Chapter 45  

Poliana felt so embarrassed that she wanted to hide. Her emperor had a talent for surprising her like this. Then, Lucius the First asked, “Sir Poliana, you should take over Sir Ainno’s duty and protect me until the end of this tournament.”

Did the emperor see her envy and jealousy towards the other knights? Was she that easy to read? Did he think she was being petty?

Only the best of the best had the honor of becoming the emperor’s personal guard. It had to be a knight who came from a well-trusted family, who proved his combat skills, who had an acceptable appearance, and who had impeccable manners. The head of the emperor’s personal guards even had the special privilege to disobey the emperor’s order when necessary.

A foreigner such as Poliana certainly was not fit to take this esteemed position, even temporarily.

Yet here he was, Lucius the First, offering her this post.

‘I-is he joking?’

Poliana studied him carefully, but she couldn’t see any smile on his face. In fact, the emperor looked serious and she couldn’t disappoint him. Sir Mahogal, who was standing behind the emperor, didn’t say a word. Poliana kneeled quickly in front of him, saying, “I am honored, your highness.”

“Thank you.”

But of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“I am against it. This cannot happen.”

No one asked him, but when he found out, Sir Ainno disagreed loudly. Both Poliana and Lucius the First weren’t surprised at his reaction.

Most of the knights now respected Poliana and treated her well. Some seemed to feel awkward around her, but they still accepted her as one of them.

In public, most men now called her Sir Poliana, including Sir Rabi. Informally, some men still called her names but then again, men called each other names all the time anyway. Sir Rabi often called many of his soldiers “bastards” and “idiots.” It was a normal practice in any army; it was even considered as an affectionate gesture.

Sir Ainno was the only knight who refused to call Poliana by her rank. He, in fact, rarely called for her. If he had no choice but to address her, Sir Ainno called her “that woman,” “b*tch,” or “the girl.” It was clear that he did not like her at all.

It was no wonder that he disliked her. First of all, Poliana’s existence in the military itself was unhelpful to Lucius the First’s reputation. Sir Ainno especially hated the rumor that Poliana was knighted because the emperor was smitten with her.Sir Ainno stomped his feet in the presence of the emperor because he was so furious. Why couldn’t this woman be beautiful? If she was, this situation wouldn’t be as embarrassing! The enemies would in fact envy them!

As the people began to hear about Poliana’s unsightly look, especially next to the beautiful Lucius the First, another strange rumor started. It was that the Acreian emperor had a bizarre fetish for ugly women. Sir Ainno hated this misunderstanding. He has known Lucius the First a very long time and he knew without a doubt that his emperor liked beautiful women!

On top of it all, Sir Ainno hated the fact that Poliana was a foreigner. Poliana agreed that this position was too big of honor for her, but she also could not deny her emperor.

To appease Sir Ainno, Poliana said to him, “As his highness himself is an excellent swordsman, I am sure I am not even needed. His highness is obviously a much better warrior than I am. I am only standing in your position in name, Sir Ainno, so please do not worry.”

“How can you take this position to protect his highness when you yourself admit that you are weaker than the emperor?!”

Lucius the First interrupted the conversation with a smile as he said, “Sir Poliana is right. Even if Sir Poliana herself attacks me while I sleep, I will be able to fight her off very easily. So you don’t have to worry that Sir Poliana might betray us, Inno. Stop opposing this idea. It’s an order.”

“Your highness!”

Lucius the First then turned around and walked away. He went back to his room, which was provided in the castle located in the nearby village. When Sir Ainno tried to follow him, the emperor’s personal guards stopped him.

“Step aside!” Sir Ainno yelled angrily.

“We are sorry, Sir, but this is his highness’s order. We cannot let you follow him.”

While Sir Ainno argued with the guards, Lucius the First opened the door slightly again and peaked in. He whispered to Poliana, “Why aren’t you following me, Sir Poliana?”

“Oh, I apologize!”

Sir Ainno saw this interaction and his face crumpled angrily. Feeling guilty towards him but having no other choice, Poliana left to follow the emperor.

Being alone in the room with Lucius the First and still be allowed to keep her sword with her, Poliana felt mystified. She still felt guilty towards Sir Ainno, but she couldn’t help also feeling immensely proud.

When Poliana stood around awkwardly near the door because she didn’t know what to do, Lucius the First gave her permission to sit.

“Sir Poliana, please do not think too much about what I said to Inno. I didn’t mean it as an insult to your skills or your loyalty.”“Not at all, your highness! If I can sacrifice my life for you, it would be my honor!”

“All I was trying to do was to take away a little bit of the burden from Inno’s shoulders, but it seems I have caused him even more stress…”

It was true. Unintentionally, the emperor was making Sir Ainno become tenser. The reason why Lucius the First chose Poliana among so many other more qualified knights was for a personal reason. He didn’t expect all of his knights to become friends, but the emperor still believed that Sir Ainno had to change his attitude towards Poliana.

To repair their relationship, something positive was needed to happen between Sir Ainno and Poliana and for something to happen, they needed to spend more time with each other. This was why Lucius the First assigned Poliana as his temporary guard, but it seemed that his plan backfired.

Poliana felt a little disappointed because it seemed that the emperor gave her this duty for Sir Ainno’s sake, not hers, but she quickly felt ashamed of herself because she was being too greedy. It only made sense that the emperor would care more about his long-time loyal knight than a foreigner.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Lucius the First said to her quietly, “I hope you aren’t too disappointed.”

“Not at all, your highness!”

Poliana stood up clumsily, making the emperor laugh. He then replied, “Anyway, it is what it is. Please stay with this during this shift and protect me, Sir Poliana. I believe in you.”

“I will do my best, your highness!”

Only

“And starting tomorrow, you can learn the details of this position from the other guards.”

Lucius the First waved at her to take a seat again. He told her to relax, but Poliana continued to sit with her back straight as a spear. The emperor had nothing to do at the moment, so he took the opportunity to ask Poliana about her personal life.

Details of how she came to become a knight…

About the old knight who taught her as a child…

And all the books that she read over the years…

Lucius the First was an avid reader. He loved to read and at any time he could find, he spent it on reading. Poliana read many books as well, but it was only about battles. As she talked to the emperor, Poliana realized that she had so much more to learn.

The emperor said to her, “I like people who strive to improve themselves, but I also like people who are lazy from time to time. I know that you, Sir Poliana, never waste a second, but I think what you really need is to take a moment for yourself, to breathe. It will help you get better in the long run.”

Their conversation continued, and somehow, Poliana was able to get a sparring date with the emperor. Any disappointment she felt melted away like snow under the sun.