Violant of the Silver

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Translator: mii

editor: junirenn

Hues of orange bled from the sky’s horizon, signalling that night was soon approaching.

Lantz’s shift ended once he finished settling the painter’s case. He then decided to go to Prince Ars’ office to give a brief report. At this time, Ars shouldn’t have gone to the evening party yet.

As he walked down the corridor with light footsteps, he nearly collided into another knight. It was a knight robed in black who had ascended the left staircase; he was familiar.

“Excuse me—Oh? You’re the knight who accompanied Lord Violant during the day, right?” asked Night. “Umm…”

“I am Lantz Trafalgar. Sir Knight, what brings you here?”

“I’m heading to the lounge to pick up Princess Liona. She’s playing chess with Prince Ars and Princess Diana.” A bitter smile played on Night’s lips. If Princess Liona kept playing chess, she wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for the evening party.

Understanding his worry, Lantz nodded. “The lounge is over here. I’ll guide you.”

“Thank you very much.”

Lantz walked beside Night, quickly arriving at their destination. Before he could open the green door, Night said, .“Sir Trafalgar, thank you very much for accompanying me today. Due to my origins, I’m not all that familiar with the knights in my own country. It’s why I never expected that I would have such an enjoyable time in a foreign country. Please convey my gratitude to Lord Violant.”

“I should thank you as well. I heard a lot of interesting stories about Ruslan today. Thank you very much for that,” said Lantz with a serious expression. Night responded with an amiable smile.

Lantz thought, As long as he makes that smile, he should be able to become friends with anyone, right?

Night seemed like someone who doesn’t show emotions on his face, at least at first. However, once he opened his heart to someone, he would show them a very good smile. Unlike Lantz who had a solitary nature, Night might be a naturally friendly individual. Lantz was so unsociable that every woman he had dated had dumped him.. They all had the same reason: they felt anxious around him because they couldn’t understand what he thought.

The door to the lounge swung open. “Hey, wait. What are you two talking about?” Princess Liona, dressed as a man, stood on the other side of the door, glaring at Night. “What do you mean by ‘accompanying’?” she questioned.

Night flinched, but promptly replied, “Were you eavesdropping, Princess Liona? I chanced upon Lord Violant and his retinue in front of the weapon shop this afternoon. They were in the midst of sightseeing, so they invited me to have lunch with them.”

“What!?” exclaimed Liona and Ars, their voices overlapping.

Lantz bowed. Afterward, they urged both knights to enter the lounge. Lantz and Night wasted no time in closing the door, obeying their order.

Upon noticing Diana, who sat in an armchair, Lantz bowed toward her as well. Pleasant laughter spilled from her lips. 

“Lantz, you’re here to report, yes? Stand beside me. Tell me the details,” said Ars. 

Lantz approached his side. Following that, Night made his way beside Liona. 

Tilting his head slightly, Lantz said, “Even if you ask me for details, it’s just as Sir Night had said.”

Ars frowned. “There should be other details, right? Like where you ate and other things.”

Instead of Lantz, Night answered, “We ate at a seafood restaurant called Holly Pavillion on 10th Avenue. Apparently, Sir Cheval recommended that place… The food was very delicious.”

“10th Avenue? Isn’t that an inappropriate place for the Duke’s son to go?”

“That’s right. Apparently, Lord Violant had tried to disguise himself, but he still stood out. Regardless, he was very cheerful. He clearly enjoyed going there. He was also interested in Ruslan, so I told him various things.”

Happy with what Night said, Liona pumped her fist.

“Lord Violant is interested in Ruslan? Hahaha, that’s great! How about nominating him as a scholarship student to my country, Ars?” asked Liona.

“You’re scheming to win him over, right?” he asked. “Fortunately, I can only nominate people with high abilities but can’t afford the cost of studying abroad. The Duke’s family is more than capable of doing that.”

“Tsk.” Liona clicked her tongue, incredibly disappointed. She thought that it was a good idea. “Ah, I’m really envious. I want to chat with him again.”

“I told you that you shouldn’t get involved with the Lesserhain family, right?” Ars advised frankly.

“That’s why I’m controlling myself,” replied Liona, pouting.

Ars decided not to pay her any mind and asked Lantz, “Any other reports?”

Lantz glanced at Liona and the others. It was clear that the knight was wondering if he could speak in front of them. He was also anxious of detaining them since they had to prepare for the evening party.

Liona smiled. “Don’t worry about us, just report it. I want to hear it too.”

“Yeah. You don’t need to mind Liona and Diana. So?”

Prompted by Ars once more, Lantz opened his mouth to speak, “Today, we walked around the market on 3rd Avenue and confirmed the price of Leca ink in the royal capital. From Lord Violant’s conversation with his servants, I found out that it was Lord Violant himself who invented the ink.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Since he talked about the bad mixture in inferior goods, I had no doubt.”

“Hmm.”Ars’s golden eyes glittered in happiness.

“After that, we went to the weapon shop. While Sir Legion was choosing his sword, Lord Violant was enjoying the juice made from Stonepelt nuts sold at a stall outside the shop.”

“A stall?” Liona asked, surprised.

Night nodded at her question. “That’s right. I thought he was a different person who looked similar. I was surprised when I found out he was really Lord Violant.”

“Lord Violant said that it was the first time he bought something from a food stall,” added Lantz. He then asked, “Your Highness, should I tell you about how Sir Cheval invited the maid to go on a date and got rejected?” 

“No need. Just tell me about Violant,” Ars said, annoyed. Liona and Diana couldn’t hold in their laughter and let out a chuckle. 

Keeping his indifferent expression, Lantz continued,, “We went to 10th Avenue to eat seafood dishes and parted with Sir Night on 3rd Avenue after we ate. We then went to the Great Temple on 4th Avenue and greeted his maid’s family.”

“He expressly went to his maid’s house?” Diana asked with a puzzled face. 

“From what I understand, the maid refused to go home, so Lord Violant told her that he would accompany her,” explained Lantz. “Then, at the Great Temple, we met the painter who painted the temple’s ceiling. He approached Lord Violant twice, asking him to become his model both times, which Lord Violant refused. Sir Legion repelled the painter the first time, while Sir Cheval did so the second time..”

Silence filled the room, seemingly wanting to say, “What’s up with that? What are you talking about?” 

Paying it no mind, Lantz continued, “After that, Lord Violant left his maid at the temple to talk with her family. He planned to go shopping on 3rd Avenue, but the painter he refused before had sent his assistant to kidnap Lord Violant with the carriage.”

“WHAT!?”

Lantz ignored their stunned voices. “However, Sir Legion and Sir Cheval pursued them and rescued Lord Violant. After that, we found out that the painter involved in the kidnapping case had other victims,” he concluded, coming to the end of his report. “Lord Violant asked me to keep this a secret from his family, so please keep this confidential. I was busy dealing with the aftermath of the incident until some time ago. Because of that, I was late in reporting to Your Highness. Please forgive me for that.”

Liona raised her right hand to stop Lantz. “Hey, wait! Don’t deliver such a crazy report like you’re talking about how nice the weather is! ”

“I’m sorry if I offended you, Princess Liona. But I can’t speak like a juni: A class of lyric poets/poet musicians in the medieval era (11th-13th century) and were commonly found in the South of France and the North of Italy. They usually made lyrical poems centered around themes of ‘courtly love’ and ‘chivalry’. Troubadours usually have the rank of a knight, so that’s – probably – why Lantz made this comparison.…”

“That’s not what I meant!”

Confused, Lantz stared at Liona with a questioning gaze. 

Ars waved his right hand. “Stop that, Liona. Lantz always talks like this.”

Liona pursed her lips, endured her unhappiness. Night timidly asked, “Then… Is Lord Violant alright?”

“Yes. He told us that the painter only sketched him, and I made sure to bring that sketchbook with me. Following his request, I threw it into the fireplace.”

“Oh my! How wasteful!” Diana instinctively muttered. Lantz focused his gaze on the princess. Diana’s cheeks reddened and averted her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“…Other than that, he’s not injured, right?” Ars once more asked for confirmation, attentive. 

Lantz replied, “Yes. But at that time, I saw a scar on Violant’s stomach. I’m sure that the scar was caused by a blade.”

“I’m curious about his scar, but how were you able to see that?” asked Liona.

“That’s because his upper body was stripped naked, Princess Liona.”

“Oh my, that’s even more of a shame!” Diana lamented. Her reaction didn’t sound like that of a lady’s.

“Diana, you’re being improper,” reprimanded Ars.

“But, Brother! We’re talking about Violant, so he’s definitely beautiful,” she protested. “That’s right! Why don’t you take a bath with the painter next time?”

“Who does that!? People will think that I’m a pervert!”

“How unfortunate.”Diana appeared sullen as she turned her face away. As she was a beautiful woman, that gesture still looked lovely.

“Lantz, Violant is really fine, right?” asked Ars once more.

Lantz nodded. “Yes. Rather, it’s the painter who isn’t fine at all. Sir Legion was so angry that he hit the painter with his dominant hand. Since the painter’s nose was broken, it will be hard for him for a while.”

“It’s strange that I don’t feel any pity after hearing you say it like that…” Ars murmured, mentally exhausted.

“I’m just stating a fact.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks for the report. Ah… Let me confirm this first. Rupheus wasn’t the one who made that scar, right?” Ars asked, but it didn’t seem like he wanted to hear the answer. 

Lantz shook his head. “No, it doesn’t seem to be the case. He didn’t want us to touch the  subject, so I don’t know the details.”

“I see. Then you can return now. Submit the written report tomorrow. You can leave out the painter’s case. It’s troublesome if Fion makes a racket.”

“I understand. Please excuse me, Your Highness, Princess Diana, Princess Liona.”

After Lantz saluted, he left the lounge. He  walked down the corridor, headed towards his room. Outside the window, an expanse of indigo painted the sky, the crescent moon shining silver.  

It’s not just Princess Liona, Prince Ars also favors Lord Violant. It seems like Sir Fion will be in quite a temper, Lantz mused.

Predicting the incoming storm, Lantz sighed quietly.

But…even if he’s the second son, why did the Lesserhains expel Lord Violant to a rural town? They should be thankful for having a good spare, Lantz’s thoughts moved to Violant’s scar. That scar… what happened two years ago?

Lantz stopped and looked up at the silver moon. The moon only illuminated the ground in response, leaving his questions unanswered.