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She didn’t know everyone, but there were some familiar faces around her. Sir Ainno and Sir Bentier were present, and she could guess that the other knights were also of high ranks. They didn’t have to say a word, but she knew exactly why they came to her.

“What were you thinking?” Sir Ainno finally asked her.

“I am his highness’s knight.”

“That is not what I was asking, and you know it.”

The other knights chimed in angrily.

“Our emperor was too generous in accepting a woman as a knight, yet this ungrateful girl thinks she knows best. You need to know your place, girl.”

“You don’t know what you are doing!”

“You should’ve just stayed quiet and work in the supply department like a good little girl. You are abusing his highness’s kindness! You think this will get him to notice you?”

Poliana straightened up. She knew that this day would come and she has been contemplating how to answer them. She was fine with being insulted herself. All she wanted to avoid was doing or saying something that would shame her emperor.

It was the great Lucius the First who accepted her as his knight. She didn’t need the approval of others. She knew that she was never going to be liked by these men, and she didn’t expect to be treated with respect by them either. A deep hatred like this was never going to improve. In fact, it was only going to get worse.

Poliana was used to being despised. She experienced it all her life, and she wasn’t going to back down now.

“I am not sure what you are all referring to,” Poliana replied calmly.

“You are a traitor!”

“Deserter!”

“Cold b*tch!”

Poliana continued to feign her ignorance as she asked, “Pardon? I don’t understand.”

“Are you pretending to be deaf?”

She was trying her best to avoid the confrontation, but it seemed that it couldn’t be helped. She had to face it head-on now.

Poliana then explained, “I honestly do not understand why you are insulting me right now. His highness is the greatest and most ambitious man I know, and he will soon have many different types of people, including more of people like me following him. I am well aware of how strong Acreian knights are, but there are only a limited number of you. Without more people from other kingdoms, like myself, his highness won’t be able to accomplish his dream. To Lucius the first, who is going to be the emperor of all kingdoms, it wouldn’t matter where his knights were born. When more men from other nations come to join this army, will you treat all of them this way? I ask you, my knights, why you are doing this? Do you feel this way about me because I am a woman or because I am a traitor?”

Her old kingdom Aehas had no future. Its king was weak and obsessed with the war while the noble families and high-ranking officials that filled the higher-ups were corrupt. Its military was useless and fragile.

In the past, Poliana knew that despite it all, Aehas was still her home. She was one of the nobles, soldiers, and knights of this kingdom. To most people, Poliana knew that she must look like a traitor, but she had no excuse for it.

But only Aehas men and women could call her a traitor. No Acreian had the right to call her a name when she was the main reason why they won the battle against Aehas.

“I am a woman. I have never tried to hide the fact even from the beginning. To Aehas, it is true that I am considered a traitor, but to Acreia, I am a newly gained knight, a new loyal soldier. So I ask you, knights, once again. Do you doubt me because of my gender or because of my deeds?” She continued to talk to the knights firmly.

The men surrounding Poliana became speechless. She held up the sword she received from Lucius the First and added, “I am his highness’s knight. If I considered myself a threat to him, I would willingly kill myself. But I ask you, do you doubt me because I am a foreigner? A woman? Or is it because I betrayed my own kingdom? But If all of these things were a problem, his highness would have never accepted me. Because the emperor believes in me, and as long as he does, I will never abandon my sovereign.”

Without checking the men’s reactions, Poliana moved to leave. To her surprise, the knights moved aside for her. She expected them to become angrier and further insult her, but no one did.

‘Are they going to pull out their dagger and stab me from behind?’

Poliana tensed as she moved when suddenly, one of the men offered her his hand while wearing a gauntlet. With an odd unreadable expression, Sir Bentier asked to shake her hand. When Poliana did, he shook her hand and said clearly, “I am Sir Bentier Ceize. I think we were introduced to each other before, but I am not sure if you remember my name.”

Only

“Sir Poliana Winter from Aehas, Sir!”

When Poliana saluted him, Sir Bentier looked around the room and ordered the other men, “You should all introduce yourselves to her. We should be acquainted before going into this battle.”

“Sir Bentier!” Sir Ainno protested in shock. He seemed furious and to him and everyone, Sir Bentier explained, “I don’t trust a female foreigner who betrayed her own kingdom.”

“Then why are you doing this?!”

“Because I DO trust the knightess, Sir Poliana, who was knighted by his highness and even received her last name from the emperor himself. Because I trust my emperor, I believe that his kingdom will eventually become an empire and our leader will become the head of it. If I can believe that this could happen, how could I not believe that a woman can become a knight? I believe in the world my emperor dreams of.”

With that, Sir Bentier left the tent. When he did, the other men began to introduce themselves to Poliana. It didn’t mean that they were ok with her yet, but they did agree that everyone should be introduced and acquainted before going into an important battle.

The last knight remaining was Sir Ainno. He still was angry and refused to shake her hand, but he nodded at her instead.

When she was left alone, Poliana looked at her right hand, the hand that shook all the high-ranking knights of this kingdom. She had to admit that she felt afraid for a moment, but she now felt excited as the adrenaline coursed throughout her body. She has never been acknowledged like this before by so many men, and she felt shaken. Her body trembled slightly.