The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 184

Poliana placed her finger on her lips to hush Frau. She couldn’t help the other royal doctors recognizing her, but she didn’t want everyone else in the area to learn that Marquess Winter was here.

She said to Frau, “Don’t be so loud. I don’t want people to make a fuss about me.”

“What bring you here, Marquess?”

“His highness told me about the skin disease that’s going around the city. I wanted to have a look and see how bad it is when I heard that you were assigned here.”

Poliana visited this place out of curiosity, but she was a high-ranking government worker, which meant that she should at least learn about the current condition of the hospital. Frau asked his co-workers to cover for him and began to report to Poliana.

Although the new skin disease that was going around the city was highly contagious, it was not a severe illness. The symptoms were relatively mild and were very similar to tick bites. Poliana relaxed after hearing those details and began to look around.

It seemed that Frau was more comfortable treating the commoners than the other royal doctors. The rumor about him being caught treating the commoners must’ve been true after all.

Poliana asked, “So I heard you have experiences in treating the commoners?”

“Yes, I got caught by my teacher and almost got myself kicked out from the royal castle…”

Frau’s face became rigid. Poliana then asked, “Then is it also true that you charged them for your service?”

“Well… At the time, I was considering opening a hospital for the commoners as a business, not as a charity project.”

“Hmm… That’s an unusual idea. Usually, a nobleman would provide funds for free clinics for the people instead of trying to make money off of them.”

“…yes.”

“I’m surprised that you didn’t get kicked out of the royal medical program.”

“Yes. I was reprimanded severely, so I had to give up my idea. Haha.”

Frau explained honestly about what happened. This incident happened after Frau was disowned by his family, so Baron Redikal felt sorry for him. This was the only reason why Baron Redikal didn’t kick Frau out from the castle.

Frau was interested in the idea of opening a hospital for the commoners because he knew he didn’t belong to the aristocratic society anymore. At the time, he thought he should forget about being a nobleman and try living as a commoner.

He now knew this was clearly a stupid idea. Frau said to Poliana, “It was really hard trying to live as a commoner.”

Poliana thought secretly, ‘Wow, this guy is super honest.’

Frau said things that most people wouldn’t dare to say out loud. He was being very honest with her and Poliana liked that. Most women might not have liked what he said, but at the moment, Poliana thought very highly of him. Revealing his past mistakes and weaknesses couldn’t have been hard for a man, but it seemed that Frau didn’t care to show them. He didn’t pretend to be strong and invincible like most men Poliana knew.

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly.

If Lady Rebecca allowed her into her quarters for a chat, Poliana would’ve received some snacks from the lady. Today, Poliana also had a very light lunch and had a vigorous archery practice. It was no wonder she was starving.

Frau murmured, “If you are hungry, Marquess, perhaps you should eat…”

“Don’t you still have more work to do?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes! So if you want to eat with me, you might have to wait at least 2 more hours…”

“Well, then I will just eat here too.”

Poliana spotted a few children playing around. She waved at them and they came to her. She was used to ordering people around, so she felt comfortable directing the children.

The little boy asked, “Why did you call us?”

“Go buy me something to eat and bring it back here.”

“Why should we do that for you?”

“Because I will pay you.”

The children smiled brightly, and Poliana smiled as well. Money was a wonderful thing, it had the power to make everyone smile.

Power and money were definitely the two best things in the world.

The little boy replied, “I can go by myself.”

“No, take the other children too. Bring enough food to feed all the doctors over there.”

“Alright.”

Poliana knew the approximate prices of grains, gold, and salt, but she had no idea about how much cooked meals cost. She ended up giving too much money, and the children brought back a huge amount of food. The royal doctors, who have been unhappy about having to treat the commoners, smiled brightly. Poliana wanted to remain anonymous, so Frau told them that one of the patients was so thankful that he bought them this meal to show his appreciation.

The doctors began to eat. Poliana sat far away from them and ate as well with Frau, who was sitting next to her awkwardly. After a long silence, Poliana said to him, “So, about your marriage proposal…”

“Pardon!?” Only

Frau almost threw up from shock. He looked like he was about to kneel to beg her forgiveness, so Poliana continued quickly, “I will consider it carefully.”

Frau gaped, showing off the food still inside his mouth. Poliana pushed his chin up to close his mouth for him and added, “So try your best; I like a man who tries hard.”

“M-m-m-m-m-m—”

“Yes, that’s right. I am Acreia’s Marques Poliana Winter.”

Frau continued to stammer. He looked so weak and hesitant, that Poliana felt a little disappointed, but this wasn’t a big deal. She didn’t know when she will make her decision, but she had plenty of time to think about it.

In front of the hospital building, the spinster and an old bachelor sat on the ground and ate their meals. The woman looked like a farm worker while the man looked like he was afraid of her. The air was thick with smoke, making everyone’s eyes water. The food was horrible, and the sound the patients’ groans were disturbing.

This situation wasn’t romantic at all, but Poliana found it funny. She was actually enjoying the moment. Filling her empty stomach with horrible food, Poliana laughed quietly.