Chapter 99In front of the castle entrance, the high-ranking official and n.o.bles waited for the emperor. When Lucius the First approached them, one man suddenly appeared. He was wearing a luxurious cloak and walked respectfully towards the emperor.
Duke Luzo, Lucius the First"s cousin and the man who took care of Acreia in the emperor"s absence. If Duke Luzo betrayed the emperor, Lucius the First would have never made it this far.
The duke bowed low and greeted, "Congratulations to your great victory, your highness."
"Please, Duke Luzo. There is no need for you to bow to me. You have done me a great service during this war."
Without Duke Luzo"s stable and loyal presence, Lucius the First would have never been able to unite the continent. When the emperor delayed entering the castle to praise him, the duke seemed very grateful.
Meanwhile, Poliana looked around and relaxed when she didn"t see any potential danger for the emperor.
"Hmm… By the way, the duke looks older than I expected."
Working on behalf of the emperor must"ve been a very stressful job, Or did he naturally have a high forehead? Duke Luzo looked much older than Lucius the First, and Poliana could see a clear sign of hair loss on his front.
"Oh, it must be the hair loss that is making him look so much older."
If Duke Luzo knew what Poliana was thinking, he would have fainted. What she didn"t know was what the duke looked like 10 years ago. Although not as beautiful as the emperor, Duke Luzo was considered one of the most handsome men in the kingdom. It was such a shame that he was losing his hair.
Inside the castle was a huge feast ready to welcome the emperor"s men. Sir Bentier attended the party while Sir Rabi was absent. Only a few of the personal guards were selected to stay inside the castle with the emperor and their numbers were supplemented by Duke Luzo"s own guards.
The people were free to choose whether to attend the banquet or not. Those who were tired were allowed to return home. Most who stayed, despite their fatigue, while some were mostly there for potential political gains by getting the chance to meet their kingdom"s important figures.
The majority of the low-ranking n.o.bles didn"t attend the gathering. They knew they wouldn"t have much of a chance to be promoted.
Sir Rabi claimed, "There are so many greedy people in this world. All they want is to get more of everything."
He took off his elaborate armor before leaving the castle. Even though he was wearing regular non-military clothes, he still looked like a soldier. The other knights were the same.
But when Poliana changed into something normal, the men looked at her awkwardly. They were used to seeing her in her military or guard uniforms, or dirty tunics and pants on her days off. But she was a guest at Sir Rabi"s home, so she knew she couldn"t wear something dirty. Before the parade, Poliana purchased a few outfits and because she found women"s robes uncomfortable, she ended up buying tunics and pants.
Sir Rabi"s home was located in a wealthy neighborhood, he was Count Bika after all. Sir Rabi owned a significant amount of land with a castle outside the capital, but he chose to have it maintained by a hired agent and live with his family in Nanaba. He found this arrangement to be the most convenient.
Not all n.o.bles chose to live in the capital like Sir Rabi. It was a matter of preference, and Poliana thought she would end up doing the same thing as Sir Rabi and stay in the capital.
In front of the Bika mansion, a crowd was waiting at the entrance. As soon as Sir Rabi dismounted his horse, two women ran towards him.
"FATHER!"
"FATHER!"
Everyone recognized their voices. They were the same ones that were heard so loudly and clearly at the parade. As Poliana suspected, they were Sir Rabi"s daughters.
They were the daughters Sir Rabi bragged about so many times. His son, who was much younger, seemed not to recognize him because he remained still and didn"t run after Sir Rabi.
Sir Rabi picked up both of his daughters each in his arms. They were fully grown and therefore couldn"t be too light, yet Sir Rabi didn"t even seem to notice. The girls screamed happily, it was so nice to see their happy family together.
"I"m home, girls!"
"Welcome home!"
"Welcome!"
Sir Rabi greeted his parents and then his wife. It has been 10 years since they saw each other, but they all seemed calm and collected.
Poliana was impressed.
"I guess this is how a proper knight"s family behaves."
But then, things changed quickly. After letting go of his daughters, Sir Rabi hugged his wife tightly. Lady Bika began to cry in happiness and relief as she whispered to him, "I thought of you every single day, I prayed for you every night!"
"It is all thanks to you that I was able to return home safely!"
During their last 10 years, Sir Rabi kept his family portrait in his pocket and looked at it every day. He also wrote letters to his family often. When he received some letters from his family, he read them over and over again.
All the knights that were invited to stay at Sir Rabi"s home were unmarried. The servants guided them to their rooms that were located in the separate guesthouse. Sir Rabi"s place was huge, but it was still not big enough to give separate rooms for every knight. The men, however, were happy just to have a place to stay.
Poliana entered the guesthouse with the other knights. It"s interior wasn"t overly luxurious, but it was warm and cozy.
"It"s so nice."
Poliana was impressed and envious. Coming home to a warm fireplace, good food and drinks, clean clothes, and a welcoming wife who gives a loving smile and a hug…
"I need a wife too."
It wasn"t just Poliana who was thinking this thought. All the knights whispered how they needed to get married as soon as possible. They were all envious of Sir Rabi, who seemed to have a wonderful life and family.
"Finally, we get to take our boots off!"
"I know! My toes were killing me!"
They have been marching all day, so the men were tired. When all the men took their boots off at the same time, the place was quickly filled with an unpleasant odor. It was a bit chilly outside still, but Donau and Poliana opened the windows. Both of them also took their shoes off.
Poliana was sitting at the window when Sir Rabi entered.
"If any of you need anything, you can let the servants know. I didn"t get to have a feast arranged for you, but there is plenty of food for all of you here."
"Your wife is so beautiful, Sir Rabi!"
"We are so envious!"
Some of the knights complimented Sir Rabi, but they were immediately kicked by the other knights. Complimenting the man"s wife"s beauty was a normal courtesy among knights and commoners, but not among high-ranking n.o.bles. It was actually considered rude.
The Bika family was the official margrave, which was a t.i.tle honored for the military commander a.s.signed to maintain the defense of the kingdom"s borders. This meant that the Bika family was old and powerful aristocrats. Just the size of their mansion was proof of their wealth.
Sir Rabi turned to Poliana and said to her, "Oh, Sir Poliana, we have arranged a room for you in the main house."
"That is not necessary. I am perfectly fine here."
"I know that, but my wife won"t let that happen. You need to come with me."