine nodded anyway. “There weren't any problems. At least no major ones. I can only say that Theodore shouldn't have done any of this. We unnecessarily caused a scandal. I would have been in a better mood if we could have gone without that and if I could have avoided a few people.”

Stella gave her an understanding gaze. “I can imagine that. Did someone act inappropriately? You were with His Majesty, so everything should have been fine, right?”

Blanche waved in the maid's direction. “We can go back to my chambers already. I'll tell you on the way. But Theo taking me along only caused more problems than we already had.”

The women moved through the corridors while Blanche narrated a simplified version of her interactions with the three dukes and their relatives. Naturally, she left out any information that she couldn't have without the novel and only explained that she didn't like Evelyn, Claude, Luciano and Fiona because of her instinct. Still, she told Stella about how she should be careful around these people and their families while keeping her voice quiet to not let any outsiders eavesdrop.

The maid furrowed her brows more with every uncomfortable situation she heard about which made Blanche feel like she wasn't overreacting. That was calming. Maybe some people around them were really as unpleasant as she thought them to be.

When they reached their chambers, Stella helped her mistress dress into a nightgown. They still talked a little about Evelyn, who would unfortunately become the concubine's teacher, while the servant undid her mistress' hair.

Blanche didn't look forward to the lessons with Evelyn, but they probably wouldn't be as bad as she had previously thought. After all, Evelyn wouldn't drop her act so quickly since she hoped to impress the emperor which she couldn't do if she upset his lover. As long as the concubine ignored the fact that Evelyn was a child murderer, she should be able to endure seeing her a few times. Blanche didn't have much time to think about that though.

The concubine only realized how tired she had become when she began yawning while she spoke. She quickly let her body fall onto the bed. She was barely able to dismiss her maid and pull the blankets over her body before she fell asleep already.