The maids, who had previously stood next to the table motionlessly, now approached the guests one after the other and filled their cups. It only took two minutes before a servant reached the concubine and listed the available flavors.

Much to Blanche's dismay, no tea with fruit taste had been prepared. She adored tea and had it daily, but she clearly favored the sweet kinds over the classical ones. She held back a dejected expression from appearing on her face and chose the green tea which sounded like it wasn't as bitter as the others and thanked the servant as the maid left.

As everyone around her began to drink, Blanche lifted her cup and observed the liquid with slightly narrowed eyes. Hopefully, it wouldn't taste bitter like the last time that she had been forced to settle for green tea. She reminded herself to hold the cup in the position that Leon had shown her and took a small sip. Immediately, she placed the cup onto the table again and focused all her energy on not grimacing when the bitter taste clung to her tongue. It appeared that she had decided on the wrong flavor, but she couldn't simply leave the full cup untouched. She would have to finish at least one cup, or it would be disrespectful towards the host. However, asking for another flavor without touching the first one also wasn't regarded highly.

Blanche's eyes wandered to the sugar that was standing in the middle of the table. She could take it, but others would definitely see her movements and direct their attention to her, which she needed to avoid. Sweetening green or black tea certainly wasn't part of the table etiquette and would seem odd to the guests. Apparently, she would have to gulp down the liquid despite the bitterness.

The concubine stared at the tea and told herself that she two hours to finish one cup. She could take very short sips and pause in between. But before she had a chance to attempt drinking more, a voice called out to her.

“Is the tea not to your liking, Lady Blanche?” Fiona spoke with a face that appeared concerned at first glance. From directly in front of her, however, one could see how the corners of her lips twitched. Her volume had been louder than it was necessary for the concubine to hear her, which had drawn the attention of some other noble ladies towards them.

Almost all the women at the table gazed into their direction while trying to seem inconspicuous by sipping their drinks or looking away occasionally.

Blanche grasped the porcelain a little tighter while holding back her annoyance. “No, the tea is as mouth-watering as Her Majesty promised. I just happened to have lunch before the party, which I regret now. I won't be able to drink much.” She kept her response in a lower volume and could almost see how the people around them were perking up their ears in expectation of entertainment. She surely wouldn't grant them that.

Lucille surprisingly chimed into the conversation as well. “Thankfully. We already feared that the tea might be too bitter for you, but that would make you quite sensitive.” Her attempt at imitating Fiona's sugary insults succeeded in terms of her word choice, but her weak voice didn't make it sound very intimidating.

The concubine still found it irritating that everyone wanted to trouble her for seemingly no reason, but she couldn't show that. She demonstratively took a sip from her cup and replied. “It's true that this is a little tart in comparison to the tea I consume normally, but it is nice to have a change sometimes.” Saying this was pretty hypocritical when the liquid almost burned on her tongue.

A moment later, Selena inserted herself into the discussion too. “In your age, I only drank overly sweet drinks as well. When you mature more, your taste buds will accommodate to other flavors, so I am sure that you will also enjoy green tea in the future.”

A frown came onto Blanche's face before she could prevent it. Being called young and inexperienced with the intention to offend her was actually a new insult. Normally, she was regarded as a useless, arrogant seductress, who had no worth without the emperor's favor. She opened her mouth to respond but was stopped.

In that very second, the empress raised her voice so that all the guests could understand her. “Have there recently been any occurrences in the capital that you wish to share? I am curious to hear what you have experienced during the last year.”

The concubine directed her gaze at Evelyn and let out a deep breath when that woman didn't speak up to slander her.

Instead, a few other noble ladies began narrating more or less interesting stories. The fear of the people at the border to Northern Ocrea and the fall of house Besseta were addressed curtly. But most of the stories were light-themed anecdotes of their husbands and children. For a short time, the event was as relaxing as Seraphina had wanted it to be until Sophia had revealed how she planned to call her baby depending on its gender.

After everyone had praised Sophia for her choice, the Duchess of Vasquez also asked for permission to talk, which she received. A beam spread across her face, and for the first time, it didn't appear fake in the slightest. “A week ago, I had an appointment for an examination with our doctor. We received the joyful message that I am pregnant. It seems like I'm in my third month. My husband and I are extremely excited, and Luciano looks forward to meeting his sibling as well.” Selena put her hand onto her stomach and caressed it while the noble ladies let out noises of surprise.

While the birth of a family member of the emperor's opponent wasn't a euphoric event for Seraphina, she still put on her flawless smile. “Congratulations, Your Grace. The baby will grow up in wonderful company, so it will without a doubt become a virtuous person in the future. May the gods be with them and keep them safe and in good health. I will inform His Majesty so that he can bless his cousin in the future too.”

Certainly, Theodore wouldn't be overjoyed at the prospect of the Vasquez family growing even more, but he might have to force himself to congratulate them either way. After all, the duchess was his mother's sister, and even though he despised the dowager empress, he couldn't deny his relation to her.

As Selena thanked the empress, Evelyn began to stir. That gave Blanche a bad premonition that was proven to be true by Lady Lemares' words. “It is such a coincidence that two of the noble ladies from the capital have been blessed with children at the same time. The gods seem to be generous this year. Could this possibly also raise the chances of the birth of a royal heir in the close future?”

The concubine froze at those words, and everyone around her did the same. Judging another household's childlessness was frowned upon already, even if most aristocrats did this behind closed doors. However, feeling entitled to criticize the royal bloodline was close to the most presumptuous thing one could say. How could Evelyn, who was educated in more rules than the greatest part of the present people, make such a mistake? Could she truly feel so safe because her niece was the empress? Or had she done this on purpose?

Understandably, a deep frown was etched into Seraphina's features as she attempted to deescalate the situation. “Lady Lemares, I know that you had no treacherous intention, but still, you are invading in matters that do not concern you.”

At the very least, Evelyn should have realized that she had overstepped her boundaries now. But she added another bit with an expression of fake surprise on her face. “I did not mean to offend Your Majesty. I wasn't asking this because of bad intentions but because I am an aunt. I only wished to inquire whether my sister could look forward to having another grandchild soon, so if my question has been insolent, please ignore it.”

The Duchess of Duremont, Elaine, raised her voice after this as well. “We will not hold it against you, but please be more careful of your words.”

In response, Evelyn apologized once more and kept quiet, but the seed of curiosity had been implanted into everybody's minds. The women's cautious gazes directed at the empress were impossible to ignore, even if none of them voiced their thoughts. Evelyn had managed to make them keep this topic in the backside of their heads, and even though no one could blame Seraphina, the heroine's reaction had fueled this.

If the empress had calmly explained that she and Theodore were taking their time, most people would have been satisfied, but cutting the conversation off had the opposite effect. Now the damage had been done.

The unnerving silence was only broken when multiple small discussions emerged across the table after an uncomfortable amount of time.

After letting out a sigh, Blanche drank some of her tea. By the gods, this was unpleasant. She could only hope that this topic would be forgotten soon. She wanted to go back to her room.

Despite the strange atmosphere, Fiona began talking to Lucille while still watching the concubine. “It sounds like it might still take a bit until the royal family grows. Her Majesty doesn't seem to be ready to have a child at this point in time.”

Lucille nodded in approval before an uncertain smile grew on her lips. She looked like she hated herself for it, but she spoke up nonetheless. “You're right. But that doesn't mean that His Majesty can't have an heir in the close future.” Her eyes locked onto Blanche, which perfected the innuendo.

The concubine's eyes widened, and she felt a pang in her stomach that made her throat dry up. A cold shiver ran down her spine, which almost made her tremble despite her cheeks burning up with shame. Everyone knew that she was Theodore's lover, however, officially she was merely a woman living in the palace. As long as the emperor hadn't revealed their relationship to the public, the nobles couldn't talk about it unless they wished to deeply offend the royal family, especially the empress. Why was Lucille doing this? Did everyone really want to see the concubine in shock?

Blanche barely managed to sort her thoughts as she pressed out her response. “Lady Valerian, this is not something you should say. People might misunderstand.” She whipped her head around to reassure herself that no one else had heard Lucille. But what had she expected? She was never lucky.

Despite Lucille's low volume, all sounds seemed to have faded into absolute silence. Blanche didn't dare to move when she realized that all the guests were staring at her. Stiffly, she turned her neck further to meet Seraphina's gaze.

The empress was upset.

This was the only correct way to interpret Seraphina struggling to keep her composure. Describing her expression and body language differently was impossible. Her shoulders were visibly strained, and her fingers dug into her cup with so much force that her hands lost some of their color. Her jaw was clenched and closed shut while she bore her eyes into the concubine with murderous intent.

Blanche sank into herself and hugged her waist as she lowered her head to focus on the table. Why was the heroine angry at her now? She hadn't made such a careless comment, but the one who had, Lucille, wasn't met with hostility.

The following silence only served to thicken the tension in the air that began to feel like a sharp knife cutting into her flesh.

Selena cleared her throat and broke through the quiet as she started to talk. For a moment, the concubine was the most grateful she had ever been and turned to the duchess, who attracted all the eyes now while speaking with a smile. “After thinking about it more, I also have an addition to the news in the capital. As you have probably all heard, the most skilled artist on this continent is called Erneis. Recently, my husband has begun to speak of the man in glowing terms. Aside from the portrait of the royal couple, Claude also admired the stunning beauty of another work, which he had found in the palace. Not long ago, he joined a discussion with His Majesty and the ministers in His Majesty's office.”

The dread came back with full force. Blanche understood what the duchess was referring to. A part of her wanted to interrupt Selena, but wouldn't that draw even more attention to the subject?

A glance to the empress proved that the other woman was well aware of where this story was going as well. Nevertheless, Seraphina didn't stop the duchess and kept her neutral expression, even though a catastrophe was approaching.

So, Selena continued without anyone interrupting her. “There, directly next to His Majesty's desk, was a portrait of him and you, Lady Blanche.” She smiled at the woman next to her. “My husband couldn't quit talking about how gorgeous it was and how perfectly Erneis had captured your emotions on the canvas. He was describing it so vividly that I can imagine it in front of my inner eyes without even having to try. Naturally, I am disappointed that I most likely won't have a chance to see it in reality. Well, maybe someday. Anyway, my husband and I are considered engaging Erneis to draw a painting of us since he is such a genius.”

Blanche wished to disappear into thin air. No other person dared to speak up, which left the party in complete stillness once more. She drank the rest of her tea in one sip, and this time, the taste paled in comparison to the dim atmosphere.

It took a few seconds before the empress addressed one of the less powerful noble ladies and asked her about her daughter's engagement. The other woman stuttered a bit at first but then gushed about her future son-in-law. This enthusiasm saved the party from ending in a total nightmare for Blanche, but it was still quite close.

If requesting permission to leave early wouldn't amplify the weighting of the rumors that would unmistakably spread in less than a week, the concubine would have retreated into her chambers already. Sitting in the crowd that desperately attempted to keep a conversation going to avoid falling silent again made her want to run away, but she didn't listen to her desire. She didn't dare to move or utter a single word. She stayed frozen in place until Selena turned to her.

Duchess Vasquez had put her hand to her cheek to emphasize her worried frown. “Have I perhaps said something wrong? I did not mean any harm with my comment. Nonetheless, everyone seemed so startled to hear about the picture.”

The concubine pressed her teeth together to hold back the growing anger that was bubbling in her stomach. Selena was well aware of the hidden suggestion behind her remarks. Lucille's words had been enough to sour the mood already, but at least they had been speculative. But this painting in Theodore's office really existed and proved that Blanche was an important person to the emperor. Only two months ago, she would have done anything to make the public recognize her relationship, however, now her life was at stake, which put pressure on her.

Seraphina had been embarrassed in front of the members of all noble families in the capital. There was no way that she wouldn't hold a grudge against her nemesis because of this, even if the concubine hadn't voiced anything herself.

While the Duchess of Vasquez was unaware of the severity of this situation, she had still put the concubine in a tough spot on purpose. She had definitely known about the reaction she would spark and intended to anger the empress by hinting that the emperor had a lover. What a treacherous plan.

Blanche replied while struggling to keep her fury from oozing out of her voice. “I'm sure that you didn't expect the other guests to respond like this, Your Grace. Nevertheless, you brought attention to an unnecessary topic, and many will misunderstand.”

Before Selena could open her mouth, Fiona chimed into the conversation. “I agree. We have all noticed that His Majesty cares deeply about Lady Blanche long ago. But revealing such sensitive information might cause people to come to a wrong conclusion. We should avoid casting a bad light on the royal couple and their harmonious marriage.”

Lucille nodded in approval and added to her friend's words. “It's impressive how calmly Her Majesty handled this uncomfortable situation just now. She seemed so unaffected by the insulting rumors that could spread in the close future. Her emotional control is flawless. She truly deserves to be our empress, don't you think? His Majesty couldn't have someone with the self-control of a toddler as his wife after all.” Why was she saying something mean while looking so unhappy about it? She was much too quiet to seem confident and looked rather uncertain, so her trying to draw attention to this matter made no sense.

However, no one pointed that out. The three women all stared at the concubine while expecting that she would become furious at that thinly veiled offense. But Blanche was too baffled to focus on that.

Had the others really seen the empress as calm just now?

Seraphina's anger had practically seeped out of her pores. She might not have raised her voice, but the coldness of a blizzard in her eyes hadn't been something the guests could overlook.

Maybe Blanche had just witnessed the rage of the composed heroine often enough to identify the small indicators that remained invisible to the others. That was somewhat good and somewhat bad. On the one hand, she could easily use this to determine what the heroine was feeling. But then again, it also made Blanche worry much more often than it was good for her. Obviously, she didn't say any of that though. She ignored the people around her in favor of distracting herself. She reached into the middle of the table and put a macaron from the big plate onto her own. Then she carefully ate it as the other's eyes stayed on her.

When she finished, Selena spoke up. “I'm surprised by how quiet Lady Blanche is today. Normally, you are more talkative and the center of every interaction at an event.” That was a lie, but Selena continued without skipping a beat. “Are you bored with the party, or could you be feeling unwell?”

Now it was Blanche's time to shine. She straightened her back and put on the most polite smile she could muster. “Oh no, that's not it. I recently started taking etiquette lessons with Marquess Leonard Astame as my tutor. We've been making rapid progress, and I'm more educated in the field of appropriate behavior in noble society now. I don't believe that I won't make any errors, but my conduct should be acceptable in the future. I apologize for all times that I disregarded the conventions and rules in the past.”

Out of the three women, only Lucille was unable to conceal her surprise while the other two put on a smile and complimented Blanche on her improvement. Though their occasional praises of the empress' perfect manners revealed that they still intended to make the concubine look bad in comparison.

Despite Blanche's growing urge to leave and her keeping her composure no matter what, she was trapped in the conversation with her neighbors. Like this, she had to spend at least an hour.

When the first half of the party was finally over and the guests rose to separate into small groups, she finally got the chance to leave though. Blanche almost jumped out of her chair. “I will have to excuse myself for a bit. My legs have become tired of sitting, so I'll take a short stroll.” She needed to get away from all this gossiping, or she would lose her mind.

To her dismay, Selena stood up as well. “What a great idea. I hope you don't mind if I join you?” Why would she ask that?

Blanche forced herself to smile as she replied. She did mind, but a mere baroness rejecting a duchess was problematic. So, she gave in. “Of course not. Please feel free to accompany me.”

Selena saw that as her cue to act as if they were good friends. She approached the concubine and linked her arms with hers, which made Blanche stiffen. The duchess led the other woman away from the table. Slowly, they walked down a path that rounded around the labyrinth and wouldn't take more than a few minutes to follow.

For a moment, Blanche looked back and met the empress' narrowed eyes. Seraphina was definitely uncomfortable with seeing her greatest nemesis alone with a member of the family that was opposing the emperor. The concubine herself also wasn't happy about spending more time with the other woman though. She almost hoped that the empress would interfere somehow, but obviously, that didn't happen. So, Blanche was left alone with one of the many people she didn't trust.

As soon as the women had put some distance between them and the terrace, they walked around for a while. Blanche tried to focus on the flowers, but she had no chance to do that the whole time.

It only took two minutes or so before Selena patted the concubine's arm and began speaking. “Luciano told me about your meeting in the city. It was quite reckless of you to go out on your own. I'm glad that my son was there to bring you home safely. I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if you had run into a despicable criminal. Please, be more careful from now on.”

Blanche let out an embarrassed chuckle and scratched her neck with her free hand. “Thank you for your concern. I will definitely pay more attention to avoid such dangerous actions. And I would like to express my gratitude to your son once more. He didn't have to offer me a carriage ride and sacrifice his time to escort me back to the royal palace.” To be honest, she hadn't wanted his help either, so she didn't feel bad at all, much like she would still claim that the capital was rather safe to take walks in.

The duchess waved her hand around in the air before she responded. “You don't have to mention that at all. It's only natural to help others in need whenever you can. This has been a shared understanding of our family for decades. Anyway, Luciano spoke highly of you, so I assume that your exchange was a very pleasant one. What did you think of my son?” Posing such a question was unnecessary when only one answer was acceptable.

“He surely is a gentleman and very...” Unsettling. “Charming. You have raised an upstanding young man.” Blanche looked to the side. She still hadn't forgotten Luciano's sudden change of personality at the end of their encounter that had cast a shadow over their whole interaction. She didn't like that man.

Selena laughed, and the smile on her face widened. “Thank you. We are proud of our son as well. Though we're still hoping that our next child will be a girl.” She stroked over her belly and raised her gaze into the distance, where the terrace came closer again. “There is one thing I want to say before we mingle with the other guests once more.” She made eye contact with the concubine. Even though Blanche looked at her expectantly, she paused for a moment before she opened her mouth. “You did well during the last months. Their marriage is falling apart.”

As if Blanche was struck by lightning, she froze, which stopped Selena in her tracks.

The duchess tapped the other's hand again before she pulled the perplexed woman back to the crowd to end their walk prematurely. There she let go and left Blanche alone in her shock to join a chat with other ladies.

The concubine remained motionless in her position until she shivered and freed herself from her paralysis. After having no contact with Sefare in months, she had almost forgotten what goal they had claimed to want her to fulfill.

Breaking up the royal couple to become empress herself.

Naturally, the Duchess of Vasquez knew what her husband was plotting with the help of his followers. But actually addressing this in public, even if they had been alone at that point, was risky. What was Selena's intention in doing this? Was it to appeal to the concubine's ambition and greed to encourage her to cause more trouble?

Blanche's eyes followed Selena for a while before she shook her head and turned around to move to an empty side of the venue, only to bump into someone. Before she could even identify the person, the clashing of porcelain on the floor sounded through the air. A short glance to the ground made her realize that the other party had let go of their teacup, which was now splintered into countless shards that were spread across the stone.