The Emperor and the Knightess

“Hahaha.”

Poliana indeed liked deer meat, and it was actually the Acreian soldiers who introduced her to it. In the mid-continent and southern regions, the deer meat was softer while the northern deer meat was tougher and stringier. It was fun to hunt deer, so it would make an excellent hobby. It was unfortunate that Poliana’s hunting skill was average at best.

Traps allowed them to have decent catches, but in the Acreian culture, such techniques were allowed only during winter. The Acreians were the descendants of amazing hunters, so they firmly believed in hunting with their arrows. Even the emperor was shamed if he was unsuccessful in catching prey during a hunt.

In the Acreian culture, people looked down on someone like Poliana who wasn’t adequate in using a bow. Poliana resigned to accept this standard because she knew how harsh the Acreian weather was. Her old home, Aehas, where cranberries grow, had a much milder climate. The Acreians had to depend on hunting for their survival, so it made sense that they valued this skill. In other regions, hunting was considered a hobby, but in Acreia, it was for survival.

It wasn’t just Poliana who had to endure being criticized for her lack of hunting skills. The same standards were applied to the nobles that joined the Acreian court from the mid-continent and southern regions. At first, these nobles, who enjoyed hunting as a pastime, were delighted to hear that the Acreians greatly valued this skill. But when these newcomers learned the primitive way the Acreians hunted, they were shocked.

Many Acreian hunters often spent days tracking the animal’s feces and footprints. Sometimes, they took their hunting dogs but not always.

It was a well-known fact that Poliana was the worst hunter in Lucius the First’s hunting party. When Poliana looked excited about the deer meat, the emperor said to her, “Stop smiling and get ready, Pol. You should really try to catch something this time. Even a rabbit would be okay. You keep embarrassing yourself at the every hunt we’ve been through.”

“For me, I find it easier to hunt for people, your highness.”

“You are so good at tracking animals, so why is it that you can’t catch them?”

“I am trying my best.”

In a large hunting party, the tracking was carried out by the hunting dogs and anyone who had a talent for it. Poliana had an excellent sense of direction and reading her surroundings, so she was often the one leading the hunters. But oddly enough, she never caught an animal by herself so far. What was the point of finding the prey if she couldn’t even catch it?

The problem was that she was a horrible archer. She was a soldier whose main weapon was a sword. She had some experience with a spear, but her training never included archery.

It was much easier for one to learn to use a spear than a bow. A bow took years of diligent practice and training to learn. Usually, in most armies, professional archers learned how to use a bow and no other weapons. It was only in Acreia where most soldiers, and most men in general, could use a bow fairly well.

Poliana never learned to use a bow as a child. As she got older, she decided that it was best to improve her swordsmanship rather than try to learn a whole new art that wasn’t going to be very useful for her in her daily life. Of course, the annoying thing was how the other men made fun of her for this.

Poliana said to the emperor, “I find it very hard to hit the target.”

“I am sure you can do it very well. I am certain you will catch something amazing. After all, you already caught the greatest game in this kingdom…”

Poliana Winter caught the emperor’s heart without even meaning to. Lucius the First couldn’t finish his sentence, and Poliana misunderstood him. She thought that he really wanted her to catch something, so she decided to practice very hard until the big hunt.

Afterward, they talked about mundane topics. When Poliana asked the emperor how he was doing, Lucius the First glared at his cup and replied, “I found out that there are awful jerks who have been dumping garbage and contaminated water near the wells. I would love to catch these bastards.”

The emperor talked for 10 minutes straight about these horrible men. It turned out that the well water became contaminated, causing the people living around to become sick. Another recent problem was how people were wasting the woods taken from the Msmel forest just because they thought there was an unlimited source of it.

Lucius the First grumbled angrily, “They have no idea how important conserving the forest is! I am thinking about putting a tax on these woods.”

If the forest belonged to a single nobleman, the people would have to pay a fee to use the trees. But because the Msmel forest belonged to the kingdom, the people could use the trees for free. Unfortunately, many have been abusing this privilege; they were wasting and overusing the lumbers unnecessarily. When Lucius the First saw the capital city being filled with a dark cloud of smoke from the people burning so much wood, he couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t even that cold right now!

Of course, it wasn’t cold according to his Acreian standard, but for the people of the mid-continent, they found the weather to be very chilly.

The emperor found that he became more and more swamped with work. He would finish one task, but he would be loaded with ten more things to do. His life was turning into an endless stream of work.

Lucius the First needed an heir desperately. He needed a son who he could teach how to rule so when he became older, he could retire. Or else, the emperor was going to have to work till he dies.

He was so frustrated, but slowly and surely, his expression softened. He continued to grumble about different things, but his eyes relaxed and were filled with light. It was because he was looking at Poliana.

After all, he was sitting in front of the woman he loved. Just watching her… It made him feel happy.

But the truth was… He had to be satisfied with just watching her. Lucius the First’s expression hardened subtly. He was being tormented by his anxiety and nervousness. Just like the woods his people were burning day and night, Lucius the First’s heart was turning into ashes as well.

His thoughts turned dark from time to time. The emperor sometimes felt like he was slowly losing his mind, and when he received the news last night, he almost had a heart attack. Lucius the First tapped the table with his finger. It was his habit whenever he felt unhappy or contemplative. Poliana watched him quietly.

Last night, Frau Sneke proposed to Poliana Winter. This was the truth. Lucius the First received the news yesterday and it was confirmed by his multiple sources. The emperor heard that the idiot, Frau Sneke, told Poliana he wanted to marry her for her money. What the heck was he thinking?

When Lucius the First heard the first part of this report, he was overjoyed because he thought that Frau made a huge mistake. It was the worst proposal he had ever heard before. It was even worse than when Sir Donau proposed to her. Sir Donau proposed after spending days in the underground jail; he was dirty and missing a canine at the time.

Lucius the First was certain that Poliana would’ve refused Frau’s proposal, but what he heard next was a shocker. It was reported that after the proposal, Poliana and Frau went to drink together.

Just the two of them!

A single woman and a single man!

Together!

Only

Drinking!

In the middle of the night!

The worst thing was, the spy who reported this event lost Poliana and Frau after they left the restaurant, so no one knew what happened afterward! Did they really go for drinks? Did something else happen?

This shocking event almost killed Lucius the First. It was lucky that he had a healthy heart and a normal blood pressure or else, he would’ve needed a doctor. He remained in this room for a long time shaking in shock and disbelief.

A man and a woman drinking at night together… There was only one thing that could’ve happened afterward. It was so obvious! In the past, there were some occasions when Lucius the First and Poliana got drunk and fell asleep in the same room. Although nothing happened at the time, the emperor wasn’t in love with her until much later.

If something like this happened now… If he and Poliana got drunk together now… Lucius the First knew they wouldn’t end up sleeping together innocently. She was the woman he loved, so how would he be able to fall asleep next to her?

The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. Just what happened between Poliana and Frau Sneke last night?