Erneis unknowingly told them the truth to their face. “Please do not misunderstand. When I first met you two, you were happy without a doubt. But there was a bit of sadness in your gazes when you came into the ballroom. Now I cannot see any of that anymore, which is a pleasant surprise.”

Blanche was taken aback for a bit before her smile returned. She had truly been a bit dejected while Erneis had drawn the first painting of them. Back then, only a few days had passed since she had regained her memories. It was obvious that she wouldn't have been in the best mood. Apparently, she hadn't hidden her emotions very well. “It seems like you noticed that. During that time, there were a lot of worries on my mind. But all of them are resolved now. Theo and I can live happily ever after. So, there is no way that I'll ever be sad again.”

Erneis' face lit up with a calming smile as he heard her response. “That is wonderful to hear. It seems like fate once again brought the right people together. I am always overjoyed when I hear about something like this, especially when I already drew the concerned couple. A few years ago, someone told me that I am capable of creating magic. That I was able to capture the true nature of someone's love by painting it and that I could help them be happy with my portraits. Of course, I do not believe that everyone's happiness is based on a single picture, but I hope to support them at least a little.”

Maybe he truly had helped Blanche a bit. After all, Theodore had chosen to ask for a painting with the two of them because he wanted to calm her. Erneis' gorgeous portrait had definitely lifted her spirits for a while, and after it had hung in her lover's office, she had been happy whenever she had seen it. The painting might also have caused some fights between the emperor and the Duremont family, but now that was finally over. In the end, it had brought much more satisfaction than worry.

Blanche showed the painter a bright smile. “It definitely lit up some of our darker moments. Thank you very much, Erneis. We are grateful for your services, and you shall be rewarded accordingly.”

The painter returned to continuing the portrait while smiling. “Ah. That won't be necessary, Your Majesty. In fact, I doubt that you will need to pay me this time at all. There is still something I almost forgot to tell you. I still have the money that you handed me last time. At least the part that went beyond the salary we determined before. Despite me refusing to take more, it suddenly ended up in my suitcase. It was a bit strange. Thus, I decided to bring it back. You can either take it back, or I will assume that this is the payment for this painting here.”

Theodore chuckled at that. “You truly are as stubborn as I am. I wished to reward you for your outstanding work, and you just declined. We had to use secret methods. If you insist on giving it back now, I will have no choice but to make sure that you accept the reward this time. I would like to ensure that you can live comfortably for at least a year with this salary. I know that it isn't necessary, but it would calm my aching heart. You travel around a lot, so having a bit more money to pay for the inns and the carriages would be good, wouldn't it?”

Erneis paused and met the emperor's gaze. “I will gladly accept an appropriate sum for my work. But Your Majesty often overdoes it. Naturally, I cannot take more than you owe me. My consciousness would not allow that. There is no need to worry about my ability to pay for my trips either. I draw countless pictures. I am very fast, so I can easily finish one in a single day. That is enough to cover all of my expenses.”

Blanche could already see how this would develop into a discussion. In the end, both men wouldn't budge, and then Theodore would try to secretly smuggle the money into the painter's baggage. This trick probably wouldn't work a second time though. She smiled at that thought and listened to the conversation while occasionally chiming in to convince Erneis that he deserved more than he accepted. In the end, she was so immersed in the discussion that she was shocked to hear that the painting was done.

Theodore stood up and took her hand in his to lead her to the canvas. One look was enough to prove that their expectations hadn't been exaggerated.

The portrait was gorgeous.

The couple looked so realistic that it was easy to see that a skillful master had drawn them. Every part of their bodies from their faces to their clothes was painted in such great detail that it was impossible to imagine that Erneis had finished this in such a short time. Especially the expressions of the royal couple were impressive once again. Their eyes seemed to glow, and their happiness almost flowed out of the canvas.

Blanche couldn't stop beaming as she saw this. It had a completely different feeling to it than the usual portraits of the rulers, but she didn't care anymore. The painting in front of her was so beautiful that she was happy to know that her lover had already asked for a replica for their office. “Erneis, this is perfect. I have never seen such a great artist. I feel like this painting just summarizes much more emotion than words could. It is heavenly.”

Theodore was as content as she was and pulled her into his arms as they looked at the canvas. “My angel is completely right. As always, it is wonderful, Erneis. You should ask for more of a reward when you draw such stunning masterpieces. And you could definitely request much more when the royal family is involved. So, please just accept that you will receive something different than you asked for.”

Erneis watched their expression and showed them a content grin. “It is good to hear that you enjoy it once again. But I still refuse to ask for more money. If you wish to give me something in return, I have a request though.”

The emperor was as generous as always. “Name it, and it shall be yours as long as it's reasonable.”

The painter bowed his head and smiled at them. “Thank you, Your Majesty. This is connected to what I mentioned earlier. Of course, I do not really believe in superstitions, but if I can support love just by doing what I adore, then I will gladly draw as many couples as possible. So, if you know anyone that would need a bit of luck, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to paint them as well. That is all I wish to ask for.”

Theodore let out a chuckle at that. “Of course, it wouldn't be anything that is hard to accomplish. If someone asks us for a painter that we can recommend, we will definitely name you. Are you satisfied with that much? Are you sure that you do not wish for some other kind of support? You could ask for new brushes or paint or canvases. No matter what, we could buy it for you.”

As expected, Erneis shook his head. “There is nothing I desire, Your Majesty. I thank you for your concern, but I am just happy as long as I can paint. Thus, I would be happy to offer my services for as long as possible. It is wonderful to hear that you appreciate my abilities though. But I am still not done. You asked for a replica of this painting as well, correct? I will make sure that you receive it by tomorrow. I will start in a few minutes.”

Blanche scanned the picture again before turning to the painter. “There is no need to rush. You should rest for the night. You already created such a masterpiece, so you must be tired. We have prepared a room for you, so please take us up on that offer.”

“I certainly will, Your Majesty. But I will still insist on departing tomorrow morning as usual. So, I need to finish today. There is no need for you to worry though. I adore painting, and I am very content being able to do so for a bit longer. When I get tired, I take a little break but not for longer than a few minutes. You will have your replica by eight o'clock at least.”

Erneis didn't accept any criticism for that decision. He just continued like he had intended to and finished the second painting at seven o'clock. Of course, it was as beautiful as the first one, and the royal couple was impressed once again. They tried to convince Erneis to take a bit more money for this, but of course, he refused. He merely thanked them for calling him and went to bed. The next day, he left and didn't take a gold coin more than he had agreed to.

Thus, the first part of Blanche's task during their two-week vacation was done. The second that would follow demanded nothing of her except for letting herself get examined, but she was much more nervous about this one.

Blanche had known that she would need to prepare for this day for a while now, and still, it was hard to keep calm. She sat on the bed in the doctor's office and tapped her fingers on her lover's arm while desperately trying to calm down at least a bit. It couldn't be good to so excited. Her stomach was churning, and her heart pounded in her chest. The only thing she could do was cling to Theodore while waiting for the results.

Her lover held her tightly and tried to comfort her a bit by whispering calming phrases to her. “Everything is going to be alright. We have enough time, so there is no problem with us waiting until it's our moment. Even if we don't have a child yet, it will be fine. We can have one later, so there is no need to pressure yourself. You don't need to stress yourself like this.” He stroked over her hair and gave her a short kiss.

She knew that he was right, but she also knew that she wouldn't be happy about a negative response at all. She wanted to have a child with Theodore. If she didn't have one now, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but she would be disappointed. After all, she had wished for this for so long. If she wasn't pregnant now, she would only continue to worry about whether she was even able to have children at all. Now that she was empress, that wouldn't only crush her heart but cause huge problems for the royal family too. That didn't matter to her much when Theodore's and her own emotions were more important to her, but it was still an issue.

Blanche just prayed that her wish would be fulfilled. She could barely keep herself from crying as she stared at the closed door to the neighboring room.

The doctor had examined her a while ago and retreated to take a few notes for whatever reason. Most likely, he was still going through the results to make sure that he wouldn't commit an error and announce the wrong thing. He probably didn't know how tense he had made the empress with that decision.

Blanche pressed her mouth in a thin line and nuzzled her face against her lover. She was quiet for a bit longer and tried to remind herself of all the things he had said. They still had time. It wasn't a problem if they had a baby in five years. But having one now would be wonderful. “Theo... I want to have children with you. And we've been together for over two years now. Don't you think that something should have happened by now? I'm scared. If I don't get pregnant now, I may never... What if I can't because I actually should be...” Because she should be dead. But she couldn't bring that sentence to an end.

Theodore wrapped his arms around her and held her in his tight embrace. “Don't think about things like that. It will be just fine. Don't scare yourself because of this. We're not in that situation. It is obvious that you aren't in the state that you were back then. You are completely healthy, and your heart is beating so quickly that I can hear it. My heart is beating too.” He led her hand to his chest. “Here. Can you feel that? There is no reason for us to worry about things that didn't happen here. We will wait for the result, and no matter what it is, I love you, and we still have more than enough chances to have children. You know how young we are. It wouldn't be odd if we need to wait a few more years. We do have the time. Right now, a lot is happening, so your body may just feel overwhelmed. Even if you aren't pregnant, it doesn't mean anything for the future. We will have children at some point like we always wanted.”

She weakly nodded even though her mind was saying something completely different. She was still scared. If she wasn't pregnant after two years of being with Theodore, when would she have children? It wasn't certain whether she was even able to become pregnant in the first place, so all of this was just a huge question mark.

And that scared her.

It wasn't about the date on which she would have her child. If someone could guarantee her that she would be pregnant in five years, she would be completely fine with that. But being so unsure troubled her more than she wanted to admit to her lover.

Blanche took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down by counting downwards from a thousand, but it didn't help much. Couldn't the doctor just hurry up? When she finally had her response, she could definitely answer some of the questions in her head. That would be wonderful. She wanted an affirmation, but what she truly needed was a result that gave her a chance to clear her mind.

Hopefully, that result would be a positive one.

Theodore gently stroked over her head and let her bury her face in his shoulder while he shushed her. “Everything is alright. Please just be patient a little longer, my angel. We will hear-” He stopped himself when the door to the doctors' room opened.

The elderly man barely had a chance to step out and open his mouth before Blanche already addressed him.

“And? What is the result?” Every fiber of her being was on edge now. She could barely keep herself from digging her fingers even deeper into her lover's arms.

The doctor gave her a little smile as he spoke up. “Naturally, there is no definite response, but the tests are rather accurate. All of them said the same thing. Along with the fact that you missed your period for the past few months, all the tests came to the conclusion that Your Majesty seems to be pregnant. Congratulations on the future birth of the royal heir.”

Blanche could barely breathe when she heard that. It seemed like she was pregnant. She was really carrying a child. In an instant, tears rushed to her eyes, and she couldn't hold back the sob. The whole group of the doctor's assistants congratulated her with smiles too, but she could barely pay attention to them. The only thing she cared for was hugging Theodore. “Theo... We'll finally be parents.” She couldn't say more and just tried to meet his gaze despite the veil of tears obstructing her view.

Her lover held her in his tight embrace and cupped his face as he showed her a bright smile. “I told you that everything would be fine. We'll be parents.” He sobbed quietly too and allowed his tears to roll down his face. “I love you so much. We're finally here.”

She nodded at that and gave her best to maintain the last bit of her dignity, but that was hard when she could only think about one thing. She was pregnant. Those two years of nothing happening hadn't meant anything. She would become a mother, and Theodore was the father of her children. She couldn't believe it. Wasn't everything really perfect now?

She had her happy ending with the cherry on top. She wasn't a villainess nor had her lover left her. He was right next to her and held her while crying alongside her out of pure joy about them becoming parents. It was wonderful.

Blanche gave up on trying to hold back at that. She shoved her face into her lover's chest and sobbed as she clung to him.

Theodore cried as well, but he was quieter than she was. He was beaming the whole time while calming her down even though he himself was emotional as well. “Blanche, my angel. Everything is wonderful. We're going to have a family. And-” He cut himself off and buried his face in her hair. He pressed countless kisses onto her head while still holding her so closely so that she could hear his heart beating. He was as excited as she was.

It was almost ridiculous how emotional the both of them were. For the next few minutes, nothing was able to stop them. At some point, everyone but the doctor left so that they could calm down.

As soon as Theodore regained his ability to speak, he began instructing the doctor. “You will work with the assistant that has experience in that field. You need to read the books that I searched for you. We will buy some more from the capital too. I will also hire a professional that can teach you about the newest medical developments in that field. There is absolutely no room for mistakes. You need to ensure that everything will be fine. You need to guarantee me that nothing will happen to Blanche or our child, no matter what.”

The doctor bowed to him. “Of course, Your Majesty. I swear that I will do everything in my power to make sure that both Her Majesty and your child will be healthy. I'll follow all of your instructions and consult the most knowledgeable people in this medical field. Naturally, I do not mind reading all the books in the library nor do I mind working together with the most skillful people that you can find. I will do everything that is necessary to ensure that everything will go smoothly. Since Her Majesty is healthy and has no known illnesses, there should be no complications. Still, we will prepare for everything. From now on, I will examine her daily and take note of every small indication that something may be wrong.”

Blanche had the suspicion that she might have to live as if she was made out of porcelain soon, but she didn't mind. She would do anything to ensure that her child was safe. She slowly let go of her lover with one arm and hugged her stomach with the utmost care. Blanche whispered a few words in a barely audible tone as she tried to keep herself from sobbing. “Welcome, Baby. We love you very much. We will protect you no matter what and will make sure that you can grow up in a wonderful world. Papa and Mama will take care of you.”

She had spoken so quietly, and still, Theodore had heard her. He looked at her with teary eyes and carefully laid his hand on her stomach. He stroked over her belly before slowly bringing his head down. Theodore took deep breaths and tried to calm down while he gently put his ear against her stomach. He needed to force himself to exhale and inhale a few times before he spoke up in a soft voice. “We are waiting for you right here. I will protect you and Mama and make you happy at all times. We love you more than you can imagine.”

Hearing that was enough to make Blanche sob again. She held onto her lover and let him rest his head on her stomach. She thanked all the gods, fate or whatever might direct this world for this wonderful gift. She could barely think straight from so much joy running through her veins.

But she knew one thing.

She had grown up in a loving family that had always given her the support she needed. Even if she lost them too early because of the power-hungriness of one man, they were still in her heart. Blanche would make sure that their child would grow up in a just as wonderful family and that their baby wouldn't lose its parents in such a gruesome way. She would protect their child from suffering such heartbreak. She would do anything in her power to make their angel happy. As she clung to Theodore, nothing else filled her head.

The doctor seemed to notice that the couple needed some privacy and retreated slowly. He closed the door behind him and left the two alone.

A moment later, Theodore lifted his head and cupped her cheek to make her look at him. “I swear on my life that I keep you and this child safe. There will be nothing and no one here that can hurt you. I am forever grateful that I received this chance, and I won't mess up again. I don't care what I have to do, and I will use every skill I ever picked up during the darkest times to guarantee your safety. You will become the happiest woman in this entire world, and our child will lack nothing as well.” Tears ran down his face, but he was just focused on wiping hers away. “I love you. I love the both of you so much. I will become a good father. Our child won't feel like I did when I was young. I won't treat our child like nothing but a tool like my father and even Camille did. I will love it with all my heart and make sure that it always knows that it is loved. I will be by our child's and your side day and night and do everything to give you the best life that could ever exist.”

Blanche actually couldn't speak much. She needed to use all of her willpower to open her mouth. Nothing but sobs came out, but she needed to say something, so she forced herself to bring out syllable after syllable. “I know that you're not like them. You will be a wonderful father, just like you are a wonderful husband. You have to keep all of your promises, but you need to swear that you will be happy too. With us at your side. Because I will do my best to protect my family too. I will do everything I can to let you feel the warmth that I feel around you. I don't want you to feel guilty anymore. It will take a while, but we will be able to move forward. Now we begin a new part of our lives with our child. Don't think about the bad things in the past. Focus on good memories and the future. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. There is no room for sadness here. Only happiness will accompany us from now on. I love you.” She lifted her hands to wipe away some of his tears but, just like it was the case for her, too many new ones followed.

Theodore was shaking slightly. He could barely speak, but he forced himself to reply. “I am happy. When I'm with you, I am full of nothing but pure bliss. I will make sure that everything can stay as wonderful as it is now. No, it will be even better. I will create the most perfect world someone could imagine for you. I will stay by your side and take care of you, the both of you. No matter what, I will fulfill your every wish. I will not forgive myself, but I will move forward with you and bring you far away from the darkness of our past. You are right. There is only room for happiness here. Happiness and love. And I will gladly provide you with as much as possible of both. I love you.”

Blanche nodded at him and breathed out her response. “I love you too.”

They could not say more than that. Their lips found the ones of the other within a second, and they fit together perfectly. Their rapid heartbeats didn't distract them from the feeling of absoluteness at this moment. It felt like their souls were one as they drowned in nothing but their love for each other.

This whole world around them had become perfect. Like a huge puzzle, all pieces had been set in place. Finally, their struggles had proven to be worth it. They had reached it without even needing a novel.

Now they had their own happy end.