The Emperor and the Knightess

Poliana welcomed the idea. She had more than enough money and having a personal doctor on call for her would be very convenient. She knew Frau was a talented doctor, and he also had a mild manner; this could work out perfectly.

So when Frau asked her to have dinner with him again, Poliana refused.

“I have plans for tonight again.”

“Oh, alright…”

She felt so guilty as she watched him looking weak and upset. Why couldn’t he straighten up like a man? Why could he not be confident in himself? Did he think she was going to hit him or something? Well, she had to admit that if he was one of her guards, she probably would’ve kicked him for looking so weak.

With a sigh, Poliana said to Frau, “But I have some time next week, so we can have dinner then, would you like that?”

Why couldn’t he just ask her straight out when she would be free?

As soon as Poliana said this to him, Frau smiled brightly like he was given the greatest gift in the world. Poliana liked seeing his usual kind smile. It was also odd yet flattering to see how he reacted to her every word.

That night, when she was having dinner with Sir Bentier, she asked him how much she should pay for a personal doctor.

***

Lucius the First and Sir Bentier Seeze had a secret alliance. As the Elder Marquis Seeze’s successor, Sir Bentier was supposed to be the emperor’s political opponent. But during the war, Sir Bentier changed his side. Only a few people knew of his decision. It was considered one of the top secrets that they have.

Sir Bentier did not want to worsen the tension between the elders and the emperor. He tried his best to convince the elders to obey the emperor, but things weren’t going very well. The elders were very stubborn and refused to change.

The elders continued to increase the size of their private armies. They ruled their own lands like they were the king, which didn’t agree with the emperor. Thankfully, no big incidents happened between the two sides just yet.

The emperor’s sudden and sneaky change of the capital continued to anger the elders while the elders’ increasing military forces frustrated the emperor. It seemed that each was waiting for the other side to explode.

The emperor was a very patient man. He was very young and could afford to wait much longer than the elders could. Lucius the First believed that the goddess of victory was going to be on his side. After all, the goddess’s loved good-looking men.

The emperor wanted to watch and see what would happen. The fact that Lady Rebecca from the southern region became the first of the wives to get pregnant was a huge bonus. This seemed to weaken Marquis Seeze’s power a little.

The elders began to regret insisting that Lady Tory should immediately be assigned as the empress.

“That girl is too smart for her own good. What is the purpose of intelligence in a girl? Nothing, right?”

“I hear Lady Tory is too busy working to maintain the lady’s quarters that she has no time to serve the emperor. Is this right?”

“That girl… She should be doing those things after she officially becomes the empress.”

“I agree. I mean, look at Lady Rebecca. The only thing a woman needs is beauty. Lady Rebecca is so small and fragile and she knows how to work this quality to her advantage. After all, she was able to get herself pregnant first.”

The angry elders sent a scathing letter to Lady Tory, blaming her for not getting pregnant first. Poliana read the letter before delivering it to Lady Tory as part of her job, and she frowned at it bitterly. The letter was rude and unfair. In addition, Poliana noticed that the elders pressured anyone they could command to control Lady Tory. Watching from afar, Poliana felt sorry for the lady. She began to monitor Lady Tory carefully to make sure she was okay.

While all these things happened, one night, Marquis Seeze’s grandson, Sir Bentier, invited Marquess Winter for dinner. Poliana thought carefully about the meaning of this invitation. She was the only guest to this dinner and on the table, there were Sir Bentier, his wife, and his son.

This was a very personal event and on the surface, this was for Sir Bentier to thank Poliana for her hard work. Lady Tory was Sir Bentier’s relative, and he was to thank Poliana for protecting her. This was a good excuse because lately, it was well known that Poliana spent a lot of time with Lady Tory.

Poliana was very unfamiliar with this political war. It felt strange to her oftentimes. She studied hard to learn as much as possible, but this was nothing like the real physical battles she was used to. Poliana felt disappointed that she wasn’t doing as well as she should.

The dinner went very smoothly. The only topics they discussed on the table were safe personal subjects. Sir Bentier talked of mundane things, and Poliana replied in the same fashion.

“You must be very busy nowadays, so thank you so much for inviting me to dinner.”

“It’s his highness who is truly busy, not me. Besides, you must be busy as well, Marquess Winter, so thank you for accepting my invitation.”

People who have known Poliana for a long time were used to calling her Sir Pol. They felt awkward calling her by her new rank, Marquess Winter, but it seemed that Sir Bentier felt very comfortable about it. He acted like she had always been a marquess, which made Poliana feel a little embarrassed.

Poliana, on the other hand, didn’t know how to address Sir Bentier. He used to be the deputy commander during the war and now, he retired from the military and became their new chancellor. Because Marquis Seeze was still alive, Sir Bentier was still just a “Sir.” The job of the chancellor came with the rank of a Duke, but it was considered lower than being the heir of a Marquis, so Sir Bentier kept his current status.

Technically and currently, Poliana was of higher rank than Sir Bentier politically, but in the military, Sir Bentier used to be her superior. Every soldier knows that what really counts in this world was one’s military rank, which would define them until they die. Sir Bentier was no longer in the military, but it didn’t matter.

Sir Bentier’s wife said to Poliana, “Lady Tory thinks very highly of you, Marquess Winter.”

“Oh, I’m very flattered. All the emperor’s wives have been very kind to me, but I must say that Lady Tory has been most helpful to me.”

Poliana and the young Lady Seeze carried a smooth conversation. Poliana has been having countless dinners with many noble families that she was used to chatting with the ladies now. Their common subject was Lady Tory. Lady Seeze visited Lady Tory often, so Poliana and Lady Seeze had a lot to talk about.

The next topic was Sir Bentier’s child. Poliana looked at Sir Bentier’s firstborn son, Sote Seeze, who was eating his dinner quietly. He was in his early teens, which meant it was about time for him to start training. Poliana herself began learning how to use her sword at a younger age, but Poliana heard recently that Sir Bentier was not training his firstborn to become a knight.

Poliana asked, “So, you really aren’t going to give him the knight’s training?”

Only

“Yes, it’s true. Since I became a chancellor, I thought it would be a good idea for him to follow my footsteps.”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea.”

Poliana could imagine Lucius the First loving this idea. For a second, she worried that Sir Bentier might betray the emperor, but she knew better. What she had seen so far from Sir Bentier told her that he wasn’t the kind of guy who could play the double agent. He wasn’t bold enough to pull it off. Besides, the emperor trusted him and Poliana trusted Lucius the First’s decision.

Both Lucius the First and Sir Bentier were waiting patiently for all the elders to die of old age. This was the most peaceful solution they have, and it wasn’t such an evil idea. Old people die no matter what, so no one could fault the emperor or Sir Bentier for it.

On the other hand, the elders were waiting for Lady Tory to bear a son. This was why Sir Bentier invited Poliana for dinner. When the meal was over, Lady Seeze wanted to stay a little longer, but Sir Bentier asked her to leave. It didn’t look like the couple had a bad relationship, but…

Poliana could see what was happening.

‘He doesn’t trust his wife…’