TWFLLYM Ch 103

A Curse Beginning for Everyone

The kitchen suffered the same chaos.

[Worker] "Ugh, my head."

[Worker] "Was the wine at the banquet spoiled? Why is this hangover so agonizing?"

[Worker] "I know. Oh, I think I'm dying."

Roserikta and Elona couldn't bring themselves to ask the groaning staff for help. They decided to find the ingredients themselves. Some workers even shot them cold glares when they realized the pair came for medicine.

[Roserikta] "I should make a large batch. Everyone looks like they are in pain."

[Elona] "I agree. It's strange. The wine served in the Imperial Palace is of high quality and rarely causes such a headache. Did everyone really drink that much last night?"

[Roserikta] "I wonder."

Roserikta found it odd. For so many people to suffer identical symptoms after drinking high-quality alcohol was suspicious. Some might have overindulged, but surely others drank only their usual amount.

[Roserikta] "We need to check. Where is the wine kept?"

[Elona] "One moment. They store the alcohol in the basement. Was it this way? Ah, right. Down these stairs."

Elona opened the door to the cellar. Rows of massive wooden barrels lined the room. Roserikta found a barrel with a loose lid and leaned in.

[Roserikta] "Mmm...... the scent is fine."

She poured a small amount to taste it. Nothing seemed out of place.

[Elona] "It's the same as what we had yesterday. It tastes just as good."

Elona smacked her lips and tilted her head.

[Elona] "Did everyone just drink too much?"

[Roserikta] "I'm not sure......"

The more Roserikta investigated, the stranger it felt. She checked several more barrels, but the wine remained flawless.

[Roserikta] "We won't find the answer this way. Let's gather the ingredients and make the hangover cure first."

[Elona] "Oh, thank heavens. Yes, Lady Roserikta. I'm desperate. That single sip of wine made my stomach churn even more."

They returned to the kitchen. Roserikta quickly prepared a remedy using common herbs and vegetables.

[Berta] "What is that?"

A maid named Berta, who was friendly with Elona, approached.

While common laborers performed the heavy chores, high-ranking servants or specialized workers handled food for the Imperial family. These kitchen maids usually supervised the hired help.

[Elona] "Ah, Lady Berta. Perfect timing. Lady Roserikta is making a hangover drink."

[Berta] "Oh, really?"

Berta lifted her apron and bowed to Roserikta.

[Berta] "Marchioness Martianan. I'm Berta of the Medinu family. Could you spare a little for me as well?"

Roserikta nodded with a smile.

[Roserikta] "Of course. I made plenty in case others needed it. Just a moment."

[Berta] "Ah, thank you. I genuinely feel like I'm going to die."

Berta was one of the maids who had watched when Roserikta fell from the ladder in the past. She had claimed she was simply afraid of the Head Maid back then, but the memory still weighed on her.

[Berta] "I know it is late, but I wanted to apologize for before."

[Roserikta] "For what?"

[Berta] "The ladder. I didn't tell you it was broken."

[Roserikta] "Ah, that was a long time ago. It's fine......"

Elona suddenly cut in. Her expression turned sharp.

[Elona] "What, Lady Berta? You think a late apology fixes everything?"

Berta's mouth dropped open in shock.

[Berta] "Then what do you want me to do?"

[Elona] "You did something wrong. You were a coward. Lady Roserikta is kind enough to accept your pathetic excuse, but I won't. Lady Roserikta, please don't give her the medicine. There is a limit to how shameless a person can be."

[Berta] "What? Hey, you were there too! Just because you became her personal maid doesn't mean you can act superior. That's even more disgusting!"

[Elona] "I'm different! I'm Lady Roserikta's friend!"

[Berta] "Don't make me laugh. You're just playing pretend. Friend? For whose benefit? The Marchioness will soon be the Crown Princess. Who are you to call her a friend?"

[Elona] "Hey! You know nothing! How dare you say that?"

[Roserikta] "Wait. You two, stop...... oh no!"

Roserikta didn't know who started it. Before she could set down her bowl of herbs, the two women were already clawing at each other.

[Berta] "Ow! My hair! Let go!"

[Elona] "Are you stupid? Why would I let go?"

[Berta] "Why you!"

Thud!

Berta kicked Elona's shin.

[Elona] "Argh!"

Elona collapsed onto the kitchen floor. Berta gasped for air and looked around frantically.

[Berta] "Where is it?"

Berta spotted something. Unfortunately, it was a small hatchet used for cutting meat.

[Berta] "Take this!"

Berta lunged for the hatchet.

[Roserikta] "No!"

Roserikta threw herself forward and grabbed Berta's arm.

[Roserikta] "What are you doing? What do you plan to do with that?"

[Berta] "Let go! I'm going to slit that wicked woman's throat!"

Elona scrambled to her feet.

[Elona] "What did you just say? Whose throat? I'll slit yours first!"

This time, Elona reached for the hatchet.

[Roserikta] "Lady Elona!"

Neither woman seemed sane. In a panic, Roserikta grabbed the hangover cure she had been mixing and splashed it over both of them.

Splash!

[Berta] "Ack!"

[Elona] "Ah, cold!"

Something even more bizarre happened next. The two women, now dripping with herbal juice and vegetable pulp, blinked and looked around in confusion.

[Elona] "Lady Roserikta? Why did you splash us? Is this how the medicine works?"

[Roserikta] "What?"

Roserikta stood there, stunned.

[Roserikta] "You two were fighting. Don't you remember?"

[Elona] "No. I mean, I remember fighting...... but wait. Why were we fighting? Lady Berta, do you remember?"

[Berta] "We fought? Why?"

[Roserikta] "......"

This was extremely strange. People who had been ready to kill each other with an axe seconds ago couldn't even remember the cause. The reason didn't matter. But if the reason didn't matter, what did?

[Roserikta] "Everyone ate something. Yesterday, at the banquet."

[Elona] "Eek!"

She let out a strange groan.

[Elona] "What did we eat? We ate what we always eat."

[Roserikta] "I don't know exactly what it was. But after eating it, people become angry very easily."

[Elona] "What?"

[Berta] "Goodness! What does that mean?"

Elona and Berta turned pale.

---

The court physician also looked pale. He felt like a shrimp caught between two whales, crushed by the pressure. The whales crushing him were the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

The Emperor, usually known for being lazy and lacking talent for politics but generally kind, fumed until his cheeks turned red.

[Belto I] "I said! No! I said no!"

His breathing sounded heavy and ragged. The Crown Prince had come to discuss his marriage. However, to the court physician, it sounded more like an announcement than a discussion. The Emperor, who could never win a verbal debate, had summoned the physician in a panic.

The Emperor argued that medical logic made it impossible to know if someone was pregnant this early. He demanded that the physician back him up. The physician stood trapped in the middle, looking back and forth between the two powerful men.

To a normal human, the Emperor's logic made sense. But the future Crown Princess was a witch. Rumor had it that a stork brought a witch's baby. Perhaps they could know early. Still, the physician couldn't reveal the Marchioness' true identity to the Emperor, leaving him in a miserable position.

[Belto I] "What baby! There is no baby! You just don't want to see me marry first!"

[Kalart] "How do you know?"

Kalart refused to back down even an inch. He was never a man to repeat himself, but today he looked determined.

[Belto I] "What do you mean, how do I know?"

[Kalart] "I asked how you know there is no way to tell if a child is coming. You aren't the type of person to know such things."

[Belto I] "How can you say that...... Tsk, Neira told me."

[Kalart] "I figured as much."

Kalart made no effort to hide his irritation.

Neira had played the victim well yesterday, but her goal was clear. Division, manipulation, and conflict. Knowing Kalart couldn't compromise, she had likely provoked the Emperor even further.

[Kalart] "From my perspective, the Baroness is the one who knows nothing. How could she possibly know when the child was conceived?"

[Belto I] "Ah, well......"

[Kalart] "Well?"

[Belto I] "If there is a child, and we count the dates......"

[Kalart] "On what basis are you counting those dates? How does that woman know when I slept with my lover or when the child was conceived?"

[Belto I] "Hmph, that...... mmm......"

Belto I fell silent, unable to find an answer. It was the physician's turn to speak.

[Physician] "Your Majesty. I agree. It is difficult for anyone other than the parents to know the exact date of conception."

The physician had clearly chosen the Prince's side. After all, the Emperor had no desire to return to the burdens of governing, marriage or not. The Empire would remain in the Crown Prince's hands. The Emperor was a fraying string, while the Prince was a sturdy rope.

[Physician] "I will take my leave now, so please speak comfortably...... eh?"

The physician, who planned to slip away, widened his eyes.

[Belto I] "Argh! No! Neira would never lie to me! You are the one lying!"

Belto I stood up from the throne and charged toward the physician. Kalart spoke with a disgusted tone.

[Kalart] "What are you doing?"

[Belto I] "How dare you lie to me! I'll have your head!"

Belto I drew the thin decorative sword from his waist. It was a ceremonial blade covered in jewels. Cutting a throat with such a thin blade seemed impossible, but the blade flying toward the physician's face was terrifying nonetheless.

[Physician] "Your Majesty! Please have mercy!"

[Belto I] "Take this!"

The physician screamed in shock, but Belto I actually raised the sword.

[Kalart] "What are you doing?"

Kalart moved quickly and grabbed Belto I's right arm from behind.

[Belto I] "Let go! Who do you think you're stopping!"

[Kalart] "Calm down. This is not the physician's fault."

[Belto I] "Then whose fault is it!"

[Kalart] "It is no one's fault. Your Majesty simply needs to grant permission for my marriage."

[Belto I] "No! I can't! Neira doesn't want it! I'm going to cut that man's throat!"

Kalart realized then that something was wrong. His father was never sharp with politics, but he had never been this irrational.

[Kalart] "What changes if you kill the physician?"

Kalart twisted the Emperor's arm as if he intended to break it.

[Belto I] "Argh! That hurts! Let go!"

Belto I trembled until he dropped the sword.

Clang!

The blade hit the marble floor with a sharp ring.

[Kalart] "Give your permission immediately."

[Belto I] "Ugh...... l-let go!"

Kalart didn't release him. Instead, he applied more pressure. The poor Emperor groaned and even drooled from the pain.

[Belto I] "L-let...... argh!"

Strangely, watching this pathetic sight only made Kalart's fury surge higher. He couldn't stand his father's sudden interference, the suspicious woman his father brought, or the mess that woman had created. Everything made him feel an unbearable rage.

[Kalart] "Permit it. Or I will break this arm."

Why am I so angry?

The question flickered in his mind for only a split second before the rage consumed it.