Chapter 146It took Sir Ainno 30 minutes to figure out what Lucius the First was thinking. When he did, Sir Ainno threw his pillow at the emperor in annoyance. It turned out that Sir Ainno fell off a horse and ended up hurting his p.e.n.i.s.
Who knew one could get hurt there by falling off a horse?
Poliana and the others in the room couldn"t stop laughing at his funny situation. The emperor also grinned at his best friend. Some were crying because they were laughing so hard, making Sir Ainno even angrier. He threw more of his pillows at these people and Poliana stood in front of Lucius the First to protect him.
"Get out!" Sir Ainno yelled, and in the end, his doctor stated that the patient should get some rest and so, everyone was kicked out of the room.
The emperor looked satisfied as he said to Poliana, "My wish has finally come true."
"But I thought your wish was to unite the continent, your highness."
"I had two. I always prayed that Inno would someday fall on his smug face and break his nose, but every rare time he did fall, his reflex is so great that he always landed perfectly on his feet. But finally, this day has come! Hahahaha!"
"You look very pleased, your highness."
"And it looks like I"m not the only one. You look very happy yourself, Sir Pol."
Poliana laughed evilly and Lucius the First followed suit.
"Hahaha!"
"Hehehe!"
Sir Ainno was an excellent dependable knight, but he could be an overconfident jerk. Many secretly laughed at him for falling off a horse, which was such a beginner"s mistake. Poliana felt disappointed that she could tell everyone she knew about what happened to him, but it was best to let Sir Ainno keep his reputation intact.
Sir Ainno"s injury made Lucius the First think deeply about his own life. After a short contemplation, the emperor decided to put a breaktime in his daily schedule despite his ever-increasing workload. He was in his 30"s and therefore in his prime, but soon, he will turn 40. Time pa.s.sed by fast and it meant that his stamina, health, and mental capacity were going to begin deteriorating at some point. He might be perfectly healthy now, but he didn"t even have an heir yet. The closest person he could call his heir was Duke Luzo.
So… what if he suddenly died?
The kingdom he created was going to experience such turmoil. Perhaps it might even break into different kingdoms again after a civil war. Even if Lucius the First had a son already, he still couldn"t die until his son was old enough to rule safely. If the emperor died when his son was too young, the new emperor would be powerless, he would be an empty sh.e.l.l that would get used by the elders.
Lucius the First became the emperor when he was in his late teens. He was a grown man at the time, but even then, many n.o.blemen overtly ignored him and defied him even though Lucius the First had the unwavering support from Duke Luzo.
When the emperor announced that he would ease his work schedule a little, everyone sighed in relief. Many were worried about his health from being overworked, so they were glad that the emperor finally made this decision.
There was certainly an overabundant amount of work to be done, but this didn"t mean that the emperor had to take care of everything. He just needed to delegate the work accordingly. The problem was that Lucius the First was a perfectionist. He tried to get involved in even the smallest of matters such as regional tax laws. It was absolutely unnecessary because those in charge of the locals could and should be doing this job.
Those around the emperor were worried that if Lucius the First continued to overwork in his manner, he might become just like Duke Luzo, who was clearly beginning to go bald.
All the men and women loved the emperor"s beautiful golden hair. If he lost his best feature… It would be the kingdom"s greatest loss. The emperor"s beauty was the most important treasure of Acreia. Everyone in the kingdom was proud of it. Everyone hoped that he would grow into a beautiful middle-aged man, but if he lost his hair… It would be impossible.
So, in the end, a generous break time was placed in Lucius the First"s daily routine, which meant that he could sometimes even leave the city.
***
While walking in the green forest, the emperor smiled happily. The smell of the trees was amazing especially because he had been stuck in the city castle for a long time by now. Being surrounded by nature made his fatigue disappear slowly. His hunting entourage also smiled. It was a wonderful day to hunt because there was barely any wind. Lucius the First then announced, "It"s so nice to be out."
Ever since he left to secretly move the capital of Acreia, he was always followed by the officials every time he left the castle. When these officials were sure that the emperor was indeed just hunting, they left, but the emperor still grumbled. "It"s so sad that they cannot trust their own emperor. If they stayed any longer, they would"ve ruined this outing. And I don"t know why I have to have so many guards with me even when I am just hunting."
"Totally, your highness. I don"t know why so many of them have to follow us every time."
"It"s not like you are going to move the capital again."
Some n.o.blemen agreed with the emperor, but Poliana disagreed, "We need many men for your protection, your highness. It can be very dangerous outside the castle."
Her guards nodded in agreement. For the emperor"s protection, it was best to have many men follow them just in case. When Poliana looked determined, Lucius the First tried to make an excuse, saying, "But if we have this many men with us, it will make it easier for all the animals to notice us and run away."
Poliana frowned. "But your highness, we don"t have Sir Ainno with you either, so…"
She hated to admit it, but it was the truth. Sir Ainno"s presence guaranteed the emperor"s safety, so without him, Poliana felt the need to bring as many of her men as possible. She felt ashamed that she wasn"t as strong as Sir Ainno, but it couldn"t be helped.
"Why did he have to get injured? That stupid jerk."
It was odd to not see Sir Ainno, who was always by the emperor"s side, but Lucius the First seemed even more excited that Sir Ainno wasn"t with him. Before the hunting party left, Poliana wanted to bring even more guards, but the emperor was adamant that he wouldn"t allow it. He protested, insisting that his hunting day would be ruined if she brought all the men she wanted for his protection.
In the end, the emperor won as usual.
They were inside the Msmel forest, which scared some men. It was a very different forest than the one in Acreia. The trees looked different and there were different animals here. Lucius the First said to the men, "There is nothing to worry about. It"s perfectly safe here."
This was true because a large lumber mill was built just outside the forest. Because the Yapa became the new capital, there was a huge influx of people from all over the continent, thereby increasing the need for lumber and stones. The trees on the outer edges of the Msmel forest were being cut, which meant that the forest was no longer as quiet as it used to be. Now, they are so many people around them trying to make their living.
Of course, Lucius the First was beginning to get worried about the number of trees being cut. If too many were removed, the entire forest could be destroyed. Msmel was very important to the mid-continent. It was a great source of wild animals and bees for honey, and once a forest was ruined, it was impossible to revive it. This was why the emperor decided against creating a path across the forest. He said to his men, "Don"t you think a forest resembles a human body? When you clip your fingernails, they grow back, but if you cut off your hand, it won"t come back. In fact, it could kill you. Killing a forest would be a stupid thing, every hunter knows this."
The emperor suddenly spotted a bird flying above him. He aimed carefully and shot his arrow.