The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 358

The hill Sir Donau pointed at was on the outside of the Sitrin’s boundary. Sir Donau said to Poliana, “Oh, who cares? It’s not like we are committing a crime there.”

“But what if the owner of that land suddenly shows up? It would be so embarrassing for me to be eating on his land when I have a perfectly good piece of land.”

“Sis, the way you look now… No one could ever guess that you are Marquess Winter.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

Poliana was convinced. They were out on a picnic, so wouldn’t it be nice to eat surrounded by a beautiful view? All they had to do was cross the small stream to get to the neighboring land.

Before crossing the water, Poliana unarmed herself and hid her weapons. She thought that if they were seen by someone, it would be odd for a woman to be armed so heavily.

‘Donau has his sword, so we should be ok.’

Poliana easily crossed the stream. She felt a little guilty for entering someone else’s land, but it passed quickly. They climbed the hill and unpacked their lunches. Sir Donau claimed that his water bottle was empty so he would go back to the stream to fill it.

Sitting alone, Poliana wondered, ‘If you drink the wrong water, you can get parasites…’ She tried to figure out how clean the stream water might be. She pictured the map of her land in her mind. She was so focused that she didn’t hear someone calling her the first time. The man called out to her again from behind, “Hey lady, do you have some time for me?”

‘No, you loser.’

Poliana didn’t even bother to answer him. She ignored him, wondering what kind of an idiot would try to seduce a woman who was dressed like her.

But the man insisted, “Hey, woman. Look at me.”

‘I better teach this jerk a lesson…!’

Although she didn’t have her sword and Sir Donau wasn’t here, Poliana still clenched her fist to get ready. She still had her fists and her feet! How dare a man try to assault a woman in the middle of the day?! Poliana was ready to beat up this man.

But when she turned around, she realized that it was…

Lucius the First.

Poliana was so shocked that she forgot to drop her fist.

“Your highness?”

“Were you about to punch your emperor?”

“No, I mean…”

Poliana slowly unclenched her fist. Lucius the First mockingly frowned and said to her, “I can’t believe you were about to hit me.”

“That’s not true! I… Your Highness, why are you here?”

The last time she heard from Yapa, it seemed that the emperor was still working nonstop. So how could such a busy man be standing here in front of her?

Now that she looked around, Poliana realized that they were surrounded by many other men. They were very familiar to her.

Sirs Ainno, Jainno, Wook, Mahogal, Donau, Howe, and etc. She recognized most of the men. They were the highest-ranking knights of this kingdom. Poliana silently glared at them, asking, ‘If you are all here, who is keeping the capital city safe?’

They all looked back smugly, ‘Our subordinates, of course.’

‘Damn these lazy men!’

Poliana continued to glare at them, but she knew that these men were all in positions where they had enough men to take care of things back home.

The bigger question was, why were the emperor and these knights here?

Lucius the First walked up to her. It has been a year since she last saw him, and the emperor was just as beautiful as ever. Poliana’s heart began to pound just like the day she left him.

“Poliana Winter, I ask you, will you fight with me?”

“Is there a rebellion happening somewhere? If that is the case, of course, I will, your highness.”

Thud.

Lucius the First dropped a giant book in front of her. It was the thickest book Poliana has ever seen. The emperor said to her, “This is the foundation of this kingdom. This is the Acreian law.”

After a quick pause, Lucius the First added, “Well, it’s the first draft anyway.”

It was the final product of all the hard work by the emperor and everyone back in Yapa. It was the book that caused Lucius the First to be nicknamed the tyrant.

The emperor explained, “In Acreia, there is no law that a woman cannot become a knight. That is why you were able to remain a knightess, Sir Pol. In Acreia, there is no specific law that a woman cannot receive her own title and lands. That is why you were awarded many lands and the title of marquess. But in Acreia, there is a law that states a woman cannot inherit the family title and wealth. A woman must take the husband’s name when she gets married. Only a man can be the head of the family.”

Everyone knew this, so Poliana guessed that there was a reason why Lucius the First brought up this topic.

“Sir Pol, you asked me if I could give up my kingdom. I told you it would be impossible. You then said that you felt the same way about your name. You showed me your determination and will. You gave me your answer so now, it is my time to give you mine.”

Only

Lucius the First gave her a heart-stopping smile and continued, “This is my answer.”

The emperor changed the entire legal system just to marry Poliana. It wasn’t a simple adjustment of the law, but a complete makeover of the legal foundation.

At first, Lucius the First was going to change just the inheritance law, but he realized that it wasn’t going to be enough. He learned that to change one major aspect of the law, he needed to change the entire system.

This was why the giant book was only the first draft of the new legal structure. To make it into a stable and completed system, it was going to take at least another 10 years. Afterward, it would take his lifetime, if not longer, to implement it to the kingdom.

Lucius the First always dreamt of retiring at an early age and live the rest of his life peacefully, but now, he knew it wasn’t going to be possible. To get the woman he loved, this was the least he could do. It was the price he was willing to pay. He could not give up his kingdom for her, but he could do this for Poliana.

Poliana became pale as she listened to him. Her brain became blank suddenly. The emperor was very clear about what his intention was, but she found it very difficult to comprehend.

“T…this doesn’t make sense. It won’t work. It never will. The noblemen won’t allow it and to have it accepted by the commoners too…”

“Yes, I know that. It will be a tough road. We will have to fight for it constantly. We might work on it for the rest of our lives and still not see it happen in real life. We might not succeed. But Poliana Winter, I have a dream.”