Of course, Theodore would promise that she could punish every person that was ignoring her orders.

Blanche didn't truly have the intention of punishing anyone unless it became absolutely necessary, but she just nodded at Theodore's words. At some point, she would have to deal out punishments. In the past, there had not been the need for her to actually do something about people that didn't listen to her. But since she would become empress, she would have to ensure that people treated her with respect. It would be much harder to earn people's trust if she allowed others to look down on her. So, she couldn't do that. She would need to protect the dignity of the role of the empress. “I will deal with everything if it becomes necessary. Trust me in that regard.”

Theodore grinned at her. “I always trust you. No matter what it's about. I would blindly sign anything you give me.” That certainly wasn't good, but a complaint wouldn't do much. The emperor was too stubborn to change his mind about something like this.

Still, Blanche gave him a skeptical look. “So, I could cause a war with no consequences? Great. That makes you a very cautious and wise ruler.”

Her lover stroked over her head with a chuckle. “I felt like I needed to point that out. Just to remind you that Noah won't spy on you like he did with that woman. I only wish to secure your safety by putting another very competent guard at your side. I'm surprised that you didn't argue with me. Honestly, I would have expected that you would be surprised and that you would complain about being followed by even more people.”

That might have been the case a while ago, but Blanche was used to it by now. “I actually hope that I can use their great number to get them to stop following me at all times. If I get accompanied by five people, the hallways will feel stuffy even to them. Hopefully, I can always get two of my maids and possibly one of my guards to take a break.” She doubted it, and the expressions she was met with proved that. But she ignored them and focused on her lover. “And since I have two knights now, the both of them can switch occasionally to give each other free time. That means that Owen can be at your side a bit more often too. Then you finally have a guard as well.”

Theodore smiled at her. “Sure. Owen will officially be my guard again. I will only lend him to you.” One could call it that too, but in the end, this didn't mean anything. There hadn't been a point in time in which Owen had actually been called Blanche's guard. He was still the emperor's personal knight and yet clung to the concubine.

So, Blanche wasn't very impressed when she heard that response. “Theo, you can't fool me. Officially, Owen has been your guard from the very beginning. You don't intend on letting him return to your side, do you? You truly are too careless. What if you get hurt because he wasn't with you? Do you know what would happen then? You and he would be blamed for allowing him to leave your side. But I'm sure that you are aware of that. You just don't think that something will happen.”

Theodore was much more enthusiastic than he should be when they were still up against the dowager empress and the second prince. He didn't care much about whether he was safe or not as long as he was sure that Blanche wasn't alone. The concubine almost sighed at his confident grin while Theodore replied. “I'll manage. Owen is actually with me most of the time since I am always with you. And Leon is close to the office whenever I'm there. I can also defend myself well, so there is absolutely no need to worry. I will take care of everything without getting hurt. Believe me. I know how my enemies fight, so I can block every attack with ease.” He almost sounded too confident. But they both knew that their enemy had one fighter that could easily trouble the emperor if he got serious.

Blanche looked up at her lover and put her hands on his cheeks. “I know that you know what you are doing. But be careful anyway. I want you to continue living for a long time. That's why I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt. Take care of yourself. Surely, I will do my best to support you too, but there is only a limited amount of things that I can do.”

Theodore immediately leaned down to her, probably because he expected a kiss, which he also got a moment later. “As long as you are here, there is no way that I can simply leave this world. So, don't worry too much. I will stay by your side. I swore that to the gods and to you on multiple occasions. You can believe me. There is no way that I would leave you alone here.”

She really hoped that he wouldn't. After all, she wouldn't be able to move on if something did happen. And no matter how long Theodore stayed by her side and vowed to protect her, he was still human too. He could get injured and worse. That was why they couldn't let down their guard.

Not yet.

There were still two issues they needed to take care of. Duke Vasquez's trial and getting rid of the dowager empress and the second prince. If the couple managed to do that, they could finally stop worrying this much. Theodore had said that he believed that it wouldn't take much longer for everything to end, and slowly, Blanche began believing that too.

It somehow felt like something was happening in the dark without their knowledge. And that could be something good or something bad. If they mastered that danger and took care of their enemies by using that threat, they would be victorious and finally win after a long battle.

But if they didn't know how to react when the time came, they would be mercilessly swallowed by nothing but bitter defeat.

The day of Duke Vasquez's trial arrived shortly after that.

Theodore dressed in one of the most formal uniforms he possessed and left early in the morning along with Leon. It had taken him a while to decide whether he wanted Blanche to come with him. In the end, he had decided against it since he expected that talking about the events of the party at the Vasquez manor might scare her.

Blanche was actually glad that she didn't have to accompany him, mostly because she didn't know whether her family would be brought up. Theodore would probably mention them since he had promised to get revenge on the person that had caused their early demise. And in that case, the concubine would break down immediately and lose her temper if she had to look at the man that had murdered her beloved parents and her sweet siblings. She didn't need to witness that man's trial, so she didn't.

She relied on her lover. He would definitely bring Claude to justice.

But the more time passed without Theodore coming back, the more worried she was. When the emperor's carriage finally arrived when the sun set, she hurried to the entrance to greet him.

A wave of relief crashed over her when she saw that he was fine, but at the same time, she was worried. He looked tired.

The first thing Theodore did upon leaving the carriage was extend his arms toward her and pull her into an embrace when she dove into his arms. He buried his face in her hair while whispering to her. “It's done. We convicted him, and the two assistant judges and I signed the final verdict. We couldn't decide whether he deserves to rot in prison or get executed, so we'll do both. For now, he will stay here under Leon's care. Then he will be brought into a prison in the west, which is known to be one of the harshest ones in Artias, at the end of the year. There, he will spend the next decade. If he is still alive by then, he will get executed. We'll see.”

Blanche was content with that even if it seemed strange. Claude deserved that and much worse, so she was fine with him experiencing two very harsh punishments. “That's good. Did you find out about...my family?”

Theodore gently stroked her head and replied in a soft voice. “He did it. He bribed the people in the prison to ensure that the execution would be moved forward. He left the check there, so we could easily prove it. Everyone understood that he cold-heartedly caused the demise of a whole family for his own personal gain. That was one of the final nails in his coffin. The former owner of the prison also admitted to taking bribes to perform executions earlier. He will probably get a harsh punishment too. One of my assistant judges from this case works on all the crimes that that man is involved with. But Duke Vasquez himself was convicted of encouraging murders in over a dozen cases today.”

The concubine breathed out in relief. It was a bit strange that she was glad to know that the man that killed her family was the one that she had been suspicious of for a while now. She should just be sad and disgusted about having interacted with that person without having been aware of the truth. But she was way too contemptuous to think about that. She was just content with Claude being punished for hurting her family. Leon's treatment alone would be enough of a punishment, but Duke Vasquez would also go to prison, and then he would be executed. This was perfect. He would finally get a taste of everything that he had done to other people.

Blanche felt a lump form in her throat as she replied quietly. “Good. I want him to regret it.”

Theodore pressed a small kiss onto the top of her head. “He will. We'll make sure of that.” He lifted his head to look to the side as if he wanted the other person there to answer.

Leonard gladly did so. “Believe me, Lady Blanche, the prison guards' hatred is a scary thing. If perhaps some information about his crimes, which may be related to your family and the incident at the party, were revealed, many of them would dislike him a lot. And then they might not bring food regularly or get upset quicker if he complains. Don't forget that I'm also there to take care of him if there are problems. I think you understand what I'm referring to. In the future, you will have enough chances to think about how horrible he is feeling right now. Especially since he also managed to make your lover his enemy.” He turned to the emperor. “Theodore, let me compliment you. You were terrifying today. I do not wish to have you look at me like that, ever. That would make me consider writing my testament.”

Theodore shrugged. “It would be hard to make me that angry. But then again, you would only need to attack Blanche, which makes it rather easy too. In any case, I don't recommend you try to test it out. I'm used to war, I know how to scare people with my behavior alone. You know how they call me a tyrant.” It was true that he had basically been born on a battlefield. With all the assassination attempts that he had been forced to endure and the way that his mother had treated him, comparing his life to war wasn't false. He was used to both a real and a metaphorical one.

That thought only made Blanche hope that they could finally find peace after this. She leaned her head against his chest and carefully stroked over his shoulder, where his scar should be. This probably calmed her more than it helped him, but he always said that her presence kept him sane. If that was the case, she was happy to indulge him. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. “Are you tired? You look exhausted, and you've been gone the whole day. Was it that hard to convince the spectators?”

Since this was a trial related to one of the most influential men in the nation, it was deemed to be of public interest. That meant that some nobles were allowed to visit and listen to the whole trial. While their opinion didn't matter much legally, it was better to make them understand that the criminal was actually guilty. That way, unpleasant rumors about the trial being unfair could later be avoided.

Theodore leaned his head onto hers and closed his eyes. “I am tired. But not because I needed to convince the people that were watching. Everyone despised that man after I spoke for a minute. He tried to cause a war with Ocrea, which didn't raise his favorability with anyone. The fact that he neatly left behind a mountain of evidence that would suffice to sentence a whole village to death also didn't make them think very highly of him. The reason that it took so long was that there were just too many crimes to go through. That and the fact that Duke Vasquez didn't stop talking. He tried to find excuses while he was allowed to speak, and he also blabbered when he was supposed to be quiet. Just hearing him talk made me want to snap his neck with my own hands. The only good thing about me needing to endure his voice was that he insulted me a few times in front of witnesses. I immediately added that to the never-ending list of his crimes.”

Leonard chimed in at that while making eye contact with Blanche. “You should know that our emperor doesn't care much about it when he gets insulted. But Claude Vasquez was stupid enough to say something against you. Let's just say that our criminal didn't say anything for the rest of the trial while everyone around us was shivering. It was a somewhat amusing sight but also horrifying.”

Blanche could imagine that. She knew how scary her lover could be and was glad that he never got angry at her. She had never even met the cruelest side of him, and that was good. The fact that Claude still didn't get that Theodore despised people attacking his lover only proved that he was foolish though.

Blanche gently patted her fiancé's head. “I see. You always defend me, don't you? Thank you for that. It seems like the duke is getting desperate though. Is the trial over completely now?”

The emperor sighed and nuzzled his face into her neck. “Yes, it is. But he raised an objection. He wants another judge to go through this case again. That is utter nonsense since his guilt has been proven so many times. Even if two thirds of his crimes were ignored, he wouldn't leave prison ever again. But he insists on his rank granting him some benefit, which is stupid. Due to the severity of the crimes, he should actually be stripped of his title already. The only reason I didn't do that yet is that I want Lord Vasquez to take over without any incidents.” Theodore paused for a moment and enjoyed cuddling with his lover before he continued. “If I need to get rid of the title, only to give it to another person a bit later, it will be a hassle. So, I would like to make sure that our new duke receives his position as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the old owner of the title will have to be present too.” He groaned quietly before lifting his head. “Leon, we will need to have a nice meeting tomorrow. Invite Lord Vasquez and tell him to bring the documents. And then you will have to drag that criminal to the ballroom too.”

Leonard grimaced for a moment. “Of course, I need to send letters now when it's time for me to go to bed. Thank you, Theodore. I greatly appreciate it when you make me work while you cuddle with your lover.”

Blanche brought her hand to her mouth and tried to look somewhat shocked. “Theo, he really is jealous. We need to get him a lover soon too. He has enough free time now, so it should be fine.” That earned her an annoyed look from the secretary, which made her grin in return.

Theodore leaned the side of his head and rested it against hers. “I think so too. He may really need someone, or he will interrupt us until we are seventy. That would be stressful.” He paused for a moment and let his smirk show. “But for now, I can just compensate him differently. Leon, if you bring Duke Vasquez to the ballroom, he may struggle. In that case, he could possibly trip and fall onto the floor, head first.”

Leonard's expression immediately neutralized. “How unfortunate. I will make sure to prevent that. But of course, I can't promise anything. I just hope that his nose will be fine afterward. I will go send the letter now.” He said goodbye to the couple before disappearing into the palace.

The emperor shook his head at that. “He surely changes his mind quickly. Suddenly, he is so motivated even though I just proposed a possible future.” It was rather sure that this scenario would be the definitive outcome. Leon was way too excited about a chance to let Claude slam onto the ground.

Blanche didn't feel bad one bit though. She looked after the secretary for a moment before turning back to her lover. “So, you will make Lord Vasquez the duke tomorrow? Then the former duke will complain quite a bit, won't he? Should we use that chance to tell him how awful he is one more time? Can I come too? It would be fun to upset him a bit again, right?” To be honest, she had absolutely no other reason for that than her desire to see Claude's misery. The man that had killed her family deserved to get lost in his own rage until he couldn't think clearly anymore, just like she had been suffering because of her grief. Maybe it was petty, but she didn't care one bit. If her presence and a few of her words were enough to make him grit his teeth while she could watch him suffer, she wouldn't let go of this opportunity.

Theodore grinned at her and gently stroked over her head. “If you want to come, I will gladly take you with me. We will do everything in our power to make him angry. I have a few ideas too. Just trust me with this.”

The concubine leaned into him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “That is good to hear. I want to do the worst things you can imagine. Of course, I won't hurt him directly, but I want to make him see that he doesn't have a chance to argue against us no matter what we do to him.” She had been rather brazen last time as well, but this time wouldn't be comparable to that. Apparently, her expression had been rather open about that.

Her lover seemed just as petty as she was, so it was fine. He intertwined their fingers before he led her to the palace. “Then we have some things to talk about. I'm pretty sure that his son suddenly taking over his dukedom will upset him enough. You probably only have to brag about him being pitiful and how you will be empress now. And you know arrogant he is, right? If you act the same, he will lose his mind. All of this will make him fume more than we could imagine.”

Only imagining that was fun, so Blanche actually looked forward to the next day. She would do her best to do exactly what Claude hated. Seeing him snapping because he realized that he had lost would be balm for her soul, as strange as that sounded.

Even during the next day, Blanche was eager to finally reach the afternoon so that they could settle Duke Vasquez's final loss. As soon as she and Theodore got dressed, she found herself being distracted. Not because of Claude but because of her attire.

Blanche was used to extravagant dresses in the royal colors and lavish jewelry. But wearing a long cape that looked similar to the emperor's and the crown that he had gifted her for her birthday was strange. Her attire might as well be the one her lover had put on with the only difference being that she wore a dress and no uniform. She even wore the same golden sash, so no one could overlook that.

Normally, the empress shouldn't have the same crown as her husband and had a shorter cape or none at all to signal that she still had less power than he did, but Theodore didn't care. He had just told her that he would change the laws in that regard anyway. That settled everything anyway.

Blanche didn't even allow herself to question it. She just told herself that she was preparing for her coronation like this and let her maids take care of her hair and cosmetics so that everything fit. After that, she joined Theodore's side and left with him while being content with the fact that they were matching perfectly. This attire alone would surely upset Claude, which was an added benefit. Blanche was only a bit unsure about whether outsiders would think that she was vain if she appeared like this. But it seemed like none of the staff members were upset. Some people merely stared at her in awe, which was logical since she had to be twinkling in the sunlight because of all that golden jewelry.

Her lover seemed to glow too, which was due to his attire and the soft smile he gave her when their eyes met. She would have loved to kiss him for that, but it was impossible. Unfortunately, she couldn't pay much attention to him in general.

Blanche was mostly focused on keeping her head upright so that she didn't drop the crown accidentally. She managed to balance it, but she was still paranoid whenever it felt like it moved around. Stella had made sure to position it perfectly on top of her mistress' head, so it should be fine, but the thought of it falling to the floor was too awful to forget it.

That was why the concubine was more than relieved when they reached the door to the ballroom. She would just be happy once she had sat down.

Luckily, they were here before Duke Vasquez had been brought inside, so she didn't need to worry about sitting down gracefully. She did that as slowly as possible while holding her crown. When she finally sat, she let out a breath of relief.

Theodore chuckled at that and took a seat next to her. He offered her his hand, and she immediately took it, which made him smile at her. “It's good that the thrones aren't that far apart. I used to think that it was annoying to sit so close to the former empress, but it's perfect for cuddling now. Of course, you can also climb onto my lap at some point. Just to show that I am fine with you taking over my throne as well.”

Blanche carefully lifted her head to test out how far she could go without moving the crown. “I don't know. This thing could fall if I mess up and turn too much. I think we should skip that today. I don't want to embarrass myself. Not when I'm supposed to seem graceful and elegant right now.”

Her lover squeezed her hand and glanced at one of the doors, which their unwilling guest would probably use. “I don't think that he will care much about that. He has...different worries. You just have to use the most obvious provocations, and he will get upset. I'm sure that it will be almost pitifully easy.”

The concubine believed that immediately. “When will they come? Did you decide on a time?”

“Yes. The appointed moment will be in five minutes. That means that they are most likely here already though. If Leon notices that we are present, he will bring our guest inside. Just be a little bit more patient, and I promise that it will be worth it. You can make fun of Duke Vasquez all you want and look at his face while he sees how his son waltzes in to take his position. It will be wonderful.”

As if they had waited for their cue, a knock sounded through the room a moment later.

Theodore smirked at that and glanced at his lover, who nodded at him in affirmation. Then he addressed the servants by that door. “Please let our visitors inside.”

The servants opened the double door immediately.