The Emperor and the Knightess

“I am disappointed in you, Sir Pol!”

“I can’t believe the emperor took you and not me, Sir Poliana! He is so mean!”

“Sir Pol! You should’ve stopped me when I bought my house in Nanaba! I put all of my money in it because I thought its price would go up! But now that it’s no longer the capital, I am going to lose my money!”

She did feel sorry about not stopping those who bought some houses in the old capital city, but she had no choice. What could she have done? It was top-secret and only those closest to the emperor were allowed to know.

Thankfully, Poliana had an excellent excuse. Although she knew the emperor was going to change the capital city at some point in the future, she had no idea when it was going to happen until it happened.

She explained to her those who complained to her, “I am sorry, but I myself had no idea until the day we moved.” This was the truth. A lot of people guessed that the emperor would attempt to change the capital city someday in the future, but everyone thought it would happen at least a few years from now.

On the day of their move, Poliana was asked to meet the emperor outside the castle. They rode together and she was told after they left the city that they were moving to Yapa. She was shocked to hear it, and when she asked the emperor why he picked that day of all days, his reason was even more shocking.

“Why did you pick today, your highness?”

“Today is considered one of the lucky days in Acreia.”

Poliana shook her head in disbelief. Her emperor was certainly one of the most superstitious men she had ever met. She had to admit, however, that most northern men were superstitious. Perhaps it was because the weather and the landscape in the northern region were harsh.

Lucius the First and Sir Ainno were especially superstitious. She then asked, “Don’t you think you read too much into superstition, your highness?”

“What’s the harm in it? I had to pick a day, so why not one of those lucky days?”

Lucius the First looked at various areas carefully, and after a cautious consideration, he chose Yapa, which was the capital of the old conquered kingdom Bikpa. Remembering what happened in the Yapa castle, Poliana teased the emperor, “Aren’t you worried that the ghosts of the Bikpa king and the princess will haunt you?”

Gali the Third and the nobles of Bika were hung naked and upside-down outside the castle wall to die. There were hundreds of them who died here that day. There was a rumor that the cries of their ghosts were heard often. People also claimed that they witnessed the ghost of the poor Bika princess appearing from time to time.

There were plenty of options, but the emperor most likely chose the Yapa castle because of its design and location. Poliana was still surprised, however, because she would’ve thought the emperor would avoid the castle that was rumored to be haunted.

Lucius the First replied with a smile, “What kind of castle doesn’t have one or two ghosts? All castles are haunted.” He seemed very confident, and Poliana believed him. After all, the emperor knew about castles much better than she did, who never lived in one until recently.

The emperor and the group chatted amicably. They were a close-knit group and as they rode their horses together, they even forgot the fact that they were in the process of moving the capital city. It felt more like a nice picnic.

But even as they laughed and talked, they all knew what was coming.

Work… Lots and lots of work.

When they arrived, Lucius the First hung the flag of the emperor at the front of the Yapa castle. The local nobles gathered anxiously around the group and listened as the emperor announced, “I will be dismantling the royal guard unit and create a new division of guards to protect this castle and the royal family. We will have a fresh start and forget the old. This new imperial guard unit will be divided into three sections. Sir Ainno Seki will be the head of the First Division, Marquis Poliana Winter will lead the Second Division, and Sir Jainno Seki and Sir Wook Tray will lead the Third Division together.”

Poliana stood behind the emperor in her blue uniform with the gold stripe. There was no way anyone would dare to argue with the emperor. Even if the people did, the emperor was never going to change his mind.

This has been his plan all along. The fact that the royal guards needed more manpower was a well-known fact. This was why the emperor created a new group that was three times the size of the gold unit.

Only

The First Division, led by Sir Ainno, was essentially the Knight’s order. The Second Division, led by Poliana, was going to be responsible for the protection of the royal family. The Third Division, headed by Sir Jainno and Sir Wook, was assigned the duty of protecting the Yapa castle as well as policing the capital city. Because the last division was required to control a very large area, two captains were assigned to it.

***

Once it was announced that the Yapa was the new capital of the continent, people swarmed into the city. The name of the kingdom remained Acreia and the names of the old conquered kingdoms were forgotten. This was the new beginning of the greatest nation built on this continent.

After the capital was moved, the second round of lawmaking began regarding their nobility system. The five-level system was accepted, and Poliana was reaffirmed as a marquess. Those who thought she was going to lose her title soon groaned in disappointment and shock. Many still protested it was too big of an honor for a foreign woman, but the emperor ignored them.

In the five-level aristocratic system, Poliana now had the second-highest rank. Only the royal family and the Seki family, who was promised a dukedom, were above her. Considering she was one of the most favored people by the emperor, it was very likely that she was going to receive her own dukedom someday.

Poliana raised her arms high in happiness. Hurray! She loved the new noble system, being powerful was a wonderful thing. When many noblemen continued to argue against such a big reward for Poliana, Lucius the First made sure that those who deserved to be rewarded were compensated handsomely. He did this for Poliana, who was the woman he loved. He respected and understood her effort as a woman who worked so hard to be accepted and acknowledged. Poliana was just about to live a life she deserved, and there was no way Lucius the First was going to take it away from her just because a few noblemen complained.

Marquis Seeze was obviously unhappy at the fact that he was at the same level as Poliana now. Sir Bentier, however, was secretly pleased because the emperor promised him the dukedom once Marquis Seeze passed away. This had to remain a secret, so Sir Bentier continued to mope around and look upset around others. Lucius the First, pretending to appease Sir Bentier, publicly offered him the position of the chancellor, and Sir Bentier, still maintaining a disappointed look, accepted the position. Poliana knew the whole story behind it, so she grinned secretly.