Chapter 66Sir Rabi, looking shocked, said to Poliana, "You are awful!"
"She is still a baby, so her flesh must be very tender."
"Sir Poliana, how can you call yourself a woman? Don"t you have any kind of motherly instinct?"
"It was you people who taught me that a deer is food, Sir Rabi!"
The other knights and soldiers heard their conversation and began to criticize Poliana openly.
"You are a savage, Sir Pol! A witch! You are so cold! Booo!"
To her shock, it seemed that everyone at the base was smitten with this fawn. Poliana left awkwardly. Feeling frustrated, she found a tree and began to beat it in exasperation. Suddenly, after her angry kick, a bird nest fell off from the tree and the eggs inside it cracked. Poliana stared down at it guiltily.
"What terrible mother and father birds. How could they build such a weak and fragile nest? Stupid birds…"
She tried to rationalize the situation, but she couldn"t stop feeling guilty. Poliana began to scratch her hair, which now reached her ears. She hasn"t cut it since the day Lucius the First suggested she let it grow.
Today, her hair wasn"t knotted because she washed it this morning. On a good day, it could be called golden, but usually, her hair had the same color as straws.
"Waaa!"
Suddenly, she heard men exclaiming excitedly. When Poliana turned around, she saw Sir Rabi feeding milk to the fawn by soaking his handkerchief and dripping the milk onto its mouth. The other knights and the soldiers were watching him so eagerly.
Poliana frowned, but she continued to study the fawn. It had large clear eyes, small head, a fragile body, and a short tail. It was still trembling pathetically.
"It looks so delicious."
It really looked very yummy.
***
In Acreia, the one who was taking care of the kingdom in the place of Lucius the First was his cousin Duke Luzo. During the last five years, Duke Luzo has supported Lucius the First faithfully. Most of the supplies were replenished as the army moved and conquered lands, but they still needed certain things from their homeland.
For example, the soldiers" uniforms, weapons, and certain food items were delivered from Acreia. Lucius the First"s personal items were also sent from his home. This meant that there were sometimes problems of prolonged delays in delivery, which included mails.
One day, Lucius the First received a letter from Duke Luzo. In short, Duke Luzo was asking for help because apparently, there were some high-ranking n.o.bles who were trying to make him the emperor.
"Lucius, they are trying to make me the new emperor. Please return as soon as possible and save me."
The message explained that every time the news of Lucius the First"s victory arrived, his popularity went up dramatically. All the new colonies were also stabilizing and adapting well. But some of those in Acreia wanted to put Duke Luzo on the throne, thinking that he would be easier to control than Lucius.
Duke Luzo said he was trying his best to keep it at bay, but he needed help right away. He also added that because of Lucius the First, who refused to return any time soon, he was never going to be able to get married.
Lucius the First folded the letter and laughed. It was so helpful to have an unambitious cousin who was a great administrator. The emperor began to write a reply. He wrote about the current situation at the front, the disloyal n.o.bles Duke Luzo mentioned and how to control them, taxes and minor legal matters, and how to further stabilize the colonies.
And at the end, he added that if Duke Luzo wanted to marry, he was free to do so.
Duke Luzo was worried that if he bore a son, he would receive even more pressure to take over the throne. This was why he was delaying his marriage at all until Lucius the First returned.
The royal members and high-ranking n.o.bles married either very young or very old. Duke Luzo was still very young, but soon, he was going to be pressured to get married. Because so many n.o.ble young men left home to follow Lucius the First, Duke Luzo was considered one of the most eligible bachelors left in Acreia. Many n.o.ble families were trying to get their young daughters to marry Duke Luzo, who potentially could be the new emperor.
Lucius the First didn"t mind his cousin getting married. He wasn"t worried at all, but he certainly appreciated Duke Luzo"s thoughtfulness and selflessness. Lucius knew that if it wasn"t for Duke Luzo, he wouldn"t have been able to leave Acreia to accomplish his dream.
Lucius the First"s father, the former emperor, Heogwai the Second, had a tense relations.h.i.+p with some of the powerful n.o.bles in Acreia. When Heogwai the Second began to prepare for a similar conquest as Lucius", these n.o.bles were against the idea. When the former emperor died, Lucius the First was pressured to give up on this plan to conquer the world.
Of course, Lucius didn"t listen to them.
He understood why these men wanted Duke Luzo to take over the throne. Lucius the First suspected that these old n.o.bles hated hearing how successful he was with his battles.
Although he felt apologetic towards Duke Luzo, Lucius the First couldn"t return home.
At the strategy meeting, Sir Baufallo looked over the map and sighed. He said in frustration, "These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds… They just won"t go away. They are like persistent love handles."
"Love handles?"
"You know, the fat in your midriffs."
"Why would there be fat in your midriffs?"
When the young and slim knights asked, Sir Baufallo shuddered in anger. He was over 40 years old and the oldest in the tent. As he got older, it was getting harder to stay slim despite his best effort.
Lucius the First thought secretly, "I suppose Sir Bau is nearing his retirement."
Often, the knights retired after a major battle injury. Sometimes, they were lucky enough to retire from an old age. Older meant stiff joints and depleted stamina. Their bones were more brittle, and some also experienced psychological illness from their times in countless battles.
Lucius the First insisted on having Sir Bau because he trusted this knight, who has served his father before him. The emperor needed someone who could lead the young naïve knights. It had to be done, but Lucius the First still felt guilty for dragging Sir Baufallo into this conquest.
And on top of that, both of Sir Baufallo"s sons were also here.
When Lucius the First announced his plan for this journey, many young knights and soldiers volunteered to follow him. Some did it because they admired their young emperor while others wanted to become heroes and gain fame and fortune.
Sir Rabi followed because he belonged to a well-known military family. Sir Bentier was ordered to go by the n.o.bles who didn"t trust Lucius the First"s judgement.
Lucius the First then asked, "Any new rumors about me?" One of the soldiers brought him a report that included all the recent rumors that were going around in the nearby kingdoms. As he read it, the emperor smirked. As expected, there were many gossips concerning Poliana. It seemed that everyone was shocked by the concept of a female knight.
"Hmm… They are pretty much the same rumors every time… It"s not even interesting anymore."
"Indeed, your highness."
"Aren"t you upset by these, Sir Pol?"
"Not at all, your highness, since the woman they are talking about isn"t accurate. They are describing someone that is definitely not me."
The rumors about Poliana were full of conspiracies and obscenities. Some were filthy enough to make even an experienced prost.i.tute blush, but Poliana remained calm. They were not true, and she was sure no one believed them. And if she did become angry, she could just kick the enemy soldiers" b.a.l.l.s when she got a chance.
The rest of the doc.u.ment was boring. Lucius the First seemed disappointed.
"These people… they have no creativity."
It was a common and rather effective strategy to spread negative rumors about your enemies during a war. It was similar in the northern region as well.
Lucius the First asked the knight in charge of the rumors, "Are things going well on our end? Are our rumors spreading accordingly?"