Shadowless Night

“I’ll escort you!”

Only Rosaline was excited, while Ricardis gave a carefree reply. 

“Okay, that’s a good idea.”

And so it was settled.

Of course, a person with Ricardis’ status couldn’t leave the castle with only one escort.

It was only natural for the news to reach Starz, who was in charge of Ricardis’ guards. Hearing the unexpected news from Isserion, he hurriedly came to Ricardis’ office. Starz, who was about to ask what was going on, found the elated Rosaline, who forgot to report her return.

He took Rosaline out of the room for a while. When they returned shortly after, Rosaline, who was following behind Starz, looked sullen. It appears he had fiercely scolded her.

Afterward, Starz glanced at Rosaline after hearing from Ricardis.

[I’ve got something to do at the festival, I’ll have to go.]

Starz could guess why Ricardis, who hated the noise at the festival, now wanted to go out on the noisy street. Despite this absurd situation where the prince is about to go out to play just for a knight, Starz thought hard about the best plan.

He’d assigned four senior knights in charge of the night shift, Pardict, Haganel, Lewon, and Shuten, and two junior knights, Bastian and Claude. A total of seven personnel moved at once. Everyone took off their white uniforms and changed into light shirts and tunics. A festival street, where people flowed around you like a river and the crowd was as dense as a mountain, required the number of escorts to be twice as cumbersome. But when they heard that they were going to the festival, everyone was secretly happy.

Ricardis and Rosaline also changed clothes. One of them was the color of the night sky, and the other was as bright as the moon and stars— they stood out. Isserion shook his head softly. Those two could only get out of the castle after hiding their faces deep in their hoods.

***

The voices of festival-goers singing in excitement carried into the inside of the carriage. Rosaline hurriedly stuck to the window and looked outside. The entire space was brightly lit up as if the dark night had disappeared. 

Children wandered around streets lined with lanterns of various colors; circus troupes from all over the country prepared for their performances; and from the stalls, merchants hawked their wares, seeking attention. The festival, which began during the day, got more crowded as the night descended. 

It was a festival to commemorate the ‘Shadowless Night’, the first white night, and the day the black moon appeared. Small dwellings and large estates alike shone brightly and drove away the night. People wore brightly colored clothes, and everything close to a black color was covered up or hidden in the depths.

Ricardis had a dry attitude toward such national events, but when he saw Rosaline getting off the carriage with a smile on her face, looking all over the street like this…

‘I don’t care anymore if I have someone I like that much.’

Rosaline was in a state of great excitement. The speed at which she glanced at everything, turning her head to the left and right, was unusual. Ricardis wrinkled his nose and focused on his sense of smell. The smell of roasting meat was everywhere. That, above all, would be fatal to her, who was already hungry.

“Are we being tailed?”

When Ricardis asked Lewon, Lewon looked at Rosaline, bouncing her head from side to side, and then answered.

“No tails sighted.”

“Okay then. Wouldn’t it be okay if you guys loosen up a little too?”

“Your Highness!”

Ricardis frowned and lightly tapped Pardict’s chest with his fist.

“Do you need a podium for your sermon, Sir Pardict? Go up there and shout it out loud.”

It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it still stung. Just keep calling out ‘Your Highness!’ so everyone will know that there is a precious person here. Ricardis looked at Pardict with a pitiful look and spoke in a low voice to those around him, who formed an escort formation that everyone could see.

“Let’s start with naming. First of all, I’ll be… the Young Master.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“… Call me Young Master.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Everyone was a little bewildered, but they answered quickly. Ricardis looked around at his knights. They had taken off their uniforms and changed into commoners’ clothes, but they could not hide their built, thick bodies and upright postures.

Scars from swords were carved here and there, but they looked far from being rogues. Anyone would notice they are knights. What can a change of clothes possibly do if the core remains the same? Ricardis rebuked them in an annoyed voice.

“Can’t you guys fit in with the atmosphere of this town a little bit?”

The knights hesitated and looked at him. Their clothes looked luxurious, but what’s the problem with wearing outfits the wealthy commoners would wear? Their expressions said they didn’t understand at all. Only Lewon, originally a commoner, laughed. Ricardis sighed deeply.

“You should call each other by nicknames. Change your tone to be a bit informal. I sincerely hope your mood softens in this peaceful and happy-looking daily life. Let’s start with Sir Pardict.”

“I’m Parpar.”

Except for Pardict, the other six people frowned. Only Rosaline muttered, “Parpar” once to memorize it. Next, Rosaline spoke up half a beat late. 

“I’m… Rose.”

She didn’t have a nickname, and she couldn’t quickly create one on the spot. She recalled what Rosaline’s mother, Edelweiss, had called her and let it out of her mouth, but Rosaline had a slight frown. It was not a name she liked very much.

From then on, cute nicknames such as Hani, Lulu, Bistang, Cream, and Shu Shu came out of the mouths of the strong men. Those were, in fact, nicknames their mothers used to call them. Ricardis had to close his eyes tightly for a moment. It was just terrible.

“I’m going crazy.”

It was a moment when nicknames could leave scars…

Parpar showed a clumsy performance, using an unfamiliar name in his mouth.

“Look… there, at the second alley. I heard the aged venison at the second tavern is so delicious. Have you heard of it, Ro… Rose?”

It was a performance that wouldn’t even fool a three-year-old child. However, as they called each other by nicknames like “Cream” and “Shu Shu” instead of stiff names like “Sir Claude” and “Sir Shuten”, one could see that the boundaries with the passersby loosened. This clumsy work of art seemed to work better than expected.

Whenever they called her Rose, Rosaline stared at her fellow knights with narrowed eyes. She pursed her lips and even frowned. However, Parpar called her out. 

“Tsk. Rose, you punk! Remember it’s all part of the plan!” 

After being scolded, she had to chew the inside of her cheeks to clear her anger by herself.

“Rose.”

The Young Master, who watched her, shoved a roasted chicken leg in her mouth. Rosaline’s originally stiffened facial muscles relaxed. It was as if she had never been uncomfortable with this ‘plan’. After that, she didn’t seem to care about the nickname. Perhaps she prefers to be a satisfied Rose rather than a hungry Rosaline.

In the beginning, they were only cute knights by name, but they slowly started to melt into the atmosphere. They gradually realized that there was no real danger to the Master, only third-rate thugs or pickpockets. But only a handful of those would approach after seeing the size of Parpar, Hani, and Shu Shu.

Nevertheless, Rose quickly appeared and suppressed those who approached. She was fast, but her skill of neutralizing the opponent without hurting them was even more excellent. The pickpocket wriggling under her and trying to escape had to lie motionless like a corpse after hearing a few low whispers from Rosaline in his ear.

Rosaline laughed softly. She did a few thuggish things she learned from Macaron, and it worked great.

‘I have to tell Macaron!’

Rosaline and the knights sent the impure elements, who tried to harm the goodwill of the festival, to the city guards. The eyes of the saluting men shone brightly. They wore casual clothes, but the police recognized them as celebrities.

“Parpar.”

“What is it, Rose?”

“Buy me that. I didn’t bring any money.”

Parpar snorted. ‘Hoh. My goodness. Isn’t this funny? Don’t you remember owing me something? Have I asked for reimbursement for my shield?’ While grunting, he still paid for the fire-roasted beef that she wanted. After that, Rosaline asked Hani to buy this, asked Shu Shu to purchase that, asked Bistang to buy that thing over there, and went back and borrowed money from the Young Master.

“Can’t you pay my monthly salary in advance, Young Master? I will work hard,” the knights asked.

It was the most polite plea in the world, so the Young Master said he understood. The knights bought useless things such as accessories and festival souvenirs, but when they saw food, they always bought a skewer and let Rose hold it in her hands.

She cried slightly by the time she ate the crepe filled with fruit and cream from the Young Master. 

“I wish every day was a festival,” Rosaline announced.

A little boy passing by just said the same thing, wishing every day would be like today, so Ricardis had to cover his face with his hand for a moment. There was a muffled laughing sound, and Ricardis’ shoulders shook.

“Are you crying, Young Master?”

“No, wait… I have a headache…” He somehow slipped.

By the time the round moon was at its highest in the night sky, the knights had perfectly assimilated into the festival crowd. Instead of escorting the Young Master, it felt more like they dragged him around to play. Rose and Parpar enjoyed the festival by winning every eating and drinking contest.