The Emperor and the Knightess

Story 17. Snake Hunting

Chapter 205

Lucius the First, who was upset and quiet, mostly remained in his office while Marquess Winter stayed home as a form of self-punishment. Sir Ainno, the head of the First Division, roamed around looking annoyed. This wasn’t a surprise since he always had a sour look on his face, but it was a little different now. He looked especially unhappy and he frequently lashed out at his guards.

It made sense for Lucius the First and Poliana to be sad since they were both close to Lady Rebecca, who passed away recently, but why was Sir Ainno so angry? A strange rumor began that stated Sir Ainno was in love with Lady Rebecca, the emperor’s wife. Sir Ainno adamantly and firmly denied this, of course.

The First Division’s guards chatted curiously.

“So, why is he so annoyed?”

“It’s because he is an old lonely bachelor.”

“Oh?”

“I heard that Sir Ainno was planning to bring up the subject of his marriage when he visited Yapa.”

“But with the recent royal death, the nobles won’t be able to get married this year…”

“Exactly, Sir Ainno cannot get married for a whole year, and that must be why he looks so angry at the world.”

The guards had no idea if this was true, but they didn’t care; gossiping was always fun no matter what.

Was it because Sir Ainno chose his men based only on their skills and not their backgrounds and personalities? The First Division was notorious for including strange and rude knights. The group consisted of men from different backgrounds including high-ranking nobles like Sir Mahogal and poor commoners.

There was no doubt that these men trained hard, but there were no strict rules in this division. Initially, the men, especially the commoners, were ecstatic to be selected by Sir Ainno. They dreamt of gaining honor and wealth as the knights of the First Division.

However, it didn’t take long before these men became tired of the harsh judgment from the world. When they did well, people took it as granted, and if the men didn’t do well, the others blamed it on their poor backgrounds. It should’ve been Sir Ainno’s job to take care of these men, but he was not a good boss. All Sir Ainno cared about was his men’s skills. If it wasn’t for Sir Mahogal, who was a much kinder and understanding leader, the First Division might have turned out even worse.

The guards continued to gossip, “So who is this lady our boss fell in love with?”

“Who knows? All I can tell you is that she is one unlucky woman.”

This mystery woman was sure to face an unfortunate fate, but the guards hoped that Sir Ainno would get married as soon as possible. Perhaps then, he would be less mean and hysteric. The guards’ faces turned dark, however, as they realized that it would be at least a year before Sir Ainno could get married.

But was Sir Ainno really acting this way because he wasn’t allowed to get married for a year? The guards couldn’t tell. Some believed it to be the truth, while others shook their heads.

The truth was in the middle as usual. It was true that Sir Ainno was angry at being stopped from getting married, but he was also frustrated because he didn’t know how to console his friend who lost his wife. Sir Ainno had no idea what he needed to do to make his friend feel better.

‘I thought I just needed to drink with him a few times, but…’

Sir Ainno spent most of his life by Lucius the First’s side. The emperor didn’t look this depressed when his own father, the former emperor, passed away. Sir Ainno remembered Lucius the First feeling determined to continue his father’s legacy and make this kingdom better and stronger.

‘Did lose his will to go on?’

The death of Lady Rebecca left the emperor with the problem of the marriage contract with the southern region and a fragile newborn daughter who may not survive for long. Lucius the First still refused to see his daughter; all he focused on was his work.

The emperor has always been a workaholic, but it felt different now. In the past, Lucius the First made sure to take breaks and keep up with his hobbies, such as riding, sword fighting, and hunting, but now, it seemed that the emperor forgot how to enjoy his life.

All Lucius the First did was work. He appeared to be ready to dedicate his life to his work and nothing else. The emperor still put on a smile on his face, but it no longer looked leisurely and confident. Lucius the First’s smile now looked dangerously fragile. To others, it might have looked perfect, but Sir Ainno knew better. Sir Ainno was extremely unhappy with the current situation.

It was bad enough to see Lucius the First acting this way, but on top of this, Poliana was acting even worse. She refused to come to the castle; she was staying at her home as a form of self-punishment for disturbing the emperor.

‘Idiots… They are all idiots.’

The emperor and the head of a major military division… These were people who were supposed to lead this kingdom, yet they were both acting like children. Sir Ainno sighed and shook his head. As the only sane and capable person here, Sir Ainno knew it was his job to fix the situation.

“…”

Sir Ainno sighed again and began to make a plan to bring the emperor out of his depression. It was especially crucial that the emperor changed how he treated his daughter.

***

Lady Tory and Lady Stra returned to the Yapa castle, which was now filled with tension and uncertainty. The emperor was immersed in his work while Marquess Winter remained home. The ladies had no idea why Sir Ainno was acting all annoyed. The newborn princess was still in a critical condition, still unable to breathe well, so someone needed to be by her side at all times to make sure she was ok.

Only

Duchess Nani was currently given the duty of taking care of the princess; she was her maternal grandmother, so it made sense. Everyone thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the duchess to permanently live in Yapa and take care of her granddaughter.

This was what Lady Tory thought as well until she met Duchess Nani in person.

“Gosh… I cannot believe my daughter gave birth to a girl. How disappointing.”

There was no sadness in Duchess Nani’s demeanor. It was clear that she felt disappointed in her dead daughter for not bearing a son. Lady Stra argued, “Duchess Nani, aren’t you even sad that your daughter died?”

“Of course, I am, but thankfully, I have many other children. I have two more daughters and even more sons. If Rebecca resembled me, she would’ve been able to bear many sons, but… why did she have to birth a daughter?”

Everyone was thinking this, but no one was willing to voice it. Lady Stra and Lady Tory knew that this wasn’t such a shocking thought, but they were still very angry that Lady Rebecca’s own mother would feel this way.

Originally, Lady Tory planned on asking Duchess Nani to remain in Yapa permanently to take care of the princess, but Lady Tory changed her mind. She ordered, “Duchess Nani, please leave this castle as soon as possible.”