The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 273

Lucius the First’s voice turned genuine, making Duke Luzo’s eyes widen. Whenever the emperor’s demeanor turned this serious, there could be only two reasons.

1. To use him and make him work harder.

2. To discuss something as a family.

Duke Luzo wondered anxiously, ‘What could it be this time?’ A lot of his hair, now long gone, was never going to come back to him. He wore a wig to hide the bald spot, but it just wasn’t the same. Every strand left was precious to him, and Duke Luzo decided that if he lost more, he would have to be brave and stop wearing the wig altogether!

Lucius the First took a deep breath. This secret of his… Only his best friend and one of his ex-wives knew about it. Now, there was going to be one more person in this world who shared his secret.

“I am planning to propose to Marquess Winter.”

“Umm…. Hmm… Actually, that is not a bad idea. So by having Marquess Winter, the most loyal knight in this kingdom, as the empress, you will prevent the power struggle within the royal family. You will then get an heir from getting more wives. Yes, I get it. What an amazing and clever idea. You are indeed a very wise emperor, your highness.”

Duke Luzo looked at the emperor with deep respect. It was true that Lucius the First abused his cousin from time to time, but Duke Luzo had the utmost faith and respect for his cousin the emperor. A man’s marriage was personal business, but the marriage of the emperor was a matter of the entire kingdom. It was no wonder the duke took the emperor’s plan as a political solution.

Because Lucius the First no longer had any wives, either from death, divorce, or annulment, and he still was without a male heir, the emperor was now required to get married again. Because things didn’t go well with his three previous wives, there was a good chance that the government would want the emperor to choose a perfect empress this time to begin with, rather than have the wives fight over the position.

In the Marquess Winter’s family, there was only one member, Poliana Winter. If she became the next empress, there won’t be any worry over the other members of the family abusing the new-found power. In addition, Marquess Winter was the emperor’s close acquaintance, which meant that she will always side with Lucius the First. Even if it means she needs to sacrifice herself, Duke Luzo had no doubt that Poliana would do what is best for the emperor.

Lucius the First replied, “That is not what I meant, Luzo.”

“Oh, no? Then what is your reasoning behind your plan, your highness?”

Duke Luzo was confused. He agreed with the emperor’s plan, yet Lucius the First seemed upset at his reaction. The emperor sighed, frustrated at the fact that no one in this world will wonder if he wants to marry Poliana because he loved her. Why couldn’t people see what an amazing loveable woman she really is?

Lucius the First replied, “I want to propose to her from my heart, not for political reasons.”

“Oh!”

Duke Luzo nodded in understanding and said to him, “Oh, is Marquess Winter very upset about the whole gold digger incident? But to marry her out of pity… I don’t think that is what the marquess would want. I doubt she will accept your offer, your highness.”

“No, that’s not it, Luzo… I… I love her.”

“Oh, you don’t need to say anymore, your highness. I understand.”

Lucius the First gaped in shock. Did Duke Luzo already know about the emperor’s secret love for Poliana? Was he so obvious about his feelings? All this time, Lucius the First thought no one knew about it, but it seemed that everyone knew! How could this be?

Duke Luzo continued, “I mean, you will never find a more loyal knight than the marquess. She is a true talent as well and she will do anything for this kingdom. I wish I had a knight like that for myself too.”

Lucius the First sighed in relief. Duke Luzo didn’t know anything. No one would ever suspect that the emperor is in love with his knightess. Lucius the First replied, “No, it’s not like that, Luzo. I really mean what I said. I am in love with the marquess. I don’t love her as a loyal knight; I love her as a woman.”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

Duke Luzo tapped his ears a few times, thinking he misheard. The emperor repeated himself emphatically, “I am in love with Poliana Winter.”

“… your highness, how many fingers am I holding right now?”

Duke Luzo, after hesitating, put up both of his hands with only the middle fingers raised. The emperor found this hilarious, but he stopped himself from laughing out loud. He asked seriously, “My eyes are working perfectly fine, so put your hands down, Luzo, before I break your fingers. Now, where did you learn this inappropriate gesture?”

“From Sir Ainno.”

‘That jerk…’

Only

Because Lucius the First spent 10 years with the knights and soldiers during the war, he was well aware of various vulgar words and gestures. Duke Luzo, however, grew up and lived in a rather sheltered environment inside the royal castle all this time. So where would this innocent man learn such a distasteful gesture?

Well, of course, it was Sir Ainno. The culprit was always closer than he could ever imagine.

To be more specific, the actual source was Sir Jainno. Since he was a young boy, Duke Luzo witnessed Sir Jainno gesturing this way to his older brother, Sir Ainno. Duke Luzo, however, did not explain the specifics to the emperor. After all, it really was thanks to Sir Ainno that Duke Luzo knew this.

Lucius the First continued to talk about his love for Poliana. This was the second time he had to reveal his secret, the first time being Sir Ainno, so the emperor found it much easier this time. He talked about how he learned his true feelings for his knightess, how he tried to forget about it, and how he could not. Lucius the First also explained why he could not confess his love to her yet.

While he talked about his feelings, the emperor looked very emotional, which made him even more beautiful. Afterward, Duke Luzo said to him, “Hmm… I can see how much you suffered emotionally, your highness.” Duke Luzo’s reaction was very different than that of Sir Ainno probably because the way the emperor explained his feelings have changed.

When he confessed his feelings for Poliana to Sir Ainno, Lucius the First was in love with her but had no plans of proposing to her. Poliana was not the right woman to become the empress, but now, the emperor found his reasoning ridiculous. He hated himself for being so stupid.

Now, he felt very differently. He didn’t care if she didn’t have the qualifications to become the empress. No matter what, Lucius the First was going to propose to her. He was determined to do this.