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translator: mii

editor: ASplashOfMusic

When Liona visited the stables to curry favor with her beloved horse, Night whispered, “Dame Lio… Why did you make Lord Violant sad?”

Even if the person who had helped them wasn’t Violant, to place someone in such an uncomfortable situation after he had gone out of his way to help them get their carriage back on the road seemed too ungrateful in Night’s opinion. This was the mentality of a commoner.

“You make it sound like I’m the bad guy. Millie’s the one who came up with it. She told me she wanted to use this opportunity to discern where Lord Violant’s true loyalties lie. And you know that no one can dissuade her once she has decided on something,” replied Liona in a rough tone, scratching her cheeks. “Besides, if you didn’t like it, then you should have tried convincing her out of it.”

“…That’s impossible for me to achieve. If Dame Lio didn’t manage to change her mind, then my interference isn’t going to help either. It would only make things worse.”

“Well, we do know that she doesn’t like to concede in anything. Dissuading her would be the same as pouring a barrel of oil into a fire.”

“If you understand her that well, then please don’t make such an unreasonable suggestion,” said Night, heavy gaze directed at Liona, before releasing a sigh.

“But it’s surprising how they haven’t realized our true identities.”

“Well, humans only see what they want or expect to see. It’s publicly known that we have already returned to Ruslan. And since they believe we’re no longer in this kingdom, they won’t easily connect the dots despite the familiarity of our faces. It’s a simple and easy trick.”

After all, no one would expect a princess to disguise herself as a knight.

“You sure are quick-witted.”

“Well, that’s one of my good qualities,” Night casually replied. Then all of a sudden, he swiftly leaned into the horse’s shadow.

A child was running out of the ranger’s hut, announcing that dinner was ready. Vio, who was dozing off, immediately woke up and raised his head. He stood with a sigh, then ran in the direction of the child and the hut.

“Hey, he looks really tired, Dame Lio. Let’s not disturb him any further.”

“I will pass the message to Millie, but don’t expect anything.”

“Can’t you tell her that one would often reveal their true thoughts by themselves during times like this? And that she doesn’t need to force the truth out herself?”

“So you get it. But I can understand why Millie is being so cautious. That amulet… This attack is definitely that fox’s doing. If Violant happens to be on their side, there’s the possibility that his group somehow discovered our true identities and that their acts of kindness are simply to lure us into this hut.”

Night shrugged. “Then why did they bother helping us fend off those assailants? If Lord Violant was truly on their side, then it would have been  much easier for them to attack us together on both sides. Also, those assailant mentioned Lord Violant by name.  It’s more reasonable to think that he is that fox’s target and not you.”

“That man? Assassinating a noble from another kingdom? And the second son of a noble family, to boot.”

“For now, let’s stop analyzing the situation with such paranoia and suspicion. What if the reason behind this attack is exactly what the attackers said? Perhaps it truly is as straightforward as that.”

Liona raised an eyebrow. “Because Violant embarrassed him during one of the evening balls?”

“Not to mention, he’s a Lesserhain. His assassination can be the perfect fuel to fully ignite a war between our two kingdoms. At the same time, he can get his revenge. Don’t you think that’s two birds with one stone?”

“…By leaving a similar amulet here, the greatest suspect for Violant’s assassination in this kingdom would be… most people would immediately think of Lord Rupheus after that attempted attack against me. That his aim was to dispose of his failure of a brother… Huh, this plot is too clean. Don’t you think it smells fishy?”

“I wonder about that.” Night angled his face toward the ceiling. “Everyone always desires a resolution to every incident. So, once they’ve found a story or cause that can reasonably explain a particular incident, they will at once be convinced that that must be the truth. To them, the most important thing is resolving their anxiety as quickly as possible; it doesn’t matter whether the conclusion they came to is actually the truth or not. In this case, Lord Rupheus would have been the perfect scapegoat. After all, he’s a noble who is disliked by many. The general populace would have been happy to name him the culprit.”

“Your theory is rather dark.”

“What are you talking about? It’s a tactic commonly employed by the nobility and the wealthy. Most of the people they pin their crimes on are those without the power or influence to resist.”

Liona frowned. “Don’t poke where it hurts.”

Night tilted his head. “From my perspective, I think this theory makes the most sense. Like I’ve said, cunning nobles employ this tactic all the time.”

“Meanwhile, Millie’s theory takes the more distrustful, paranoid route…”

“Anyhow, this is only a theory. For the time being, why don’t we travel with them until Degas and take the time to observe their behavior? It’s only a straight road from here to Degas.” 

Afterward, Night cut the secretive talk there. He filled the tub with water using magic, then gave the horse some food.

Liona responded, “You’re right. Then we should head for dinner too. If Millie’s theory is correct, then something will happen tonight. We need to fill our stomachs before then.”

“Understood.”