The Emperor and the Knightess

As they walked, Poliana saw how drenched he was. She said to him, “Sir Ainno, you look like you need to take a rest.”

“I will not allow an idiot to stand by his highness, so I will give you a special lesson to prepare you better.”

“Sir, you just completed a round vigorous training. You really need to rest now.”

“You!”

Sir Ainno looked at Poliana up and down and suddenly, he hit her head hard.

It hurt, and she was no longer in a helpless position like before. After all, she was a knight and she belonged to Sir Rabi, not Sir Ainno. She had all the right to protest.

“Why did you just hit me?!”

“Do you really think you can be near his highness looking like that! Go wash yourself! You are filthy!”

“But I washed a week ago!”

Sir Ainno’s eyes wavered in shock, making Poliana wonder, ‘What’s so shocking?’

Poliana couldn’t understand his reaction. A servant was walking by and Sir Ainno loudly ordered him to fill up a tub.

“With cold water. Actually, fill it with hot water since it washes better! And get her some four strong women too!”

“Sir Ainno, what are you trying to do?”

“Do you at least brush your teeth, woman?”

Poliana knew very well how important teeth were for everyone. It was common for soldiers to lose their teeth from injuries, which meant it was especially important for military men to take care of their teeth. Poliana herself lost a molar because of Sir Ainno, and ever since, she has been taking special care of her teeth.

She answered confidently, “I brush them with salt five times a day.”

“Thank god.”

Sir Ainno seemed relieved before glaring at her again. He ordered loudly to the servants, “Get this girl cleaned right now!”

A bathtub was prepared outside. The servants and the maids were shocked because it was to bathe a woman, not a man. A wife of a lord from the nearby village offered her own bathroom when she heard the news, but Sir Ainno stubbornly refused, claiming that her bathroom would be dirtied beyond repair.

Shocked, the lord’s wife sent her own maids to help with the process. She also insisted that at the very least, the bathtub should be placed indoors. In the end, it was placed in a storage room and the windows were all covered for privacy.

A few lanterns were placed inside for light. Poliana grumbled loudly as she took off her clothes quickly, shocking the maids again.

A woman who knew no shame.

But Poliana was a knight and there was no place for shyness or embarrassment in wars. If necessary, she had to be ready to fight naked.

When she was fully naked, the maids were shocked again.

“Oh my god, she was really a woman?!”

“I thought that she was a man too…”

Half the maids seemed disappointed for some reason, while the other half seemed surprised. There were so many different rumors about Poliana that the maids became excited to find out the truth. They began to chat all at once.

“Oh my, you aren’t as ugly as some claimed!”

“Sir Knightess, you look so handsome!”

“Well, for me, I am disappointed because I was hoping you would be like his highness. You know, beautiful.”

The maids also whispered that the lord’s wife became upset when she saw Lucius the First. She was considered the most beautiful lady in the region, but when she saw how beautiful the Acreian emperor was, she felt ashamed of herself. Poliana understood perfectly how that must have felt, so she nodded emphatically.

All four tubs of water were needed to wash Poliana and it took most of the day for the maids to clean her. When there was no more hot water, the maids became disappointed because there was still more washing that needed to be done. When they suggested that they ask the kitchen to boil more water, Poliana announced loudly, “No more!”

Her skin stung and she couldn’t take it anymore. When the maids began to rub in oil on her body, Poliana jumped in shock. Her skin was just cleaned, so why were they putting on smelly stuff on her body?

“That hurts! Stop!” She complained.

“Stay still, Sir Poliana. I can’t believe how rough your skin is.”

“But the oil smells like flowers. What if the enemy dogs detect me while I am in the middle of a surprise attack?”

“It’s called perfume, Sir Poliana. Hold still.”

The maids ignored her protest and continued rubbing in oil on her hair and her body. Poliana hated that oily feeling. When she began to wipe herself off with a dry towel, the maids stopped her.

“We just gave you our lady’s personal stash of oils! Do you know how expensive it is?!”

When she was told it was an expensive oil, Poliana decided to let it stay on her skin. Her clothes were taken away to be washed. When Poliana protested, saying her leather armor shouldn’t be washed with water, the maids replied that a soldier took it so he must know what to do with it.

The maids offered her a lady’s robe, making Poliana frown. She feared that she might have no choice but to wear it, but she quickly realized that it didn’t fit her.

For a woman, Poliana was very tall. She was slim but very muscular. She had no fat on her body but her shoulders were broad and her arms and chests were well muscled. Her body shape was definitely very different than the others. The robe didn’t fit her at all, and even if they brought a bigger one, it wouldn’t work. On top of that, the dress just did not suit Poliana. With her discolored skin and shaven head, she looked creepy in a skirt.

In the end, men’s clothes were brought in for her. It was a bit too big for her, but it still fits her better. In fact, she looked like a decent looking young man in it. Both Poliana and the maids couldn’t understand why she looked scary in a skirt, but almost handsome in pants.

Looking at the mirror, Poliana wondered, ‘I… I guess I WAS really dirty…?’

But it was normal for any soldier not to be able to bathe often. In fact, washing once a week was considered very clean.

For example, Poliana’s superior Sir Rabi hated water on his skin altogether. He avoided bathing himself at all costs.

Only

On her way back to her tent, she spotted Sir Rabi, who was sweating heavily as Sir Ainno did. Sir Rabi was playing with the military dogs. Poliana greeted him and said to him, “Sir, you look tired. You should go take a rest.”

Sir Rabi looked up at her and replied, “Who are you?”

“…”

“I’m joking, Sir Poliana.”

“Was I… that filthy? I thought I was ok.”

“Not at all, Sir Pol. You are actually one of the cleanest soldiers I know. And you brush your teeth five times a day! I was just kidding because I have never seen you in regular clothes.”

The dogs licked Sir Rabi, making him laugh. As far as Poliana knew, the last time Sir Rabi washed was when it rained and even then, all he did was barely wet his body with the rain. She remembered Sir Baufallo shaking in disgust when he talked about how filthy Sir Rabi was.

Just then, Sir Howe walked by with Sir Donau, who then exclaimed, “Wow, Sir Poliana. You look so clean.”