Chapter 82
Poliana’s smile…
It was a smile that came from genuine happiness and certainty.
How beautiful, it was more amazing and stronger than the sun that was disappearing into the ocean.
When he looked back, it was always like this. Poliana had always treated Lucius the First with honesty. She served him with everything she had. She saw him as her emperor, her master, her fellow fighter, and her friend. She never changed or wavered in her belief and trust in him.
Lucius the First knew she will never change in the future, but… It was him who was changing. Suddenly, his usual calm and logic cracked in front of this woman. Even the future he dreamt of seemed pale compared to this moment.
The cupid’s arrow went straight into Lucius the First’s heart. It was unfair and cruel because the emperor never had a chance. He wasn’t given a warning or even time to get himself prepared for it.
And the worst thing was… The woman in question didn’t even realize what she had done to him.
‘Why?’
Lucius the First despaired, he didn’t believe in love. Even when he thought of his future wife, there never has been love in his heart. All he expected was to maintain a good relationship with his wife. Love would have been a huge bonus, but not at all necessary. Love mostly existed in songs and poems.
So for him to fall in love like this… How could this be?
What did this mean? To realize that he had fallen in love with someone who he has known for 10 years… Shouldn’t he have noticed this much earlier?
The emperor’s beliefs and views collapsed around him. This didn’t make sense at all, which meant… It had to be a mistake. It had to be a misunderstanding. Lucius the First couldn’t be in love with that “woman.”
‘Woman…’
That’s right, Poliana Winter was a woman. A woman who was also a knight.
People called her the knightess. Because she was a woman in this world of man, she had to go through such hardships. She must’ve felt incredible despair and hopelessness. It was much harder, almost impossible, for her to be acknowledged and accepted. Filthy and unfair rumors followed her everywhere. Until her death, she was going to be surrounded by these prejudices.
She almost died, but Lucius the First took her in. He wasn’t being arrogant. This was the truth. He made many mistakes that required him to apologize to her, but at the end of the day, Lucius the First saved Poliana Winter.
“Your highness.”
Poliana called out to him with an affectionate tone. He knew she showed the most respect and consideration to him than to anyone else in this world.
The way she looked at him was warm. It was an unconditional love, but not a love a woman felt for a man. It was a love for her emperor as her master. It was a devotion to her ruler.
It was loyalty and nothing more.
“Your highness, are you ok? Is something wrong?”
“No.”
Poliana looked at him worriedly, and Lucius the First flinched. It was as if someone threw cold water at him.
Everyone knew how ugly Poliana was. Even Poliana herself agreed to it. She looked much better and cleaner now, but she certainly was no beauty. At best, she was an average-looking woman.
But right now, at this moment… She looked pretty to him.
The emperor couldn’t breathe. His heart began to beat uncontrollably. He had no choice but to admit and accept that he was in love.
Quickly, he put on his poker face again. He gave her the “generous emperor’s smile.” It wasn’t hard because after all, he had done it all his life.
Even though he was a man newly in love, he was an emperor first. He couldn’t be swayed by his emotions. Perhaps, that was why he didn’t believe in love. At least, it wasn’t for him.
Lucius the First looked at Poliana Winter. She had a sword hanging on her waist. Somewhere on her body, there were several daggers and other weapons. She never did, and never would hesitate to use them to kill. She had no qualms about using violence. She wasn’t a talented fighter, but she had enough experience to do an adequate job. For him, she would do anything.
The blue uniform looked good on her. As the head of the guard division, she was given the honor of wearing a golden stripe as well. Lucius the First knew how hard she tried to look clean and presentable for him.
The sun was now nowhere to be seen, but the sky was still bright. He could now see a few stars appearing in the sky.
“Your uniform looks good on you, Sir Pol.”
“Thank you for the compliment!”
“That sword suits you as well.”
“You flatter me, your highness!”
“And you looked good with short hair too!”
“Your highness, you must be very happy right now.”
“It’s just that you look pretty today, Sir Pol.”
“… are you ok, your highness? Are you ill perhaps?”
Lucius the First smiled. He almost made a mistake of confessing his love for her just now, but he quickly recovered. He had to push down his feelings. He was no mere man, he was the emperor.
The emperor.
Lucius the First imagined Poliana standing beside him as his empress. It looked so ridiculous that he laughed. He felt a little better.
‘Perhaps I’m just mistaken. Maybe I’m just confused.’
This was an emotional time for him after all.
He had so much to do now, and no matter what it was that he felt, it didn’t matter.
‘Just forget about it for now.’
Only
A love now could turn into something different tomorrow. For now… he decided to ignore it. He wasn’t abandoning it, but he would bury it deep inside of him, and when he had more time, he would reassess it.
As they rode their horses down the cliff, everything felt unfamiliar to him. Somehow, Lucius the First knew that he would remember this moment forever.
‘… it’s love…’
The emperor smiled helplessly. He knew the future was uncertain, but for now, he wanted to enjoy this moment.
The Acreian army finally turned around to head back to the north.
Back home to Acreia…
No obstacles stopped the emperor this time.
-To be continued on
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