Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Just as Poliana promised, she remained at home as a form of self-punishment. She didn't, however, return her uniform with the gold stripe. Instead, she didn't go to work; she remained home for a month.

Poliana was very strict about her punishment. First of all, she didn't leave her home at all during this time. Even at her own home, she only stayed in her bedroom and the library. She refused to see any guests and she also did not receive or send any letters. Any gifts she received, if she returned them immediately if she ever received one.

Poliana got up in the morning as the sun rose and she went to bed at sunset. She ate meat only at lunch and she did not indulge herself with white bread at all during this month. She only drank alcohol at night; she drank only water during the rest of the day.

She spent her time reading books about royal etiquettes and organizing the information she gathered during her lifetime about maps and how to interpret them. Poliana always wanted to write and publish a book about map interpretation.

The day after Poliana decided to punish herself, Lucius the First sent her a message that there was no need for her to do so. However, this was useless because Poliana refused to see the messenger at all.

And finally, after a month, Poliana Winter returned to the castle looking calmer and determined. Sir Ainno Seki had been leading the Second Division in her absence, so when the guards saw their boss return, their eyes teared up in happiness.

"Boss! We missed you so much!"

"Marquess Winter, please don't ever leave us again!"

"And if you must leave again, please leave us with the leader of the Third Division, not the First Division."

Poliana asked, "Anything new since I left?"

"We spared half of Lady Rebecca's personal guards to the new princess."

Poliana nodded in agreement. It would've been a waste to use too many guards to protect a newborn baby. While she listened to the rest of the report, Poliana frowned in concern.

'There are too many people here.'

While Poliana was away, the lady's quarters became filled with strangers. Too many people were allowed to enter and leave as they pleased. It was because, during Poliana's absence, people such as Duchess Nani and her entourage, more doctors, apothecaries, wet nurses, newly hired maids, and merchants were called in. After the duchess left and the two wives of the emperor returned, things settled down a little, but there were still many more people freely entering the lady's quarters than when Poliana was in charge. If someone walked in with a bad intention, there would've been no way to stop them.

On top of this, there has been an increase of noblemen visiting Lady Tory and Lady Stra to greet them on their safe return. It was almost impossible to stop these people. What worried Poliana the most, however, was the fact that the noble ladies seemed to be trying to create conflicts between Lady Tory and Lady Stra.

'Is it because there are now only two of them instead of three?'

The careful peace the three wives of the emperor created was now over. After Lady Rebecca passed away giving birth to her daughter, there was a clear uncertainty in the castle's power structure. Three was a good number for stability. The best thing would've been for the emperor to take in another wife, but no one dared to suggest such a thing to Lucius the First. It was partly because everyone knew how upset the emperor was, but also, the royal members themselves could not marry for a year after the death of one of them.

At this point, it seemed that whichever lady that becomes pregnant first would be able to gain the ultimate power.

Poliana regretted leaving. 'Dammit. Maybe I shouldn't have left for this long.'

She was feeling much better after a month to herself, but now that she saw what was going on in the castle, she began to feel uncertain. Too many things seemed to happen while she was gone. Was something very bad going to happen from all these changes?

Poliana shook her head. 'No, there is no need to regret my decision. It had to be done.'

It wasn't that she spent the last month fooling around and having fun. She worked to renew her energy and her goal. She needed this desperately so there was no reason why she needed to feel guilty about it.

'If something goes wrong, it will be their fault.'

She looked around her guards slowly. The men, however, didn't notice her look. They only continued to complain about how hard their lives have been under Sir Ainno's lead.

Only

Poliana trusted and believed in her men. She didn't doubt that they worked hard despite her absence. What worried her, however, was their relatives. Most of the noblemen and ladies that entered the castle were one way or another related to the guards. They were either their relatives, friends, or close acquaintances, which meant the men wouldn't be as vigilant.

For example, there was Cekel. Because her brothers were guards working in the main castle, she could often enter different areas easily without anyone thinking twice about it. Cekel could go anywhere she wanted in the castle freely without looking suspicious.

'I can't trust Sir Ainno in preventing this kind of problem.'

Sir Ainno was excellent at taking care of problems, but his weakness was preventing potential problems in the first place. In some ways, Poliana envied him for it.

'Ok, I need to stop thinking about this.'

There was no point in Poliana envying Sir Ainno; she could never become him. They were two very different people, and she needed to constantly remind herself of this fact.

Besides, at this point, there was a more important thing she needed to do. It was time for her to beg for the emperor's forgiveness.