The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 249

Poliana put her shirt back on and stood up. Thankfully, Fra stopped trembling and Lucius the First smiled. He already took a step back and if he lost his smile now, this would mean he lost this round completely.

From the moment he walked in, Lucius the First barely noticed Frau. His eyes were filled with the woman he loved. Poliana was smiling in happiness. She didn’t look like she was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy, but it was obvious that she was pleased.

Her smile once made Sir Donau fall in love with her and now, it was working the same way on the emperor as well. Quietly, the emperor handed her the flowers, which no longer looked as fresh and lively. Was it the flowers that wilted or Lucius the First’s confidence?

“Sir Pol… You look happy.”

“Oh, is that right? Hmm… I guess it’s alright. Hahaha.”

“… Yes, you look good. I guess you are happier about your upcoming marriage than I thought.”

“Hahaha.”

Poliana brought the flowers to her nose to enjoy its scent. This was one of the changes that occurred in her life. Lucius the First hid his sadness and smiled for her.

“Alright, that’s all that matters. As long as you are happy, I am happy too, Sir Pol. Rest now.”

The emperor walked out the door. Frau asked Poliana, “Shouldn’t you ask him to stay for a while longer?”

“Well… I think he is actually running away because he is afraid I might begin to nag him. He’s probably tired both mentally and physically, so I better let him go.”

Frau and Poliana chatted quietly. Meanwhile, Lucius the First’s eyes began to water. He realized the sad truth, which was that it was finally and truly time for him to give up on Poliana.

If marrying Frau was going to make her happy… The emperor knew it was the right thing to do. If she wanted, he was even willing to sing at her wedding. He would give her the most expensive and luxurious wedding gift. He would give her the wedding of her dream. Perhaps he would hire the best makeup artist in the kingdom to make her the most beautiful woman…

“…”

Lucius the First bit his fist, trying hard not to cry. It was too difficult.

‘I am no longer a young man, yet here I am… Crying over a woman…’

He swore he was going to confess his love to her today, but he failed again. What was he supposed to do? Inside his pocket, his mother’s wedding ring rolled around all alone. His fist began to bleed a little from him biting when suddenly, the emperor heard some noises towards the stairs. He didn’t want any disruptions, so he asked Poliana’s butler not to let anyone upstairs, so this was strange.

The emperor could hear the butler yelling, “You can’t go upstairs!”

“Do you know who we are? How dare you!”

Some men were arguing with the butler, annoying Lucius the First greatly. He was trying to deal with his loss and sadness, and the continued noise finally made him roar, “There is a patient in this house, so how dare you make such noises!”

When the emperor walked down the stairs, the two men, who were arguing with the butler, looked up. They were very familiar faces.

“Your highness!”

“Your highness!”

Sir Howe and Sir Donau bowed deeply to the emperor. Lucius the First was surprised to see the two brothers back in Yapa. It was even more surprising to see them looking like hobos. The emperor asked, “What the heck happened to you? Why are you here? Did you get kicked out from your family or something?”

The two young men’s father-in-law was the viceroy of the southern region, which means they should be doing very well for themselves. But here they were, covered in dirt and looking like they haven’t eaten in a while.

The only reason Lucius the First recognized them was thanks to the 10 years they spent together on the battlefield. How the two brothers looked right now actually was worse than when they were in the war. The brothers’ father was a firm believer in good hygiene and always made sure his sons kept themselves clean.

Just as Lucius the First was curious about what happened to the brothers, Sir Howe and Sir Donau had many questions. They asked speedily, “Your highness, is it true that you have imprisoned all of the elders?!”

“Your highness, is it true that Sir Bentier has been arrested as well?!”

“Your highness, we came straight here after arriving in Yapa, so we have no idea what happened during the last few weeks in the capital!”

“We are so confused!”

They didn’t seem embarrassed about their appearance or lack of information. The emperor could guess that the brothers led a comfy life in the south. He didn’t like seeing them looking this ridiculous and being so loud. He ordered them to quiet down, “You need to be quiet. There is a patient upstairs.”

“Sir Pol got injured?!”

Sir Donau, shocked, began to run upstairs. The butler tried to stop him but Lucius the First nodded to let him come up. Sir Donau tried to run straight to Poliana’s bedroom, but the emperor grabbed him.

“Stop, Sir Donau. She is having a nice time with his fiancé, so you should not disturb them. Besides, you are filthy; you need to wash up first before going to see her anyway.”

“But there is no time, your highness!”

Sir Howe jumped in, “That bastard is here right now?!”

Sir Donau also glared at the bedroom door, and Lucius the First realized that something strange was going on here. The brothers, normally so calm and kind, looked like they were ready to commit a murder.

Why were Sir Donau and Sir Howe here looking so horrible? Why haven’t they heard about the imprisonment of the elders, which should’ve shocked the entire kingdom? Why were the brothers looking so furious?

The emperor asked, “What happened? Just tell me first.”

“Your highness! That bastard… Is it true that our adopted sister is marrying that dog?”

“If you are referring to Frau Sneke, then yes.”

This was the sad truth, but it was too late to change it. The wedding plan was going well and everyone knew by now about it. Of course, most people weren’t interested because they thought it was a strange and unsuited match. The public was more interested in the wedding between Sir Ainno and Cekel.

Only

Sir Donau and Sir Howe argued, “We are against this marriage!”

“It can’t happen!”

The emperor thought silently, ‘Me too. I don’t want it either.’ Lucius the First hid his feelings well. He put on a bland smile, knowing why Sir Howe and Sir Donau were against this marriage. Lucius the First remembered Poliana’s happy smile just a moment ago. If this was what she wanted… The emperor would do anything for her.

Lucius the First said to the brothers, “Stop, boys. Calm down. I know very well that they aren’t well matched, but Sir Pol… She… She seems to like that man Frau, so… If you saw her, you would understand.”

“What?! Pol likes that bastard?!”

“That makes it even worse! She can’t marry him!”

“Your highness, did you know that that bastard got kicked out from his family because he married a servant?!”