The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 27

Lucius the First saw the big picture for his future. After his father’s death, he inherited the throne as a young boy. Once he became an adult, he left his kingdom in his cousin’s hand and went south. He conquered Aehas and Kukda in record time.

The last kingdom to conquer in the northern region was Bebero and to do this, he had to cross the Koemong River.

“When will Bentier arrive?”

“In four days, your highness.”

Sir Bentier was the deputy commander and the current acting head of Kukda. He had been ordered to bring his men and join the emperor. The soldiers didn’t provide an obvious answer to their current situation, but there was nothing else Lucius could think of. He thought that perhaps more brains to think would help him come up with a plan.

It was summer now, and it has been 5 months since the Acreian military remained still in the river. The weather was getting too hot, and the men now wore their summer uniforms. Sir Baufallo busied himself by making sure that no infections or epidemic would start while they’re there. He had strict rules about boiling all of their water before drinking it.

Meanwhile, the water level rose in the river, pushing the Acreian soldiers further back. They were so far from each other that no stones nor arrows could reach either side,

The Bebero soldiers did not make a mistake of attacking the Acreians. Instead, they focused on strengthening their defense. They expected Lucius the First not to give up, they realized that he could always build bigger ships to cross the river the next spring.

They then began to build a wooden barrier along the river, which ended up being a big source of frustration for the Acreians. Even though it wasn’t a stone citadel, the wooden barriers were still an excellent defense system.

Lucius the First thought unhappily, ‘I still haven’t conquered the northern region yet!’

He knew that uniting the three northern kingdoms was going to be good enough. This alone was enough to make him be remembered as a great emperor.

But it wasn’t enough for him. Lucius the First wanted much more. He wanted to unite the entire continent and become the emperor of all.

This was his dream. This was what he was born to do.

He could never give up.

Four days later, Sir Bentier arrived. He was a legendary soldier like Sir Ainno. He was also known for his great intelligence and strategies, and Lucius the First always valued his brain and prudence. He kneeled before his emperor and said to him, “Your highness, conquering Aehas and Kukda could still be your greatest accomplishment.”

“Are you saying I should be satisfied with what I have? That I should stop?”

“No one will think less of you if you did, your highness.”

“So you are saying I should give up. I should give up my dream, which I have been planning since I was a little boy. Sir Bentier, I appointed you as my deputy commander because of your prudence, but in this case, you are making a mistake. What I need is your brain, not your caution. Please do not disappoint me now.”

“I will do my best for you, your highness.”

The truth was, Lucius the First had been planning this for a long time since his father was well and alive. If it wasn’t for his father’s sudden death, Lucius the First would be still in Acreia just like his cousin was right now, protecting his kingdom. He was the only heir after all.

Even now, there were many who disagreed with his mission. In fact, there were some who wanted his cousin Luzo to take over the throne in his absence.

Thank goodness Duke Luzo had no desire to be an emperor.

Sir Bentier was like those people back in Acreia who disagreed with Lucius’ aspiration. He was a complete conservative, but the emperor truly appreciated the knight’s caution. Having someone like him around was important.

Sir Bentier went to the Koemong River himself to check it out. Its waters were rapid and unless one was a competent swimmer, he/she could be easily swept away. Sometimes, there were stones and pieces of wood that came down from the upper river. Watching the water, Sir Bentier knew that crossing it in summer was not possible. He was certain of that.

The next day, Lucius the First wore another one of his fancy outfits and appeared at the river while holding a bow and an arrow. The Bebero soldiers remembered that bloody spring day, so they quickly hid behind their barriers. The bow and arrow Lucius held were the regular hunting types, but he was too far from the enemy’s side for them to tell. The emperor shot one of the ducks and his hunting dogs quickly swam to the middle of the river to bring it to him. They moved away from him and began to shake off the water from their fur. Unfortunately, Sir Baufallo and Poliana were there to become the victims of that dog water.

Soaked now, they looked pathetic.

Lucius the First looked at them curiously, “Why do you guys look so wet?”

“Your highness, I understand that you are frustrated, but to hunt here…”

When the emperor feigned his ignorance, Sir Baufallo looked awkward. He begged Lucius to remember the rule that he was not supposed to hunt.

And when Lucius the First handed him the duck, Sir Baufallo became angry. “Your highness, I can hunt my own duck if I needed one!”

Sir Baufallo shot his own arrow, and just as he claimed, he got one easily. When the dead duck fell to the river, none of the emperor’s dogs went into the water. They were trained to bring back only those games that were killed by their master.

Sir Baufallo turned to Poliana and ordered, “Get that duck for me!”

She turned to the soldier next to her and ordered, “Bring that duck here.”

The soldier ordered his help, “Hey, get that duck.”

The help went into the water and brought back the animal. It was funny how things worked in a military system but that couldn’t be helped.

Only

Lucius the First laughed loudly as he soon found himself holding two dead ducks. He then announced happily, “We now have enough snacks for a drinking party.”

“Your highness, drinking too much isn’t healthy for you.”

“There are days when you just need to get drunk, Sir Baufallo. How about you guys become my drinking buddies?”

Drinking at the riverside and across from their enemies was an uncomfortable idea, but Sir Baufallo nodded at his emperor’s words anyway. Lately, his emperor hasn’t been feeling pleased, so if this could help him feel better… That was the least Sir Baufallo could do like a good subject.

Lucius the First ordered the ducks to be cooked, and his drinks were brought out quickly.

Sir Baufallo followed his emperor and waved Poliana away. She turned around to leave when suddenly, Lucius the First shouted in confusion, “Sir Poliana? Why aren’t you coming? Don’t you drink?”

“Pardon? Oh, no, your highness.”

Poliana was shocked. Was she to be included in this party? She thought that it was just Sir Baufallo who was invited. Awkwardly, she followed her emperor.