The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 29

'GYAAA!!'

Poliana gasped and turned pale. It seemed that the chat between the men turned to the topic of her performance. Sir Baufallo glanced at her quickly before reporting to the emperor, "She is good at her job."

"And?"

"My oldest son was an unsuitable aide, so having someone capable like Sir Poliana is a pleasure. There was a brief minor problem with other soldiers, but it has been resolved. There seems to be another problem currently, but…"

Sir Baufallo looked at his youngest son who looked battered. Donau has been insisting that Poliana attacked him without a warning, but Sir Baufallo knew better. If and when Donau would become older and more experienced, he might be able to beat Poliana, but for now, Sir Baufallo knew that it wasn't going to happen. He hoped that his son would realize this soon and grow up.

Sir Baufallo secretly wondered. 'I hope I will get to have a grandson out of Donau but at this rate, Sir Poliana is going to make a eunuch out of him.'

He decided that sometime soon, he should pull down Donau's pants and make sure that everything was still intact down there.

Sir Baufallo turned to the emperor again and continued, "I am confident that this current problem will be resolved very soon as well. The only complaint I have against Sir Poliana, however, is that she tends to use violence to solve all of her problems. I suspect that it is due to how she was brought up. For now, it is ok, but if she wants to go far in the military, she better change. I think… I think she will be able to."

Poliana's face became pale as she listened. She clenched her fists.

She hated to admit it, but Sir Baufallo was right. As a low-ranking knight, she could beat her men to follow her orders, but if she were to be promoted, she could no longer treat her men like that. No good would come out of such behavior.

Poliana was well aware of her faults and her limit as a woman. She tried to make it up as best as she could but some things just couldn't be fixed. The reason why she acted this way was because she never expected to get anywhere in the military. She didn't believe that she would ever be promoted to a higher position.

But right now, Sir Baufallo was talking about the possibilities she never imagined.

She was truly impressed at how Sir Baufallo seemed to have read her so accurately. She didn't think that he was paying any attention to her, but it was clear that he has been watching and analyzing her. He knew her behavioral pattern as well as the reasons behind it.

Ever since she was appointed as a knight in the Acreian military, she had been worried about how the emperor would think of her. She never considered how her direct superior would see her.

It was an embarrassing realization, but for some reason, Poliana felt happy as well. She was happy that Sir Baufallo was interested in her, and that he saw her potential.

Lucius the First then asked Sir Baufallo, "Well, is she at least good at beating men up?"

"She has great techniques."

Poliana knew this as well but hearing that she had "great techniques" still made her pleased.

Sir Baufallo continued, "In conclusion, I believe that Sir Poliana should give up being a knight. She should leave the military entirely and work in an administrative department back home. Or perhaps, she could work as a scribe. That would be the best way she could serve your highness. It would also be most beneficial to Sir Poliana. Not many can survive in war especially as they get older… Being a knight… It is a tough job for anyone, especially a woman. Sir Poliana doesn't have the physical attributes to survive this war. She may win against smaller and weaker men, but not against a proper knight. And again, she is a woman and she needs to be protected so she can get married and bear children."

His words made Poliana's heart sink. She suddenly felt cold but unaware of her shock, Sir Baufallo continued smoothly, "She needs a good plan for herself because let's be honest here. She is no beauty. With that face… it will be impossible to get any nobleman to marry her. She needs to grow her hair and maybe put on a nice dress. My wife knows many well-mannered ladies, and I am sure that one of them can teach Sir Poliana how to become a proper lady. And if we consider all these things, I am certain that we should be able to get maybe a farmer to offer her a marriage. She may not be a looker, but she is still a noble, and that fact alone should make her attractive to some commoners."

Just then, Sir Howe interrupted his father. "Gosh, Father! You should be more worried about my own marriage! I am your son after all."

But Sir Baufallo replied bluntly, "I am not worried about your marriage. You will be fine. You will have no problem finding a wife."

Poliana thought bitterly, 'But he thinks I won't. He thinks I won't be able to get a man without all these things.'

But she didn't want to get married. A long time ago, she decided that she would never marry so whenever someone mentioned this topic to her, Poliana couldn't help but feel angry. However… The way Sir Baufallo talked seemed to suggest that he felt at least a little affection towards her.

Sir Baufallo mumbled, "I am saying this because she is kind of like my son… I mean my daughter."

Poliana was used to being laughed at and criticized, but when Sir Baufallo made the same suggestions with genuine concern, she didn't know how to reply or react.

Lucius the First had a strange expression on his face. He then replied to Sir Baufallo, "Thank you for your opinion, Sir Bau. As a matter of fact, I agree with a lot of the points you made just now."

Poliana lowered her face to hide her disappointment. The emperor continued, "However, what really matters is how Sir Poliana feels about all this. Sir Poliana swore to me that she would serve me as a knight till death. I made her a knight, not as a scribe or an administrative official. So Sir Poliana, what is your opinion on this? What do you want?"

Poliana's body jerked up in shock. With her voice trembling, she replied with determination, "I will always remain as your highness's knight. I will live as a knight and I will die as one too."

Lucius the First looked at her proudly. Her answer came exactly as he had expected and hoped from her. On top of that, the way Sir Baufallo seemed to care about Poliana made him feel even better. To gain such trust and affection from her superior… It was a good sign.

The emperor said to her, "I haven't been paying much attention to you, or help you in any way, but it seems that you have been doing just fine."

"Thank you, your highness!"

"I have no doubt that many, if not most, men objected to your position. In Acreia, as you know already, women cannot be given the rank of a knight. To have a FOREIGN woman in the base… I can imagine how others would have treated you, Sir Poliana. In my defense, I made a point of not paying attention to you so that it doesn't incite more hatred from the soldiers. I hope you don't feel abandoned or unhappy with my decision."

"Not at all, your highness! I am thankful for everything you have done for me!"

"And how is your posting? Any complaints about being in the war supply division?"

"Not at all! Supply division is the most important department in any military. Being even a small part of it is a great honor! I am learning a lot!"

"Oh, because if you weren't happy there, I was going to move you to whichever division you wish to join."

"…"

"It was a joke."

"H, haha… Ha…"

Poliana forced an awkward laugh. This party was turning out to be a lot stranger and scarier than she expected.