Chapter 98Poliana wore her clean official uniform for the parade.
She hated having her hair sticky, so she rarely styled her hair, but today, she used some hair oil to make sure no stray hair stuck out. Her uniform was ironed extra stiff and her shoes were s.h.i.+ned with a dry cloth. Instead of her usual leather gloves, she wore the official white cotton gloves that were given to her.
Standing in front of the mirror with her decorative sword and dagger, Poliana was satisfied.
"Good."
She wasn"t pretty. In fact, she was ugly, but it actually made her look more reliable and dependable. She wasn"t actually a good swordsman, but she certainly looked like an expert fighter, she looked menacing and competent.
She gathered her guards to check on them as well. The young men looked gorgeous. Their hair and shoes were all s.h.i.+ny and their uniforms were spotless.
When they looked excited, Poliana warned them, "Don"t let your guards down. His highness may trust Duke Luzo, but we can"t. We need to always be on guard and distrusting!"
The possibility of Duke Luzo or the elders sending an a.s.sa.s.sin was not out of question, and it was her duty to protect him at all times.
***
The day of the parade.
Lucius the First smiled at his people of Nanaba brightly. The royal artists, who were commissioned to paint today"s ceremony, were troubled. How could they capture such a scene?
So many people were there cheering and throwing flowers at the emperor. Those who couldn"t get any flowers threw pieces of paper and clothes to celebrate. The gentle wind made the pieces and flowers dance in the air. In the middle of the parade was Lucius the First, looking more beautiful than ever.
The artists were especially distressed about how to express their emperor"s inspiring beauty. In the end, they left his face empty so they could go back later and do a proper job in terms of drawing it.
Meanwhile, Poliana was frustrated. The flowers and the pieces of paper were preventing her from being able to see her emperor clearly. They kept blocking her eyes and some were even poking it.
"Dammit."
The situation reminded her of the times when she was covered in dried blood during the summer battles and the flies hovering all over her. But despite her annoyance, Poliana had to admit that it was an unusually beautiful day. When she became old and someone asked her about this day, she wanted to be able to give a decent answer. She looked around and when she saw her emperor, she already knew what she would say.
At the victory ceremony, Lucius the First was beautiful and beautiful, and simply beautiful. When he smiled, the entire world lit up. He was wearing an extravagant and magnificent armor, but it was no match to his beauty.
When Lucius the First left the capital of Nanaba 10 years ago, he was called the boy king. But now, he returned as a man, a perfect well-built beautiful man. The armor suited him very well.
Despite everyone"s warning, Lucius the First did not wear a helmet. His long golden hair, which reached past his shoulders, sparkled against the sunlight.
"YAAAA! Long live the emperor!"
Their plan was to march around the plaza before entering the royal castle where the n.o.bles awaited him. The people continued to cheer loudly, and among them, Poliana heard two distinct and shockingly loud cheers. She saw two girls screaming.
"FATHER!"
"FATHERRRR!"
Sir Rabi swung his flag wildly at them when he spotted them. There was no doubt that they must be his children. Poliana wondered, "I guess they inherited some of their father"s qualities too."
When the Bika family called out to Sir Rabi, the others around them began to call out to their own family members rather than blindly cheering for their emperor. The soldiers and knights, who have been only focused on marching in straight lines, began to look a little more relaxed and excited as they heard their family members" voices. The men looked around and waved when they saw some familiar faces.
Suddenly, Poliana felt lonely. Did all the other foreign knights and soldiers feel the same way? No one waved at her or recognized her. She wasn"t alone since she had her men and the other knights, but the fact that no one had been waiting for her return was saddening.
Flower petals flew everywhere and one rose stem with an intact bud landed on the emperor"s lap. Poliana flinched, worried that it might be a rock, but when she saw that it was just a flower, she relaxed. Lucius the First quickly picked it up and while turning towards her, he threw it at her gently. Poliana caught it by reflex and looked at him in confusion.
Lucius the First smiled shyly. There was no reason for him to be shy about it, but he did. Poliana didn"t understand why, but he looked so gorgeous that she smiled back.
It was indeed a perfect day. Poliana gave up being annoyed and studied the rose happily.
Ever since she met Lucius the First, her every day had been precious and wonderful. She knew she would remember these days even when she"s older. She would brag to people how she used to serve his highness when she was younger. She would tell everyone proudly how she used to be the head of his royal guard division.
Before she met the emperor, Poliana never imagined herself as an old woman, but now, she thought about it often. She could see her old self enjoying the luxurious bathhouse in her castle.
The castle the emperor gifted her...
"Hmm… And about this marriage business…"
The other knights dreamt of serving the emperor and his family for generations to come, but for Poliana, she didn"t know if that would be possible. It was because the likelihood of her getting married was slim, and the possibility of her having children was even slimmer.
But…
Losing the wonderful castle she received from the emperor to another man rather than giving it to her own children would be such a huge sham.