The Emperor and the Knightess

“What is it, Sir Pol?”

“People are complaining that your highness is discriminating against Acreia, and that you favor the mid and southern areas. Apparently, your new marriages have caused many to become disgruntled.”

Poliana was so angry when she heard about it, but she couldn’t even show it because she was in public and was surrounded by many important people. Poliana punched the air in frustration and Lucius the First decided to take care of something he thought of during the banquet. He gestured to Poliana to come closer. When she did, the emperor leaned forward and whispered, “Do you know of anyone who has quick feet and even quicker mind? I would prefer someone who doesn’t have much to do right now and is getting bored.”

The best of the knights Lucius the First knew were already dispatched to high priority posts. He couldn’t think of anyone, which meant he had to hire a new person. Poliana thought of a few men who weren’t in active duty and mentioned one name, “Viscount Ingreter’s son Sir Deke is very quick on his feet. The only problem with him is that when he gets drunk, he begins to run straight ahead and there has been no one who could catch him so far. He is that fast.”

“Hmm… That’s not the kind of person I was hoping for, but I like the fact that he is very fast. Does he know how to keep a secret?”

“Yes, your highness. Even when he gets drunk, he just runs and falls. He never talks. If you have something important you need to get over with, I can…”

“No, it’s nothing that needs to be done right away.”

Lucius the First smiled and added, “I was just thinking that I should become more sophisticated.”

***

Time passed by quickly and it was the night before the wedding. Lucius the First was drinking with his friends in the middle of an extravagant bachelor party. The emperor didn’t drink much. A hungover groom was never a good sight at any wedding.

Lucius the First didn’t look overly upset, which confused Sir Ainno.

‘Wow, he isn’t grumbling and moping like I expected. Why is that?’

Sir Ainno asked the emperor, “I thought you would be depressed, your highness.”

“Me? Why?”

“Lately, you have been very focused on those women’s feelings. I thought you would feel sad for the ladies who are going to be forced to share their husbands with each other. I guess I was wrong about it.”

“I realized that they considered getting a wealthy and powerful husband the biggest accomplishment of their lives. I learned that my marriage can be beneficial for both parties, for myself, and all of my wives.”

“You are very wise indeed, your highness.”

Lucius the First smiled. This might be the man’s world, but the women made do and made sure to get what they wanted. They worked to get the best husband they could. Just as a man enjoyed a “trophy wife,” a woman also saw her husband as her trophy that represented her status in this world. A powerful husband would improve her standing, and a wealthy husband would make her a winner in this world.

This world was like a tournament. The champion who wins it gets the medal and the trophy. To the women, good husbands were like these awards.

And as a good award, Lucius the First planned to act accordingly. Before he went to bed, he spent extra time on his skincare. After looking at the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction.

The next day, at the wedding, no one seemed to care about the brides. It was the emperor who looked the most beautiful. Compared to him, the three brides looked plain. The people didn’t gasp when the ladies took their veils off. Instead, they only stared at their emperor’s lovely face.

This was especially the case because unlike the brides who didn’t sleep well the night before because they were so nervous, the emperor slept like a baby. His face shined like the bright sun.

It was a perfect day. The sun shone and the birds sang happily. Some of them pooped on top of some guests’ heads too, causing people to laugh.

Poliana was busy as she was responsible for guarding the brides. She wasn’t given the time to enjoy the biggest event of the year. She never even got the chance to sit down. She had to move constantly and make sure there weren’t any suspicious guests or items there. She also kept her eyes on the foods and drinks, which wasn’t even her responsibility.

There were so many things to consider that Poliana felt overwhelmed.

“This isn’t even my wedding, so I can’t believe how busy I am!” She raised her fist in the air in frustration. If she was this busy at someone else’s wedding, how busy would she be at her own wedding?

After the ceremony, a reception took place. Poliana was thankful that she had a decent breakfast because, for the rest of the day, all she got to eat was cake. She finished her piece quickly, and thought to herself, ‘I am so impressed with the brides.’

Poliana knew that the three ladies didn’t eat anything, not even a sip of water, since last night. They must’ve felt dizzy and weak, and yet the ladies had pretty smiles on their faces, and they were even dancing.

‘What strong women!’

They were afraid that their tummy would look bulgy if they ate anything, so the ladies were starving themselves. Poliana couldn’t understand why this was such an important thing, but the ladies obviously felt very serious about it.

After eating her cake, Poliana continued to look around the area with hawk eyes. She couldn’t relax just because the ceremony was over. Because the drinks were being served now, there were even more people entering the reception area. She had to be extra diligent.

Just like Poliana, Sir Ainno didn’t drink even a sip of alcohol this day. Poliana was looking around when her eyes spotted him. Sir Ainno, who felt her eyes on him, turned towards her and their eyes met. Slowly, Poliana walked around the dance floor and towards Sir Ainno. As the two official security officers of the day, they chatted quietly with each other.

Sir Ainno handed a piece of sandwich, which was brought to him by a servant, to Poliana, who accepted it gratefully. They were surrounded by amazing foods and drinks, but all they could eat without losing their focus was sandwiches. The servants looked at them sympathetically, but Sir Ainno and Poliana didn’t even notice. They were on duty, so it was natural for them to not drink and eat whatever was convenient.

It was late in the evening and the wind was calm. The sky was filled with stars, but because of their large torchlights, the stars disappeared. The purpose of the torchlights was to make sure that the entire place remained well lighted. If someone was hiding in the shadow behind a tree in the garden, he would be noticed as soon as he moved.

Most of the guests in the room looked familiar to Poliana now, so she focused on the servants and maids who kept entering and leaving the area. Meanwhile, Sir Ainno’s eyes never left the emperor.

Only

Sir Ainno asked Poliana, “Have you seen anything suspicious tonight?”

“No.”

“Not me either.”

“Good, but we can’t relax yet. The reception is to last for four days, so we better remain vigilant.”

“Argh…”

Suddenly, Sir Ainno groaned with a frown. Poliana flinched in shock and looked at the direction he was looking at. When she saw who Sir Ainno frowned at, Poliana relaxed.

It was only Duke Luzo.