The Emperor and the Knightess

“But you just told me that you were getting married.”

“That’s right, I am getting married.”

Sir Ainno walked up to Lucius the First’s desk and placed his hands on it. He leaned towards the emperor and said, “I am not a great selfless man like you, your highness. I am willing to use whatever I have, including my power and influence, to make things happen for me.”

Lucius the First, the emperor who united the entire continent, couldn’t even have the woman he loved. The emperor became sadder every day as his one-sided love grew uncontrollably. Sir Ainno didn’t want this kind of life. He didn’t want to give up on the woman he loved.

Recently, he forced Sir Beke to invite him for dinner, hoping to get a glimpse of Lady Cekel. Lady Cekel wasn’t present at home, unfortunately, but when Sir Ainno saw how the Viscount Ingreter and his wife reacted to him, Sir Ainno realized the truth. Cekel’s parents were so honored to have Sir Ainno for dinner, and Sir Ainno decided that he had been wrong. He has been thinking like the way Lucius the First did, and this was unnecessary.

The emperor, his closest friend, loved a woman so much that he hid his feelings and prayed for her happiness. At first, Sir Ainno thought he should do the same that he should get Lady Cekel’s love before formally making a marriage offer to her parents.

But after the dinner, Sir Ainno learned that this way of love wasn’t for him. Such a selfless love was how Lucius the First loved, not him. The ruthless conqueror was a coward when it came to love and there was no reason why Sir Ainno should follow his suit.

In front of the emperor, the best knight of Acreia Sir Ainno announced, “Your highness, I will make sure to marry the woman I love.”

“Even though she doesn’t love you?”

“Since when did we ever involve feelings in marriages?”

“Inno… Don’t be like that. If you truly love her, you should be kind to her. Be thoughtful about her feelings and needs; that is what a real man would do.”

“Your highness, I am not a great man like you so I can’t be that altruistic. I just can’t.”

Sir Ainno was a man of action, not words. It was a mistake to try to mimic Lucius the First. It made sense for the emperor to wait for the woman he loves to love him back, but for Sir Ainno, this didn’t make sense. If you hate someone, you should punch that person. If you love someone, you should kiss that person.

Sir Ainno had no idea that love could be this powerful. It made the emperor show tears, and now, it was burning him alive.

Lucius the First felt upset for his friend. He knew how hard it was to love a woman who didn’t love him back. The emperor, however, also knew how dangerous it could be for a powerful man to fall in love.

If Lucius the First didn’t consider Poliana’s love, he could’ve easily married her. He could’ve made a plausible excuse to convince her. What if he just told her that their marriage was necessary to undermine the other powerful unruly nobles? It would be a ridiculous reason, but Lucius the First knew Poliana would do it if he asked. If he ordered her, Poliana would marry him, and because he knew this very well, Lucius the First could never ask her to do it.

The emperor said to his friend, “Inno, you can’t do that.”

The emperor wanted Sir Ainno to do the right thing, but the great knight begged him, “Lucius, please let me marry her. I love her.”

It was rare for Sir Ainno to call the emperor by his first name. This showed that Sir Ainno was serious about marrying Lady Cekel. The emperor replied, “Don’t you think forcing your love on her is a strange way to show her how you feel?”

“But she won’t accept my love no matter what I do! What else am I supposed to do?”

Unfortunately, Sir Ainno had no talent when it came to love. He was in his thirties, yet he has never dated anyone before. Lady Cekel was his first love. Sir Ainno had everything; he was from a powerful family and was the best fighter in the kingdom. In addition, he was the closest friend of the emperor, which made him the most eligible bachelor in the continent.

Of course, as a person, Sir Ainno was a horrible man. He had a bad temper and he treated those beneath him disrespectfully. He was extremely impatient in most things except when he wanted to prank the emperor.

Overall, Sir Ainno was a mean bastard. The emperor offered, “Inno, do you want me to teach you how to court a woman?”

“Your highness, I’m sorry to tell you but the ladies like you because of your looks.”

Sir Ainno knew Lucius the First very well. He knew that the emperor never had to make an effort to court a woman. After all, he was the emperor who was also the most gorgeous man in the world. Besides, why would Sir Ainno take the emperor’s advice when Lucius the First also was failing miserably at getting Poliana’s affection?

Sir Ainno said to the emperor, “If I can’t have Lady Cekel’s love, I would like to at least have her as my legal wife! So please allow me this favor! I beg of you!”

“Inno, like you suspected, I already knew how you felt about Lady Cekel. I have been thinking that if you can make her fall in love with you, I would allow you to marry her, but… This isn’t the way to do it. I can’t allow you to do it.”

Sir Ainno pouted and the emperor realized that he pissed his friend off. Lucius the First began to sweat a little. His friend was a mean bastard, and he became even worse when he got pissed off. The emperor wondered nervously, ‘Is he going to hit me? Will he flip the desk? What if he throws a lizard at me? He wouldn’t dare… Would he?’

Lucius the First knew Sir Ainno very well, which was why he was becoming nervous. But to the emperor’s surprise, Sir Ainno didn’t do anything. Sir Ainno also knew the emperor well, so he knew that making a fuss now wouldn’t be enough to change Lucius the First’s mind.

‘If I continue to insist, Lucius isn’t going to give me permission to marry her.’

A nobleman could not marry without the emperor’s permission. To marry Cekel, Sir Ainno had to convince Lucius the First somehow. Sir Ainno thought quickly before replying, “Alright, your highness. If you insist, I will obey your order.”

“Inno… Are you ill? What are you trying to do now?”

“But if I don’t marry her, my heart will break, just as yours did. So I hope you understand if I complain about my unrequited love, just as you did often. I apologize in advance.”

Lucius the First tensed as he asked, “L-like me?”

“Yes, your highness.”

Lucius the First remembered how he used to drag on and on about how he couldn’t have Poliana. The emperor knew how annoying he had been to his friend.

Only

Without hesitation, Lucius the First smiled and said to his friend, “Of course, there is no place for feelings and love in an aristocratic marriage! What was I thinking? Inno, if you get permission from Viscount Ingreter, I will let you marry Lady Cekel.”

Sir Ainno bowed exaggeratedly.

“Thank you so much, your highness.”

“But after you get married, you better not come to me whenever you have problems with your wife, okay?”

“Oh, I’m sure you will still listen to me and give me advice.”

Sir Ainno’s parents and brothers were still in Nanaba. Sir Ainno decided to tell his parents about his plan to marry Lady Cekel. He wasn’t going to ask them for permission; he was going to just announce it to them.

Lucius the First watched Sir Ainno enviously and with a sense of worry.