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Poliana tried her best to accept her inevitable future as the empress and the wife of the emperor. Of course, this did not mean she suddenly developed love for him. Although she still enjoyed Lucius the First’s beauty, the fact was, Poliana still could not see him as a man.

The emperor said to her before leaving, “I know, Pol. But I will still make my best effort. I have never ignored or denied the fact that you are a woman. In fact, it is because I know how much you suffered unfairly for being a woman, I know you are the strongest person there is.”

“Your highness…”

“So Pol, that is why I want you to reach the highest status a woman can dream to reach. I want you to be happy as a woman and as a person. I want you to enjoy all of these things and still remain strong.”

He offered his hand and when Poliana took the back of his hand to her lips to kiss, the emperor shook his head. Instead, Lucius the First took Poliana’s hand and kissed the back of it. He acted with utmost respect and love that Poliana was too shocked to pull away. Lucius the First’s beautiful smile made her freeze.

‘Just how could a man be this beautiful?’

“Sir Pol, you are the strongest person I know.”

Something happened to Poliana’s heart just then. She felt like something burst inside of her. Her cheeks flushed and her entire body felt hot for some reason.

‘What is happening to me?’

Her heart began to beat fast and excitedly and Poliana could not tell why.

***

The emperor told her to wait until he returned to get her. Was it an order, or a request? It didn’t really matter because Poliana wasn’t planning on going anywhere. Gerald was too young to travel far, which meant that she had to stay by his side in Sitrin.

In truth, Poliana was certain her son would be fine without her. Gerald was extremely healthy and if she remembered correctly, he was developing at a much faster rate than Princess Luminae. Poliana was still recovering from childbirth, but Gerald was doing very well.

Studying her son, who looked just like his father, Poliana thought secretly, ‘Please don’t resemble me in any way.’

Before he was born, Poliana prayed that her child would look just like her and not like the emperor. Her prayer was clearly not answered; Gerald was an exact copy of Lucius the First. Now that it was too late to hide his existence, Poliana wanted the best for him.

Poliana’s physical traits were not ideal. She was too small, and she lacked true talents. She practiced harder than anyone, but the result was never satisfactory. On the other hand, Lucius the First was an amazing knight. His skill as a fighter was not well known because it was overshadowed by Sir Ainno who never left the emperor’s side, however, Lucius the First was a very skilled knight. If he was just a simple nobleman, it was most likely that he would’ve been drafted to the First Division. Poliana hoped that Gerald will have his father’s physical talents.

A few days after the emperor left, another guest arrived at Sitrin. This time, it was someone Poliana expected. Someone who she actually invited and arrived too late.

Poliana didn’t go out to greet him, and the guest probably knew why. Her adopted brother, who was many days too late, visited Poliana in the country house. Even considering the fact that Donau lived a long distance from her, his arrival was extremely late. The emperor now knew everything, and Poliana couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

Her adopted brother arrived too late while the emperor dropped by without any notice. At this very moment, Poliana was frustrated with both of them. The thing she resented the most, however, was her own life.

Why was this happening to her?

Although she wasn’t too happy with Donau, she still greeted him with a smile. After all, he was her brother and she would never be unkind to him for something like this.

“I’m sorry I arrived late, Sir Pol. Vanessa was sick so I couldn’t leave right away.”

“If your wife is sick, why would you leave her at all? Why did you come here?”

“She’s fine now.”

It was Poliana who asked him for help, but now that he was here, she was asking him why he came. Donau felt like he was being treated unfairly. Poliana then nodded and replied, “Well, sounds like you had a good excuse for being late, so you’re fine. I forgive you.”

Since he was married, Donau should always think of his family first. Even though Poliana asked for help, he made the right decision to take care of his sick wife first. If he left his wife and came here, Poliana would’ve been very angry at him.

Poliana tapped his shoulders proudly. “You’re all grown up now. It seems like only yesterday when you were acting like a spoiled boy.”

“So what happened? If there is anything I can help, I will, of course, do my best.”

“It’s all over now.”

Sir Donau was too late to help Poliana. If he arrived before the emperor, perhaps he could’ve done something for her. It seemed that Donau’s timing was always a bit off.

Donau, looking guilty, apologized sincerely, “I guess I’m too late. I’m sorry, Big Sis.”

“If Vanessa was sick, you were right to stay home to take care of her. Was she seriously ill?”

“She had a fever and there was a chance it might have been some kind of an epidemic, so I couldn’t get here right away. Sis, what’s wrong?”

Only

Poliana took a few steps back from him. She understood that Donau wouldn’t have come if he was infectious, but she was the mother of a newborn. She needed to be extra careful. When Donau took a step towards her, Poliana took three steps back.

When she waved at him to stay away, Sir Donau grumbled, “I came because we found out that it’s not an epidemic.”

“But even then, I want to be careful. Go wash up first, we’ll talk after you clean up.”

Sir Donau sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s ironic how you, who used to keep her hair short because you were too lazy to wash your hair, are telling me to wash up.”

This was true. There were times in the past when Donau was immature and spoiled while Poliana rarely washed her hair. More specifically, she used to find it annoying to have to dry her hair, which was why she kept it short. At the time, Sir Ainno used to find her disgusting, which wasn’t fair. She washed more often than most. Washing her hair once a week should’ve been more than enough during the war, right?

Of course, as the head of the Second Division, Poliana now understood the importance of personal hygiene. If any of her guards washed only once a week, she would’ve punished him severely. Cleanliness was especially important for anyone who served the emperor closely.

Poliana, still keeping her distance from Donau, insisted, “We will talk after you wash up.”