The Emperor and the Knightess

Even after leaving Tory’s room, Poliana couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation. She was impressed when Tory said she would support her even if Poliana chose the path that would lead to an unhappy life. Poliana also liked the fact that Tory understood how an unhappy life could still come from the right decision. Tory said that as long as one could find pride in one’s life, it had to be worth living.

‘I think of all people, Tory must know what pride is.’

Poliana had plenty of pride in herself too. She was proud to be a knight who served the emperor. She was one of the fighters who followed Lucius the First to the end of this continent.

Unfortunately, her pride only extended to herself as a knight and not as a person. Was it because she wasn’t worthy? Poliana felt especially down at the moment after the emperor confessed his love to her.

Poliana kept walking until she arrived at her destination. This was the place she planned to visit if she had any time left today.

Rebecca’s grave.

Only those with royal blood could be buried inside the castle. The Bikpa royal family members were buried at the far end of the castle so a new burial site was created for the Acreian royals. It was said that the very first one to be buried here was a young wife of the emperor. It would’ve been worse if it was a child, but still, this did not make the situation any better.

Poliana put down the flowers and a bottle of wine in front of the grave. If Rebecca was still alive, how would she react?

“Pfft.”

Poliana laughed. She could help it.

The emperor Poliana knew was strangely innocent and pure. If he was still married to any of his wives, Poliana knew he would’ve never confessed his love to her. If Tory and Stra left him and Rebecca was the only remaining wife, the emperor would’ve made her his empress.

Lucius the First was willing to remove Tory as his wife for a political reason, but he wasn’t the kind of man who would abandon his wife because he loved another. He was a kind man and although some thought it was a weakness, Poliana liked this side of him.

‘But I am a little bothered by the fact that he was so nice to the ladies when he was supposedly in love with me. Hmm… He’s kind of a playboy.’

He was the emperor, and the best one there was, which meant that he had all the right in the world to enjoy the beautiful women. Poliana understood this but still felt strange about it.

She contemplated long and hard and she finally came up with an answer to why she didn’t feel right about it. It was the fact that Lucius the First left the woman he loved alone and married the other ladies instead. Normally, didn’t men be impatient when it came to love? Didn’t men go right into action for the women they loved? Was it normal for a man to be so patient and wait this long?

Only when the woman in question was married or too young.

‘So why did his highness…’

Poliana sighed and looked at Rebecca’s grave. She bowed in apology, realizing that she should be focusing on Rebecca rather than her own problems.

“If you were still alive…”

What would’ve happened if Rebecca was still living? Would Princess Luminae’s bed have been a little neater perhaps? Lady Rebecca would’ve taught her daughter that although it was good to be greedy, she should learn to hide it from others.

‘And Rebecca would’ve been so happy about Tory becoming Baroness Leef.’

Tory was the second woman to hold her own title that was not earned by marriage. It was not a high-ranking position and it only came with the job, but still, it was a memorable occasion. Poliana was no longer the only woman with her own title. She was no longer the one and only exception. Tory’s title meant that it was possible for more women to gain their own ranks.

But then… If Rebecca was still alive, would things have happened this way? Probably not. Lucius the First wouldn’t have offered Tory this position. He only did this because he no longer had any wife to take care of the inner palace. If Rebecca was still alive, she would’ve become the mistress of the royal palace and there would’ve been no need for this new position.

As expected, the dead did not speak. Rebecca did not answer Poliana’s questions. The knightess looked lonely as she stood in front of her friend’s grave. She lost the friend she needed to spill her secrets. This unexpected loneliness was not a welcoming event.

Poliana has never been perfect. Every year, she believed she hoped she would become wiser, but it never seemed to be enough. When she was young, she thought becoming an adult would mean she knew the world, but Poliana learned that this wasn’t the case. She was all grown up now, but she still felt like a little girl inside.

In public, she acted confident and capable, but when she was alone, she couldn’t help thinking about her decisions over and over again. The doubts and regrets were constant unpleasantness in her life.

Did everyone feel this way or was it just her? Was she somehow more lacking than the most?

What is a choice? What is happiness? What did the emperor mean when he said he was going to make sure she learned what true happiness was?

***

While Poliana contemplated deeply, the emperor, the cause of all her problems, wasn’t thinking at all.

“Hahaha! I am so happy that I was born beautiful!”

A woman’s happiness… A woman’s choice… The emperor had no time to even consider these deep meaningful questions. His thoughts were simple. All he wanted to do was date Poliana. He wanted to love her and show her his affection. He wanted to give everything to Poliana.

Lucius the First’s focus was on seducing Poliana, which meant that making himself even more beautiful was his priority. He studied himself in the mirror and announced, “A smart person always uses his strength to his advantage. Hahaha.” The emperor looked satisfied while Sir Ainno looked sour. The knight admitted that his friend was indeed handsome, but it was still very hard to watch the emperor acting this way.

Sir Ainno said to him, “If she was the type that cared about looks, she would’ve fallen in love with you a long time ago.”

“Inno, you don’t know anything.”

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Lucius the First smirked and continued, “There is a huge difference between a beauty just standing around and that same beauty smiling at you directly.”

“Is that so?” Sir Ainno smirked back.

The emperor thought he was much wiser when it came to love, but the undeniable truth was that Sir Ainno, although inexperienced with women, was able to marry the woman he loved. He was able to capture her into marriage, which was a legally binding contract. There was, of course, the pesky possibility of a divorce, but Sir Ainno was doing his best to make sure his beloved wife never leaves him.

Meanwhile, all the emperor was doing was just admiring himself in the mirror.