The Emperor and the Knightess

Lucius the First gave her a year. In one year, when she returned to Yapa, she was going to take Gerald with her. By that time, he should be old enough to travel the long distance.

One of the first things Poliana did was to write letters to the south. When the story of how Poliana refused to marry the emperor reaches the southern region… Poliana shivered in fear. Her old superiors were upset that she gave birth out of wedlock, so how angry were they going to be when they heard about the most recent event?

After sending her letters, Poliana waited nervously for the replies. Then one day, several guests arrived from the south. It was Sir Howe, Sir Donau, and their wives. Poliana hugged the twins tightly. It has been a few years since they last saw each other. They laughed and hugged for a long time.

Poliana was pleasantly surprised that the couples brought their children as well. They were here to meet their aunt.

“It must’ve been a very hard journey…”

“Not at all. They are so strong and sturdy…”

“Gerald is really healthy too.”

“Well, I guess it makes sense that they are all children of the knights. Since they are so healthy, I guess we will never have to worry about them getting sick.”

Sir Donau and Vanessa’s daughter, Marin, picked up Gerald easily. Gerald’s nanny watched worriedly since Marin herself was a very young child. To the nanny’s shock, Marin showed off her monstrous strength.

Sir Howe and Vaxi’s son, Martin, stood nearby and practiced with his tory sword. Gerald nanny again watched nervously, worried that Martin might accidentally hurt the baby, but Martin stated that only an inexperienced swordsman would make such a stupid mistake.

Martin yelled bravely, “I am going to be the head!”

“Me too!”

They were still very young children and what they were saying didn’t make much sense. When Poliana looked at their parents, the twin sisters laughed and explained, “Both of them want to become the head of the guards in the future.”

“They used to fight about this every day.”

“So we told them that there were three divisions in the capital city, which stopped their fighting.”

“If not, they would still be fighting.”

It was a cute story, but Poliana couldn’t smile. Sure, perhaps Martin could become one, but Marin too? When she looked displeased, Sir Donau quickly explained, “Sis, we are not saying we will force Marin into becoming a knight. If she wants to become one when she grows up, then we won’t stop her…”

“This is a huge problem.”

“What is?”

“I was going to have Gerald become the head of the guards. So to have Marin and Martin as his rival… It is going to be a very difficult road for my son.”

Poliana sighed deeply. Marin and Martin inherited their mothers’ incredible strength. They were still so young, but the way they played with the toy swords was truly impressive.

Poliana then turned towards her son. Gerald was too young to show any talents yet. He definitely resembled his father, but would he also have his father’s talent for swordplay? What if Gerald resembled Poliana instead… It would be a very sad thing, indeed. She hoped Gerald would become a strong and talented fighter.

The kids played hard before falling asleep. Taking this opportunity, Vaxi and Vanessa went to enjoy the hot spring. Poliana sat down with Sir Howe and Sir Donau, knowing she would hear about how her old bosses reacted to her letters.

Sir Howe scratched his cheek and said to her, “My father-in-law… Well, he sighed a lot.”

Poliana asked nervously, “And?”

“My mother-in-law said that she thinks she might understand a little about what kind of happiness you must want, Sir Pol.”

This was unexpected.

“Lady Bika did?”

“Yes. There are occasions when men change their last name because they have to leave their families or receive a new one from the emperor, but she said that only women can understand what it feels like to lose her family name just because she gets married…”

“In Aehas, it isn’t uncommon for a man to marry into a more powerful family and change his last name.”

“Exactly. Lady Bika said that because of this, you might find it even harder to give up your name.”

‘Hmm? I wonder if she is right. Is that why I felt so strongly about my name?’

She was an Acreian now, but she grew up in Aehas. Poliana nodded in understanding. In the Cranbell family, there were only two daughters and Poliana was the oldest one. If she remained Poliana Cranbell, it was very likely that her husband, whoever it may have been, would’ve had to change his name into Cranbell.

Her name and her family… These were all hers. Just as the kingdom Acreia was Lucius the First’s life, the name “Winter” was the most precious thing to Poliana.

Now, it was Sir Donau’s turn.

“Well, our father…”

He couldn’t continue for some reason, so Sir Howe explained, “Our father cried.”

“What? Why?!”

“He cried because of you, Pol. You need to really go visit our father and apologize.”

Poliana couldn’t hide her nervousness. Sir Baufallo cried? Because of her?

Sir Donau said to her, “Sis, please calm down. Our father felt sad because he thought you might have made your decision because of what he said in the past.”

“In the past? When?”

“The day we ate the ducks.”

Poliana remembered it immediately. It was the day when there were five people but only four duck legs!

“That day? What did he say to me that day… Oh, I remember. He told me that if I want to die a knight, I better not fall in love with anyone… But things are different now!”

Only

Sir Howe replied, “Yes, yes. We all know, but he is an old man, and he doesn’t feel that way. Ever since he became a grandfather, he became much more emotional. You know how big his eyes are right? Like a cow? His eyes filled up with tears. It was quite a sight.”

“…”

She would’ve much preferred Sir Baufallo come to Sitrin and slap her back. Making her old superior cry… Poliana felt awful. Sir Howe, seeing how upset Poliana was, tried to console her, “Don’t feel so bad. It isn’t that bad. He just cares about you a lot.”

Sir Donau added, “We know you didn’t make your decision because of what he said a long time ago. Sis, please look so sad.”

“Did I really make a mistake? Do you think… Was… Was my decision a wrong one?”

Sir Donau replied, “Sis, do you remember what I said to you before? I told you that as long as you are happy, that is enough.”

Sir Howe added, “If I were you, I would’ve grabbed the chance to become the empress without hesitation. But you are not me. You should do whatever feels right, Pol.”

The brothers were very encouraging, making Poliana feel much better.