The Emperor and the Knightess

As usual, Poliana ate quickly and the emperor watched her happily. He couldn’t stop smiling as if he found her to be the loveliest thing in the world. Lucius the First smiled and smiled, and he couldn’t hide his pride. Poliana couldn’t understand why.

Was he proud of her big appetite? Was he proud of the fact that she ate very well?

‘Well, it is true that watching someone you like to eat well is very satisfying.’

Poliana said to the emperor, “I want to talk to you about Momo. I would like you to reinstate him as your scribe.”

“Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden?”

“I made a mistake and ended up owing to him. I promised him I would make him a scribe again.”

Thankfully, Lucius the First was not angry about Momo’s lie. He believed that if Momo knew the situation directly involved the emperor, Momo would’ve told him the truth. Lucius the First suddenly became serious as he replied, “But he is such an excellent auditor. As you know, Momo is quick, a great listener, and has an amazing memory. Besides, he has a better chance at promotion in the audit department anyway.”

“But he wants to be a scribe. To be honest, I think he wants to be a scribe because it is an easier and simpler job.”

“Right? You think so too? I was thinking the exact same thing.”

Everyone in the government was working so hard, so how dare he try to take an easy path? How dare he?!

Lucius the First grumbled for a while, but in the end, he gave his permission for Momo to change his department. With this favor, Poliana was able to keep her friendship with Momo safe.

Just like yesterday, Lucius the First suggested they take a walk after the meal. Although Poliana agreed, she felt uncomfortable having an audience watching them again. If the emperor asked her to walk the garden, she was going to suggest a different location.

“Will we be taking a walk in the garden again?”

“No, I noticed how we were being watched by so many people yesterday when we were in an open area. Why don’t we go visit the greenhouse and enjoy the flowers?”

“Of course, your highness.”

Lucius the First nonchalantly offered her his arm and Poliana almost took it without thinking.

‘His highness is very good at this!’

Indeed, Lucius the First was a master of making people do what he wanted. Poliana thought in determination, ‘I better keep my mind sharp.’

Poliana looked down at the emperor’s arm quietly. She couldn’t imagine holding his arm like a lady. She also felt awkward holding his hand, but it would look odd if she refused to do so when she did it only yesterday.

Gulp!

After swallowing audibly, Poliana decided what to do. She put her hand on top of his and then squeezed before swinging their hands together.

“Let’s go, your highness!”

“Of course.”

Lucius the First was overjoyed that Poliana took his hand without a word. Watching him looking proud, Poliana became confused. Why was he looking so proud? Was he proud of her hand strength? It was true that Poliana had great hand strength.

“Your highness, where is Sir Ainno? I haven’t seen him all day.”

“He’s on sick leave.”

Poliana was shocked to hear this news. ‘That jerk is actually sick?’

Sir Ainno’s mission in life was to protect the emperor. He was a true knight who refused to ever admit he was in pain even when he was. Sir Ainno believed in being manly and he would never leave the emperor’s side just because he was sick.

‘Unless… Is he sick like the way he was sick after Cekel kicked his crotch?’

At the time, Sir Ainno took a sick leave more so from his damaged pride than actual pain. When Poliana couldn’t hide her shock, Lucius the First realized that this was his chance to tell her about what Sir Ainno did to him.

‘Wait. No, I shouldn’t waste this opportunity. I can use this better.’

The sneaky emperor suddenly thought of another plan. Lucius the First didn’t say a word because he came up with a much better idea. Sir Ainno used the emperor for his gain, so why couldn’t Lucius the First do the same? The emperor decided that his payback to Sir Ainno would have to come later.

When Lucius the First remained quiet, Poliana asked, “Is Sir Ainno being beaten by his wife, Lady Cekel?”

Poliana knew that Sir Ainno was smitten with Cekel. She also witnessed how strong and firm Cekel was with Sir Ainno before their marriage. When Poliana looked up at him hopefully, Lucius the First laughed and replied, “No, he hurt his head, so I told him to take a day off. I also told his lady wife to take time off so she could take care of him. By the way, Sir Pol, I think most people would think of an illness when someone takes a sick leave, not an unhappy marriage.”

Only

Lucius the First found Poliana’s thinking amusing. When people thought of an unhappy and violent marriage, they thought of a husband beating his wife, but Poliana was the opposite. The emperor would’ve actually loved to see Lady Cekel beating up Sir Ainno, but he knew something like this would never happen.

Poliana murmured, “Well, something similar happened in the past, so I was just thinking out loud.” She secretly would’ve loved it if it was true, but Poliana would never admit this out loud.

Never!

The emperor replied, “Oh, that’s true. I remember Inno taking some time off after Lady Cekel kicked him.”

While they chatted, the emperor and the knightess finally arrived at the greenhouse. This place was familiar to Poliana because the emperor’s wives often used to visit it. But the greenhouse looked very different now. It looked unfamiliar and Poliana wondered, ‘Is it because I haven’t been here for a long time? Wait… I think there are many more flowers here.’

Gardens and greenhouses changed depending on the gardener’s effort. Until now, because the emperor has never been interested in such a thing, Master Chail has been the one who controlled the maintenance of the gardens and the greenhouse. Because Master Chail’s taste was elegant, the gardens used to boast of subtle beauty. It was the same for the greenhouse, but now… The greenhouse looked very colorful and extravagant.

Poliana suddenly realized, ‘Wait a minute. This is his highness’s style.’ She had no doubt that the emperor had something to do with the choices of the flowers in this greenhouse. She used to be the emperor’s personal guard, so she knew his taste very well. The greenhouse walls were rebuilt with expensive materials. The inside was being heated very well to keep the colorful and rare flowers blooming. Red, yellow, and blue flowers… Poliana only knew the names of half of the flowers.