The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 9

The young emperor Lucius the First took a seat inside his tent and instead of resting, he started to read over the military documents. They weren’t that important so he just scanned them and as he continued to go through the documents, he stopped at the sight of one.

“This is…”

It was the record of the day Poliana lost her position as a platoon leader. Her superiors may not have believed her, but because she spoke during an official meeting, everything she said was recorded. In it, Lucius the First saw his own name written clearly.

“Poliana Cranbell… Paul Cranbell… so this must be her. Hmm…”

Lucius tilted his head and murmured, “The more I think about it, the more I am disappointed that she had to be a girl… Such a talent.”

Poliana didn’t know this, but she left a lasting impression on the emperor. He was so sure that his attack was going to be a complete success, but when a knight and a bunch of soldiers escaped his men, he was shocked. He sent his men after them, but the group was able to evade them multiple times, which impressed him.

And when the knight in question was captured, clearly surrendering in order to save other men, Lucius was truly amazed about it.

Of course, up until he realized that it was a woman.

A female knight.

A knightess.

It was ridiculous.

‘Even so… It was still such a waste.’

Lucius the First searched the documents and pulled out anything that had Poliana Cranbell’s name. Her proposals, reports, and records of her tactics.

The more he read about her, the more he wanted her in his team.

Physically, she was an average swordsman, but that was something that anyone would expect, she was a woman after all. What grabbed Lucius the First’s attention was her as a strategist and a military leader. She clearly had a knack for reading and analyzing maps as well as using geography to her advantage. In fact, she was outstanding.

Based on the reports, it seemed that she had some major achievements as well, and yet, she has been given only the position of a platoon leader. It turns out that even that meager status was taken away only a few days ago.

The reason was obvious, it was because she was a woman.

The most ironic part was the fact that she lost her position because she correctly predicted the Acreian invasion. Lucius laughed about it quietly.

‘What was the point of allowing the existence of knightesses if they weren’t going to utilities such talents? Idiots.’

“A female knight… Hmm…” Lucius the First thought carefully. It was such a shame to lose a gift like Poliana Cranbell. If she was born a man, she would’ve made a name for herself. In fact, she would’ve been given the honor of becoming his man today.

He wanted her, he wanted the knight who outsmarted his men. He wanted her in his team. Lucius the First had big dreams and he needed all the good talents he could get. He didn’t care where his men came from and Lucius knew very well that if he wanted to succeed, he needed to accept any talents he could get even if they were not from his own country.

And today, he found a knight that he genuinely wanted but it turned out to be a woman.

A knightess.

“A girl… girl… A girl…”

In Acreia, winters were harsh and long and there always was a shortage of food. Women rarely left their homes since they were expected to cook and take care of their children while the men handle the rest that needs to be done.

Lucius the First couldn’t understand Aehas’ law of allowing women to become knights. On top of that, women were also allowed to inherit the family name, status, and wealth. It was such an outrageous idea.

Women were naïve and weak, which meant that they should stay home and raise kids. There was certainly an array of wise women in this world but they were very rare and always of very high born.

In Acreia, a woman gained respect and honor only through marrying a high-ranking man or giving birth to a successful son. All elders were respected, but once a woman became old and unable to bear children, she was no longer considered a woman.

Lucius the First contemplated.

A woman. A knightess. A talent. A woman. A knightess. A talent. A woman. A knightess. A talent.

A woman and a knightess.

Well, it was too late. He ordered her death two hours ago, so Poliana Cranbell should probably be dead by now.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have killed her.’

The emperor, who was a very superstitious northern man, became annoyed and frustrated, and the noises outside his tent wasn’t helping.

He then yelled, “What is happening out there!”

“Your highness… The thing is…!”

Lucius the First’s friend and subject Sir Ainno sounded troubled, which confused him. Sir Ainno was a decisive man and it was rare to see him troubled or hesitant.

The noise became even louder and when it didn’t seem like it was going to end any time soon, Lucius the First went outside. He could hear his men screaming so at first, he thought that his base was under attack but after seeing them up close, he thought that maybe he was wrong.

“What is going on here?” He asked with an annoyed tone.

“That girl is fighting back and she’s making a scene.”

“Fighting back?”

At the unexpected news, Lucius the First checked his watch. He has been reading the documents for the past 3 hours, so how was she alive? He expected her to be dead within the first half an hour of his order and yet, she still lived.

Once again, she surprised him.

The emperor became displeased. His men couldn’t handle a mere girl bound with a rope? How useless could they be?

Lucius had big plans for his country and yet his men were having difficulty fighting a single girl.

This was not good. Not good at all.

He walked towards the commotion and as he got closer, he could see more and more of his soldiers gathering around.

“That girl’s fighting back so hard that the morale among our men is declining fast,” one of his men explained to him. “At this rate, she will die a virgin and her ghost will haunt us. Your highness, please give us another order.”

“Do you think it makes sense that these soldiers can’t even handle one girl?” The emperor replied angrily.

“We apologize, your highness, but that b*tch is so fierce.”

He was being generous when he ordered a fair-looking man to take her virginity before her death, yet this was how he was being thanked. It was obvious that if several men attacked her at once, they would’ve been able to subdue her but they weren’t doing this for some reason.

Lucius the First gestured them to make way and as he got to the scene, he saw something that shocked him.

The woman, who was almost bald and naked, was wrestling five of his soldiers on the ground ferociously. Whenever someone got close to her, she either kicked or punched him to escape. She was using her teeth and nails like an animal to free herself.

Lucius the First could understand what the knight meant when he said that his men were losing morale because of this. None of his soldiers have ever been attacked by a woman so being beaten by this girl was shocking and demeaning to them.

She wasn’t unusually strong, but at the end of the day, she was a trained knight. Lucius the First read that she spent over 6 years in battle. Her moves were calculating and desperate.

“Stop.”

Even when the emperor ordered it, the fight didn’t end immediately. Six men were currently fighting Poliana and they were losing.

Slam!

Poliana punched one man’s jaw.

Smack!

Poliana kneed another man’s groin.

Stab!

Poliana barely missed stabbing one man’s eye, if she aimed a little more to the right, that man would’ve lost his sight.

“STOP RIGHT NOW!”

The loud-mouthed Sir Rabby yelled and finally, everyone froze. The men who were hurt crumpled to the ground but Poliana Cranbell remained standing.

Only

She looked devastating. Her face was swollen and bleeding heavily. Her entire body was covered in blood, mud, and whatever was on the ground. She was nearly naked, but she didn’t hide herself in shame.

She was trembling and it was obvious that she was having difficulty standing by herself. Her arm was broken, she kept falling to the ground but she pulled herself up again and again.

“Please kill me,” she demanded as she looked into his eyes.

She spat something out of her mouth, which was blood and a piece of flesh. She was almost naked and even her breasts were showing, but she didn’t look away from Lucius the First. It was the first time he felt displeased and uncomfortable after seeing a naked woman.

He decided just then and he knew what he was going to do.

“Very impressive.”

And he really meant it.