Chapter 243

Chapter 243

"Your highness, he's on probation."

"What?"

"His wife belongs to one of the noble families that have been arrested recently. He put himself on probation, so he is off duty now."

Lucius the First touched his forehead in frustration. Perhaps this was one of the main reasons why he didn't want to go on the snake hunt.

Acreia was a huge land but its population was very small. This meant that the aristocratic population was even smaller. Most, if not all, Acreian knights were closely or distantly related to one Acreian noble or another. This was especially the case because most Acreian nobles married other Acreian nobles. Everyone was somehow related to everyone.

The emperor ordered, "I do not doubt the second-in-command's loyalty. Just order him to come."

"Yes, your highness."

After the guard left, Lucius the First began to tap his desk with his fingers.

"Things are going very interesting..."

He was, of course, being sarcastic. Things were not interesting at all.

"I wonder who did it..."

Was it the elders? It was a fact that the head of the elders' Marquis Seeze has been using Lady Tory to infiltrate the lady's quarters. There were also others who made attempts, but they were never this bold.

Was it the southern regions that poisoned his wives?

The southern regions were still grieving the death of Rebecca, so if it was them, Lucius the First would be very impressed with them for accomplishing such a complicated mission. But no matter how much he thought about it, the emperor did not think that it was the southern regions.

Then the only people he could think of was the mid-continent region.

Since both Stra and Tory were poisoned, his initial thought was that it couldn't have been the mid-continent. Why would they hurt their own lady? But then... The royal doctor stated that the ladies were only mildly poisoned with slight symptoms. It seemed that the poison used in this case was not a life-threatening kind. Instead, it was supposedly very bad for women. It could cause irregular periods and miscarriage during pregnancies. The doctor stated that there was an antidote that could easily neutralize the poison, so it was very possible that someone was poisoned along with the culprit's target and was given the antidote later.

This couldn't be Stra's doing. This belief wasn't from the emperor's wish to trust his wife. It was from his belief in his judgment of characters. Stra was a very emotional woman who didn't have the nerves to pull something like this off. This meant that it had to be the mid-continent colonies themselves, not Stra herself.

'I guess they got me this time.'

The mid-continent region was much more sophisticated than Lucius the First believed. He realized that there was still so much he could learn from the region he currently resided in. If it wasn't for Tory's outburst, no one would've known about the ladies' poisoning until the symptoms became more severe.

Everyone's time is precious, and the emperor's time was even worth more. After a short wait, the second-in-command of the Second Division arrived. Poliana also arrived; she was no longer wearing her green dress. She was in her uniform, as usual, making Lucius the First feel disappointed.

'I didn't even get to compliment her properly.'

The emperor did compliment her abundantly, but it seemed that he had forgotten all about it. Poliana and her second-in-command both looked stiff. Before they entered the emperor's room, they passed by Baron Redikal, who told them about the poisoning. Poliana kneeled before Lucius the First briefly before telling him, "Your highness, please forgive me for my rudeness, but I will beg for your forgiveness for what happened later."

"Of course. I love the fact that you are so efficient."

Lucius the First sighed and continued, "Some bastard poisoned my wives and I would really like to catch this person."

"You will, your highness."

Poliana gestured to her second-in-command to bring out the documents, which included the list of people who entered the lady's quarters during Poliana's absence. This list was made by Poliana, who has been going around to talk to her guards to figure out who has been frequenting the castle when she was away.

Poliana has been already busy enough with planning her marriage, teaching Tory about the law, and doing the work she missed during her self-punishment, yet she somehow found the time to make this list as well.

Poliana said to the emperor, "As you know, there is a rumor in the lady's quarters that Lady Stra may be pregnant."

'Oh, I didn't know that.'

He was the husband, yet he had no idea that one of his wives may be pregnant. This was because Sir Deke, who was the main source of information for Lucius the First especially regarding the lady's quarters, was gone on a mission in the south. Poliana didn't know this and talked as if the emperor already knew everything. Lucius the First decided to pretend that she was right.

Poliana continued to explain, "Because of how Lady Stra suffered from the phantom pregnancy in the past, no one has been talking about this out loud. This means that one of the maids began this rumor on purpose. I believe that maid needs to be investigated. Apparently, she was a newbie that came in during my absence. At that same time when she was hired, there was also a cookie maker that was newly employed."

Poliana clenched her fists and her teeth. The emperor could see that she was shaking in anger. She added, "At the time, I thought it was strange, but since these two people were sent by Lady Stra's homeland, I let it pass. On top of that, whatever this cookie maker made was served to both ladies equally, so I didn't think there was an issue. I now realize that I made a huge mistake."

If Poliana's guess was right, this meant that she has been watching her own ladies being poisoned right in front of her eyes. It was no wonder that Poliana shook with fury. Lucius the First ordered the maid and the cookie maker to be arrested immediately. The second-in-command left quickly, but Poliana stayed behind.

"Do you have something else to say, Sir Pol?"

"I know it isn't my place, but..."

"Sir Pol."

Lucius the First sighed and interrupted Poliana. Ever since that night when he yelled at her, Poliana has been treating him differently. It was all his fault, and it was time for him to tell her how he felt.

Only

"Sir Pol, there is nothing you can do or say that I would consider 'not your place.' The people I trust the most in this world are Duke Luzo, Sir Rabi, and you, Marquess Winter. I would never want you, my loyal knight, to feel that you can't say things to me."

Poliana couldn't help but ask, "But what about Sir Ainno?"

"Inno is..."

Lucius the First frowned and continued, "Lately, I noticed that he is blinded by love."

"Yes, I agree."

Poliana nodded enthusiastically and tried her best not to laugh. Sir Ainno was her secret rival and at least at this moment, it seemed that she won. In addition, the emperor trusted her at the same level as Sir Rabi, who she respected greatly. It seemed that she was one of the top three people in the emperor's life.

Of course, the secret truth was that she was actually number one in Lucius the First's heart.