The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 192

Lucius the First greeted Poliana happily, “Did you come here because you thought I might not have the time to do it myself? What a thoughtful person you are. You’re the best, Sir Pol.”

‘Oh, I feel guilty… It was actually Sir Ainno who asked me to do this…’

Poliana put on a bright smile and didn’t say a word. Lucius the First continued, “I see that you are admiring my parents’ rings. I was actually going to use my mother’s ring to propose when I get married, but…”

Lucius the First walked up to Poliana quickly and looked at her sadly, hoping she somehow guessed how he felt. Poliana nodded, but for a different reason. She mistakenly assumed that the emperor was upset because he was no longer single.

Lucius the First played with one of the rings on his pal and murmured, “So, the thing is, Sir Pol… This ring…” They were alone, but the emperor still whispered, wanting Poliana to be the only one hearing his words.

Just then!

“Oh, your highness!”

“What? His highness is here? Oh, there he is!”

Lady Stra and Lady Tory suddenly appeared from one of the joined rooms. Lucius the First quickly hid his mother’s ring in his pocket and stepped away from Poliana. He greeted his wives, “Hello, there. What brings you, ladies, here?”

“Marquess Winter requested us to join her.”

“That’s right. Lady Tory also offered to give us a tour of this place and explain the history behind it, so we were enjoying our time here.”

Lucius the First nodded, “Oh… That’s… How kind of all of you. And thank you so much, Sir Pol, for asking my wives to visit here. What a kind person you are.”

Poliana shook her head, “Not at all, your highness. It’s my pleasure.”

The emperor turned towards his wives and thanked them too, “Thank you for visiting my ancestor’s place.”

Lucius the First was about to give his mother’s ring to Poliana, but the sudden appearance of his wives ruined the moment. He played with the ring in his pocket awkwardly. The ring was so small that it would’ve only fit Poliana’s pinky, but the emperor still wanted her to have it.

***

After completing much of his works, Lucius the First began to focus on hunting. It was customary to create the National Day’s feast with what was caught during the hunts, so the men felt pressured. Those who weren’t successful were often ridiculed for months, so the men were all determined to do their best.

Poliana grabbed her forehead and muttered, “Dammit!” She was getting a headache from her current situation. Sir Ainno and his guards from the First Division, who were supposed to be guarding the emperor, all disappeared into the woods to hunt. She said angrily, “They abandoned their positions and just left! How could they?!”

Sir Mahogal replied calmly, “Sir Pol, don’t worry about it. It’s going to be okay.”

“Sir Mahogal… I am sorry you have been burdened with this job.”

Poliana was the head of the Second Division, while Sir Mahogal was second in rank in the First Division. This made Poliana higher ranked than Sir Mahogal, but she still treated him with great respect. It was because he used to be higher ranked than her for a long time during the war, and Poliana also liked him very much. He helped her a lot in the past, so she had great admiration for him.

Sir Mahogal smiled and replied, “Well, I’m off now. Thank you and good luck.”

“Pardon? Sir Mahogal? What are you talking about? Sir Mahogal? Where are you going?!”

Sir Mahogal, who was an Acreian through and through, ran into the forest to catch up to the other men. Poliana raised her fist angrily after him, but it was no use.

Everyone from the First Division, who were originally from Acreia, were all gone. The only ones left were the Second Division and the Duke’s personal guards. Those from the Second Division stayed because they feared what Poliana might do to them if they abandoned their posts.

Poliana yelled angrily, “They promised they would take turns hunting!”

One of her guards explained, “Sir Pol, it can’t be helped. Everyone would want to be the first one to go because the animals will hide quickly. It’s always more advantageous to hunt at the start.”

Another guard added, “That’s right, boss, we will keep this place safe, so you should go and join them. I’m sure you will catch something today! You have been practicing your archery very hard.”

She certainly couldn’t just leave like the others! If she did, the guards left here would have no guidance. Poliana couldn’t believe how Sir Ainno, Sir Mahogal, and many of the First Division guards could just leave their posts like this because they wanted to hunt! Only

Poliana grumbled, “It’s all because of Sir Ainno! He is the boss, which means he should’ve been a good example! I don’t blame his men for leaving since they were just following his move!”

“It is actually a little strange, Sir Pol. It is very unlike Sir Ainno to leave like this…”

Poliana’s guards looked confused. It was true that Sir Ainno loved to hunt, but he wouldn’t abandon his duty like this. If he was desperate to hunt, he would’ve gone alongside the emperor so he could hunt and protect Lucius the First at the same time.

But today, Sir Ainno went in the opposite direction of where the emperor planned to go. On top of that, he stopped anyone from going in the same direction as him, declaring that he wanted to hunt alone.

In the end, those who were left were Poliana, the two wives of the emperor, and a few guards. Poliana felt troubled at the current situation. Lucius the First, as the emperor, should’ve been more cautious, but he loved to hunt as well. He rode out excitedly and no one could stop him. Poliana considered following him to guard him, but she stayed behind because of the ladies.

When Lady Stra asked to join the hunt, everyone was surprised to hear her request. The way the Acreians hunted was very different from how it was done in her kingdom, and it seemed that Lady Stra was unaware of this. Because she couldn’t be the only lady at the hunt, Lady Tory offered to accompany her.

Lady Stra, now looking confused and surprised as most men left, murmured, “Maybe we shouldn’t have come at all…”