The Emperor and the Knightess - Chapter 359
Chapter 359: Chapter 359
Chapter 359
Poliana became confused. She felt surreal. Everyone, including the emperor, was smiling at her happily, but she alone was shocked.
Lucius the First said to her, “I have two dreams now. First, I will take you, Sir Poliana Winter, as my wife. And with that, I would like to finish this change in the legal system. I have worked as hard as I could for these dreams, and I will continue on working for them. To be honest, I know that it will not be an easy road for us. Perhaps it will be even more difficult than conquering the entire continent. Perhaps this will be the end of this kingdom, but Poliana, I cannot control my greed for you. I hope you will become my wife.”
The Acreian emperor smiled. His smile was kind and handsome. It was the smile of the emperor who was great enough to rule the entire continent with dignity and generosity. Just as he said, his dream to change the legal system so drastically was a foolish one. It was too ambitious. It was ridiculous that he was even going to make an attempt.
But still, the emperor once again asked Poliana, “Won’t you dream with me?”
One of the knights standing nearby whistled. Another knight quickly slapped his back to stop him. The men around them murmured but Poliana couldn’t hear any of these noises surrounding her. Inside of her was a huge storm brewing.
Suddenly, Poliana realized the truth. Just when she was about to give up and accept the reality, her emperor created a brand new world for her. A brand new dream they could dream together.
“How…”
Her body became covered with goosebumps. Just how great was this man? This greatest emperor was standing in front of her and asking her to fight with him once again. She gave up on their marriage a year ago without a fight, but it seemed that Lucius the First wasn’t disappointed in her. He trusted her and believed in her. He recognized and accepted her dilemma and returned to her a year later.
Lucius the First was the beginning of Poliana’s world. He completed her in every way. She knew that it would be her dream come true to fight for him.
No, fight with him. Fight alongside him.
Poliana moved her hand to reach her sword but realized that she wasn’t carrying one. She left it behind before crossing the stream. She could go back and retrieve it, but Poliana didn’t have the patience.
“Get…”
Her voice became louder and stronger as she continued, “Get me a sword!”
She didn’t care whose sword it was. She didn’t care what kind of sword it was. All she needed was a sword, any sword.
All the knights surrounding her unsheathed their swords. The sounds of sharp metals rang throughout the hill. Surprised, Poliana looked around to realize that every single man had their swords drawn and ready for her.
To show her respect, they held the sword backward to offer her the handle. This was the greatest deference a knight can show to another soldier. Poliana gritted her teeth. If this were a dream, she hoped that she would never wake up from it.
“Sir Pol! I sharpened my sword this morning!”
“Sir Pol! This is my family’s sword! I brought it for you especially!”
“Sis! Please pick your brother’s sword!”
“Pol! You know I have the best sword here, right?”
“Boss! Don’t forget about us!”
“Boss! You must pick the sword of the Second Division guard! Don’t pick the one from the First Division! We made a bet with them!”
“That’s not fair! That’s cheating!”
“Bastards!”
Every man had their sword ready for her. Every man here was fighting for her to pick his sword. Every man wanted to help her just because she asked for it. As Poliana listened to them argue, she couldn’t believe her own ears. She couldn’t understand what was happening here. It was no wonder because, in the past, everyone refused to give her their sword. This change was too shocking.
There were too many swords to choose from. The best knights of the kingdom were holding their swords and surrounding her, but Poliana didn’t feel any fear. They were all here for her.
Then suddenly, Poliana saw that it wasn’t just the knights that were here. She saw Vaxi, Vanessa, Cekel, Tory, Stra, and some scribes who were her close friends.
If she refused the emperor today, it was going to make a legendary story. Of course, Poliana had no intention of doing such a thing.
“…”
While every knight was trying to get Poliana’s attention, Sir Ainno was the only one who remained quiet. He, however, also had his sword unsheathed and ready to be taken by her. When their eyes met, Sir Ainno smirked at her. He said to her, “Family sword and legendary sword… They are all meaningless. The best sword is the one that is held by the best knight.”
‘Oh, you jerk.’
Sir Ainno was acting like he was confident she was going to choose his sword. Just where did such confidence come from? Turning away from him, Poliana finally picked her adopted brother Sir Donau’s sword. She was annoyed that he fooled her and led her to this situation, but now wasn’t the time to punish him. She was going to do that later.
Sir Donau, happy to be chosen, bowed deeply and helped her hold his sword. Poliana stabbed the ground with the sword so it stood on its own. She then kneeled alongside and declared, “I will never betray you. I will never fail and always protect my honor. I will spend the rest of my life serving you. I will enter the gates of hell and fire for my emperor. I will fight for you. I, Sir Poliana Winter, swear my loyalty to your highness.”
“I, Lucius the First, as the emperor of Acreia, am the man who is going to create a world where a woman does not need to apologize for giving birth to a daughter.”
Poliana looked up at the emperor. Her eyes were filled with determination as she replied, “I will never leave your side, your highness! I will forever stay with you and fight with you. As long as you allow me, I will remain your knight until I die!”
“That is not true, Winter. Even if I don’t allow you, you will always be my knight”
Lucius the First waved and smiled at her a little awkwardly. It was obvious that he was nervous. He said to her, “So rise, Pol. It is now my turn to kneel.”
Poliana stood up and this time, Lucius the First kneeled on the ground. Because the grass was wet, his pants became wet, but he didn’t care. He asked for her hand.
“I told you once before. Sir Pol, you are enough just as you are. In fact, you are perfect the way you are now. That means you shouldn’t have to change your name. Pol, you are the perfect partner for me. Your existence makes me breathe and laugh.”
This was the happiest moment in Poliana’s life. The man kneeling before her looked up at her like she was the most precious thing in this world.
“Again, I ask you. Poliana Winter, will you marry me?”
Lucius the First kissed the back of her hand and offered her a small box. Inside was a ring that was unusually big.
“It was my father’s ring. You can wear it over your gauntlet.”
There could be no gift more perfect than this. Poliana gritted her teeth so she wouldn’t cry. This was the happiest day, so she didn’t want to show any tears. Poliana nodded and put her hand on top of his as she replied, “Your highness. My beloved, will you marry me?”
“You will make me the happiest man.”
Lucius the First put the ring on Poliana’s finger. It was obviously too big but Poliana knew it would fit perfectly over her gauntlet. The people around her threw flower petals at them.
Sir Donau and Sir Howe kissed their wives happily. The other knights, watching the happy couples, wished they brought their own wives. Sir Ainno tried to kiss Cekel but she kicked his knee. When he looked upset, Cekel sighed and closed her eyes, and nodded. Sir Ainno smiled happily.
The emperor’s personal scribe Momo couldn’t help his tears, but his hands continued to move quickly. He was writing down everything that was happening today. This would make the greatest love story of the century.
Stra smiled brightly while Tory dabbed her eyes daintily.
The emperor kissed the knightess.
They became a good couple. They were husband and wife, but this didn’t change the fact that they were still the emperor and the knightess.
