The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 183

The first thing Poliana did was to return home to change. Her blue guard uniform was too noticeable, and she didn’t have any spare clothes left in the castle. Perhaps she could’ve borrowed some clothes from the other guards, but she didn’t want to wear pants.

It was one thing to wear pants to the restaurant last night since she was invited. But to go out to the city… She knew people might talk about her. The only pair of pants she could wear that would stop people from staring was her uniform, but if she wore her blue guard’s uniform, Poliana knew a lot of people would recognize her.

She was the only knightess in the kingdom. A woman with short hair wearing a blue uniform would be like her walking around the city wearing a nametag with her name in bold letters.

Everyone would know that she was Marquess Winter.

Poliana was actually quite popular; most, if not everyone, knew about her. Lucius the First’s conquest was now a legend and oftentimes, Poliana was part of the story. The bards sang the emperor’s praises and the story of Poliana was also very popular. The older population and the noblemen didn’t like to hear about her, but the young people, children, and young girls especially loved her story.

She was also very recognizable, and today, Poliana wanted to remain anonymous. Therefore, she had to stop by at her home.

When she arrived, Poliana took off her guard’s uniform and brought out a simple dress. She didn’t have many, but she had a few just in case. She also put on a handkerchief over her hair.

Her dress wasn’t an expensive one, so it made Poliana look like a commoner. Normally, a noblewoman would have beautiful skin and hair so even an ugly dress wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that she was a high-born lady, but in Poliana’s case, this wasn’t true. Her skin was rough and scarred, so no one would doubt she was just a commoner.

“Good.”

Poliana looked at herself in front of a mirror. She wanted to put on the handkerchief the way Donau showed to her before, but she wasn’t very good at it. She could’ve called in a maid or a female servant, but Poliana didn’t even think of this idea.

‘I look like I should be working in the field.’

Poliana grinned, remembering Sir Donau’s joke.

She hid two daggers on her waist and wrapped her sword with a large piece of cloth to carry. When she looked at herself in the mirror again, she was satisfied with what she saw. She looked like a commoner holding a large bread. She didn’t look strange or out of place. Poliana thought that even one of her guards might not recognize her in this outfit.

Her butler, when he saw her, cried. In a trembling voice, he grabbed her sleeve and begged, “Please, Mistress. Why don’t you just wear your armor instead? Please…”

“Is it that bad? Do I look that horrible?”

Poliana thought she looked okay, but she cared about how others saw her too. When she asked, her butler shook her head. As her butler, he just didn’t want her to be walking around like a commoner without a piece of proper ID on her to prove who she was. The butler replied, “It’s not that you look bad… It’s just… You are the ‘Marquess Winter,’ and you are a very important woman. This means you need to always look important…”

“It’s okay, I won’t reveal my true identity to anyone, so no one will know I walked around the city looking like this.”

“But… What if…”

“Is Yapa a dangerous city that prevents women from walking around alone?”

“No, of course not.”

“So, I should be fine.”

Any city couldn’t avoid having beggars, pickpockets, and thieves. But a well-secured city could make sure to prevent more serious crimes such as murders and drug uses. This was the capital city of this entire continent, and it had the best people working to keep it safe.

Thanks to the Third Division, headed by Sir Wook and Sir Jainno, Yapa had a very low crime rate. The royal guards roamed the city diligently to keep it safe.

As Poliana walked towards the well, she was glad to see that no one approached her and stared at her. However, she couldn’t help noticing that she bumped into the streetwalkers often. When she wore her blue uniform, people stepped aside to create a clear path for her, but as a commoner, people ignored her.

Poliana was so used to walking a clear path that she kept bumping into other people. Some men glared at her and yelled, “Hey, stupid woman! Watch where you are going!”

Poliana clenched her fists and muttered, “I wish I could just kill them. How dare they?!” She gritted her teeth and regretted not listening to her butler.

‘I should’ve done what he suggested.’

But it was too late. Poliana decided that if she saw these rude men again, she would beat them up.

***

Only

It wasn’t very hard to find Frau in the city. Poliana asked around and found the hospital where he worked. When she asked one of the nurses, she was told that there was a makeshift clinic created behind the hospital building to quarantine those suffering from the skin disease. When Poliana arrived, she saw that there was a large tent set for the patients.

Everyone looked very busy, including the doctors, the patients, and their families. Poliana looked around and found the person she was searching for. A weak-looking man was sitting on the ground feebly, and Poliana knew instantly that it was Frau Sneke.

She walked towards him quietly and slapped his back.

Smack!

“Gyaa!”

Frau jumped in shock and when he saw who slapped him, Frau was even more shocked.

“Marquess!”