The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 344

Lady Siming asked Poliana, “See, Marquess? This is your favorite color, right? The accessories are very simple but elegant, right?”

“Yeah, it’s very pretty but when did I ever say I like blue?”

Lady Siming’s eyes widened in confusion and fear. Didn’t Poliana insist only on blue dresses before?

“D-do you hate it?”

“No, I just don’t have a favorite color, that’s all”

It was obvious that Poliana only insisted on blue, not because it was her favorite color, but because it was the color she was most used to. Lady Siming and her maids sighed in relief.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door and one of the maids went out to open the door. Poliana was only wearing her underwear because Lady Siming was trying on different fabrics on her. Poliana quickly moved behind the privacy screen. She could hear people coming and going outside the thick fabric screen. It seemed that large heavy boxes were brought into the room. Lady Siming, who was inside the screen with Poliana, finally went out to see what was going on. Poliana could hear Lady Siming shaking her head and ordering the men, “This isn’t enough. We will go to the storage ourselves to have a look. Please open it for us.”

“To go inside the storage… How dare you suggest such a thing…”

Poliana’s ears picked up the man’s voice. The man who was arguing with Lady Siming was someone she knew because she recognized his voice. Poliana tried to remember who it was and after a few minutes, finally realized that it was the man who worked as the keeper of the royal treasures and valuables stored in the Yapa castle.

The man argued, “Only a royal member can enter the storage.”

Lady Siming replied, “But she will become one soon.”

“Even so…”

“His highness will allow it. Where do you think I got all these silks and furs from?”

One of the servants, who was watching nervously, quickly went out to get the emperor’s permission. It was clear that everyone wanted things to go smoothly. The entire castle was helping Lucius the First to make this marriage happen. As soon as the emperor’s permission was granted, Lady Siming dressed Poliana in her original clothes and they walked towards the treasure storage. The butler and the other maids followed excitedly.

As she stood inside the royal treasure storage, Poliana gaped in shock.

“…”

She could understand why the treasure keeper acted so nervously when Lady Siming suggested they go into the storage. Inside was filled with the most precious and priceless gems and jewels of the entire continent. The number of treasures Lucius the First collected was enormous. It was a good thing that there was already a well-organized catalog of the treasures or else, it would’ve taken a lifetime to figure out what was inside this room.

Even Tory, Stra, and Rebecca, who were the emperor’s wives, were never allowed into this storage. Whenever they needed to wear royal jewels, only certain maids who were given special permission could visit the treasure keeper. It was only after the treasure keeper gave his permission when the maid could enter the storage under the keeper’s watchful eyes to grab what she needed.

The selection process was also carried out by the keeper. Only very few and specific jewels were allowed to be worn by the emperor’s wives. In the history of Acreia, there has never been an incident where the person who was going to wear the jewels was allowed to enter the storage to pick them out herself.

The keeper took out a large key chain. The keys were necessary to open the many boxes inside the storage. He opened each of them one by one and it took two guards to lift the heavy doors open.

One of the guards met Poliana’s eyes and grinned. He was silently cheering for her.

‘Boss, you lucked out! I am rooting for you.’

‘Shut up, you bastard.’

Poliana and the guard were arguing silently while Lady Siming and the maids looked around the room. The room was surprisingly not shiny; in fact, it was rather dark. It was because the jewels and the gems were mostly stored inside the boxes. The place was organized according to different types of jewels.

Lady Siming and the treasure keeper began to discuss their plan.

“Since she’s a blonde, we should go with the primary colors…”

“I don’t think the extravagant style will suit her so we should choose elegant items…”

Poliana’s opinion was also important, so the keeper asked her, “Are there any specific gems you prefer, Marquess Winter?”

“I would like to get a gold dagger.”

“That is something you should have made with your own money, Marquess.”

Poliana flushed angrily. Did he think she was a beggar? She replied, “I was going to. I just wanted to have a look at one from here so I get an idea of what design I should get.”

The maids brought out different styles of daggers and laid them out in front of Poliana. She stared in happiness as she enjoyed the beautifully bejeweled weapons. Lady Siming said to her, “I can see you like the gems, Marquess; that’s very feminine of you.”

The keeper argued, “It’s not just the ladies that love the gems. We’re driven by instinct to collect shiny things.”

This was true. If it was only the women who liked the gems, then why would there be so many jeweled weapons? Men also loved gems. It was partly because it represented power and wealth, but still, it was a fact that men loved shiny things just as the women did.

After the jewels were selected, the real work began. After putting on Lady Siming’s blue robe, the accessories were put on Poliana. Before leaving the treasure storage, Poliana was given one of the lovely daggers. Poliana wasn’t planning on keeping it, but the keeper told her it was ok. He murmured that everything in the storage was going to be hers anyway very soon.

Poliana couldn’t understand why everyone was so agreeable.

Only

‘Why isn’t anyone against the marriage?’

It seemed that Poliana was the only one who opposed the relationship between herself and the emperor. She felt a little lonely, feeling like she was all alone in this.

After the preparation was done, Lady Siming and the maids brought out a full-length mirror. Poliana stared at herself now looking like a highborn lady. Normally, most women would greatly improve in appearance after so much work and care, but in her case…

“I don’t understand what the problem is…”

Poliana genuinely was curious about why something still didn’t seem right. She still didn’t look feminine. One of the maids finally murmured, “Well… The nose is supposed to be the center of one’s face, but in your case… I mean…”

The maid was very accurate in her assessment. Poliana’s bent nose indeed made her look mean and vicious. In addition, Poliana worked as a soldier all her life. She killed countless men and her harsh face showed it. There was always a frown on her face and with the uneven nose, Poliana looked very strong and unique.

There was no way she could ever become a fragile lady. No one could deny the power and authority that exude from her body.