When Blanche affirmed that she wanted to know about the fight with a nod, Theodore let his head fall back and eyed the ceiling as he contemplated how to start his story. “I can't blame the empress for being disgruntled after the incident with Duke Vasquez. He seemed to have made it his task to upset her, and while she hid it at the ball, she was deeply affected by it. You saw how she asked me to follow her, and she was annoyed at the point already. It only got worse later. She began with giving me the usual lecture about how I am spoiling you too much and how I always let you get away with whatever you do.”

Seraphina wasn't exactly wrong, even if she definitely didn't judge the concubine objectively either.

Theodore lowered his gaze again and rested his chin on Blanche's head. He let out a drawn-out sigh before continuing. “Normally, she voices her concerns calmly, and I can argue with her. But yesterday, she was fuming. Even though she had said that it was fine for you to accompany us before, she was boiling, and that made everything worse. Her wording was less smooth, and she dismissed my responses by saying that you have me twisted around your little finger. After a while, I became irritated as well, and the discussion got a little louder and more heated than we both would have liked.” He lifted his head to look at his lover again.

Blanche wanted to stay quiet, but she couldn't help but speak up here. “She gave you permission to take me along? What do you mean by that?”

Her lover gave her a little smile. “I meant what I said. You seemed like you were rather dejected yesterday, so I wanted you next to me. I obviously informed the empress of that before. She said that it was alright with her.” His smile faded again. “Apparently, she lied about that.”

The concubine could just listen to that with utter confusion. What kind of ideas did her lover have? He couldn't just take another woman with him during a ball because she had looked sad. But she would lie if she said that she wasn't the slightest bit happy about it. Theodore cared more about her than about some stupid rumors. That was both calming and worrying thanks to her dependency on the public's opinion.

Theodore stroked over her head for a moment before he continued his story. “In any case, the empress then expressed that she was discontent with your disregard for nobility's conventions. I commented that you did wonderfully at the ball, and she refuted that. When I asked her for an example, she said that I ignored the rules as well when I allowed you to address me with my nickname in public.”

Blanche frowned at her lover. Seraphina had put great emphasis on that topic just now as well. “Really? She said the same thing to me.”

“I thought so.” Theodore was more than annoyed while he explained that. “She seems to be keen on bringing this up at every opportunity. You've always called me by my pet name, or my full name, in public. You never use my title, which is good since I don't want anything else. And you have done this for over a year. Thus, it won't matter to anyone at this point in time. I told her this, and she scolded me for being too lenient. After that, I became more short-tempered and insisted that if I, as the emperor and the concerned person, didn't have a problem with your form of address, no one else should be able to complain.”

He paused and narrowed his eyes as he remembered the past day. “I also said that you are my lover and that this is something between the two of us. So, she shouldn't concern herself with it. This made her even angrier. For some reason, that topic really seemed to upset her, though I have to admit that my choice of words was pretty harsh too. But whenever she hints that I shouldn't treat you the way I do, I get too upset to respond nicely. Unfortunately, the empress doesn't know when to give up and kept bothering me. This went on until I declared the conversation to be over and stormed out of the room.”

It wasn't surprising that Blanche hadn't heard anything despite the tumult the royal couple had created since the palace was huge. Still, she was unsettled by the fact that the main characters had had such a long and emotional interaction without her knowledge. She really couldn't be sure of how close they had become as long as she didn't keep a close eye on both.

In this case, she was lucky though. The fight surely hadn't let the romance progress but rather worsened the main characters' relationship.

And once again, the concubine had been the reason for the quarrel. This seemed to be the case more often than not. In the novel, there hadn't been more than a couple of discussions about political topics between the spouses, while the rest had been about Blanche and how her presence insulted the empress. Naturally, Theodore was upset because of such fights. He hated arguments more than anything else, and yet, his lover had caused one once again.

Blanche averted her eyes as she murmured her apology. “I'm sorry.”

Theodore seemed to be taken aback by that. “What? Why would you have to be sorry?”

Blanche avoided his gaze for a moment and only turned to him when she responded. “You hate fighting, and still, you had a quarrel with the empress because of me. Once again.”

Theodore gently moved one of the strands of her hair away from her face as he leaned closer with a serious expression. “That's not your fault. The empress and I actually argue very often, and you only notice it rarely. Often you do come up, but I feel like the empress only talks about you when she doesn't know what else to criticize. Her and my opinion on some fundamentals of Artias' political system and economic growth differ, which obviously leads to discussions. Since both of us are pretty stubborn and refuse to back down, those discussions often end in arguments. We know that this is a flaw we both have, and the day after the fight, we have forgotten about it already. But today, she made me really angry by disregarding my direct instructions. She approached you with her problems despite me telling her to stay out of our relationship for the dozenth time.”

Blanche was aware of the fact that she shouldn't feel satisfied upon hearing that the spouses were fighting, but she couldn't help it. That Theodore didn't get along with the heroine yet proved that she still had some time until the main characters would fall for each other. Surely, this wouldn't change the future developments that the novel predicted. The concubine had already witnessed one of the scenes of the book's first chapter, which meant that the story would slowly gain momentum, and she knew that. But until then, she could enjoy her time with her lover and work on shaping her future. That thought unknowingly made her smile.

Theodore paused for a short moment before he finished his story. “And this is also why I will give you a piece of advice.” He looked deep into Blanche's eyes and continued. “Since she is the empress, you should obviously show her the respect that is due to her. But...” Theodore held his lover's chin between his hands and made another pause so that he could be sure that she was listening carefully. “She can't do everything she wants just because she feels like it. You don't have to do more than being polite. You don't have to accept it when she treats you unfairly. Remember that I am the most powerful person in this country. If an emergency or even just a little problem arises, don't hesitate to call me.”

Blanche grabbed her lover's hands and pressed her lips into a line. He was doing it again. He was telling her that she could act freely and fulfill all of her desires with his backing. “Aren't you giving me too much leeway? She is the empress, and I am a concubine. You shouldn't allow me to defy her.”

Theodore shook his head and then stared into her eyes again, with his confusion about her sudden change of heart being apparent on her face. “I'm not saying this to make you doubt her status. She is without a doubt the most influential woman in this country. But she is still a human being. Though she normally is composed and an exemplary diplomat, when it comes to you, she can't seem to disregard her own emotions. If I wouldn't argue with her about that regularly, I wouldn't know how emotional she can get at all. Whenever you are involved, she is unnecessarily strict and doesn't use objective standards. But just because she holds a powerful political position, she can't treat you badly due to her unrestrained whims. If you feel like her actions aren't justified, you don't have to silently accept that. Should you oppose her on your own, she might see it as impudent behavior towards her. This is why you can involve me. I will gladly mediate or simply stop the fight after seeing which of these options is necessary.”

He still judged the situation from a personal point of view. He currently saw Blanche as innocent and was irritated by the fact that Seraphina despised her. If he had been a witness to the many times that his lover had provoked, offended or even directly insulted the heroine, he would understand his wife.

The empress had a reason to resent her husband's mistress, and his disregard for her feelings probably fueled her rage. Seraphina was the actual victim of the concubine's behavior, as one would expect from the heroine who faced the villainess.

Blanche had to admit that she still couldn't bring herself to like the other woman, but she had to accept the fact that she was the evil one, no matter how strange that felt. Something else was much more important than that though.

She needed to keep an eye on Theodore's stance. On the one hand, it relieved her that her lover trusted her this much. That didn't only prove that he truly cared about her. It also showed her that it was likely that he wouldn't condemn her in the future as long as she didn't harm the people around her.

And yet, all of this could change in an instant. The villainess had been completely discarded by him in the end with no one on her side anymore. As fast as Theodore had decided to take her side, he could become convinced that she was the guilty party if he lost his trust in her. When the novel progressed, he would find out how vile his lover was, fall for Seraphina and thus, be willing to support the empress in any of her endeavors. Then his concubine as his wife's nemesis could quickly become his enemy as well, which would put Blanche in danger of being executed like in the original narrative.

Right now, Theodore was deprived of his understanding of judgment because of his love for Blanche and saw her as innocent, no matter how often she threw tantrums. When he would become infatuated with the heroine, this would apply to their relationship too, and he might disregard all rational thought to aid his wife. Even if that included ordering the execution of his previous lover.

This was why Blanche's concerns outweighed her relief upon hearing that he trusted her fully. Still, she put on a smile and pressed her face against his chest to keep him from spotting the doubt that was showing on her expression. “Thank you.” She mumbled her response and hoped that he would let the topic be.

Theodore pulled her closer and stroked over her head while he began speaking again. “You don't need to thank me for that. It's logical that I will always support you. Why were you in the library anyway? Did the empress order you to come here?”

Blanche turned her head to the side to answer. “No, we met on accident. I noticed that my ink was almost used up and wanted to get more. The empress was already working at the desk when I came here.” She loosened her hold around her lover's body and glanced at the table.

The emperor mirrored her motion and scanned the items that were lying on the wooden surface. “She read up on Northern Ocrea, huh?” He stared at one of the books on top of the stack. “I wanted to search for a book about that country too. Though I planned to concern myself with that matter next week and not today. I only wanted to search for the most important works because I had some free time.” Theodore's gaze returned to his lover, and the corners of his lips lifted. “After that, I wanted to visit you, but it doesn't seem like I need to guess where you are running around anymore.”

Blanche's eyes lit up as she stood up on her tiptoes. “How much time do you have? Do you still have to do something today?”

Theodore held her waist and shook his head while grinning at her. “No, my whole afternoon and the evening are free.”

Immediately, a beam spread across Blanche's whole face, and she bobbed up and down a little. “Really?” A nod assured her that her lover would stay with her for the rest of the day. It had been a long time since he had been able to accompany her for this many hours in succession without needing to postpone any of his duties. That made her ecstatic before she knew it. “What do you want to do? Or do you just want to sit down and talk?”

Her lover seemed to be just as enthusiastic as she was while he replied. “Cuddling while enjoying a hot cup of tea sounds nice, doesn't it?”

She nodded in approval. “I will ask Stella to prepare it right now.” At the thought of her maid, Blanche froze for a second.

The servant had been sent to wait at the door by Seraphina, but the empress had left through the entrance, where Stella should have stood. Why hadn't the maid entered after the other woman disappeared?

The emperor tilted his head slightly and gave her an inquiring look, which quickly made Blanche explain.

“The empress dismissed Stella earlier. She should be by the door, but I don't know why she hasn't come back yet.”

“Well, then let's find out.” Theodore took her hand and led her to the entrance.

Blanche glanced over her shoulder to the books and papers that were still sprawled across the desk and slowed down. “Shouldn't we ask someone to clean the table? The next person to sit down there will have a hard time working when so many things are lying around.”

Theodore scanned the desk before shaking his head. “The only one to use this desk is the empress anyway. I have my office, and most others don't have to write so much that going to the library would be necessary. Besides, she would probably get angry if she came back and all of her work materials were misplaced.”

Blanche agreed with that and followed him to the door. When they stepped into the corridor, Stella awaited them and bowed upon seeing the emperor. Apparently, the maid had just been patient, which meant that Blanche had worried for naught. That was relieving, even though there had never truly been a danger.

The group returned to the concubine's chambers, and Theodore and Blanche sat down at her table. She then requested her maid to retrieve green tea for Theodore and fruit tea for herself from the kitchen. When the servant left, the emperor's gaze stayed on Stella until the door was shut.

Only then Theodore turned to his lover with a serious expression. “Do you like her?”

The question caught Blanche by surprise. “Do you mean Stella?” She waited for a nod before replying. “Yes, I do. I'm glad that she is my maid. Stella is very friendly and always finishes her tasks without any problems. I enjoy talking to her too. So, yes, I like her a lot.”

Theodore smiled after hearing her answer. “That's good. It doesn't sound like there will be a problem, but should you be unhappy with her services, tell me.” He made a longer pause this time. “I also wanted to make sure whether you were alright with having only one maid since I can't remember asking you about that.”

The concubine didn't take long to respond this time. “I'm fully content with Stella. Having more servants would actually make me feel uncomfortable. Since I get along well with Stella, it's fine with her, but having even more eyes watching me the whole time would be odd.” She really didn't know how Seraphina could endure being followed by so many people.

The empress had three servants, and the head maid also spent a great amount of time with her. Later she would also receive a loyal guard, and in the novel, she had employed Stella too. Why was having the attention of this many people on her not annoying to Seraphina? Though the heroine sent them away occasionally, that entourage was still around her at nearly every hour of the day. Having people to follow her every command might be helpful, but wasn't she stressed by all of that?

Theodore accepted Blanche's answer, but as always, he wanted to make sure. “Then it will alright as it is now. If you change your mind-”

The concubine had already been prepared. “Yes, I know. If I change my mind, I will tell you. But I don't think I will.” She cut him off when he tried to remind her that he would fulfill her desires as soon as she voiced them yet again. She wasn't sure whether he said those things way more frequently than before or whether she was simply paying attention to it now. In any case, she needed to get him to be more cautious with such statements, or she would end up being accused of manipulating him again.

The couple continued to chat about other topics until Stella returned with two cups of tea, which she placed in front of them.

Blanche thanked her maid and then dismissed her for the day. She didn't need anyone here to watch how she talked to Theodore after all.

The concubine was happy to see that her lover was relaxed for once since he wasn't under pressure while being with her. They spend the whole afternoon discussing different topics with rather light themes until the late evening. Theodore had ordered dinner to be brought to Blanche's chambers, and they ate at her table, so they didn't have to leave the room anymore. Usually, that was wonderful.

But today, that was exactly what worried her.

While Blanche was delighted by her lover's presence, she couldn't completely enjoy the meal with him. Aside from the constant fear of losing him, her mind was also accompanied by another concern.

Whenever Theodore had no appointments for the evening and the early morning of the next day, he would stay the night. This was something Blanche usually looked forward to. But now she wouldn't be able to bear being so close to him. Not with the knowledge that he would leave her and eventually give Seraphina the affection that he had previously offered Blanche. How could she be intimate with him when the image of him and the heroine crossed her mind whenever their eyes met?

She couldn't.

She would begin to cry as soon as she remembered that Theodore wouldn't give her his affection much longer. So, she needed to make sure that he wouldn't try to initiate contact. While Blanche ate, her gaze was trained onto her lover's face, and she quickly looked down as soon as he lifted his head. She took a few bites before she faked yawns and halfheartedly hid them behind her hand.

Her lover let out a chuckle when he observed how she struggled to keep her eyes open. “Is someone tired?”

Blanche nodded and yawned once more to emphasize her fake tiredness. “Yes... I am.”

The emperor grinned at her as he requested the servants to clear the table. The maids did their job and left the couple alone after that.

The concubine stood up and forced herself to move at a slower pace than she would have liked. “I'm going into the bathroom for a minute. I'll be right back.” She purposefully slurred her words a bit but wasn't sure whether it helped in making her seem exhausted.

“Should I help you?” Theodore gave her a cheeky smile.

She stepped into the bathroom with another yawn. “No, I'll hurry.” When the door closed behind her, she lost no time and changed into her nightgown as quickly as possible. Then Blanche left the bathroom again and plopped down onto her bed in an exaggerated motion.

Theodore stood next to her for a moment and watched how she buried her face in the pillows. Then he announced that he would change too and left her chambers to retrieve his sleeping clothes, which allowed her to sort her thoughts alone.

Blanche propped her chin up on her palms and stared at the headboard of her bed. Her situation was like a double-edged sword. While she could shape her fate into a more favorable outcome, she couldn't interfere with the part that hurt her the most. She could survive, but she was unable to keep Theodore and his love. She let her head hit the pillow again, and her fingers grasped the blanket tighter. Despite her telling herself to avoid thinking about inevitable events, her mind always seemed to drift towards this conclusion. Betraying her own emotions wasn't an easy task, and she couldn't keep herself from giving in and pondering about the dreaded outcome for long.

She cursed the author for creating a bratty character whose only goal was opposing the heroine. The villainess was doomed to suffer to satisfy the reader's thirst for revenge after her evil deeds. But why was a happy end unachievable even when she didn't harm Seraphina? She was trying to change herself and treat others with compassion, so shouldn't she also gain the chance to become happy in the end? Did this world simply hate her and wanted her to fall into ruin because of that?

Blanche had to admit that she understood why almost everyone had disliked her as a character so much. By now she had realized that her original personality had been too proud and spoiled many times and accepted that. Still, going through her actions in the novel, especially in the second half, made her question how she could behave so maliciously. Her mind had to have been infested with jealousy, otherwise, she couldn't imagine wanting to hurt and even kill innocent bystanders like Seraphina's child.

The door opened and closed again. She peeped over the pillow and watched how her lover approached the bed and lay down next to her.

“I'm surprised sleep hasn't taken you over already.” Theodore smiled at her in a manner that made her stomach tingle.

Blanche moved over a little to make more space for him, but he quickly pulled her back to him. She replied while giving her best to sound drowsy. “Not yet. Though it was close.” She leaned her head against his chest and felt how he spread out the blanket above their bodies.

Theodore stroked over her scalp once before he whispered into her ear. “So tired already? Too tired for anything else?”

Her heart skipped a beat as she shook her head lightly. “I'm sorry, I just-”

“No, it's fine. You know that I won't do anything when you don't want it. Having a good night's rest is important too.” Theodore paused as he put his arms around her. “It's been a while since I was able to stay the night without needing to storm out of the room before you wake up. I really work too much.” He let his head sink onto the pillow. “I look forward to summer vacation. Even though it's only due in half a year.”

Blanche vaguely noticed that she was dozing off slowly. Pretending to be exhausted had made her tired after all. That made her daring enough to ask for what she wanted. She whispered to him while barely expecting a response.“Will we go to the sea this year, like you promised?”

Theodore pressed a small kiss onto the backside of her head. “Of course. I can't ignore that you have never seen the ocean. We will go there together.” At least if he still wanted to spend time with her then.

A half year seemed like such a long time in which everything could change in the blink of an eye. The novel was able to take everything away from Blanche in these six months. The original story had taken place in a time span of about a year, which meant that the main characters would already be halfway through their process of falling in love during the vacation. The spouses would already show romantic interest in each other, and the only hindrance would be the concubine.

Blanche pressed her lips into a line before she replied. “Don't forget that you promised.” She really wanted to stay with him for longer than six more months.

Theodore quickly reassured her. “I won't forget. How could I when I promised my angel? But let's sleep now before you become unconscious in the middle of the conversation.”

Blanche nodded and closed her eyes before wishing him a good night as well. Within seconds, she drifted into a deep slumber.

That night she dreamed about the emperor and the empress sitting together in the pavilion. Seraphina was cuddling against Theodore while he stared into the distance and said something to her. That made the empress lifted her head to kiss him. At that moment, the concubine wanted to run towards them to stop the couple, but her feet wouldn't budge until the very end.