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“…”

“Donau, tell me what happened.”

“…”

“Would you like me to kick you a few times to jog your memory?”

“I have nothing to report.”

Donau didn’t sound remorseful. He wasn’t saying that he was sorry; he was telling her there was nothing to tell her. Poliana became frustrated. What was wrong with him? Why wouldn’t he tell her what happened?

“Donau, why did you do it?”

“…”

“I am thankful that you became angry on my behalf, but the way you handled the situation was still very wrong. You know how to act like a gentleman, right? Why didn’t you just throw your gauntlet or glove at him?”

“I just got really mad.”

“It’s not like that was the first time I was insulted.”

“Why do you think it’s ok that you got used to being insulted?!” Donau screamed at her angrily. Poliana’s eyes widened in surprise as Donau continued, “Do you enjoy being insulted? Is that it? Wow, that must be great, huh?! Are you proud of yourself, huh? You like people talking bad about you?”

“Donau, you know how people are. Gossiping is a normal part of our lives. People even gossip about his highness sometimes. After I became the head of the royal guards, I have been making examples of a few people making inappropriate comments about me, so things have been okay. You know that.”

“But why should people insult you? Why would other men talk about you like that!?”

Donau continued to yell, and Poliana was impressed. She knew he hadn’t eaten much during the last few days, yet he seemed as strong and energetic as ever. How wonderful it must be to be so young!

Suddenly, Donau grabbed Poliana’s hands and shouted, “Please marry me!”

The other soldiers who were waiting outside all coughed loudly when they heard Donau’s proposal. Donau, however, ignored them and continued, “You don’t have to treat me with respect, even at home! I will treat you as my superior even after work! You can remain a knight as long as you want, and I will never make a fuss about you being my boss! I don’t care if I don’t have any children, and I can change my last name… Gyaa!”

“You crazy bastard! What the hell are you talking about?! Have you lost your mind?”

Poliana punched the top of his head. Donau fell to the floor and rolled in pain. Glaring at him, Poliana ordered the nearby guard, “You there! Take this idiot back to jail!”

When the guard tried to drag Donau away, Donau reached out to grab Poliana’s hands again and protested, “But it’s not a bad offer for you!”

“Ha! Like Sir Baufallo would allow something like that!”

“I will convince my father!”

“You’re planning to marry a lady from a very good family, so what are you talking about?!”

“I don’t like that lady, so it doesn’t matter!”

“Then what about me? Are you telling me that you like me?”

“Huh?”

Donau’s face became blank. The fact that he couldn’t answer her question made it even more offensive. She understood why men liked to talk about women, but she couldn’t understand why Donau would propose to her, especially when he knew without a doubt that something like this would harm her relationship with Sir Baufallo.

Poliana ordered them again, “Take him away!”

Before Donau was dragged away, Poliana announced, “For mocking your superior, you are sentenced for a week in the underground jail cell.”

Poliana then called for the next soldier, who appeared with curious eyes. Before she could ask him any questions, the soldier asked excitedly, “Which family were you talking about? The one Sir Donau is going to marry!”

Poliana thumped her chest in frustration.

“Maybe I should really retire and go back home.”

“No, Sir Poliana! You can’t! I’m sorry! I won’t ask again!”

Poliana suddenly felt a huge headache coming on. Would this nightmare ever end?

***

The story of Sir Donau’s proposal spread like a wildfire. The guards and the other knights who were present told their friends, who told their families. Most thought of Donau as a kind thoughtful young man who wanted to help his superior, Poliana.

People praised him for trying to rescue the ugly spinster. What a true gentleman he was!

The shocking story reached even the emperor. When Lucius the First heard about it, he exclaimed, “What?! Sir Donau proposed to Sir Pol?”

Sir Ainno, who was next to him, whispered, “Your highness, control yourself. Don’t show any anger. There are other people here.”

The emperor was about to burst out the door, but Sir Ainno was able to calm him down.

‘He is still into her, I guess.’

This was a problem. Sir Ainno looked at Lucius the First, who had the saddest expression a man could have. Sir Ainno thought things would improve over time, but apparently, the emperor’s feelings have deepened instead.

Sir Ainno ordered all the servants to leave. The emperor’s expression still looked upset. Sir Ainno had never seen Lucius the First looking this displeased. The emperor told him before that he gave up on Poliana, but Sir Ainno could tell that this wasn’t the case. In fact, it seemed that Poliana was slowly becoming the biggest part of his daily thoughts.

Sir Ainno even saw the emperor murmuring to himself about being slammed against a wall. He grinned as if he was remembering something and then, he told Sir Ainno that if he fell in love with someone, he should slam her against a wall.

‘What the heck is he talking about? Why would I slam a woman against a wall if I liked her?’

Why indeed? Shouldn’t he propose to a woman he loves, rather than slam her against a wall?

Sir Ainno couldn’t understand the emperor.

Lucius the First continued to mutter, “Pol… Pol is getting married…”

Sir Ainno shook his head. ‘This is very bad…’

The emperor still looked so devastated, so Sir Ainno insisted, “Your highness. You need to read the rest of the report. Sir Poliana refused Sir Donau and even sent him to jail for a week.”

Suddenly, the emperor smiled widely. He looked so happy, and his smile looked so beautiful. Sir Ainno asked in annoyance, “I thought you said you wished her happiness.”

“Of course, I do!”

But the emperor’s grin became wider after he learned that Poliana wasn’t going to get married. Shaking his head again, Sir Ainno brought the emperor a mirror and informed him, “Your highness, you used to be so great at hiding your emotions. But look at you now…”

Lucius the First looked at himself in the mirror and saw the crazy smile on his face.

‘This is wrong…’

An emperor needed to be able to control his feelings. He took a deep breath and put on a blank face. Sir Ainno finally removed the mirror and asked, “Are you calm now?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, you must realize the fact that the main point in the report isn’t how Poliana received a marriage proposal.”

“Yes, I know.”

The main problem the report was trying to relay was the fact that the entire royal guard unit was imprisoned per Sir Poliana’s order. The guards’ families, most of them very prominent nobles, were protesting angrily. They even began a petition, asking Poliana to be removed from her position.

Lucius the First had been refusing to meet these nobles in person, claiming he was too busy, but eventually, he would have to hear them out. The emperor glared at the report. When he first heard about the group fight, he let Poliana take care of the situation. He was going to do the same this time too, he trusted and believed in Poliana.

Only

What distracted him was Donau’s proposal.

‘I can’t believe this bothers me this much.’

Poliana was constantly bothered by the people who believed she should be married. This meant that if she got married, then this problem would be solved.

‘So… Maybe he should propose to her!’

It bothered him greatly that Donau wanted to marry Poliana. He was only a little boy, but he grew up quickly and became a man…

‘Wait a minute!’

Lucius the First frowned in shock, making Sir Ainno annoyed again. The emperor suddenly wondered, ‘What if Donau actually loves her too?’