Chapter 278

Chapter 278

Poliana’s nightmarish memories of Sir Batre disappeared when she heard the news of his death. The rumor of an unknown man stabbing the corpse’s anus was enough to soothe her mind. She no longer thought of him or had upsetting flashbacks of him.

But now… Poliana had new flashbacks of the night she spent with Lucius the First. How she wrapped her thighs around him… Touching his soft skin… Groping his chest shamelessly… She could not forget these memories.

‘I have finally lost my mind.’

Poliana believed that she needed to be punished. She believed that the appropriate punishment for her crime would be death. Frau tried to con her into marriage, but his crime did not compare to what she did to the emperor.

Poliana sexually assaulted Lucius the First. The rapist and the victim agreed to forget about what happened, but this didn’t change the fact that Poliana committed a crime.

The very generous emperor told her to forget about that night, but Poliana kept obsessing about what happened. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t that she could remember much of that night. It also wasn’t her first time feeling the body of a man against her own.

So what was it that she couldn’t stop thinking about it?

Because Poliana was often treated as “genderless,” she had plenty of chances to witness nude men. She also touched plenty of them too, so Lucius the First’s bare body shouldn’t have been too memorable to her.

So why! Why! Why! Why did she keep thinking about it?!

‘This is driving me nuts!’

This was why she could not go visit the emperor. She couldn’t face him. Lucius the First saved her life, and this was how she repaid him for his kindness. And now, her mind continued to commit the crime of remembering that night. She was a horrible knight. She deserved death.

Poliana was so frustrated because she couldn’t talk to anyone about it. What happened that night… How it felt… How she felt now… This would have to be her secret forever.

So what should she do about this problem? How was she going to stop thinking about the emperor in such an impure way?

Lucius the Firsts’ skin was soft while his muscle was hard. It felt so good to touch him… It felt amazing to slap his chest!

Poliana thought she was probably the only one in the kingdom who slapped the emperor’s bare chest. The amazing sensation that only she knew… Poliana couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Poliana laid down on her bed and looked at her hands. She tried so hard to forget, but she couldn’t. Even when she trained so hard that she fell into a dreamless sleep, whenever she woke up in the middle of the night, thinking about the emperor was all she could do. Poliana recalled Lucius the Firsts’ warmth.

‘His highness was so warm.’

Thinking about him was what she did whenever she got the chance, so how could she face him?

So it was only when the emperor ordered all the heads of the three divisions to gather that Lucius the First was able to reunite with Poliana.

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The emperor ordered the heads of the First, Second, and Third Divisions for a work-related discussion. Originally, the First Division, which also worked as the Knight’s order, was considered the emperor’s own personal use. The First Division usually did not have designated daily duties. The Second Division was the group that was responsible for the royal family’s protection in real life. The Second Division also took care of the security of the inside of the castle. The Third Division was responsible for the security of the capital city outside the royal castle.

After the recent major incident, Lucius the First ordered the First Division to focus on the emperor’s protection. But now that things have settled down, and there were only two royal members left to be protected, things could go back to normal.

Sir Wook, the head of the Third Division, smiled and said to Poliana, “You must be happy about this, Sir Pol. The Second Division is again the only group protecting the royal family.”

Sir Wook made a gesture of drinking, which was an invitation for Poliana to go drinking to celebrate. Poliana shook her head weakly and replied, “I quit drinking.”

Sir Wook laughed loudly, “Hahaha! You’re too funny! Are you trying out new jokes?” Sir Jainno laughed as well. Sir Ainno was already gone.

Poliana was about to walk out of the room with the other knights when the emperor called for her, “Marquess Winter, please stay for a while longer.”

“…”

Poliana considered making an excuse to leave but gave up on the idea. After the other knights left and they were alone, Poliana sat in front of the emperor. At first, thankfully, Lucius the First talked only about work. Poliana felt relieved and focused on the conversation, but soon enough, the emperor brought up the subject she dreaded.

“Pol, after that night, I…”

Poliana’s body became rigid as she answered automatically, “Your highness, you needn’t worry about a thing! I didn’t tell anyone about it. And I also haven’t drank once since that night either!”

“Yes, I didn’t tell anyone about it either.”

He planned on proposing to Poliana after the royal death period was over, but if he proposed to her out of the blue, Poliana was going to be shocked. So the emperor decided that their relationship needed to improve first. To accomplish this, he had no choice but to bring up what happened that night.

Lucius the First explained, “Just listen, okay? I thought about it a lot and I am certain that it was me who took advantage of you, Pol. I mean, think about it. It doesn’t make sense that you forced me. You are a woman and I am a man. I think I did it out of my desire and lust. So what I’m trying to say is that I will take responsibility.”

“Your highness, it was me who took advantage of you.”

Poliana straightened up and interrupted the emperor coldly, surprising Lucius the First. He wondered if she remembered something from that night. Poliana seemed so certain of the fact that she was at fault, but this only fueled the emperor to be even more insistent. Whatever she may remember… They were both very drunk so her memory couldn’t be very accurate. Besides, there were no evidence or no witnesses to prove anything, so the emperor decided to push on.

“Pol, it was me, stop arguing with me.”

“No, your highness, it was me. I am sure of it.”

“I am telling you, it was me who took advantage of you that night.”

“No, I am certain it was me who assaulted you, your highness.”

“Are you saying this because you remember something from that night?”

Poliana, feeling cornered, yelled loudly in annoyance, “I was on top of you, your highness! I was sitting on top of you that night!” Shaking her head in frustration, Poliana continued, “It was me, your highness! I used your body! We decided to forget about it, so why do you keep bringing it up, your highness?!”