The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 162: Book 3 – Story 16. Dance with the Flower Snake 

People would usually assume that once they've become successful and important, they would no longer have any worries in the world. But the truth was that this wasn't the case for everyone. There were many who found their lives boring after they achieved everything they wanted in life.

One good example was Sir Ainno Seki. As the first-born son of Acreia's most influential family, Seki, he was the emperor's close friend and nicknamed the best knight in the kingdom. Even though this man had everything, he rarely smiled. It would've been acceptable if he simply didn't smile, but in fact, he always had an ugly frown on his face. He had the same expression even in front of the emperor, so people couldn't complain.

Another example was Marquess Poliana Winter. She was no longer being mistreated by everyone, but Poliana still maintained a strict blank expression on her face. Was it because it became her habit to always look stern, or did she think it made her look more important? Either way, Poliana made sure to always look bitter while working. She already had harsh features, so people believed that Poliana must've hated the world.

It was considered a very rare occurrence to see the two knights smiling kindly as they stood behind the emperor.

Today, Poliana was reading her letter with her usual blank face. However, anyone who knew her well could see how her eyes sparkled like a hawk that was eyeing delicious prey. The messenger tensed anxiously. He knew Marquess Winter wasn't a cruel person, but there were occasions when an officer killed the messenger because he did not like the message he received.

Her butler watched them curiously.

'Why is she acting like that?'

The letter the messenger brought was from the southern region and it was a personal one. Usually, Poliana enjoyed reading any letters from her adopted brother and his family, but today, she looked very serious. She acted like she was contemplating a battle strategy.

Then suddenly, she laughed. She didn't care how loud she was being or how people stared at her. She was at home after all, which meant that she was the master of the house. The butler couldn't stop his curiosity. He whispered to the messenger, "Do you have an idea what was in that letter?"

The messenger could think of only one thing. Cautiously, he whispered back to the butler, "Viceroy Bika became a grandfather."

"Aha!"

The butler nodded at him. Viceroy Bika and Marquess Winter were very close. Because Viceroy Bika and Count Ribo moved to the south, there was a great distance between the two families and Poliana, but they wrote letters to each other frequently and their relationships were closer than before.

The letter stated that Sir Howe had a son while Sir Donau had a daughter. The butler now knew why his mistress was laughing so happily. "Hahahaha!"

Her adopted brother and her close friend were now fathers. Poliana felt overjoyed and her laugh became louder and louder. The messenger was impressed at how boisterous the marquess was. It was no wonder she became the leader of so many young knights. The butler was proud to see how the messenger looked very impressed by the marquess.

'That's right, our mistress is definitely a great woman!'

Poliana continued to laugh and whistle loudly. Sir Howe and Vaxi had a son while Sir Donau and Vanessa had a girl. The letter stated that both the mothers and the babies were healthy. The babies were born only a few days apart, so Poliana could guess how hectic it must've been for the two families.

Poliana wanted to dance around, but she noticed the messenger staring at her. She coughed and said to him, "Good work. I will have a letter ready for you by the time you return from Nanaba."

"Yes, Ma'am! I will see you later, Marquess!"

Poliana said her goodbye. The butler offered a room for the messenger so he could stay the night to rest before leaving, but the messenger said that he needed to leave immediately. Viceroy Bika's parents were waiting to get the news of their great-grandchildren, so the messenger felt like he didn't have any time to waste.

When their son's family decided to leave Nanaba, The Bika seniors decided to stay in the old capital. The messenger should've delivered the letter to them first, but Poliana was on his way to Nanaba. So in the end, Poliana ended up learning about Vaxi and Vanessa's new babies before their own grandparents.

***

"Good morning!"

Poliana greeted everyone she met enthusiastically. When she reached her workplace, she found Rebecca sitting in the garden. She greeted Poliana pleasantly because she knew why Poliana was feeling so happy. Yesterday, a different messenger delivered a few letters to the castle so Rebecca already knew of the news of the Bika and Ribo families' new babies.

Everyone was excited to hear the news. The letter was only delivered to Lucius the First, so the only things Rebecca knew were what the servants and the maids heard by rumors. Lady Rebecca had many questions for Poliana.

The first question was, of course, about the health of the mothers and their babies.

"Are they all ok?"

"Yes. They were worried because these were their first babies, but the letter said that everything went very smoothly."

"Thank god."

It wasn't uncommon for the births to go wrong. Rebecca was truly glad to hear that everyone was doing well. She then asked, "And the genders of the babies?"

"Sir Howe had a son and Sir Donau had a daughter."

"Oh, how lovely. Congratulations, Poliana."

Rebecca smiled, and even though it wasn't her who had these babies, Poliana shrugged her shoulders shyly. The main conversation topic that day was, of course, Viceroy Bika's new grandchildren. They were brand new babies, but Tory already talked about what kind of education they should receive while Stra talked about their future marriages. All Rebecca did was smile as she listened. Poliana was busy letting the ladies know of what she learned from the letters.

Of course, Poliana didn't tell them everything that was written in Sir Donau's letter. In addition to the facts about the birth, Donau trusted Poliana enough to reveal how he felt about being a new father. He couldn't believe that he had a baby now, but he was very happy. Donau also talked about how angry he was that people kept telling him that he shouldn't worry because his next child should be a boy. Donau didn't care that he had a daughter as long as she was healthy but it seemed that everyone else felt sad for him that he didn't get a son.

Donau also thanked Poliana for the gifts. She sent ten sets of everything because she thought that he might have twins. Since he only had once baby, Donau promised that he will use whatever is left over for his next baby.

The Bika twins were still recovering, so they couldn't write Poliana their own letters.

Since Tory was the one who helped Poliana pick out the gifts, Poliana thanked the lady.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"No worries! Like I said before, I am honored that you came to me for help."

Tory laughed delicately. Now that they knew the sex of the babies, she told Poliana that it was going to be easier to pick out their main gifts. Tory listed the most common gifts Acreians like to give. When she mentioned the fur coat, Rebecca flinched and said to her, "Umm… There is no need for something like that in the southern region."

"But isn't it cold in the winter even in the south?"

"Not really. We have wet and dry seasons, not summer and winter."

Poliana remembered how humid it was in the south. She hated how sticky her body felt, and she felt sorry for her adopted brother and his family. The Bika and Ribo families used to live in the coldest part of the continent, and now, they lived in a place that had the hottest weather. Poliana could imagine how hard it must be for them. Her eyes began to water a little just thinking about them.

"Marquess, are you ok?"

"Oh, I'm alright. I was just thinking about my new niece and nephew, and I felt like crying."

Stra replied with a blush, "I know exactly how you feel. It is a marvelous feeling to get a new nephew or niece. When I first had mine, I cried myself too because I was so happy. I am so impressed that you have such a wonderful relationship with your adopted brother!"

Stra smiled and added, "In the southern region, we like to give silver crafts rather than fur coats."

"Hmm… But in Acreia, a fur scarf is a must for a young boy… Don't you think silver craft would be too feminine for a baby boy?"

"Oh, what you can do is make a thick silver chain and…"

Rebecca explained the traditional gift for baby boys in the south, and Tory graciously listened and nodded at her.