The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 172

Something didn't feel right, but Poliana didn't have anything concrete to work on. All she had was a few maids grumbling and nothing else. Poliana continued to let the maids chat among themselves, trying to get as much information as possible about this situation.

"Apparently, Duchess Nani is going to bring many of her own maids, so more of us here will be going on the journey to Nanaba."

"We are so excited to visit our home again!"

It seemed that all of Lady Tory's maids were going to Nanaba. The only maid from Acreia who wasn't going on this journey was Lady Cekel. One of the maids turned towards Cekel and asked, "Lady Ingreter, don't you want to go too? I heard the rest of your family are all going, so you will be all alone in your house. Wouldn't you get scared at night?"

"Of course, I would. That is why I am going to stay in the castle the whole time; I won't go home."

"Oh, but we won't be here so you will be alone in the maid's quarters anyway. Won't you get scared here too?"

"Lady Rebecca graciously gave the me permission to stay in her quarters. I am so thankful to her."

"But still… Wouldn't it be better for you to go to visit everyone?"

"Well, the thing is… It's just going to be very difficult seeing my relatives…"

Cekel shook her head quietly. Cekel was at least 8 years older than most maids here, so the other girls nodded in understanding and did not prod any further. Poliana understood as well. Cekel was a spinster, which meant that her relatives were going to nag her mercilessly about finding a husband.

'So I guess it wasn't just because of Sir Ainno that she isn't going…'

Poliana looked towards the door. It was getting late, which meant it was time for her to leave. The maids seemed so disappointed.

"Are you busy right now?"

"Yes, I have been invited to dinner."

"Oh, who invited you this time?"

Poliana thought about saying his family name, but she changed her mind.

"It's Dr. Frau."

'I guess I shouldn't address him by his family name since he was kicked out.'

"Oh, really? Well, Dr. Frau must be so happy that you finally agreed to have dinner with him."

Everyone already knew how Frau invited Marquess Winter to dinner many times only to be rejected. The maids laughed excitedly.

When Poliana left, Cekel followed her.

"Marquess."

"Yes? What is it, Lady Cekel? Do you need to tell me something?"

"So you really are having dinner with Frau Sneke tonight?"

"Yes. I think he wants to get a job as my personal doctor."

"Um… I don't think that's it… Marquess… I'm sorry. I know it isn't my place to tell you, but I must. Dr. Frau has a very bad reputation."

"I already know."

"Well…"

Cekel looked around, making sure there was no one listening to their conversation. Cekel appeared to be very uncomfortable talking about this topic. When Poliana made sure that they were alone, she tried to calm Cekel down. Poliana already knew why Frau had a bad reputation. It seemed that Cekel was worried because she thought Poliana was ignorant, so Poliana told her what she heard from Lady Tory and Lady Rebecca.

Even after hearing it, Cekel seemed concerned.

"The thing is, Marquess Winter, the rumors these important ladies hear are sometimes very edited for their delicate ears. What I heard is a bit different. They are more worrisome."

This was true. Depending on the audience, the gossip changed frequently. It would've been unfair to judge someone based just on some gossip, but the information Cekel was about to give was most likely accurate. There was a time when Cekel's parents researched every eligible man to find her a husband, so Cekel and her parents knew many in-depth facts about different noblemen from Acreia.

Cekel whispered to Poliana, "That man used to have a troubling history with women."

Cough, cough!

Poliana laughed so hard that she began to cough. She wiped her mouth and tried her best to stop laughing. A troubling history with women? Frau?

The man who wasn't that good looking and had a chubby body?

Poliana didn't have to say anything. Cekel nodded in understanding and said to her, "Yes, I know what you are thinking. I thought the same thing myself, but you need to know that there was a time when such a rumor existed."

Apparently, it was before Frau was kicked out from his family. Soon after he was disowned by the Sneke family, this rumor was quickly forgotten. Some even believed, considering Frau's average-at-best look, that perhaps it was actually Frau himself who spread such a rumor. There were others, however, who thought that the real reason why Frau was disowned by his family was because of a woman problem.

Poliana wondered, 'Hmm… Maybe there was a woman who tried to seduce him since he belonged to a wealthy noble family, but dumped him after he was disowned?'

Frau looked so naïve and vulnerable that it was very possible a sly woman tried to take advantage of him. Poliana nodded, deciding that this must be what really happened. Frau Sneke was not a handsome man like Lucius the First. He was also not a talented and skilled man like Sir Ainno. His family, even when he still belonged to it, wasn't exactly one of the top Acreian nobles. The only positive thing about him was his kindness, so how could he have been a womanizer?

Poliana decided not to take Cekel's warning seriously. She said to Cekel, "I don't think I should be judging him based on an old rumor. I still think he is a decent guy."

Poliana was no stranger to ugly rumors. People used to hear the gossip that she was the greatest seductress who controlled the greatest emperor in history. They said Poliana enjoyed having a different man every night and that she slept with every knight in Acreia. Clearly, not all gossips could be trusted.

'It has been a long time since I thought of these rumors.'

Ever since she became a marquess, she stopped hearing such rumors about her. The old gossips still existed, but there weren't any newer versions.

How boring.

Poliana said to the maid, "I am a bit disappointed in you, Lady Cekel."

Poliana liked Cekel a lot for her sarcasm and aloofness. Lady Cekel was a very sharp woman, so Poliana couldn't help feeling disappointed that she believed such a ridiculous rumor. Cekel apologized again for her rudeness and Poliana immediately forgave her.

"Bur Marquess Winter, please remember this one thing. It was the Sneke family that covered up this rumor."

A family, no matter how powerful, could not cover up the fact that it disowned one of its sons. But any noble family could certainly cover up any rumors that involved a woman. In fact, it was done often to protect the family's reputation.

Cekel's parents were in the process of trying to find the details of Frau's rumor, but their track ended quickly because of the Sneke family's intervention.

Cekel met Frau many times so far, so she knew that he was a good man. Cekel also knew how false a rumor could be.

But she couldn't help feeling that something wasn't quite right. She also knew that a rumor can be deadlier to a woman than a man. All Cekel wanted to do was to warn Poliana to be careful. What Cekel saw so far told her that Frau was interested in Poliana, not a job opportunity.

It was always a woman who got hurt if something didn't go well between a man and a woman. It was never a bad thing to be cautious. Poliana left, saying she couldn't be late. To that, Cekel sighed quietly.

"…"

Poliana was a strict disciplined person, but would this help her if things didn't go well?

'She is a strong person, so maybe I shouldn't have said anything.'

After all, Poliana was in a very different situation than Cekel. Poliana was a marquess and the head of the Second Division. They were both spinsters, but Cekel was a spinster from a low-ranking noble family while Poliana was the emperor's beloved marquess.

If something did happen, Cekel believed that Poliana could take care of herself, just like she did during the war. One of Poliana's nicknames was the "Strategy Witch." She was intelligent and powerful.

Cekel began to regret interfering. She shouldn't have said anything. Poliana wasn't someone she should annoy, especially since her brother recently got an amazing promotion thanks to Poliana's recommendation to the emperor.

'I should've kept my mouth shut.'

She was contemplating when suddenly, Cekel felt someone staring at her. When she turned around, she saw Sir Ainno gazing at her from afar. It looked like he was actually glaring at her intensely.

Was he going to approach her and say some nonsense again? Or try to harass her again like before?