The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 343

“Marquess, please breathe normally.”

Even though Lady Siming told Poliana she could stand comfortably, Poliana refused to relax her stomach. She continued to hold her breath as long as she could, making Lady Siming sigh.

“Marquess Winter, you’re very slim even without you holding your stomach in.”

“But I have gained weight recently. I have a potbelly.”

“No, you don’t. In fact, Marquess, you’re still too thin; It would be nice if you gain a little more weight.”

“No way!”

There was a reason why Poliana refused to let her body change in shape. The armor the emperor gifted her after conquering the continent… This golden armor was her pride and joy. There was no bigger honor for a knight than receiving a custom-made armor from the emperor.

Normally, a piece of armor was made to accommodate a few layers of clothes underneath, which meant that there was room to gain a bit of weight. Unfortunately, there weren’t many armor makers who specialized in making female armors. Poliana’s armor was, in addition, made especially tight to make it look slim, elegant, and beautiful. It was indeed an amazing looking armor, but it also meant that Poliana could not gain even an ounce of weight. She could, of course, change different parts of the armor to accommodate any weight gain, but Poliana didn’t want to do this.

There were three things that were necessary to make a masterpiece armor.

Money, power, and the right person to wear it.

These three things were satisfied to make Poliana’s armor. This female armor was shaped to enhance Poliana’s body through its feminine lines. It was elaborate and elegant, making it look like something that a fictional knightess from a romantic story might wear. If Poliana wore this and did not take off her helmet, the armor had the power to make people imagine that there was a beautiful knightess inside it.

The armor maker who created this retired afterward, making Poliana’s piece his last one. His students carried on, but if Poliana wanted to make adjustments to her armor, a different metal will have to be added by a different armor maker. There was no way her armor would look the same, and Poliana did not want this.

There were mountains of fabrics surrounding Poliana and Lady Siming. The maids seemed excited to bring more and more pieces of fabric to the room. All the women looked enthusiastic as they worked tirelessly.

“Lady Siming! I brought some green fabrics as you asked!”

“I got the blue ones!”

“I also ordered the servants to bring all the furs they could find!”

Poliana watched awkwardly as the tables continued to be piled up with different fabrics. All these materials were brought here to make her dress.

When the emperor mysteriously asked her to give him her night, Poliana ended up nodding nervously. As soon as she agreed to his request, Lucius the First called for Lady Siming.

After the emperor asked Poliana to spare him her whole day, he disappeared, leaving her alone with Lady Siming. Poliana tried to escape, but she was quickly captured by the lady, who looked thoroughly determined.

To Poliana’s surprise, Lady Siming had brought a dress, which fit her perfectly. Poliana had unusually overdeveloped shoulders, arms, and chest, yet she had no problem fitting into this dress. It was an outfit Poliana has never seen before, so she asked, “Lady Siming, why do you have an outfit that was custom-made for me?”

“Do you remember how I made a dress for you in the past?”

“Yes, of course.”

“This is a dress I completed at the time.”

“But then why do you still have it?”

“I didn’t want to take it apart because I put a lot of work into it. I also didn’t feel right giving it to you since you broke up your engagement. So I just kept it until now.”

Although Lady Siming was the royal seamstress and designer, she had made some outfits for Poliana in the past per the emperor’s request. Lady Siming was asked to make Poliana’s wedding dress as well as other party outfits for her wedding, but after the Frau incident, all the work had to be stopped.

One thing that was lacking severely in the Acreian castle was the number of royal family members. At the moment, there were only two people: Lucius the First and his daughter Princess Luminae. Because of this, Lady Siming and the other royal seamstresses didn’t have much to do.

Thankfully, the emperor was a very fashionable man, which meant that there was some work to do, but it just wasn’t enough to keep the royal fashion department busy. Princess Luminae was too young, which meant that there was a limit to the use of jewels and silks in making her outfits. Lucius the First, who enjoyed wearing lavish outfits and accessories, was still a man and therefore could not satisfy Lady Siming’s desire to create beautiful dresses for a lady.

Lady Siming has been secretly working out various dresses for Poliana to keep herself busy. Although Poliana wasn’t in Yapa, Lady Siming still had all of her measurements.

Only

The robe Lady Siming made for Poliana was shredded to pieces the day Poliana first wore it. Lady Siming put a lot of thought and effort into this robe, so she couldn’t hide her disappointment when it was destroyed. So immediately afterward, Lady Siming began to work on a new robe.

She designed and completed a pretty blue robe for Poliana. Lady Siming remembered Poliana insisting her favorite color was blue, so she chose the fabric carefully. Lady Siming has been waiting for Poliana’s return to the capital city. She planned on giving it to Poliana and lie to her that she made it a long time ago along with the green dress that was made for the banquet.

Then suddenly, Lady Siming heard a lovely rumor about the romance between the marquess and the emperor! She could not believe her luck and joy. Lady Siming studied the blue dress she made for Poliana and wondered. Was this meant to be? Was this dress she created on a whim to be used as a wedding dress?

But then… This blue robe was not fit to be used as the empress’s wedding dress. Even though she wasn’t ordered, Lady Siming began to work on a wedding dress for Poliana. Today, she made further measurements on Poliana’s body so she could complete the wedding dress later in secret.

The emperor did not order anyone regarding his and Poliana’s wedding plan, but there was no need. Everyone, as soon as they heard what was happening, began preparing for the upcoming event on their own.

Chancellor Marquis Zeese began to gather the items necessary for the wedding ceremony. Duke Luzo, who was superstitious just as much as his cousin the emperor, began to look through the calendar to pick the most auspicious day for the wedding. Sir Mahogal, knowing the Knight’s Order will need to attend the ceremony, began to teach his men the basic royal etiquettes. Sir Wook and Sir Jainno suspected that the royal wedding party may last for many days, so they began to organize their schedules and plans to keep the city streets safely guarded.

Sir Ainno, on the other hand, didn’t do anything. This was fine since the emperor would’ve been happy as long as his friend didn’t cause any trouble.