Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Much time passed, but the problem of private armies created by certain Acreian nobles was still not solved. In fact, according to the recent messages, it’s turning for the worse. Were some of the Acreian aristocrats trying to begin a war? Because it seemed that they were increasing and arming their soldiers.

‘Why are they always making my life so difficult?’

The emperor frowned in annoyance. His personal servant Chail suggested that the emperor should rest, but Lucius the First replied angrily, “How could I?!”

With great power comes great responsibility. If he was going to be lazy about ruling his kingdom, what would’ve been the point of uniting the entire continent? Lucius the First was seen as a kind and generous emperor who saved many people from horrible and selfish rulers. This was the truth because indeed, Lucius the First was definitely not a tyrant.

For now, the emperor knew that he would only get to rest and take it easy when he was an old man, unless he died young from being so overworked. There was so much to do and not enough of him. Just reading over the summaries prepared by the civil servants took so much time and effort.

Lucius the First was frustrated and angry. He was working so hard, as hard as he could, yet the problems in Acreia wouldn’t go away. It seemed that the people of Acreia would never stop complaining, and he couldn’t understand why it was so. Acreia, as his homeland, should’ve been his greatest ally, yet instead, it was the southern region that remained mostly peaceful. It was quickly becoming his favorite place because it made him feel calm.

“Just what is it that they want from me?!”

The emperor slammed down on his desk, making his scribes and the servants cringe in fear. Sir Bentier, now the chancellor, approached Lucius the First quickly to calm him down. Lucius the First suddenly became embarrassed and ashamed. He narrowed his eyes as he realized what he had done just now.

‘I am unleashing my anger at the wrong people…’

This wasn’t a war where one wrong decision could cost him thousands of lives. The emperor knew he was overreacting, most likely because he was so tired. Finally, Lucius the First announced that he was going to take a quick break. Sir Bentier understood how stressed the emperor was, so he offered, “Would you like to spar with me, your highness?”

“Spar?! Yes! Oh, wait… No… I guess not.”

‘If Sir Bentier uses his spear, I would have no chance against him…’

When the emperor hesitated, the servant offered, “Should I go get Sir Ainno?”

“No, I don’t want Inno either.”

One of the guards from the First Division offered, “Your highness, if you would like, I could be your opponent.”

The emperor shook his head again. He was now well aware of how skilled, and how violent the members of the First Division were. It made sense since they were all handpicked by Sir Ainno himself. Lucius the First wasn’t the type that became angry when he lost, but he knew how frustrated he would feel if he got hit today.

The emperor contemplated what he should do during his hard-earned break to make himself feel better. There was only one person he could think of that could improve his mood. Then, with a smile, he announced, “I will be going to the lady’s quarters.”

His whole demeanor changed. The emperor finally looked happy and expectant.

***

When the emperor visited her, Poliana was happy to see him. He asked her to spar with him, and she asked, “But what about Sir Ainno?”

“That guy is too competitive.”

Sir Ainno always fought hard, even in a friendly spar, as if his life depended on it. He didn’t care who he fought even if it’s just another knight or the emperor himself. Sir Ainno fought savagely and he always won. It wasn’t that Lucius the First was a bad swordsman, but compared to Sir Ainno, the emperor had no chance. On top of this, Sir Ainno was an ugly winner. He always teased the emperor mercilessly after a spar, and Lucius the First didn’t want to endure such a humiliation today.

Poliana then asked, “Your highness, you could’ve just asked one of the guards from the First Division to fight you.”

“They are all turning into Sir Ainno, unfortunately.”

Poliana nodded understandingly because she knew these men well. With a sly smile, she said to him, “So what you are saying is that you came to spar me because you know you could win against me, right? Is that it, your highness? That is very unfair.”

“I didn’t! I didn’t come here to win!”

“I’m just joking, your highness.”

The emperor was about to deny it emphatically, but when Poliana grinned at him, he smiled as well. Poliana laughed and soon, they began their spar.

Because they were at the lady’s quarters, the emperor’s wives became their audience. While the emperor and Poliana stretched, the servants and the maids moved quickly to prepare the seats for the ladies. They even put up a tent to create a nice shade for the emperor’s wives.

Lucius the First said to Poliana, “Sir Pol, I see that your sense of humor has improved a lot.”

“It is all thanks to you, your highness.”

Poliana swung her sword a few times to test it out. The emperor watched and complimented her for her skills. It was common for the knights to stop training after a long war and it was nice to see that clearly, Poliana had never stopped training. She was indeed an excellent knight.

The start of the spar was signaled as the maid, who stood between Poliana and the emperor, dropped her handkerchief. Poliana was the one who moved first to attack, and Lucius the First blocked her easily.

“Sir Pol, I can feel that you are stronger than before.”

“The doctor told me that a woman’s stamina and strength actually increase in her thirties and forties, your highness.”

“How amazing!”

Poliana attacked Lucius the First with everything she had, but she was no match for him. She might have become stronger, but her strength couldn’t compare to that of a well-trained man. Lucius the First easily blocked even her best attacks with only one hand.

Because she was a woman and therefore weaker than most male soldiers, she was taught early on that she needed to fight to kill, not maim. The precise moves to slow down or injure an opponent were used by the people like Sir Ainno and Sir Rabi.

So, she fought the emperor ferociously like she always did, but she was no match for him. Lucius the First was an underrated swordsman purely because he was compared to Sir Ainno, but in truth, the emperor was an excellent swordsman. No matter how hard Poliana fought, this spar felt like a slightly vigorous workout to the emperor.

Every time their swords met and clanked, the ladies shrieked. They weren’t used to hearing the metals hitting each other.

“Oh no! Marquess Winter!”

Suddenly, Lucius the First’s sword slashed and made a small cut on Poliana’s face, making the ladies and maids scream in shock. Stra seemed like she was going to burst into tears.

“Marquess Winter…. Your face…!”

Poliana didn’t think much about it and tried to continue the spar. She had much worse scars all over her body, so such a small cut didn’t mean anything. But then, the emperor put down his sword and ordered, “Sir Pol, you should get your cut treated.”

“Well, alright, your highness. I guess it would look awful for the head of the Second Division to have a fresh injury on her face.”

The maids quickly brought clean clothes, a gauze, and medicinal cream.