The Emperor and the Knightess

A helmet had always been her must-have item.

The group moved slowly. It couldn’t be helped because it included the elderly and the children. Some knights, who were impatient, grumbled about the speed of their travel. When Poliana heard them, she smacked their heads and said to them, “Don’t be such idiots! These people aren’t soldiers like we are!”

“But Marquess! Remember when we were returning to Nanaba after the war? We moved so fast and we were even paving the road as we went!”

Poliana screamed at them, “Oh! Are you telling me you want to pave the road again as we go?”

“No! Not at all, Marquess! We misspoke!”

“Because if you want, I can certainly send you to where they need new roads. There are plenty of places in the kingdom where the construction workers are working day and night to pave fresh new roads, so all you have to is let me know. I can send you there!”

“No, Marquess! We didn’t mean that! We misspoke!”

The soldiers apologized immediately.

Lady Tory and Lady Stra were healthy young women, so they didn’t tire easily as they traveled. Unfortunately, however, some of the maids quickly began to show signs of fatigue and dehydration. Poliana was glad that they planned an ample amount of time for this trip. This way, they could make sure all of the travelers remained healthy. No one had to be left behind.

If this was the army and they were going to war, anyone who couldn’t keep up would’ve been left behind. These soldiers were ordered to catch up later, and if they didn’t, they were considered as deserters.

Poliana remembered when she was a young skinny girl trying to keep up with the other Aehasian soldiers. She had to work so hard just to survive. She remembered how heavy her armor was and how hot the days were. She was sweating heavily underneath her armor and her helmet. One of the Aehas knights seemed like he was going to offer her a ride, but he didn’t.

But that skinny girl was now a proper knight riding her own horse. Her horse was an expensive breed, much better than any of the Aehas knights used to ride. Some time ago, Lucius the First gifted Poliana her own custom-made armor. It was made of the best quality metal and gold. Her new armor was both comfortable and beautiful. The only problem with it was the fact that it fit her perfectly.

‘I can’t gain any weight or else, it won’t fit.’

Poliana remembered the other knights who ended up gaining a beer belly. In this case, they had to alter their existing armor. It wasn’t uncommon to see the middle-aged knights wearing armors with the belly part being shinier than the rest of the armor.

“Hahaha.”

It was such a funny sight that it always made Poliana laugh. She was now wearing her helmet, so Poliana didn’t have to hide her smile. As long as she kept relatively quiet, no one could tell what she was thinking or feeling.

Lucius the First, who has been chatting with Sir Ainno at the front of the group, slowly approached Poliana. Poliana stopped laughing immediately and asked, “Did you need something, your highness?”

“Why don’t you take your helmet off? It makes me feel hot and uncomfortable just looking at it.”

“It’s not uncomfortable at all, your highness. You should wear yours as well.”

Lucius the First had many different helmets; some were practical while the others were for show. Poliana wished the emperor would wear his helmet for protection. Although the road should be safe to travel, it was always good to be overly cautious.

Lucius the First shook his head, “I don’t want to. It would be so uncomfortable.”

“Then why don’t you ride in a carriage?”

“That would be even more uncomfortable. By the way, now that I am riding with you, this reminds me of the day when we returned to Nanaba in victory.”

Poliana remembered that day very well. She smiled just thinking about it. It was such a wonderful day with the flowers and colorful confetti dancing around them. At the time, Poliana was tensed because she was worried about a surprise attack, but she also enjoyed that day immensely. Poliana knew she would remember that day forever. Perhaps she could tell this story to people when she became an old woman.

Poliana replied, “You gave me a flower that day, your highness.”

“Oh, you remembered that?”

Lucius the First looked at her expectantly as Poliana answered him, “I did carry it around for a while, but I ended up throwing it away because it wilted. I certainly remembered getting it from you, your highness. It made me feel much more relaxed when you gave it to me. You always have a way to make me feel better, your highness. I am always so thankful to you.”

Poliana bowed respectfully and the hope in Lucius the First’s eyes disappeared. He knew he shouldn’t have been so hopeful.

But he wasn’t too disappointed. It wasn’t a bad thing to have a little bit of hope from time to time.

***

Only

Because it was such a leisurely journey, the knights, who were from Acreia, had plenty of time to disappear into the woods and hunt. They were usually successful in catching small games. They looked so smug as they returned from their hunts.

Lucius the First also felt impatient and bored. He wanted to go out hunting as well, which made his guards nervous. Poliana asked for help from Lady Tory and Lady Stra, but they told her they couldn’t help her. If even Poliana couldn’t stop the emperor, would they be able to do it?

Lady Stra and Tory were both as excited as the emperor. Their lives have been boring for a very long time, but finally, they had more excitement now. Both ladies were thrilled about this journey.

Most women traveled just once in their lives; it was when they journeyed to meet their husbands, and there, they lived the rest of their lives.

The ladies loved to read exciting adventure novels. This was only a simple carriage ride to Nanaba, but Lady Stra and Lady Tory were still very eager to enjoy it. Just looking outside the window of the carriage was exhilarating for them.

If it was going to be a long journey, they would’ve tired towards the end, but thankfully, the distance between Yapa and Nanaba wasn’t very great. The road between the two cities was also well paved, which made the carriage ride very smooth.

Soon enough, they arrived at the Nanaba castle. Because this wasn’t a victory march, they didn’t parade around the city, and instead, they went straight to the castle gate.