The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 245

At the same time when the emperor was thinking about Sir Deke, the said knight was stuck in the southern region. The three men, Sir Howe, Sir Donau, and Sir Deke, left the viceroy’s home on a mission given by the lady of the house. They were to save Poliana, the “unfortunate lady” who was about to be “used” by a gold digger.

As soon as they set out, a heavy rain began to fall. The rain itself was not enough to stop these three brave knights, but another problem appeared because of it. The Gora River began to overflow, making it impossible to cross it without risking their lives.

Sir Donau and Sir Howe, who were on a mission to stop the wedding, looked anxious. They didn’t know what to do. At first, they tried to cross the river, but the locals stopped them immediately.

“Sirs, you will die trying to cross this river!”

“But we must go on! We can’t be stuck here!”

“That’s right! We can’t be stopped just because of the rain! How could this be?!”

The brothers looked devastated.

Because of the dangerous weather, there haven’t been any messages crossing between the capital and the southern regions. Oddly, the only one calm among the three men was Sir Deke, who was the head of the Intelligence Unit. He was the one who should’ve been most worried, but it looked like he was very calm.

It was true that he should be on top of all news and intelligence in the kingdom, but Sir Deke felt relaxed. This was because he knew that Lucius the First was a reasonable man who would never fault a man due to bad weather.

Of course, what Sir Deke didn’t know was the fact that he was in serious danger of being fired.

Perhaps it was better that he didn’t know. Ignorance was bliss.

***

Tory was alone. A royal doctor visited her to make sure she was ok and one of the emperor’s personal maids came by to help her bathe and change. Other than these two visits, Tory was left alone. No one came to see her.

Tory has always been surrounded by her maids. They functioned as a shield and a wall for her, as well as a prison that jailed her, but now, she was all alone.

All alone.

Tory felt strange, delighted, and fearful of this new loneliness.

Tory no longer stayed in the lady’s quarters. She was isolated in a safe place and she was served by the emperor’s personal maids. Since most of Tory’s own maids, provided by Marquis Seeze, betrayed her, this was a necessary step. Tory did not blame her old maids; she would’ve done the same thing if she was in their place.

Tory was not curious about what might happen to her now. Perhaps it was because by making the recent public accusation, she proved to herself that she was brave enough to risk her own life. Rather than feeling scared or anxious, Tory felt proud and satisfied with what she accomplished.

Unfortunately, she also felt too empty to feel happy. She felt too exposed and she felt like she didn’t belong anywhere anymore. There was nowhere for her to go, which made her feel helpless. The amount of powerlessness she felt… Only those who went through a severely traumatic event would know what it truly felt like.

This was why she was pleased when Lucius the First finally visited her. Whatever future she may have, Tory was ready to accept it. Not knowing was worse than the actual punishment.

The emperor looked much more tired than when he was at his birthday feast. Of course, his fatigue could not diminish his beauty. Sometimes, his incredible beauty scared those around him. As soon as he walked in, Lucius the First joked, “Thanks to your birthday gift, I haven’t had the time to rest at all since that day.”

As always, his jokes were awful, especially because half the time, he was being sarcastic. Tory’s accusation didn’t just affect those noblemen directly accused. A nobleman belonged to a noble family, who was always associated closely with various government workers. There were many associated figures who were arrested even though they might be innocent. This was necessary and after an investigation, they were going to be released. However, this meant that many of the high-ranking government officials were missing from their works. Many government projects and plans were placed on hold because of the current situation.

Lucius the First continued, “This was one of the reasons why I didn’t choose to go on the snake hunt…”

“…”

Tory looked down without a word. Lucius the First shook his head and said to her, “I am not trying to blame you. In fact, you captured all of the snakes and gave them to me. I haven’t done it myself since I felt lazy and you ended up doing it for me; you’ve accomplished a lot.”

“…”

When Tory didn’t say anything, Lucius the First added, “Listen. I am not planning to punish you. You have unburdened me greatly and for that, I will be rewarding you.”

“I…”

After a long hesitation, Tory opened her mouth. It was clear she wanted to say something, but when she couldn’t go on, Lucius the First gently encouraged her, “Is there something you want?”

“How could I? I wouldn’t dare, your highness.”

Tory shook her head. Marquis Seeze raised his own personal army, which was considered treason; he would have to execute three generations of his family for that. If Sir Bentier secretly sided with the emperor, the Seeze family would’ve fared much worse.

Only

Originally, Tory was a distant relative of Marquis Seeze, but this was not enough for her to be forgiven for his crime.

Oftentimes, women and children were forgiven, but they also lost their nobility. If a man lost his status, there were ways he could make it again in this world. For example, Sir Bentier and a few noblemen, whose crimes were minor at best, were forgiven by the emperor. These men were going to do well in their careers, but there were no women who were pardoned like this.

A woman belonged to a man. Her husband, her father, or her brother… She was not an independent being.

Tory said to the emperor, “Your highness, I know my place. I am a woman and therefore a silly useless being. Even if you tell me I have unburdened you and helped you, it doesn’t change the fact that I betrayed my own family. Therefore, how could I be rewarded when I am someone who brought ruin to my people? I cannot feel happy about this situation.”

Tory was ready to die if necessary. She didn’t beg for forgiveness. Since Marquis Seeze was a traitor, she was most likely going to lose her noble status and become a commoner, and since a commoner cannot marry a royal member…

Tory and Lucius the First’s marriage was going to become invalid.

So when she becomes an unmarried lady who loses her noble status and is known to have betrayed her own family… Her future, no doubt, was bleak.