VIO Ch 79 – An Encounter on a Rainy Night (I)

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Translator: mii

editor: ASplashofMusic

‘I was able to hire one of the people in His Highness the Crown Prince’s recommendations list.
That I managed to find such a competent person is all thanks to Your Highness.
Thus, I sent this letter to you to express my utmost gratitude.’

On his office desk, Ars read through the newly arrived letter from Vio for another time.
“Thanks to me…?” Uncontrollably, a grin made its way onto his face.

Ars was glad that he was alone in this room.
He didn’t want the chamberlains and the maids to see him with such an undignified expression.

That Vio took the effort to send this letter made Ars happy.
Lending him a hand on this matter had been well worth it.

After all, Vio had no obligation to report to Ars since Ars had originally given him that recommendations list as an apology for the inconvenience he experienced during his stay in the royal capital.
Despite this, Vio still sent him an update.
From this, Ars could see Vio’s thoughtful nature.

Once again, Ars looked at the beautifully written letters and read the politely phrased sentences.
In his head, it was as though Vio himself was telling him the contents of this letter in a gentle tone.

Afterward, Ars reached for the letter, intending to put it into his drawer.
An action that was usually very unlike him.
But before he could do so, Fion entered his office.
“Your Highness, the ambassador of the Holy Kingdom of Edga has crossed the border.”

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“I see.
What about Clarina’s?” asked Ars, voice gaining a sharp and edgy tone.

The Country of Clarina was an enemy of the Kingdom of Istiah.
They would wage war against each other every few years, and the established diplomatic relations post-war between the two parties were rather minimal.
One could also gauge how little Clarina cares for Istiah from the fact that the country only bothered to send one ambassador to Ars’ birthday celebration.

But in spite of their outrageous behavior, the Country of Clarina would never completely break off all diplomatic relations with Istiah.
After all, they had a lot to lose in doing that.

Clarina’s territory contained a lot of dry, barren deserts.
As such, they suffered from regular food shortages.
In contrast, the Kingdom of Istiah was filled with lush greenery.
It was because of the food supplies exported from Istiah that Clarina was able to alleviate their food shortages time and time again.
They desperately needed those supplies.

“They had set off from the castle as soon as the party ended, but it should take them another week to reach the southern border.
I shall inform you as soon as they cross the border,” said Fion.

“Okay.
I also just received word that Violant will leave the royal capital soon.
Publicize this news to those who are still wary of him.”

Fion nodded.
“Understood.
I will make the necessary arrangements.”

“Another thing: the security around 10th Avenue seems to have worsened by quite a bit.
Do a quick survey on its present situation.”

“…Did this come from Lord Violant?”

“Don’t look so unwilling.
He has encountered another kidnapping case.
It seems that he assisted in finding the victim this time.”

Fion frowned.
“Doesn’t that just mean he has a tendency to attract trouble?”

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“But isn’t it strange that both cases happened on 10th Avenue? It would have still been understandable if the kidnappings happened in the slums.
Many outsiders come and go in such places, so it’s easier for crimes to happen there,” said Ars.
“Moreover, if we deal with this issue right now, we can restore order with just a little effort.
You understand this, right?” Then he added, “Breakdowns in public order tend to start a butterfly effect.
If we don’t promptly take action and nip them in the bud, we may see an increase of crimes, and a terrible cycle will start.
If we let the situation worsen, it’ll become more troublesome to deal with it.”

Fion’s expression turned grave.
“It’s as you said, Your Highness.
A disruption in the kingdom’s law and order will also cause a disruption within the National Treasury.
I’ll admit that he did well this time.
Then, I will conduct the survey as soon as possible.”

“I’ll leave things to you then.”

“Understood.”

After Fion left, Ars took in a breath.
Perhaps to Vio, his mention of the kidnapping in his letter was just idle chat.
But to Ars, this was crucial information.

Whenever security in the kingdom deteriorated, a crack down on criminals had to be conducted, resulting in an increase in prisoners.
And whenever the number of prisoners increased, the prison’s spending would also increase since they had to pay for all the prisoners’ food and other such expenses, creating a significant dent in the kingdom’s funds.
He would then be forced to raise taxes.
Inevitably, some people wouldn’t have the financial capacity to handle the increase in taxes, which might induce them to step onto the path of crime.
Which would cause criminal activity to rise once again.

Once this destructive cycle had gone into motion, it would be difficult to stop it.
Therefore, it was best to immediately nip any disruption of law and order during its budding stages.

“I gave him that list as an apology for his inconveniences, but it actually came to benefit me as well.”

Ars broke into a slight smile.
If Vio ever came to the royal capital again, he decided to give him a present.

＊＊＊＊＊

“Princess, you’re really… I didn’t expect you to still like to wander around even after leaving the royal capital!” Inside the carriage, Liona’s maid Millicent, though she was currently disguised as Countess Liselotte Bianca, raised her chin, not happy.

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Sitting next to her, Liona burst into laughter, not paying her displeasure any mind.
“Sulking like this will ruin your beauty, Millie.”

“It’s Liselotte, Princess,” Millicent retorted.
“If you don’t put on a proper act at all times while we’re in disguise, we might just find that our covers have already been blown.”

Liona shrugged her shoulders.
Night, who was sitting beside the door, nodded in agreement.

Liona then said, “Fine.
Liselotte.
But that town next to Lida River… What is it called again? Boating on that river and eating seafood in that town was fun.
Ruslan doesn’t have such a large river, so it was a rare experience.”

“That town is called East Lida, Princess.
No, Dame Lio.
Well, I do agree with you on that point.
Boating was fun.
I also enjoyed taking a walk along the calm riverside,” said Millicent in reminiscence, a faint smile crossing on her face.

It was hard for Liona to understand Millicent’s emotions.
From Liona’s perspective, Millicent’s smile meant that the experience was quite interesting for her too.
She responded, “Yeah.
It was fun, wasn’t it? That area was quiet and peaceful.
As expected of the royal domain protected by Ars.”

Night interjected, “But since we have already crossed Lida River, we’re now in the Lesserhains’ territory, Dame Lio.
The two territories may only be separated by one river, but the atmosphere is completely different.”

Millicent’s expression cleared.
“He’s right.
Be careful, Dame Lio.
While we’re in the Lesserhains’ territory, we shouldn’t lower our guard.
We should swiftly pass through this area and return to Ruslan.”

Liona nodded.
“Yeah, I know.” Then kicked Night’s leg for saying something unnecessary.

Night exclaimed in pain.
“Did I do something? Why did you kick me?”

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“Shut up.”

“Uhh…”

Liona shot Night a glance.
He then complained about how unreasonable she was.

Liona wanted to indulge in the memories of their calm trip for longer, but after Night had spoken up, Millicent reverted to her uptight state.

Then all of a sudden, the carriage shook.
They heard the coachman exclaim in shock.

Night quickly opened the small window facing the coachman’s seat and asked him what had happened.
In a weak voice, the coachman replied, “I’m sorry.
The wheels got stuck in a ditch… I will do something about it.
Please wait a moment.”

“…That’s what happened, Princess.
I’ll go out and check.” Afterward, Night closed the window and disembarked from the carriage.

Millicent sighed, face turning pasty.
“This is bad, Princess.
More so since it looks like it will rain soon.”

“Hm? Do you have a headache again? You should lie down for a while.
Why don’t I lend you my lap?”

“What? No way! But I will accept your kind suggestion and take a rest.”

Millicent moved to where Night previously sat and laid down, leaning against the cushion.

Millicent’s paleness worried Liona.
She had clearly been enduring her headache for a considerable amount of time.
Thus, Liona decided to find a place to rest in the vicinity today.