The Emperor and the Knightess

He looked down again and explained, “It is all in the past. It happened many years ago!”

Poliana thought about it quietly. So it seemed that Frau’s once-in-a-lifetime love story ended because of her death. Was it because Lady Rebecca died recently? Poliana wasn’t unhappy to hear what happened. She felt a little relieved that the woman in question was gone.

Poliana replied, “You aren’t a young man, so it is understandable that you have a past. I don’t, but I am a special case.”

After looking through Frau’s documents, Poliana warned him, “I will be writing this in the contract, but I will give you a warning in advance; if you cheat on me, I will kill you.”

“I would never do that.”

“And if you do anything that shames or embarrasses the Winter name, I will kill you.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“I’m not kidding, I really mean it.”

Poliana took out her dagger and began to play with it. She threw it in the air again and again, and every time its sharp edge shone against the sunlight, Frau’s face paled further. Poliana continued, “And the documents you brought… They may be accurate. If there is any falsehood on this paperwork, it’s going to be very bad for you. I hate liars.”

Lucius the First ripped Gali the Third’s mouth when he lied. Frau nodded in understanding, making Poliana grin in satisfaction.

‘He’s cute.’

To Poliana, Frau looked adorable.

***

Lucius the First, for his birthday feast, only invited the Acreian elders and the high-ranking nobles on purpose. He had a plan, which was to have a serious conversation with them as a last attempt to force their obedience. It was true that these men have been a pain in his life, but they were also the people who made Acreia. Lucius the First wanted to give them a last chance.

Of course, if this didn’t work, then he was going to have to do a snake hunt. He and Sir Bentier have been planning this hunt for a while now.

Poliana’s wedding plan was also going very well, thanks partly to Lady Tory. Poliana asked anything she wasn’t sure about, and Lady Tory answered as best as she could. Lady Tory was only too happy to help, especially because Poliana was always there for her to answer any questions she wanted to ask. Poliana was the only one who Lady Tory felt safe to ask about the topics about the kingdom.

“Oh, so that would be called tax evasion.”

“Yes, Lady Tory, that’s definitely tax evasion.”

Poliana was no law expert, but even she could tell that the case Lady Tory talked about was illegal. Poliana was fascinated whenever Tory asked about various stories she heard from somewhere. She could tell that these illegal deeds were done by Lady Tory’s acquaintances, but Tory was very sneaky about not revealing their identities. Even if Poliana knew who these people were, she had no intention of telling the emperor about them. Poliana was just happy that Lady Tory now knew that what her acquaintances were doing was wrong.

Their conversations were kept secret. Everyone thought that Poliana and Lady Tory were only talking about Poliana’s upcoming wedding. It made sense because Poliana was alone. She didn’t have her parents or any other family members to help her arrange her wedding. It wasn’t an odd thing for Poliana to ask a noble lady for help.

Frau also didn’t have his family to help him arrange the wedding. Even if he wanted to plan it himself, he couldn’t because he couldn’t afford it himself. Everything was paid by Poliana.

If Marquess Winter’s wedding becomes a success, Lady Tory’s reputation was going to greatly improve. To help arrange a high-ranking noble’s wedding was considered a great honor only given to older noble ladies.

The reality was a little different than what the maids and other ladies believed, however. The truth was, Poliana’s wedding was being arranged mostly by her butler and maids. Tory did help in giving advice, but only at the very beginning. Their time spent together was rarely about Poliana’s wedding.

What Poliana found odd was Lady Tory’s mood. Some days, Tory looked relieved while other times, she looked like she was worried about something. Whenever Poliana asked if something had happened, Lady Tory refused to give her a real answer. She only explained that she was too tired from work.

It was Poliana’s lucky day today. She was permitted to visit Princess Luminae. Poliana was even allowed to hold her for a while. On her way to the princess’s room, Poliana met the oldest and the second oldest son of the Ingreter family. She saw Sir Beke often, but it had been a long time since she met Sir Aeke, who retired from his active duty and was transferred to have a desk job. For some reason, the two brothers were together in the garden enjoying the sunlight.

Poliana greeted Sir Beke pleasantly, “Sir Beke, long time no see!”

“You too, Sir Pol.”

“It’s nice to see you, two brothers, together.”

She stood next to them to sunbathe as well. Sir Beke asked her, “Has something good happened recently? You look really good.”

“Oh, it’s because I began to get facials; I’m taking care of my skin now.”

It only began recently, so it was nice that he noticed it already. Poliana realized that it was worth the money and time to get her skin improved. The maid who was working on her told her to avoid the strong sun whenever possible, but Poliana had already forgotten about it; she laughed brightly as she enjoyed the sun.

Both Sir Beke and Aeke laughed as well and replied, “Hahaha! You’re too funny, what a good joke!”

They both thought Poliana was kidding. Just then, Sir Aeke became aware that he could smell something.

‘Hmm? What is this scent?’

At first, he thought it was from the flowers since they were in a garden, but the scent was a little more complicated. It smelled more similar to what he could smell in his wife’s room sometimes. It wasn’t too strong, but it definitely was not from nature — it had to be man-made.

Only

Sir Aeke looked around and the only difference within the last few minutes was the fact that Poliana came to them. In disbelief, he asked, “Sir Pol… D-did you put on some perfume by chance?”

To the brothers’ shock, Poliana answered, “I didn’t’ spray it, it’s just a dab.”

‘Oh my god!’

Both Sir Aeke and Beke backed away in shock and took their swords out. They yelled at her jokingly, “Who are you, and what have you done with Sir Pol?!”

“Maybe she’s an imposter, but where would you be able to find such an ugly girl like her?”

‘Bastards.’

The brothers were only half-joking, making Poliana annoyed. These men needed to be taught a lesson.