The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 157

Lady Rebecca continued, “A wall cannot, and should not, be destroyed by a single person because it will result in everyone inside the wall being attacked by those that enforced this hurdle. Escaping this wall… It is something that the individual woman needs to do on her own. It’s something she needs to earn for herself to make it worth it… to make her freedom last… So, Marquess Winter, you don’t need to do anything. It’s okay because just your existence alone is enough. You are the proof for the rest of us that it can be done. After meeting you, I was able to begin hoping for more because you showed us that it’s possible. You showed all of us that a woman can escape this invisible wall. So all you need to do is exist as a symbol of hope for the rest of us.”

After her long confession, Rebecca became breathless. She already looked very tired. Poliana touched her teacup quietly, knowing that although the lady spoke of hope, Rebecca herself could not do anything for herself. She was the wife of the emperor and as the most important woman in the kingdom, her highborn status would work as a shackle.

Rebecca was recognized as the ideal woman and that was why she was chosen to marry Lucius the First. To get what she truly wanted, Rebecca would have to give up being this “perfect woman.” But if she gave up her identity, it would mean that she would lose her status as well just like the cube of sugar that was melting in Poliana’s warm tea.

By following and obeying society’s rules, Lady Rebecca was able to attain the greatest status a woman could achieve inside the wall. Now, she was wanting more, no wonder she was called greedy.

Poliana replied, “Lady Rebecca, you should not be telling this to anyone. This is an extremely dangerous topic.”

“I won’t! I have never told anyone this until now! Not even to my sister or my own mother… But here I am, telling you all about it, Marquess Winter.”

Rebecca’s idea could get her into big trouble, especially because she was the wife of the emperor. What Rebecca wanted was this world to change, but Lucius the First was trying to maintain his new kingdom without further disruption. Any more changes and his power and authority could be in an even bigger jeopardy.

And he will probably die of overwork…

Poliana placed another cube of sugar in her tea using a tong. After the unification of the continent, it became much easier to buy sweets. This was one of Poliana’s favorite changes after uniting the kingdoms. Rebecca once told her that it was very difficult to farm large quantities of sugar canes. Sweet fruits were much easier to grow and Poliana was happy to enjoy these delicious crops.

Poliana took a sip of her tea. It was so sweet that it felt sticky. After a long silence, Poliana said to the lady, “I think it’s my turn to tell you something I never told anyone before…”

After hearing about Rebecca’s feeling of self-hatred, Poliana remembered something from her past. It was a memory that was buried deep inside of her. If she didn’t have this conversation with Rebecca, Poliana would’ve forgotten about it completely.

It happened soon after Poliana became a 100-leader. Two of her men in her division raped a prostitute. The woman belonged to a pimp who lived in the nearby village and had a contract with the Acreian army to provide the prostitutes to the soldiers.

Lucius the First was very strict in outlawing, plundering, and raping the women of the conquered villages. However, he did not forbid visiting the whorehouses. They said that the prostitute wasn’t feeling well that day, so she was taking a day off. When the soldiers requested her, she refused. The soldiers wouldn’t take no for an answer and they ended up raping her.

The soldiers claimed that it wasn’t rape because they paid her afterward. If nothing else happened, this would’ve been the end of the story and the incident wouldn’t have even reached Poliana’s ears, but the prostitute became sick and ended up passing away, which was why the matter was brought up to Poliana. The pimp visited the Acreian army and demanded payment for his loss of “property.”

The pimp claimed that since his prostitute died, it was considered murder. The soldiers, on the other hand, continued to claim innocence, saying all they did was got what they paid for. Murdering a prostitute was illegal; it was considered almost as bad of a crime as murdering a regular citizen.

This incident became a very hot topic in her division. All the men claimed that the soldiers were completely innocent.

When Poliana first heard it, she didn’t think much of it. What was the big deal about a prostitute dying? The world wasn’t going to change because of it.

But she did think the two soldiers were at fault to some extent. If someone stole a product from a shopkeeper by force, it would be considered theft even if the shopkeeper was paid afterward. So, Poliana saw this incidence as a simple rape since even the men admitted that they took her by force. The fact that the prostitute ended up dying, however, was an unfortunate event, but not the soldiers’ fault.

Only

When Poliana announced her verdict, the pimp seemed satisfied. He did not get what he demanded, but he was thankful that Poliana at least acknowledged the incident as rape.

Her men, however, were upset and even angry. They claimed that Poliana came up with this ruling only because she was a woman and she was taking the dead woman’s side.

‘Those f*cking bastards…’

Poliana had no sympathy or interest in the dead prostitute, and she thought she made an objective and fair ruling, so when she heard her men complain, she couldn’t believe her ears. Poliana was used to being hated for being a woman, but was this really necessary? It didn’t make any sense.

Poliana definitely did not take the dead prostitute’s side. In fact, she was initially sympathetic towards the two soldiers who were punished just because of a prostitute. Why did the prostitute die of something as trivial as being raped? She was only a prostitute, which meant that it was her job to pleasure men. Poliana thought she came up with a fair decision, but in the end, she was again blamed for everything.

Just because she was a woman, the men took away her right to rule fairly. The men didn’t care how Poliana came up with her decision. All they focused on was the fact that she was a woman. The soldiers claimed that Poliana took the dead prostitute’s side because she was a woman too. They called her names and alleged that Poliana ruined the two young soldiers’ lives.

Poliana meant to rule fairly, and she thought that she was in a perfect position to do so because she was a woman, but the men felt differently about it. When the matter became an even bigger deal, creating an obvious discontent among the soldiers, the story reached the ears of Sirs Rabi and Baufallo.