Surely, the gods had to hate her. No one could be this unlucky.

Blanche asked herself how unlikely it was that she had met Luciano Vasquez the one time that she left the palace but found no response.

Luciano was the son of Duke Vasquez, who opposed Theodore. He was a love interest to the heroine and hinted to be an antagonist later. At the last ball, Blanche had made the conviction of avoiding him, but it seemed like most of her plans didn't work out the way she wanted them to.

“Lord Vasquez, what a coincidence it is to see you here.” She stepped away from him and made a curtsy.

Luciano had regained his composure as well and put on a smug grin that was much like his father's. He bowed down and returned the greeting. “It really is a surprise to meet you outside the palace, Lady Blanche.” He turned his head to the sides and scanned the streets for a moment. Then gazed at the woman in front of him again. “Aren't there any guards accompanying you?”

Blanche probably shouldn't admit that she was here without protection in front of the emperor's enemy. So, she replied as calmly as possible while trying not to panic. “There are guards here. They are merely hiding to avoid me standing out, which is why you can't see them. I just wanted to go out for a short time, so you needn't worry.” By now she regretted going out already though. She had to get away from this man quickly, or her rather secure visit would end up being problematic.

Luciano crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows as he observed her reaction to his next sentence. “His Majesty doesn't know that you are here, correct?” He sounded like he was scolding a child, and he wasn't so wrong about this claim at all.

The concubine raised her hands in a rejecting gesture and glanced to the side while she hurriedly began to give him an excuse. “He does! The guards are waiting for me. It's just-”

Luciano shielded his eyes with a hand for a moment before lowering it again and scanning her expression in detail. He raised his chin slightly while he replied “You don't need to lie to me. It's quite obvious that His Majesty wouldn't let you go out on your own. I don't want to prevent you from having fun, but being alone in the capital is reckless. Not only do you not have any knowledge about the layout of Esora, but you could also get into trouble. While the city is generally safe, that doesn't mean that there aren't any criminals here.”

“Well...” Blanche started, but she doubted that Luciano would listen to her. “This is a city, not a battlefield. There are many more citizens running around here alone, and they didn't get in trouble. Besides, I am very much aware of where I need to go.” Her gaze wandered around the surroundings, and when she saw no one that looked like a guard, she became a bit more confident. She crossed her arms in front of her chest to mirror Luciano's posture and refuted his words. “You're alone here as well, aren't you? So, it's fine for me too.” Her confident expression was quickly wiped off her face when he shook his head.

“That's not true. I'm not alone. The carriage with my servants and a guard is waiting for me behind this intersection.” Luciano pointed to one of the street signs. “Besides...” He pushed his cloak to the side to reveal a sword that was strapped to his belt. “I can defend myself in an emergency. Not to be impolite, but I doubt that Lady Blanche carries a weapon that she can use against a group of bandits with her.”

The concubine was at a loss for words. She didn't have much to say to refute his reasoning. He was right about her not having cautious enough. She hadn't considered that someone might have the intention to harm her at all. “I...hadn't thought about that.” She let her arms sink and scratched her wrist while evading Luciano's gaze but tried to explain why she was still sure that her visit hadn't been too risky anyway. “However, as I said, this is a normal city. You shouldn't expect anyone to randomly attack-”

Luciano cut her off without the slightest bit of hesitation. “That you were unprepared is not much of a problem, so you don't need to justify your reasoning. I won't scold you like His Majesty would. Thankfully, nothing happened, but we'll have to make sure that it stays this way. I'll bring you back to the palace.”

A small “Huh?” escaped Blanche's lips before she could stop it. She didn't want to accompany that man.

Luciano should be well aware of that, but he just looked at her as if she had said something strange. “Is something wrong?”

After keeping her mouth shut for a moment, Blanche responded quietly. “Do you mean you want to bring me back now?”

“Naturally. It's only unnecessarily dangerous to leave you here alone. That you managed to come all the way without being harassed by some lowlife is almost a miracle A delicate, young noblewoman, who walks through the streets alone and is unfamiliar with the city, is a great target if you want to gain money fast.” Luciano gestured towards the velvet pouch, which she grasped in her hand. “Especially if she carries it around with her this openly.”

The concubine's gaze followed his, and she clenched her fingers around the pouch more tightly. He was right again. At least to some extent. In reality, the more wealthy parts of the city were safe. That was the only reason she had come here on her own and was sure that she could stay here for a few more minutes too. At this point in time, she didn't want to go back. She hadn't located any helpful stores and also hadn't found a present for Seraphina. So, she looked up again and spoke with as much confidence as possible. “I came into the city to find a gift for Her Majesty's birthday, but I have no clue what I should give her. This is why I can't leave before finding inspiration.”

Blanche hoped that this excuse could help her. As long as she entered a random store in a moment, Luciano would finally disappear, right? Wrong.

Luciano raised an eyebrow inquiringly. “Isn't Her Majesty's birthday only in two months? You still have many other opportunities to find something for her. Though if you insist on going now, I can accompany you to secure your well-being.”

She didn't want that either. This man was the son of Theodore's enemy, so she had no interest in spending a lot of time with him. He should feel the same way. Thus, his friendliness made her skeptical. This could lead to unpleasant questions if other aristocrats were to notice them together, and exploring the capital wouldn't be fun when he trailed behind her either.

Blanche scanned the man for a moment before coming up with an excuse. “No, I don't want to inconvenience you any further. I will search for an appropriate gift later. While I am extremely thankful for your offer, I don't need to be brought back. I'll go home on my own now.” She would only need a few minutes to return to the man with the cart, so that should be fine. She tried to turn around and walk away, but her explanation was completely ignored.

Luciano put on a serious expression and spoke up with determination when he stepped into her way. “I apologize for my boldness, but I have to insist on escorting you in any case. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen because of my negligence. I will not give in regarding this matter. If you wish to stay here, I will accompany you until you decide to go back. Your safety is much too important for me to agree with your reckless decision.” That bastard. A glimpse of resolution showed on his face and convinced Blanche of the fact that he wouldn't give in.

Blanche put her hands onto her hips and glared at the man for a moment. After a few seconds of silence in which neither one of them budged, she gave in though. Inwardly, she wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but she put on a small smile. “I see. If Lord Vasquez is this determined, I will gladly accept your courtesy.” Only because he wouldn't leave her alone so that she had no choice, but it was still frustrating. There was no way that Luciano could hurt her when they were in the capital, where people would inevitably see them leave together, but she had to swallow her reluctance nonetheless.

Luciano bowed his head for a second while he answered. “No, it's the duty of every young man in noble society to protect others in need of help. I'm honored because you are allowing me to assist you. Then will you let me guide you to the carriage?” He gestured towards their destination.

Was this really going to be it? Blanche would give up now if she needed to go home without gaining anything. She looked over her shoulder while trying to catch a glimpse of the stores. She hadn't been lucky today. Could she still attempt to gain one advantage despite that? She glanced at Luciano. She didn't trust that man at all, but if she asked a harmless question, he could surely answer, right? Admittedly, she was more than reluctant, but she still forced herself to speak. “Pardon me, Lord Vasquez. Are you perhaps aware of any pawnshops that are located around here?”

As expected, Luciano couldn't respond politely without bothering her. Instead, he looked at her in confusion. “Why do you need to know about that? I doubt that His Majesty makes you pay rent. Does he not gift you enough-” He could spare his breath.

Blanche cut him off while trying to sound as kind as possible. “Why I wish to visit that store is not important. Do you know whether one is around here?” If so, she needed to go in and ask whether it was possible for her to exchange jewelry for money at any time even when she was in a rush to run away. Not that she would ever need that with how keen she was on staying with Theodore, but then she could at least tell herself that her visit here had had a purpose.

Luciano blinked at her a few times, but for some reason, his surprise seemed more fake than anything else. He acted like he was so innocent while definitely having ulterior motives. “I do know where one would be. I could bring you there if you wish to go. However, it will not help you much.” That didn't sound good. “Due to the huge amount of people that committed fraud during the past months, the pawnshops came up with a new rule. They will only pay a very small amount of money without confirmation of your identity. If you wish to ask for more than just five gold coins, you will need to name your household and address. I do not want to be impolite, but Lady Blanche is neither part of a well-known noble family nor will the people here accept the royal palace as your home unless you bring proof. So, unless you have an official letter by His Majesty, you will not be able to win much here.”

Damn it. The rules had been changed in the past year. Theodore's permission was the one thing Blanche couldn't get. Did that mean that she could forget selling her jewelry even if there was an emergency?

Seemingly.

Well, she hadn't planned on running away anyway. If Blanche was honest, she knew that she would never leave her lover even if she was swimming in money. That she was so stuck to Theodore seemed like the typical trait of a villainess, didn't it? In any case, this meant that she could give up on finding a pawnshop then.

Luciano didn't seem to notice that the other party had lost interest and quickly spoke up again. “If Lady Blanche requires money and His Majesty won't give it to you, I could lend-”

“No.” Blanche only noticed that she had been a bit too harsh in her tone after saying that. So, she forced herself to put on a bright smile. “Thank you very much, but I don't need anything. Shall we go to your carriage then?” She hoped that changing the topic would save her.

Apparently, she was lucky.

Luciano looked like he was rather skeptical, but he agreed. He led Blanche into the street that branched off behind the intersection. He hadn't lied when he had previously stated that his servants were waiting there for him. There were two men and a knight, who greeted their master and the concubine without daring to ask questions.

Luciano approached the carriage and offered Blanche help while she climbed up the steps below the door, which she ignored. He followed her and took a seat on the bench across from her. After he gave one of the servants an order, the coach began moving. The roads close to the city gate were less filled now, most likely because it was midday and the citizens ate dinner with their families.

As they left the capital, Blanche was in a horrible mood. Going out hadn't helped her at all. She didn't have an idea for a gift nor had she been able to find any old places that reminded her of her family. She had only run into one of the countless people she should avoid. This was just typical for her luck, wasn't it? She glanced out of the window. Just then, her gaze fell on the old man who had brought her here. She quickly turned to Luciano and asked him to stop. She pointed to the man. “This is the person who let me ride their cart on the way to the city. We agreed to meet in the afternoon so that he could drive me back. I need to tell him that he can leave now.” She intended to jump out and possibly try to use that chance to ride back by cart instead, but the duke's son stopped her.

“You don't have to do that.” Luciano signed towards his attendant and asked him to bring the news to the old man.

The concubine was slightly annoyed that she didn't get to leave on her own accord, but she tried not to focus on that. She felt bad for having made the trader wait the whole day for nothing, so she handed the servant three more gold coins before he hurried to his destination.

The old man listened to that servant's narration, accepted the money and looked up to smile at Blanche while he waved. She returned the motion.

The servant came back after a minute, and the ride continued.

The difference between this carriage and the old cart became obvious quickly. The little bumps of the tiled roads were way less noticeable, and this vehicle moved much faster, which was thanks to the trained horses that had probably costed a fortune.

Blanche wasn't comfortable with any of this though. She hated the fact that Luciano was with her and only trusted him enough to let him bring her home because of the servants that surrounded them and the citizens that had seen them together. Thus, she had hoped to be able to stay quiet until the end, but she wasn't that lucky.

After a while of silence, Luciano took out a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. He handed it over to the concubine, who took it with a questioning gaze.

She unfolded the scrap of paper and was met with an address that was unfamiliar to her. She glanced at the man sitting in front of her, and he gave her a carefree grin.

Luciano explained himself quickly. “This is the jeweler that my family has been visiting for years. He creates stunning accessories with great skill and takes on custom orders too. You said that you still require a present for Her Majesty, and I believe that this store could give you some inspiration. Maybe you will even find a fitting gift there. Though you will not be able to sell anything for money there either.”

Blanche scanned the address again while trying to hide her anger upon realizing that Luciano knew what her plan had been. “Thank you for your suggestion. I will look into it.” She was unsure whether the pragmatic empress could be pleased with jewelry, but since she had no starting point, she might as well try it.

After that, Luciano seemed to make it his task to bother the concubine as much as he could. He continued to initiate small talk during the rest of the ride, which was rather uncomfortable.

Blanche tried to show him that she wasn't interested with curt responses, but that didn't help much. Luciano seemed to be a stubborn person, much to her dismay.

Even though the carriage ride felt like torture, they reached the royal estate earlier than she had expected. Luciano got off the coach to help her while she followed him out.

Blanche immediately looked around. They were on the side of the royal estate that was close to the servant's quarters. This meant that no guard would bat an eye if carriages came here, unless someone stepped too close to the walls. The few conveniently placed trees would even give her enough protection to move back to her destination. This would work out perfectly for her. Logically, the concubine didn't wish to inform Theodore of her trip, so she would have to enter through the secret passageway again without anyone else being here. She just had to walk around the wall until she found the correct spot and then return.

This wasn't possible as long as Luciano was watching her though.

Blanche turned towards him and smiled to be polite even if she was actually pretty annoyed. “I'd like to thank you for the ride.” At first, she wanted to stop after that, but then it dawned on her that she was now indebted to him. So, she added another sentence. “I troubled you today, and I apologize for that.”

Luciano's face still showed the same smug grin as before, which unsettled the concubine a bit when he replied. “I appreciate your kindness, Lady Blanche, but you do not have to thank me. As I said, it was an honor for me. However, if you wish to reciprocate my help, I do have something I would like to ask of you.”

Blanche froze as she fought the urge to take a step backward. She neither wanted to do anything for this man nor did she feel comfortable listening to his possible request. She feared what he would voice now, but as the words left his mouth, the pressure fell off her again.

Luciano actually didn't demand anything problematic at all. “Please be more careful in the future. You shouldn't put yourself in a possibly dangerous situation for no reason. Just take a few guards with you, and I'll be calmed.”

The concubine nodded but felt like he was exaggerating at the same time. Why did he care whether she was safe? They were enemies. “I will listen to Lord Vasquez's request, but I doubt that I am in much danger when I go out into the city. It's not like there are people trying to hurt me in particular. I'm not that special.” She smiled and wanted to end the conversation there, but she didn't get that chance.

Luciano let out a chuckle, which made her interrupt herself. Somehow, he suddenly had a different aura than before. His smile was a bit smaller now, and the emotion blinking in his eyes certainly wasn't joy. “I fear that there is a group of individuals who wish to harm you, Lady Blanche. And your appearance doesn't make it hard to spot you.” He leaned down to the concubine and lifted one strand of her hair before letting it fall.

Blanche almost slapped his hand away as she took a step backward. She glared at him while already being prepared to yell to lure in the royal guards. “What are you doing?”

Luciano still stood at the space he had occupied before, but now he seemed to be serious instead of acting like he was making fun of her. “You stand out like a flare. Have you ever seen someone with similar hair? I haven't either. Now think about it. Everyone in the capital heard the rumors about His Majesty's lover. You might believe that everyone around you is stupid, but any person that isn't completely clueless can put one and one together and realize that you are His Majesty's precious treasure. There are enough nobles who would be glad if you came to harm, and if you you run around alone, that gives them the chance they need to take that matter into their own hands. Do you want to be hurt so badly? I don't think so. Maybe you are just too dense to fully understand the position that you are in.”

Luciano's voice had lost its light tone a little with every word that he had spoken. At the same time, his smile had faded, and his eyes showed a seriousness that didn't match his normal behavior at all. He actually wasn't threatening the concubine, but his words almost made it seem like he was hinting at that.

Blanche took a step back again. She was about to turn around and run away to attract the attention of some royal guards, but then it stopped.

In an instant, Luciano seemed like a lever had been switched. His grin returned with the carefree mood in his voice. “You're His Majesty's beloved, so you should take care of yourself a little more, alright? You aren't even cautious of me. I would never dream of harming you, but others aren't as courteous as me. Don't just trust anyone you meet. You can't afford to scar your pretty little face. Besides, His Majesty might not want to see you spending time with other men. You should pay attention to that too if you don't wish to upset him.” He lowered his volume so that he was barely audible to Blanche, even though she only stood a few steps away from him. “But Sefare hasn't reminded you to be careful about that, has he?”

A shiver ran down the concubine's spine as she balled her fists and narrowed her eyes. Of course Luciano would know about her past and about how Sefare had taken her in and used her. That was obvious, but he had still caught her off guard, which was even worse considering that Blanche hated that fraction of her life. Theodore's enemies still saw her as their tool. She needed to make them understand that she wouldn't fulfill the role they had come up with for her quickly.

Her reaction made Luciano let out a quiet chuckle before he resumed while talking louder than before. “Well then, it's time for me to return home. I hope to see you again soon, Lady Blanche.” He turned around and left without giving the speechless woman an opportunity to sort her thoughts or respond. Luciano climbed into the carriage, waved his hand once and drove off to leave the concubine alone with the tension weighing on her.

Her intuition had been right about him. Luciano was a two-faced person, who resembled his father in more than just his appearance, and would most certainly become a threat to the main characters later. It almost seemed like he had enjoyed scaring her. And not just that, he also knew too much.

While Blanche had considered the possibility that the Duke of Vasquez and his son knew about her connection to Sefare, hearing Luciano speaking about it had left her behind with an unorganized whirl of thoughts in her mind. She needed to cut ties with Sefare as fast as possible.

If that was even possible despite her already being caught in a sea of lies.

She tried to calm herself by breathing in and out slowly as she watched the coach becoming smaller as it followed the path from the palace to the city. When she managed to tear her eyes away from the horizon, she tried to look as inconspicuous as she could as she looked around.

It almost felt like she was following a routine when she approached the wall and moved alongside it until she found the hole. After ensuring that none of the guards were watching her, she climbed inside.

As Blanche squeezed herself through the passage and stood up inside the royal property without alerting the knights, doubts rose inside her. Was the palace really safe if a person could just come and leave whenever they wanted?

Though a few seconds after Blanche had stepped onto the stone-path, a pair of guards were passing by. That calmed her a bit but not completely. If she wasn't sure that no one except for Seraphina would find this pathway and that this hole could help her and the royal family if they ever needed to leave secretly, she would inform Theodore about it immediately. To be honest, Blanche might even ignore that this was one of the heroine's special places if she just felt a splinter of doubt regarding her enemies knowing about this. She would make sure to listen to rumors in that regard in the future.

She glanced at the bush which covered the hole skeptically one last time before brushing off her dress in case that any dirt had ended up on it and walked back to the palace.

The meeting with Luciano hadn't been exceptionally pleasant. But it could have been worse, and otherwise, nothing awful had happened. This made Blanche uncertain. Normally, she didn't have this much luck on her side. She didn't quite trust the calmness as she returned to her room. Some part of her expected that a knight had observed her and that Theodore would call her to speak about her unauthorized journey, but nothing like that happened.

Blanche stayed in her chambers for the rest of the day without moving from her spot. The rush of seeing the city had already ceased to adrenalize her, and now she was lying on her bed without anything to do. She wanted to avoid thinking about Luciano, so she focused on nicer things instead. She looked forward to Stella coming back so that she would have a person to talk to again and could ask about the other's vacation.

Engaging in a conversation might have helped Blanche with staying awake too. The decrease of excitement made her eyelids fall shut, and her soft bed tempted her even more. It took a great amount of self-control to not fall asleep, but as the knock on the door made her flinch, her tiredness vanished.

Blanche immediately jumped up and rushed downstairs.

The uncertainty of whether Theodore had somehow learned about her journey kept her fully awake at the dinner table. But he didn't address such a topic. Instead, he was loving like always and gave her three kisses before returning to his office again.

Blanche only breathed out in relief after she wished him a good night and closed the bedroom door behind her. Hiding something from Theodore made her feel unwell, but she didn't have a choice if she didn't want to lose her escape route. Still, Luciano's words had planted some doubt inside her.

Storming off into an unknown territory where she was unprotected from harm hadn't been a smart decision, even if she was rather certain that the streets of the capital weren't full of bandits. She accepted that someone as unlucky as her shouldn't test fate. Even though she hadn't been able to fulfill her initial goal of exploring the city either, she made the resolve that she would ask for Theodore's permission the next time and go out with a guard.

But she would still keep her emergency escape route as long as she could be sure that no one but her and Seraphina knew about it. The main character's plot armor should protect even such an obvious route, so Blanche probably didn't have to worry too much about that.

Before the concubine went to bed, she returned the few gold coins she had left into her wardrobe. Then she took out the note that Luciano had given her, read it once more and put it in a drawer of her desk. She didn't trust that man, but visiting a jeweler and looking at his work could be helpful in her search for a gift for Seraphina. So, she would consider seeking out the address in the future if she really didn't have any own ideas.

That was the last thing Blanche really did that day. She merely washed after that and then got changed into her nightgown before letting her body drop onto her bed.

Like this, a long and exhausting day went by.