The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 190

Duke Luzo’s son was carried out by his wet nurse while Lucius the First watched them in disappointment. He said to Duke Luzo, “The baby looks just like you when you were little; he is a very handsome boy.”

“Oh, I think it was you who was the beautiful one when we were young. If your baby resembles you or Lady Rebecca, I am sure you will have a gorgeous child, your highness.”

“I don’t care if it’s a girl or a boy as long as the baby is healthy. I would be happy with that.”

Lady Rebecca showed the signs of potential miscarriage, so Lucius the First was constantly worried for her and the baby. All he wanted to be was for them to be healthy. He truly didn’t care if he had a son or a daughter. He didn’t even care if the baby was missing a finger or a toe as long as it was healthy.

Duke Luzo sent the servants away because it was now time to work. He knew it was going to be a long day. The emperor would’ve loved nothing more than to rest and play with his nephew during his stay in Nanaba, but as the ruler of this kingdom, he wasn’t allowed such a luxury. He had plenty of work to do. Lucius the First felt sad at the fact that even though he was the most powerful man in the kingdom, he couldn’t even rest when he wanted to. The only thing that made him feel better was working even harder so that when he was old, he could retire in comfort.

Lucius the First asked his cousin, “So what happened?”

“The elders are extremely upset.”

Duchess Luzo was slighted during a feast inside the Nanaba castle. This news angered the emperor greatly. He didn’t know the details because Duke Luzo did his best to stop the rumors, but Lucius the First was still furious when he heard about it. Now that he was in Nanaba, the emperor insisted on hearing all about it.

Lucius the First replied, “Those old men… Just because I was lenient on them, they think they are above me; they think they can do whatever they want.”

The Acreian elders were angry about many things and they continued to argue about the issue of both Duke Luzo and the emperor’s heir. The elders constantly complained about Duke Luzo’s foreign wife, who used to be a princess of one of the colonies. They also grumbled about the fact that the emperor did not make Lady Tory his empress.

This situation was becoming too ridiculous. They were old men who were going to die soon, so why were they trying hard to cause so many problems?

Lucius the First muttered, “It’s going to be very tricky if they pushed nationalism…”

“They are definitely pushing the idea already.”

The elders believed that the Acreians were the best people on the continent. They thought the Acreians were superior to all the others and therefore, all the other people needed to be ruled by Acreia.

What a dangerous and stupid concept.

Lucius the First couldn’t believe how absurd the elders were being. Even the emperor didn’t believe such an idea, so how could these old bastards believe it?

‘Maybe I should’ve forced them all to move to the new capital. I shouldn’t have been so lenient.’

Lucius the First didn’t force them because he felt sorry for them. This was why the emperor made it mandatory only for the young government workers to move. The elders were old and annoying, so the emperor thought it would be better for them to be out of his sight.

These old nobles… They were so short-sighted. The only thing they have seen was Acreia and nothing more. They didn’t see what Lucius the First saw.

The endless stretch of lands… The Gora River in the south… How magnificent the ocean was at the end of the continent…

The elders had no idea and they didn’t want to know. They knew what they knew, and they insisted that others should follow them and their rules. These men didn’t want any changes; they were such narrow-minded bastards.

Lucius the First hated this. He was young and he wanted to see and learn new things as much as possible. He tried to listen to everyone and accept their suggestions as well as the new ideas that came along with them.

The elders complained that Lucius the First was being unfair. They claimed that he was the emperor of Acreia first, and yet he didn’t try to favor the Acreians over all the others.

But this wasn’t the truth. The emperor was only trying to be fair. His Acreia was no longer the small kingdom in the north. His new Acreia was now the entire continent. His new world included all four seasons with different forests, rivers, and oceans.

***

Nanaba was Lady Tory’s hometown. Her relatives, who didn’t move to Yapa, were delighted to hear that she was visiting here. Lady Stra, who was from the mid-continent, was acquainted with Duke Luzo’s wife, who was also from the same area. This meant that Lady Tory was to spend most of her time with her relatives while Lady Stra planned to spend time with Duchess Luzo.

Rather than trying to choose who she should follow and guard, she decided to spend her time visiting her own acquaintances. But before she could have her free time, Poliana had to make sure the Nanaba castle was secure. She looked around the area quickly but didn’t spend too much time on this task since Sir Ainno was the one responsible for this job. She didn’t want to step on his toes.

Poliana asked Sir Ainno, “Aren’t you going to go visit your parents?”

“Later.”

Sir Ainno looked around the castle and the guards with an indifferent expression. Poliana knew exactly what he was thinking.

‘He is most likely thinking that the soldiers here look weak and stupid.’

Sir Ainno asked, “Do you have any plans yourself, Marquess Winter?”

“I’m going to visit the Bika family.”

Only

“I see, please say hello to them for me.”

“Of course.”

“Oh.”

“What is it?”

“If you get the time, please visit the Emperor’s Room. His highness will be busy for a while and I won’t have any free time either.”

It wasn’t a difficult request, but Poliana felt disappointed in herself for not even thinking of this task. This was the difference between Sir Ainno and herself; it made sense since Sir Ainno grew up here and was the emperor’s closest friend.

‘I guess this is the difference between him and me.’