The Emperor and the Knightess

But it was okay that Poliana didn’t know these things because most flowers in this world carried the meaning of love. All the emperor wanted to tell her was that he loved her. Lucius the First desperately wanted Poliana to know the true extent of his feelings for her. And now, it seemed that Poliana was giving Lucius the First her truth.

Poliana said to him, “As you know, your highness, you used to be just my emperor. I never saw you as a man. I think you used to feel the same way about me. I did not see you as an opposite sex until that… unfortunate accident.”

Poliana gritted her teeth. If it wasn’t for the huge mistake she made that night… This ridiculous situation would’ve never happened. If she didn’t get so drunk that night…

Poliana continued, “Because of that unfortunate incident… I began to see you, your highness, as a man. Yes, I will admit it. I feel… differently about you now. I am more aware of you as a man and I apologize, your highness. I know this is wrong, but I can’t help it.”

The reason why Poliana avoided Lucius the First in the past wasn’t just because she felt guilty. It was mostly because every time she saw him, it reminded her of that night. It was even more frustrating because she actually didn’t remember what happened that night. She remembered only small pieces of it, and just these memories were enough to make her run away. Poliana almost felt suicidal during this time. If she didn’t get pregnant, it was very possible that she eventually fell in love with the emperor on her own.

Some wouldn’t understand how someone can fall in love just from spending one night together. How could a person be so simple? But then, Poliana was a very simple woman. In fact, Poliana began to like Frau just because she decided to marry him. She began to fall for him just because he was going to be her husband.

Poliana didn’t know what love was. She never felt a genuine affection of a man for a woman. Poliana was loved as a student, a colleague, subordinate, superior, and friend, but never as a woman.

And now… She was experiencing the love between a man and a woman for the first time in her life. She still didn’t know about the love between a mother and her child yet because she never experienced it with her own mother. This was perhaps why Poliana still did not like Gerald much. She was going to marry Lucius the First only because of Gerald. She may have given birth to him, but to Poliana, Gerald was the son of her beloved emperor rather than her own flesh and blood.

To Lucius the First, Gerald was the luckiest thing that happened to him while to Poliana, it was the opposite.

Until now, perhaps even now, Poliana did not believe in true love. This was no wonder since all she felt in her life were the friendship between the colleagues and the affection from her emperor. She still did not trust what she was feeling right now, especially because it began after that unfortunate night. Poliana felt that feeling this way about the emperor was inappropriate and rude.

She continued, “To be honest, I do like how you are treating me, your highness. I do like it… and I am attracted to you, but it is because I like this situation. A handsome man falling in love with me… Who wouldn’t like that? But I am not sure this is because it is you, your highness, or it is because I am a loose woman. I mean, after all, I said some mean things to you in Sitrin, so for me to suddenly be attracted to you like this…”

“You are not a loose woman, Sir Pol. Not at all.”

Lucius the First begged her to stop blaming herself for anything. He continued, “You should do whatever you want. You should enjoy this situation if you want. That is exactly what I would like. If you experience what I can offer you, and if you like it, then you should keep enjoying it. That would make me very happy. This is how I really feel. And besides…”

Lucius the First adjusted the flower tucked behind his ear and added, “You deserve it, Sir Pol. You worked so hard all your life that you deserve a man like me.”

In most stories, the knights were richly rewarded after their adventures. Unless it was a tragic story, they all ended in a similar fashion. The hero would find a treasure, be awarded with a castle by the emperor, be kissed by a beautiful lady, or be greatly respected by the other knights. Some heroes got everything including an honorable reputation, wealth, and a beautiful wife.

Lucius the First emphasized the fact that Poliana deserved all the happiness in the world. Poliana agreed because she felt the same way. She believed that she had the right to enjoy all of the good things in life. The emperor said to her, “It would be my honor for you to want me and lust after me, Sir Pol.”

Lucius the First suddenly closed the distance between them. He slowly lowered his face to kiss the bouquet Poliana was holding. Poliana was mesmerized as she watched the most beautiful man kissing the beautiful vibrant flowers.

Yes, she was definitely bewitched by this man.

Only

Even the most exotic flowers could not outshine the beautiful green eyes of the emperor. It felt like a dream to see the emperor surrounded by the flowers. Poliana couldn’t help the overwhelming affection she felt for this man. The vague memories of that drunken night filled her head, making her feel dizzy. The intensity of her feelings… They were always there deep inside of her, and now, they were beginning to surface.

What a lovely man her emperor was. Could it be that what she did that night wasn’t a random act due to being drunk? Could it be that she always had feelings for Lucius the First and she just never knew about it?

At this point, however, it didn’t matter. What was important now was that something was happening between them. Something was happening to Poliana.

Suddenly, Poliana asked the emperor impulsively, “Your highness, may I kiss you?”

“Of course.”

One of the many special rights Poliana had was the honor of kissing the emperor’s hand and his rings. Being a very polite woman, she always asked for his permission before kissing his hand. Lucius the First offered his hand without hesitation, but to his shock, Poliana grabbed it and pulled him towards her. The emperor was greeted by Poliana’s embrace and then…

Their lips locked.