The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 350

Everyone welcomed Poliana’s and the emperor’s union. There were some who believed it was truly a love match while others believed it was a political marriage. The main thing was that no one was against the idea. Everyone was ready to accept Empress Poliana Clair.

Poliana became a little bitter and lonely. People said to her that her effort was finally paying off. They told her that she was finally going to be acknowledged for her hard work.

But… This wasn’t what she worked for. This was not what she wanted.

‘But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore at this point.’

The witch who seduced the emperor…

She used to be called so many ugly names during the war, but now, no one said one bad thing about her. All the criticism whenever she accomplished something stopped. When she became a knight and marquess, which were titles she knew she truly deserved, so many noblemen were against the idea. But it seemed that these same men were perfectly fine accepting her as their empress.

Strangely, Poliana missed their criticism now. It felt so strange that she was being accepted so wholeheartedly.

Poliana remembered what her adopted brother Donau said to her once. He asked her what she was going to do if she became so used to the criticisms and insults. It seemed that Sir Donau knew a long time ago that something like this might happen.

Poliana was doing something these noblemen would’ve and should’ve disagreed in the past. So why were they not saying a word? Why were they keeping so quiet? She felt strange. The whole world was being kind to her. The entire kingdom was cheering for her and the emperor’s love.

Despite it all, however, she kept herself busy preparing for her wedding. Poliana couldn’t help feeling excited just like when she was planning her wedding with Frau in the past.

Poliana giggled more nowadays. Although she felt a similar excitement as before, her current emotions were stabler. It was because she knew Lucius the First truly loved her and confessed his feelings for her.

The emperor was much richer and more powerful than Poliana, which meant that he wasn’t marrying her for her money. There was no way she was going to be conned by the emperor. On top of it, they already had a child together, which meant that she didn’t have to feel pressured to produce a royal heir.

Have there ever been days like these when Poliana felt so happy and safe? Happiness and excitement filled her every day. She felt like she was dreaming until the letter arrived from the south.

“Hmm.”

Poliana put the letters on the table. Looking at the dates these letters were sent, it was most likely that they were written before the news of her wedding reached the south. So the people who wrote these letters probably only knew about how Poliana made a huge mistake of getting pregnant, running away, and having her child in secret. They obviously didn’t hear about how Poliana was now going to marry the emperor.

When Poliana groaned, a maid nearby asked curiously, “Oh, what’s wrong?” Normally, Poliana loved opening the letter from the south. So it was no wonder that the maid found it strange that Poliana was just staring at the messages without even opening the envelopes.

Poliana groaned again before finally opening the first letter. Being a grown woman didn’t mean she enjoyed being reprimanded. She wished silently, ‘I just hope Donau explained the situation in the best light possible.’

Her adopted brother was the only one she could rely on right now.

‘Please! Please Donau!’

There were several letters from the south and Poliana decided to open the ones she knew were going to be kindest.

As expected, the twins were on her side. Just like when she was about to marry Frau, Vaxi and Vanessa wrote that they would support whatever decision Poliana makes. They also wrote that they cried when they heard Poliana gave birth to her baby all by herself. Sir Howe didn’t write Poliana a letter but his wife Vaxi wrote that he was ready to ride to Yapa if Poliana needed him. Poliana smirked. Why would she need him?

Now there were three letters left.

‘Three?’

Confused, Poliana checked the names. There was one from the Viceroy Bika and another one from Sir Baufallo. The last one, however, was not actually a personal letter but an official document that was sent from the local government from the south to Marquess Winter.

“What is this?”

When she opened the envelope, Poliana was shocked to see another letter inside. This letter had her name written on the outside in a writing that was dear to Poliana. The handwriting of a person Poliana missed desperately.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this letter was from Lady Rebecca. This had to be her last message to Poliana.

***

“I got one too.”

“Me too.”

The three women gathered together. Poliana was a bride-to-be and therefore very busy. Stra and Tory were also busy because of their jobs. So why did these three very busy women get together? There could be only one reason. It was because they used to be a group of four women a few years ago.

Just like Poliana, Stra and Tory also received letters from Rebecca. Everyone believed that Lady Rebecca left only one will, which was a last letter to the emperor, so this was a shocking turn of events for the three women.

The reason why these letters weren’t given to the correct receivers was all because of Duchess Nani. Rebecca kept these letters safe in her safe just in case, and it seemed that her mother the duchess took the safe with her when she left Yapa. There was a small note from the southern government that explained this situation.

Tory trembled angrily, “Duchess Nani would’ve known about these letters a few days after Rebecca’s funeral! How could she not have sent them to us sooner?” Stra, remembering Rebecca, began to cry quietly. The two ladies already read their letters, which meant there was only Poliana’s left to be opened.

Only

Poliana asked if she could find out what Rebecca said to Tory and Stra. The messages for the two women were similar. Rebecca told them she was happy to have known them and that she hopes they would take care of her child. She also hoped that Tory and Stra would find happiness in their lives.

Stra, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, murmured, “Rebecca, we will protect Princess Luminae so please rest in peace.”

Tory guessed, “There could be only one reason why the southern region sent these letters to us. Now that you and the emperor are getting married, they are probably telling you, Marquess, to not to forget about them.”

Poliana shook her head, “No, that can’t be. The south doesn’t know about the wedding yet. They probably forgot about these letters until now. Just a random coincidence that they arrived before my wedding. Besides, Duchess Nani did lose her daughter…”

Poliana tried to think positively. Although Duchess Nani and Rebecca didn’t seem close, the letters were in excellent condition, considering they were many years old. The south was humid and warm, which meant that the papers often became worn and destroyed easily. The fact that these letters looked new meant that they must’ve been kept in a cool and dark place safely.

It was very possible that Duchess Nani did not open Rebecca’s safe until recently. After all, it couldn’t have been easy to go through the things of her daughter who died giving birth in a foreign land.

Carefully, Poliana opened the letter Rebecca sent her.