The Emperor And The Knightess

Was it because she killed a defenseless girl?

Poliana felt strange, but she shook her head to forget about what happened. She retrieved her daggers. "I"m so glad I kept them with me."

Her sword was taken away but thankfully, she was able to hide her dagger between her neatly folded clothes. If the maids folded her clothes for her, they would have found the weapons, but Poliana made sure that she did it herself. The maids grabbed her well-folded clothes and placed them in a closet as they were. They would have noticed how heavy it was, but they probably thought it was just that because of her leather armor.

Poliana felt too anxious without any weapons, so she strapped one dagger each on her inner thighs. She was worried that if she placed them on the outer thighs, they would show because her dress was very tight. But having the daggers between her legs meant that she had to walk awkwardly to make sure they didn"t clink against each other.

She felt relieved and perhaps a little peeved, that no one thought it was strange that she walked so oddly.

"I mean, even if I have never worn a dress before, why would people think I wouldn"t be able to walk normally in it?"

Did everyone think Poliana was that awkward?

b.a.s.t.a.r.ds…

"But…"

It was nice to be treated like a lady. Her colleagues seemed to treat her with respect, and she secretly loved it. She kept her face blank when the guards offered to escort her but on the inside, she was happy.

And when Donau and Lucius the First asked her to dance…

In truth, she wanted to dance, but she was afraid that the daggers between her legs would make metallic noises while she did. She couldn"t have her weapons be discovered.

Thanks to the daggers, she was able to protect her beloved emperor. Even without them, she knew the Acreians would have won anyway, but she was certain it helped. Her daggers provided an advantage that the enemies didn"t expect.

It was perfect.

When Poliana finally left the banquet hall, she flinched. She thought everyone left by now, but they were all waiting outside the hall. All the knights and even the emperor were watching her.

Poliana wondered, "Will I be punished for helping the princess commit suicide?"

But the men didn"t look angry. The emperor and the champions looked unscathed, but the rest of the men didn"t look ok. They were covered in blood, food, alcohol, vomit, innards, and dust. Didn"t they want to wash up as soon as possible? Why were they waiting for her?

Poliana knew she looked the worst. There was no mirror for her to confirm it, but she was certain that she must look frightening.

Her makeup was probably smeared. She could smell the blood and sweat on herself. Her dress was ripped into shreds and she lost her shoes. She was no longer wearing her wig and her short hair was covered in blood.

Poliana knew she must look like an ugly monster, but the monstrous"s emperor still remained clean and beautiful. There were some blood splatters on his clothes, but because they were red, it wasn"t very noticeable.

After a brief hesitation, Poliana walked towards her emperor, who greeted her calmly. "Where did you keep your daggers?"

"Between my thighs, your highness."

"Good thinking, you"re very well prepared."

"Because it is my duty, your highness."

The emperor smiled quietly. The other knights then said to her, "So that was why you walked so strangely."

"Oh, we thought it was because the floor was slippery."

"So is that why you refused to dance with his highness?"

"Yes. I was worried that the daggers would make strange metallic noises."

She didn"t mean to be rude to her emperor. She hoped that Sir Ainno, who was still glaring at her, would understand her situation.

Suddenly, Sir Ainno said to her, "Your outfit suits you."

"Jerk."

She knew that she looked ridiculous right now. Sir Ainno could be a mean son-of-b*tch. Poliana considered throwing the daggers at him, but she decided against it. She knew that she couldn"t win against him.

"He is such an a.s.sh*le. People like that live really long too. How unfair."

Like the other knights, Poliana had many different injuries as well. Sir Donau was already gone to see a healer. She wasn"t a doctor, but she could see he had broken at least a few bones.

Suddenly, Poliana realized that her time as the emperor"s guard was almost over. The tournament had ended and Sir Ainno was now available. She felt disappointed but at least, she was able to keep the emperor safe. She felt relieved and proud of herself.

If Lucius the First got even the smallest cut… She didn"t even want to think about it.

Poliana suspected that a few of her bones must be fractured. When she stood awkwardly, making sure her feet touched the floor as little as possible, the emperor asked her, "Are your feet injured?"

"I"m fine, your highness!"

"Oh my G.o.d! How dare I show his highness my weakness? I have made a huge mistake!"

Before she could explain, Lucius the First lifted her up to carry her. Poliana flailed awkwardly, narrowly missing the emperor"s face.

"I"m fine, your highness!"

"Stop screaming, Sir Poliana. My ears hurt."

"I"m perfectly fine, your highness. Truly! Please let me down!"

"This is for refusing to dance with me tonight." Lucius the First smiled at her kindly.

"What a generous emperor he is!"

Poliana felt encouraged. The way the emperor was holding her was painful because of her broken ribs. After a brief hesitation, Poliana asked, "Then… Could you carry me on your back, your highness? Like a piggyback… This position feels very uncomfortable."

"…"

When the emperor remained silent for a long time, Poliana realized that she was being insolent. She apologized immediately. "I take it back, your highness! I am so sorry."

"No, not at all. I am just surprised by you, Sir Poliana."

Lucius the First gently let her down on the floor. Poliana considered running away, but her emperor quickly offered her his back. She didn"t know what to do. She really didn"t want to be carried by the emperor. She considered escaping this situation, but Sir Ainno was behind her and blocking the way. Sir Deke was being no help at all.

Poliana contemplated and suddenly, she thought of a good idea.

"I… I cannot be carried on your back because my dress is destroyed. My backside will get exposed for everyone to see, your highness!"

This was true. Her dress was badly ripped. Lucius the First turned around and before he could say anything, Poliana felt something on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw that Sir Ainno was putting his own cloak around her.

"This man is useless!"

Before she could protest, Poliana found herself on the back of Lucius the First. To her shock, Sir Ainno remained quiet. The rest of the men were smiling proudly, looking very pleased.

Poliana tried to make sure the least amount of her body touched Lucius the First"s back. She continued to gape, having a difficult time believing that she was actually on her emperor"s back.

An emperor who carried his own subject… What a great ruler he was.

"His highness is so amazing."

Before they reached the makes.h.i.+ft infirmary, Poliana suddenly thought of a question. She knew she was being rude, but she was curious. She wanted to know his answer.

"Your highness, I have a question I would like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"You believe in not killing a virgin for fear of being cursed, yet today, you didn"t hesitate to kill the princess, who must be a virgin lady. Why did you do it?"