The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 255

The town they arrived at was a small rural one in the rough Acreian mountain. Poliana never imagined the real reason why she was brought here; she just looked around the area and enjoyed the small village. Its landlord, Duke Sneke, was currently arrested and in jail, but the town was still running as usual. It was not overly big or small; it was an average-sized village and its main industry seemed to be hunting. There was a well-built inn often used by the hungry, which was fortunate. This meant that Poliana and Lucius the First did not have to sleep outdoors.

Poliana walked around leisurely. At first, the villagers watched with suspicion at the sudden appearance of strangers, but when they realized that it was a woman, they relaxed a little.

“She looks pretty rich, right?”

“A woman traveling alone?”

“No, I saw that she came here with a man.”

A woman rarely traveled alone. The villagers watched with interest as Poliana roamed the town. They weren’t looking at her with suspicion anymore; they stared at her with interest and curiosity. The reason was simple; Poliana was ugly. If a beauty suddenly appeared in town, people would’ve been suspicious.

“Yeah, she looks wealthy, but what’s with the scar on her face?”

“I know, right? Did she got mauled by a wolf or something?”

“Or maybe she got hit by a wagon when she was little.”

Ugly women were more common than beautiful ones. Poliana wasn’t beautiful, but people could tell that she was obviously a wealthy noble lady. But to have a rich lady with so many scars… It was a rare combination. It was one thing for her to be unattractive, but it was quite another for a woman to have such a large scar on her face.

The villagers stared and whispered, “Remember how my neighbor’s youngest daughter got poked in the face by an arrow when she was little? It happened a few years ago. She was playing around and ended up getting hurt.”

“Yes, but her face looks fine now, right? How come?”

“She was lucky because Master Frau was there at the time. He gave her some medicinal cream and she didn’t end up with a scar on her face.”

“Really? Wow. Her father actually dared to go to Master Frau for a favor? He must’ve been really desperate.”

“Well, she is his only daughter and if she was scarred, she would’ve never been able to get married. He was very worried, so he was willing to risk being beaten. He visited the master and begged him.”

“Hmm… My feet have been draining pus for a while now… Should I go visit him too? Master Frau is still here, right?”

“Don’t you dare. You are going to get in trouble.”

For the first time, the villagers began to talk about a person Poliana recognized. She couldn’t help but get closer to listen. When the people stopped talking, Poliana called for them. At first, the men didn’t realize Poliana was talking to them, but when she called out to them again, they replied, “Oh, did you need something, Ma’am?”

The villagers approached her respectfully. Poliana was a foreigner with an odd scar, but there was no doubt she was someone wealthy and important. People suspected that she was either a high-ranking noble lady or a wife of a very wealthy merchant.

Poliana asked, “You were talking about this man named Frau. Are you referring to the Master Frau of the Sneke family?”

“Huh?! Yes, Ma’am! Do you know the master?”

“I am his acquaintance. So it’s true that Frau is currently visiting this town?”

“Yes, yes! It’s true!”

The people became even more awed and respectful when they realized that Poliana was acquainted with Frau, who was a nobleman. Poliana learned where Frau was staying in the village. She couldn’t help smiling as she walked.

‘Wow, what a coincidence.’

She came here with Lucius the First as a random outing, so what were the chances that she would meet her fiancé here? Poliana secretly loved it; she hummed quietly.

‘Maybe this isn’t a coincidence. Maybe it’s fate.’

It was such a corny thought that Poliana giggled. Thankfully, there was no one around her to witness her odd behavior. Within a few minutes, Poliana arrived at the small house, which seemed empty. She could, however, hear people talking behind the house. There was also a faint sound of a child laughing, making Poliana smile as well.

Then, she heard the conversation.

“… even if you say that…”

“It can’t be helped now. It’s too late to change.”

It was Frau’s voice.

Poliana thought in relief, ‘I guess I found the right place.’ She smiled happily. Wanting to surprise her fiancé, Poliana walked towards the backyard quietly. The conversation continued and as she got closer, she could hear it more clearly.

“Please, Master Frau, you must rethink your decision. You, as well as the child, could get hurt from this. Please just forget about us and the child and live your life freely.”

“How can a father abandon his own son! I could never do something like that, so don’t even say it!”

Poliana, suddenly realizing this was a very serious conversation, stopped on her tracks. She was no longer smiling. Instead, she gritted her teeth. Her jaws clenched painfully as she made sure to keep herself hidden. She moved slowly and carefully walked towards Frau and an old man.

“Master Frau… If your lady finds out about this, she is going to be furious.”

“I won’t tell her so she will never know.”

“But how…”

“This rule doesn’t apply to you commoners, but us nobles had a strict law about inheritance. That woman I am about to marry cannot have her own children. When she dies while I am her husband, everything she has will be inherited to my son.”

The old man didn’t know the law, so he could not argue with Frau. However, it was clear that the old man did not like this situation. Normally, a commoner like him would never dare to argue with a nobleman like Frau, but…

The old man knew what an honor it was for a man like Frau to have loved his daughter, but in the end, the result was not a happy ending.

“But Master Frau, if you end up dying before the lady…”

Only

“I will make sure that never happens.”

Poliana inhaled sharply. The sound of a child laughing got closer. A young boy ran up to Frau and hugged him tightly.

“Father!”

“Hahaha! How have you been, my son?”

Frau lifted up the boy and kissed his cheeks several times. The boy laughed happily and hugged Frau even tighter. It was a beautiful scene of a father and son, but Poliana could not smile at them.

The boy was an average-looking child. Just like his father, the young child had round shoulders, and considering he grew up in a small village with an old couple, the boy looked well-fed. Other than that, there was nothing special about this boy. He was just one of many village boys and nothing more.

Poliana shivered as she thought angrily, ‘He wants to give my title to that boy?’