The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 226

Sir Donau and Sir Howe agreed with their wives.

“I feel the same way, Father. I respect my adopted sister’s wishes.”

“Me too, Father. I’m sure Sir Pol didn’t make this decision lightly.” The brothers knew that Poliana was an intelligent and careful woman. They believed that she would have considered all the possible consequences of her marriage before making this decision. But the truth was, Poliana decided to do this in a very rash way. In fact, if she had accepted the Sir Bika Senior’s offer of a puppy, Poliana would’ve never decided to get married. Poliana was in an emotionally vulnerable position because she felt so lonely, and it worked perfectly to Frau’s advantage. It was his lucky day.

In the end, everyone on the table agreed that they should all respect Poliana’s decision. Sir Deke, feeling awkward, didn’t say much. It seemed that he was the only one who knew about Frau’s declaration about how he wanted to marry Poliana for her money. Perhaps it was best for people not to know about it or else it would upset them even more.

Vanessa and Vaxi nodded, “We are so glad Sir Pol is marrying someone her own age.”

“Totally, I remember her telling us she doesn’t want to marry a younger man.”

Sir Donau felt a little sad, remembering how Poliana was his first love, but his feelings for her were now a distant and fond memory. He loved his wife and his daughter.

While everyone chatted amicably, Lady Bika kept murmuring to herself, “Frau… Frau…” The name sounded familiar. She had a bad feeling about it, and suddenly, she looked up.

“Sir Donau, did you say Sir Poliana is marrying Frau Sneke?”

“Yes. His name is Frau and he is from the Sneke family. He is currently working as Baron Redikal’s student; he’s a doctor.”

Lady Bika’s face became rigid. She was normally a very calm and kind-looking lady, but at this moment, she looked like a witch. She looked so angry, which was very unusual. It was also considered very rude to look so unhappy in front of a guest. Sir Rabi held his wife’s hand gently and asked, “Dear, what’s wrong?”

“Just give me a moment. I need to think. Frau Sneke… Frau Sneke… So that would be the current Baron Sneke’s younger brother? The man who had that notorious affair with a maid in his own household?!”

No one could agree or disagree with Lady Bika’s question because no one knew. Vanessa and Vaxi had no idea what their mother was talking about. Sir Rabi and Sir Baufallo were not in Acreia when this happened because they were away at war. Sir Donau and Sir Howe were the same. Sir Deke knew about this scandal since he recently did his own research, but he could not reveal this fact. If they asked how he knew about it, it would be very hard for him to explain it.

Lady Bika exclaimed, “No one here remembers this?!”

She raised her voice and Lady Ribo frowned before answering, “Oh, oh! Yes, you’re right, Lady Bika. Now that I think about it, I do remember. There was a huge scandal where a son of a duke wanted to get married to a maid. It was a huge deal, so I assume that that was the Sneke family?”

Sir Rabi murmured coldly, “So, that man has another woman?”

Lady Ribo, now remembering more about it, explained, “I think that maid died soon after that scandal. Right, Lady Bika?”

Lady Bika nodded unhappily, which made Sir Rabi feel a little better. After all, Frau Sneke was the same age as Poliana, which made him 33. It was not an odd thing for a man of 33 to have a past. As long as he was unattached right now, it was going to be okay.

Sir Rabi announced, “If she’s dead, then I guess it’s all good.”

Sir Baufallo asked, “Does Sir Pol know about this man’s past?”

Sir Donau answered suggested, “Well, knowing Sis, I am sure she did her research before deciding to get married. You know how her hobby is collecting information, right?”

“Haha, that’s right. She used to refuse to go into battles if she didn’t have enough information about them…”

“So, Sir Pol is really getting married…”

“What a joyous occasion!”

Suddenly, Lady Bika yelled as she slapped the table, “What are you people talking about! This is a joyous occasion?!”

“D-dear, w-what’s wrong, are you ill?”

“Are you people all crazy? A joyous occasion, how could you all say this!”

Ignoring her shocked husband, Lady Bika pointed at the three young men at the table. The three men straightened, just like they used to when they were in active duty and ordered by their superior. Lady Bika looked faint as she stood up weakly. Before Sir Rabi could help her, Lady Bika ordered firmly, “You three need to go and stop this wedding right this minute!”

Her voice sounded almost scary. It was so loud that it echoed throughout the dining room. It was no wonder she was the wife of a prominent knight. The three men stood up and saluted her.

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“Right away, Ma’am!”

“Of course, Ma’am!”

Their reaction was by reflex from their years in the military. Lady Bika, suddenly realizing how odd her behavior was, quickly began to explain her reasoning behind her request. The three men, however, did not need her to explain herself. They were ready and willing to follow her order.

That very night, the three young knights rode to Yapa. They had only one goal and one mission in mind.

They had to stop the evil Frau! They had to prevent Poliana’s wedding from happening!

The night deepened and heavy ominous rain fell on the three young men, but they never stopped riding.

***

Meanwhile, as Cekel predicted, the maids inside the lady’s quarters became divided into two sides. Some sided with Lady Tory, while others supported Lady Stra. Strangely, this made Lady Stra and Lady Tory become even closer to each other.

Instead of Lady Rebecca’s reception area, the two wives of the emperor began to gather inside Lady Stra’s reception room. Instead of the sweet fruity snacks from the south, grainy desserts from the mid-continent region were served.

Lady Stra was now fully responsible for raising Princess Luminae while Lady Tory remained the unofficial head of the lady’s quarters. Taking care of a newborn was a hard job, but in truth, it was the wet nurse who did most of the work. When Lady Stra seemed apologetic, Lady Tory suggested, “Stra, could you take care of arranging the emperor’s birthday feast this year?”

“Oh?! I think that job is too big for me; I don’t think I’m qualified to do it.”

“I am sure you can do it!”

“But… All the powerful Acreian nobles were invited this year, right? It will have to be a perfect Acreian banquet, and I know I won’t be able to do it.”

Due to Lady Rebecca’s recent passing, it was decided that the emperor’s birthday party will be a much smaller occasion than usual. Only the Acreian nobles and those aristocrats in Yapa were invited, which meant that the banquet would have to be in Acreian fashion. Stra, who was not from the north, did not feel comfortable taking care of such a big event. Only

Lady Tory said encouragingly, “You can do it, Lady Stra. The feasts in the mid-continent regions are actually more complicated. I will help you do it, so don’t worry.”

Stra hesitated, but Lady Tory has been taking care of a lot of the things lately. Stra has been thinking that she should be helping more, so this could be her chance. In addition, she could learn more about the Acreian customs this way, which will be helpful to her in the future.

Stra nodded and replied, “Alright. But if I do something wrong, you have to promise to tell me right away.”

“Of course.”

Tory replied kindly, but Stra still seemed uncertain. She knew any mistakes would be criticized harshly by the Acreian nobles. When Stra looked concerned, Tory offered, “If you do a good job, I will give you a gift.”

Tory gestured to her maid, who brought a bottle of wine. When Stra saw it, her eyes shined. She exclaimed, “It’s the ice wine!”

Tory replied quietly, “So, you have heard about this wine.”