Angelica and Darlene were kneeling on the fountain's ledge and splashed each other while letting out muffled laughter. Blanche heard how Stella informed the guards that these were members of the staff and not a threat, but she focused on the women instead of the conversation.

At this very moment, Darlene seemed to lose their game and jumped up. “Do you know how cold it is? My clothes are all wet.”

Angelica's smug response was accompanied by a laugh. “Well, it was your idea to meet here, wasn't it? Don't blame me.”

This prompted Darlene to complain again. “Yes, but I didn't think that you would win. I'm drenched! What if I get a cold now?”

It was hard to tell from a distance, but it looked like Angelica was grinning at her lover's playful indignation. She lifted her arms and stretched them forward. “Aw. That would be terrible. Come here, I'll warm you.”

Darlene moved closer to her but didn't touch her yet. “Really? You'll freeze too, you know?”

Angelica still didn't change her mind and kept her arms up. “Not if we take a nice and hot bath together after that.”

“You convinced me.” Darlene dove in the other woman's hug.

Angelica let out a screech at the sudden coldness but didn't push her lover away. “We're going to have to bathe quickly. You're colder than I imagined.”

Blanche felt a small grin forming on her lips. The interaction between these two was so adorable that she didn't want to take her eyes off them, but she had intruded into their privacy for long enough. “We shouldn't disturb them. We'll take a detour to our destination.”

Stella and the knights nodded at that and were preparing to rise without making a noise when a new voice cut through the silence.

“May I ask what you two are doing here in the middle of the night?”

Angelica and Darlene let go and practically jumped away from each other as they noticed the arrival of another woman. “Gloria! Why are you... We were just, we weren't...” Angelica stuttered, which made it seem like she was genuinely worried.

Gloria, who approached the fountain with a serious expression, scanned the two of them before speaking. “When I ask a question, I like to receive a coherent answer. Would you care to try again? Why are you in the garden acting like children when you should be asleep in your chambers?” The maids lowered their heads for a short moment, which was enough for Gloria to become impatient. “Well?”

Darlene refuted the other's words, but her statement was made with too much uncertainty to across as convincing. “It's not forbidden to leave our rooms at night.”

The head maid wasn't impressed by these words either. She crossed her arms, which caused the atmosphere around her to become even more intimidating. “It's not. Unless it affects your ability to fulfill your duties, which it-”

“Doesn't!” Darlene interrupted her, but Gloria paid no attention to her objection.

“Does. I received multiple complaints about you two specifically. I have been informed that you are neglecting your work in favor of fooling around numerous times now. It wouldn't surprise me if lack of sleep is the reason for your dwindling attention during the day.”

Angelica hurried to refute that. “That's not it at all! We don't go outside at night often. This is the first time that we have done so in ages. We aren't failing to complete our tasks either. We always finish whatever you told us to do.”

Darlene had collected herself while her lover spoke since her voice was filled with much more confidence than before. “Exactly! Harris is the only one who said something like is, isn't he? He can't stand us, so obviously, he would lie to get us in trouble. If you'd ask anyone else except for that bas-”

Gloria cut her off with a hand motion. She pinched the bridge of her nose and remained silent for a moment. When she did open her mouth, her voice was layered with disappointment. “I do not understand why you keep blaming him whenever he brings your faults to my attention. Harris isn't the bad person that you want to portray him as. He is one of the most reliable and ambitious servants in the palace, and it pains me to hear that you see him as your enemy despite his kindness over and over again. He offered you help multiple times, didn't he?” She sighed. “Yesterday, I warned you to not neglect your duties in the future anymore, and you promised that you wouldn't. And one day later, you forgot about that and try to pin the blame on another person.” Angelica and Darlene attempted to speak up, but Gloria ignored them. “I've been lenient for long enough, and this is how you repay me? I don't wish to do this, but you leave me with no choice but to punish you.”

Blanche didn't like where the conversation was heading at all. It sounded like Harris had put another one of his despicable schemes into play to harm the maids' reputation. Normally, Gloria was a reasonable person, but she tended to take her personal feeling into account while making decisions as the head maid. Was Harris truly manipulative enough to get her to rely on his words alone before initiating a punishment?

If that was true, Blanche had underestimated him. To her, Harris had seemed like a skilled actor that managed to gain the favor of his superiors and colleagues. He used to stir up trouble with the people he had chosen to be his victims while being treated like the innocent party. Though apparently, he didn't stop at annoying them and had much more control over others than she had believed.

However, her pondering about that topic wouldn't save her friends.

Without even coming up with the words she wanted to say, Blanche rose onto her feet and stepped out from behind the bush. “There you are! I was already worried.” She paused with fake surprise when the three women turned to her with shock. “Oh, Gloria. What are doing here so late? Are you taking a walk too?”

The head maid took a few seconds before recognizing the concubine and glanced behind her to where Stella and the knights were still standing. “Lady Blanche, did you just...” Gloria shook her head and met the other's gaze. “That doesn't matter... I certainly did not expect to meet you here. Good night, Lady Blanche. Isn't it a bit late to take a walk?”

Blanche forced herself to smile as she stepped closer to the lanterns. “No, it's the perfect time. I wouldn't be able to see the stars otherwise.” The confusion of the head maid's face cleared up at that explanation, but the concubine didn't give her a chance to reply. “I just passed by and couldn't help but overhear what you were saying. I understood most of it, and it made me wonder what seems to be the problem here.”

Gloria blinked at that before putting on an even more serious expression that was barely containing her dislike for the other party. “I do not wish to offend you, but this is a matter of the staff. You do not have to concern yourself with this as we will deal with any problems so that they won't inconvenience you.”

If it was anyone else, Blanche would stay out of this. She had to avoid conflict, so it wasn't good to antagonize the heroine's friend. But the concerned people were her friends, so Blanche had to take this risk. She should be able to deal with this, so she insisted. “But it does concern me when you plan of punishing servants for something that isn't their fault.”

That made Gloria's face even colder. “With all due respect. I have been gaining experience in my position for years now and am well aware of what I'm doing. I would never take disciplinary action against someone who is innocent, and I won't accept such accusations.” It seemed like Gloria was rather short-tempered when someone criticized her work, and when the concubine was the one doing it, she was even more irritated.

But Blanche hadn't expected anything else. For this reason, she hadn't declared that the head maid didn't have evidence for her claim except for an unreliable statement by a servant, who was known to take joy at others' misery. Instead, she was a bit more subtle. “I never said that. I merely wanted to inform you that these two might have been unable to fulfill their duties for the last weeks because of me.”

Angelica's and Darlene's eyes widened as much at this as Gloria's did. The head maid was taken aback by these words and only managed to utter a small question. “What? Would you care to explain?”

Blanche was quick to elaborate her excuse while being careful not to lie too much so that it wouldn't be obvious. “During the last month, I started baking a lot and met these two in the kitchen. I like them, so I personally requested their assistance whenever I needed something that required more people than Stella. They spend a lot of time following my orders, and if I remember correctly, a guest's demands are to be met immediately. Naturally, they had to neglect other tasks to do that. This is why you shouldn't blame them but me instead. I apologize for that.” She might be lying about the rest, but a part of her statements was correct. After all, the servants had sat at her table often whenever she baked, so she had claimed some of their time. This meant that her explanation was close enough to the truth.

“They attended you?” Gloria spoke with a frown and glanced at the maids, who were just as confused as their superior.

Angelica regained her composure before her lover and quickly nodded. “Yes, Lady Blanche requested our presence rather often.”

The head maid still didn't seem completely convinced or willing to let this matter go. Her face returned to the aloof mask that she always wore, but her frustration at the concubine's meddling obviously shone through the cracks of her facade. “I see. However, that does not justify them being outside instead of sleeping so that they can make up for the tasks that they couldn't finish.”

Blanche interrupted her. “Actually, it does. In their free time, they can do whatever they want. But even if you have a different opinion about that, it's still justified that they are here. Because I asked them to. I wanted to stargaze, but I don't like the darkness very much. So, I wanted to have as many people with me as I could. As you can see, we are quite the large group.” She gestured to her companions, who had positioned themselves next to her during the conversation.

For a moment, it looked like Gloria would disregard her words. But then the head maid closed her mouth and nodded. “Alright. In that case, I will choose to forget what happened today. Though I would appreciate it if Lady Blanche would allow the servants to get their rest in the future. They already work the whole day, so the night should be theirs at least.” She didn't sound as discontented as Blanche had expected her to be. Maybe she did have some sort of sympathy and was relieved upon not having to punish the maids. “I, for my part, will return to my chambers now. I wish all of you a good night.” When the others replied quietly, Gloria took her leave and disappeared into the palace.

Instantly, Angelica and Darlene rushed to Blanche's side. Darlene looked over her shoulder to confirm whether Gloria hadn't come back unexpectedly while she spoke. “Thank you. I thought that she was going to cut our pays into halves for sure.”

This statement painted concern onto Blanche's features. “She can do that without evidence? Just because that idiot told her that you were working too little?”

Noah, who had come a bit closer by now, chimed in at that. “I fear that the head maid can decide over any servant's salary without being forced to name a reason at all.” Blanche turned to him, and he resumed with his explanation. “She is allowed to grant bonuses when someone impressed her with their contributions. At the same time, she can dock their pay for every mistake if she believes that it will encourage them to work harder. This is why it's so important that a person that the emperor trusts can acquire this position.”

That seemed unfair. Why would someone have to forgo the money they earned just because another person decreed that they should?

Blanche pressed her lips together while listening and quickly spoke up when Noah finished. “What if servants disagree with that decision?”

Stella was the one to reply. “They could send in a complaint to the steward, and he would investigate the matter if he deems it to be important. But in most cases, he backs the head maid's decision.”

Blanche put her hands onto her hips. “That's a stupid way to handle the staff's problems. Don't you have basically no chance of objecting if Gloria tried to harm you?”

The following silence was enough of a response.

Until now, Blanche had been convinced that the servants were treated well inside the palace. They earned more than they would anywhere else in the capital, had a secured source of income, were provided with housing and food and would be given a part of their original salary until their death. But it actually seemed like they weren't in a very favorable position at all. Most of the staff members had a lot to do but still needed to be prepared to serve the emperor at any moment. At the same time, they had to clean hundreds of empty rooms almost daily, and personal attendants only were allowed to have two weeks of vacation in a year. Apparently, the servants were also dependent on their superiors' goodwill and had no choice but to rely on that if they wanted to receive their wages.

Blanche couldn't help but utter her complaint at that. “Someone should change that.” Should she ask Theodore to think about this? Probably not. It would be a bit audacious if a person like her, who had no idea how to manage a household, suddenly made demands like that. Especially when the emperor was already drowning in work.

Angelica shook her head in response to the concubine. “It's been like this for a decade, if not centuries. Suddenly changing the hierarchy in the palace would only create chaos. Besides, there aren't many incidents in which servants are punished anyway, so you don't have to worry about us.”

Blanche kept quiet after that, even though she still hadn't budged on that matter. No matter how much the maids justified this concept, it was actually pretty unfair. She knew that she had no clue how any of this worked, but even she could point out issues like that, so it seemed like the system here was quite flawed.

Stella appeared to notice that her mistress was lost in thoughts and addressed her to pull her back into the present. “Since the issue is resolved now, we should take a look at the stars. That is what we came here for, right?”

Blanche wanted to drop the subject since she was well aware that she had no deeper knowledge about any of this, but she couldn't help it. “The issue can't be resolved if Harris keeps slandering these two. Today, I could interfere, but there is no guarantee that I'll be able to do the same in the future. I know I told you to ignore Harris last time, however, I didn't know that his lies were actually endangering your positions as servants here. Aren't you going to get him back for that somehow?”

Angelica meekly looked to the ground while Darlene spoke up. “I would love to, but we have no way to do so. Everyone is on his side. For the whole time he worked here, he managed to make all superiors and colleagues, except for us, George and Stella, like him. Even Clark was a good friend of his at the beginning. They had a fallout with each other just a year ago, and he only witnessed Harris' true personality after that. If we tell others about his insults, they won't believe us and think that we are trying to badmouth someone who doesn't deserve it. That would destroy our reputation, not his.”

Blanche didn't know how to respond to that. Was there truly no way to reveal how confrontational Harris was behind his fake smile? And why could she swear that Harris wasn't such a bad person at all? He was clearly horrible. But for some reason, a part of her wanted to believe in him.

Apparently, Angelica saw the gears turning in the other's head since she stopped her. “Please don't let that bother you. We already spent months agonizing over this topic and haven't come to a conclusion, so we decided to simply accept it. The less we try to fight back, the less amusement he will get out of playing with us. He'll leave us alone eventually.” If that was the only way to deal with such a problem, the outlook was rather depressing.

Blanche was left with no choice and dropped the subject after saying one more thing. “Tell me when he does something, no matter what it is about. I will get involved if necessary.” She doubted that this stance would help her while avoiding conflict, but at the same time, she couldn't stand by in case her friends were ever punished unjustly. Protecting those that mattered to her was important enough for her to make an exception from her rule of being invisible. She was in the right, so Theodore would help her in an emergency anyway.

The concubine would have liked to reassure her friends about this a bit more, but the maids insisted on not wishing to ask this of her and ended the conversation. She was left with no choice, so she allowed the others to pull her along to the backside of the labyrinth to finally focus on stargazing. When they reached that spot, she lifted her eyes to the sky, and once again, all thoughts were washed away by the breathtaking sight that the firmament offered.

Thousands upon thousands of little lights twinkled in a sea of ink, and she was rendered speechless for a moment. The small noises of awe of the servants around the concubine proved that she wasn't the only one that was impressed by something that was way too beautiful to be there every time the sun set.

Blanche didn't know how long they stood there below the night sky until she began yawning. She lowered her gaze and met Noah's, who was looking at her with a soft smile.

The guard promptly spoke up. “Are you tired? In that case, it might be best to return to your chambers. The stars won't run away.”

Blanche agreed with a nod, and they headed back to the place, except for Angelica and Darlene, who stayed by the labyrinth and intertwined their fingers as soon as they believed to be alone. The group entered the palace and passed through the corridors while ignoring that the eyes of all the guards that were following them. They were the only interesting thing in the otherwise empty halls, so they couldn't complain about that.

At the entrance to Blanche's room, they stopped for a moment.

The concubine turned to the knights and gave them the brightest smile she could muster in her tired state. “Thank you for accompanying us. It was a beautiful night. You made it possible for us to enjoy the stars to the fullest. I felt very safe in your presence.” Another yawn interrupted her, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth.

The second guard replied, and this time, his politeness seemed to be more sincere than during their first conversation. “We were honored to join you, Lady Blanche.”

That man's smile faded in comparison to Noah's bright one, which made the concubine want to trust him with her life. It was no wonder that the heroine's protector would have that aura. He only underlined that by speaking even more. “We have to thank you too. This short trip was without a doubt the most delightful experience that we had for some time. Though I have to admit that I didn't look at the stars much. We had to make sure that no threat was near after all.” Even Noah's voice sounded so calming that she could almost fall asleep on the spot.

Blanche barely managed to mutter her response. “That's unfortunate. The stars were the most enchanting thing about our trip. We'll have to repeat something like this in the future so that you can see them properly.” When she yawned yet again, she realized that it was time to go to bed, and apparently, Noah did as well.

He smiled at her like that again while he replied. “Gladly. You should rest now. Good night, Lady Blanche.”

Stella took her mistress' arm and carefully led her inside the room, while the concubine turned back to reply.

Blanche followed her maid but lifted her arm to wave. “Good night, Noah.” She only noticed that she had messed up when the man's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Obviously, her knowing his name despite him never introducing himself would startle him. But she was lucky enough to get away in time.

Stella closed the door behind them before he could say anything. “My Lady, I didn't know that you were acquainted with him.”

Blanche was too tired to come up with an excuse as she plopped down onto her bed and lay down. “I'm not. I just heard his name somewhere.”

“I did too, actually. Many people talked about him since he showed very promising results during the knights' training, but I didn't know that-” Stella cut herself off, most likely because she had noticed that her mistress was already unable to comprehend what she was told. Then she resumed in a quieter voice. “Good night, My Lady.”

That was the last thing Blanche heard before falling asleep.