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Poliana said to Lucius the First, “Your highness was absolutely right. You did show me what happiness and love are. You taught me, an ignorant woman, the greatest happiness I never could imagine.”

“And I am not done yet. I haven’t shown you everything.”

“I know without a doubt that I am giving up a wonderful sense of happiness. I also know that what I am doing, as a woman and as your knight, will make you sad. But your highness… I cannot ever forget that winter day. It was the happiest moment of my life. Just as you cannot give up Acreia, I cannot give up my winter.”

Poliana bowed deeply. Her forehead almost touched the floor as she continued, “I would be willing to do anything you order, your highness. I would happily drink poison, jump into the fire, and fight a bear with my bare hands. But your highness… This is one thing I cannot abandon even for you. I cannot give up my name.”

The men in the room shook their heads. They expected her to refuse the emperor for perhaps her title or her knighthood, but for her name? This was very unexpected.

“You can take away my title. You can confiscate all of my lands. But your highness! There is one thing you cannot take away from me. The name you gave me… You cannot take it back.”

Lucius the First never once looked away from her. His expression also never changed, which scared Duke Luzo, who said to Poliana, “Marquess Winter! How can you do this now?! And what about Gerald?”

“If your highness will allow me, I will raise him myself.”

“But he is the first-born son of the emperor!”

“If you insist, then I will send him to Yapa.”

“You will abandon your own son?”

“I am abandoning him. I am sending him to be raised by his father.”

Why would Duke Luzo think she would be abandoning her son? She would be sending Gerald to Lucius the First. Just what did these people want? They didn’t want her to raise him herself, yet they didn’t want Gerald to be raised by his father either?

Poliana glared at Duke Luzo. Today, she looked like a force of nature. The fragile Duke Luzo could not even meet her gaze. The only reason why he didn’t run out of the room in fear was that this involved his nephew. Duke Luzo tried to say more, but Lucius the First stopped him.

“Marquess Winter, you may do what you wish. You can have whatever you want. And I would never take away your title. How could I?”

“Your highness…”

“Poliana Winter, you are the most loyal knight of this kingdom. You are my own knightess who walked to the end of the continent by my side. I awarded you a great title and many lands because you deserve them. So Poliana Winter, do you wish to remain my knight?”

Poliana bowed and replied, “Even if you don’t allow me, I will always be your knight, your highness.”

“Good. You will be my knight for eternity. No one can ever change this fact.”

“Even if you give me permission, I have abused my power today by coming here this way. I would like to resign as the head of the Second Division.”

“I won’t accept your resignation.”

Lucius the First denied her for the first time. Poliana raised her head and protested, “Your highness!”

“Sir Pol, you just promised to remain my knight forever, yet you are acting like you will never see me again. Snap out of it! Poliana Winter, I will give you a year to be on your own. After a year, you will return to this castle and protect the kingdom. Do not give me an excuse that you can’t do this because of your personal feelings. I believe in you, Poliana.”

He said the words so coldly, which actually made Poliana believe that this could really work. She stood up using her sword as a cane. Lucius the First stood in front of her and said to Poliana, “I believe in you, Sir Pol. I always will believe in you. Therefore, please believe in me too. Since you showed me your determination, I will give you my answer. I will continue to love you. I will always love you and I hope you do the same for me.”

“I will love you until the day I die, your highness. I will love you forever.”

Only

The loyal knightess bowed deeply before leaving. After the door closed, Lucius the First turned towards the men and announced, “Starting today, I plan to become a tyrant. If anyone has a problem with it… If anyone plans on running away… And if anyone plans on mutiny… Let me know right now.”

No one said a word. Poliana brought in a storm into the castle, and now, it seemed like it was the emperor’s turn. Everyone shut their mouth. Lucius the First looked around and continued, “Are you sure? No one? I am not joking. I will become a true tyrant. I can tell you that you will be dissatisfied with my decisions. There is a possibility that the royal line might actually end with me if I do what I plan to do. Perhaps I will be later remembered as a tyrant who lost his mind because of love. Perhaps people will say Marquess Winter is the evil seductress who destroyed the kingdom.”

Again, no one said a word.

Marquis Zeese tried to figure out what the emperor’s plan was while Duke Luzo began to hiccup nervously. Duke Luzo could almost feel the rest of his hair falling away from his head.

Lucius the First looked at all the men until he turned around and faced Sir Ainno, who was standing behind him. The emperor asked him, “So what do you say, Sir Ainno? You are the only one who can end me. The one who can remove me. I am not joking when I say I plan on becoming a tyrant. I am going to do mad things. I am going to be creating so much disorder in this kingdom we tried so hard to stabilize. The future generations will call me the mad emperor. So, Sir Ainno, what will you do? You have always told me that if I ever became a tyrant, you would kill me.”

Lucius the First tried to look calm but he was sweating secretly. Sir Ainno looked at the emperor as if he was a wolf eyeing its prey. The knight’s right hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

Sir Ainno, as usual, looked nonchalant. He kept touching his sword, uncertain what he should do. Acreia was finally becoming stable yet here was the emperor trying to do something unnecessary and drastic. It wasn’t a joke when Sir Ainno said he would kill Lucius the First if he ever became too dangerous. The emperor knew this and it was partly why he trusted Sir Ainno so much.

Sir Ainno eyed the emperor’s face carefully.