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Poliana’s smile turned into a serious expression. What she was about to ask wasn’t something to take lightly.

“Your highness, what will you do to Lady Tory?”

‘Oh, that.’

It was no wonder Poliana hesitated. She was asking about a family matter as well as a national matter. It made sense that she felt like she was overstepping. Lucius the First leaned against his chair and answered, “When I first took you in…”

It has been a while since they talked about the past. Realizing that this was going to be a long chat, Poliana sat down. The emperor continued, “At the time, I was such a lacking ruler. I didn’t know much. It was the first time I left Acreia. It was my first war and I worked so hard to make everything so perfect. Now, I know that it was all unnecessary. I was very naïve.”

“Your highness, you were perfect even then!”

It was not a good idea to over-flatter Lucius the First. When he waved his hand at her, Poliana kept quiet. The emperor continued, “To be honest, the reason why I took you in at the time was to be different than everyone. I wanted to see and show people what I could be. I wanted to be the one who was generous and charismatic enough to take in the knights from my own enemy kingdoms. I wanted to be an emperor who could even accept a knightess. Therefore, there is no need for you to thank me. I was not, and still am not, a great man. In fact, I should be the one thanking you. I have learned so much from you, Sir Pol.”

It was true that Poliana showed Lucius the First how strong and determined a woman could be. She also taught him the importance of working hard and never giving up.

At the time he took her in, Lucius the First had no idea what an important Poliana was going to become to himself as well as to his kingdom. A woman to become a knight in Acreia… And to accomplish this without bribing anyone or having a powerful family… There were still days when Lucius the First could not believe how far Poliana had come.

And the day he realized what he felt for her was “love…” His whole world changed.

“As I said before, I learned from you, Sir Pol, that a dead woman’s vengeance is no match for a living woman’s determination. Of course, now I know that I was wrong about that too. It isn’t a woman’s determination; it is a person’s determination.”

In this world, when someone referred to a person, they were referring to a man. A man was a person while a woman was specifically called a “woman.” This was ridiculous since both men and women were people.

Lucius the First muttered, “Sometimes, Rebecca would say something like that.”

“Lady Rebecca?”

Poliana was shocked because such a topic was taboo in this world. And to say something like this to the emperor… Poliana’s eyes widened. Lady Rebecca promised her that they would not keep secrets between them! Poliana felt a little betrayed, but a dead lady would remain forever silent.

Lucius the First reminisced his memories of his dead wife, who had a fragile body but the biggest ambition he had ever witnessed. The emperor replied, “She sometimes asked me if I would hire another woman who is as talented as you, Sir Pol.”

Lady Rebecca asked this question many times, and the emperor’s answer was always the same.

“Every time she asked me this, I said no. I am sure you understand why.”

“Of course, your highness. Until this newly expanded kingdom experiences long term stability, it would be unwise to introduce any big and controversial changes.”

“That’s right, and besides, I was so young when I took you in. At the time, I had nothing to lose since I was only a young boy emperor of a small kingdom. But now, I am the emperor of the entire continent. I cannot afford to make significant mistakes anymore.”

“Of course, your highness.”

“And at the same time, I thought that it would be impossible for me to meet another woman like you, Sir Pol. You are the gift from heaven, so how can there be another woman as talented and intelligent as you?”

Lucius the First was certain of this at the time. He continued, “But I was wrong again. I was naïve and stupid. Recently, I witnessed it again. The power of a woman’s… no.”

Lucius the First shook his head. His golden hair shined beautifully as he corrected himself, “A person’s determination.”

Poliana had to stop herself from kneeling in front of him and swearing her loyalty to him again. As usual, her emperor gave her an answer that exceeded her wildest expectations. This was why she trusted him. This was why she would follow him anywhere. The path Lucius the First set out for himself was going to be a tough one, but Poliana was willing to fight for him.

The emperor said to her, “This is my answer to your question.”

“Your highness, having the chance to honor you is the greatest honor of my life.”

“And having you as my knight is the greatest luck in my life, Sir Pol. Haha, and since Tory is so smart, I am not sure if she would be willing to accept my plan.”

“Oh, she will.”

Poliana’s eyes widened with certainty. Poliana knew that she and Tory were different. Poliana wasn’t given any other option other than the path she was given while Tory could choose. But even so, Poliana seemed certain of how Tory will react, making the emperor curious.

“Is this some kind of a woman’s sixth sense? Is that how you know?”

Only

“No, I know because I trust my friend.”

The emperor’s greatest knight and love used to be his dead wife’s best friend. Now, it seemed that she was also a great friend with his other wife. The emperor laughed awkwardly, unable to describe what he was feeling. His late mother once told him, “If you are unsure how to react or feel, just laugh.”

Poliana saluted solemnly and left the room. Still feeling strange, Lucius the First grumbled, “I can see that the kingdoms that believe the women are inferior have been using their women very effectively. The mid-continent region especially.”

After thinking quietly for a while, the emperor suddenly thought of a person he has been forgetting.

‘I wonder where Sir Deke is and what he is doing…’

He should’ve returned from the south by now, but the emperor hasn’t heard any news from him yet. As the main member of the Intelligence unit, Sir Deke should’ve heard of what happened at the Yapa castle by now and be here. Yet, he was still absent and nowhere to be seen.

Lucius the First couldn’t help but feel disappointed.