TWFLLYM Ch 121

Side Story: Everything is Only Natural

The seasons changed.

Even on the wedding day itself, the heavy dress had made Roserikta suffer silently from the intense heat. Her face had flushed bright red as she breathed in short, heavy gasps. Fortunately, Kalart had noticed her distress and pressured the priest to hurry, preventing the disaster of her collapsing right in the middle of their marriage vows.

[Roserikta] "Ugh, that day was exhausting."

She lifted the feather fan resting on her belly and began to wave it lazily back and forth across her face. It brought a little relief, but she couldn't keep it up for long. Her arm grew numb almost immediately.

[Roserikta] "Ah…… tired again already."

She set the fan down. This time, however, she chose a bad spot.

Slip…… thud.

[Roserikta] "Oh, no!"

The fan fell directly to her feet. She pouted.

[Roserikta] "Now that it fell, I can't even pick it up……."

With her heavily swollen belly, bending down far enough for her hand to touch the ground was entirely out of the question. She wiggled her toes, trying desperately to somehow flip the fan back up.

[Roserikta] "Sigh…… I should have just stayed in my room."

Only now did she regret her stubbornness from earlier that morning, when she had gritted her teeth and insisted on coming out to the garden for a walk. To make matters worse, she had resolutely walked quite a distance. Now, her strength had vanished completely, leaving her unable to return right away.

[Roserikta] "This is all his fault."

She vented her frustration for no good reason.

[Roserikta] "Forbidding me from doing this and that."

Taking a walk alone was just one of the many things he now strictly prohibited. Ever since the wedding day, when she had nearly fainted from shortness of breath, Kalart had become incomparably overprotective. To him, Roserikta was a person who must absolutely never do anything unsupervised.

Elona and the Head Maid enthusiastically enforced Kalart's wishes. Having people hover around twenty-four hours a day was bearable for a few days, but it quickly became stifling. Even though she knew everyone was working hard entirely out of concern for her, she felt drained, so she had slipped out alone for a walk without saying a word.

She only managed to pull this off because the Council of Nobles met today. Kalart had been tied up in the assembly hall since early morning.

Roserikta resolved to enjoy her rare moment of solitude. The weather was hot, but the garden of Kiriyen Castle became exceptionally beautiful during this season. Flourishing flowering trees blended brilliantly with the deep green leaves.

[Roserikta] "Still, it feels wonderful to be outside. I used to view this from the terrace."

After all, a witch required rest spent in the forest. Walking all the way to the woods was too far, so she would have to settle for resting in a similar garden.

She closed her eyes, visualizing the forest in her mind. Soon, her lips parted gently, and a song of the forest flowed out. But her peace lasted only a moment.

[Roserikta] "Ugh, the sun is blazing."

She stopped singing as beads of sweat rolled down her skin. The more she sat there, the more she missed her fan. The fan, adorned with feathers at the edge, was remarkably light yet exceptionally large when unfolded, making it absolutely perfect for blocking the sun.

I really must pick up that fan.

She scanned her surroundings swiftly.

No one is around, right? That means I can use magic, right?

Unlike her official pet, the fairy cat Clobellina, she appeared as an ordinary human to most palace servants, except for a select few. She had to exercise extreme caution whenever she performed magic.

[Roserikta] "No one, no one, absolutely no one……."

She extended her hand slightly toward the fan, but a sudden sound of unfamiliar footsteps caught her ear.

[Roserikta] "……!"

She cancelled her magic instantly. The fan, which had levitated slightly, dropped straight back onto the ground.

[Roserikta] "Oh, what a scare."

Startled, she turned her head toward the noise, and a figure approached her. It was someone she had never seen before.

[Noble] "Ah…… are you perhaps Her Imperial Highness, the Crown Princess?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. And who might you be?"

Since the man had gained entry to the imperial palace, his identity was likely secure, yet his unfamiliar face made her slightly wary. He wore no flashy jewelry, but his high-quality attire clearly marked him as a nobleman. His sharp, symmetrical features left a quite favorable impression, making him undeniably handsome.

[Noble] "His Highness claimed he fell in love with your singing……."

Instead of stating his name, the young man creased his brow slightly.

[Noble] "And it was the absolute truth."

He had clearly overheard the song of the forest.

Hmm…… this isn't good.

If a person heard her quiet, solitary song and found himself drawn directly to her, it meant he suffered from an ailment that required healing.

[Roserikta] "I heard such rumors circulating in the capital, but they aren't entirely accurate. But who did you say you were?"

The young man bent one knee, lowering himself onto the grass beneath the bench where Roserikta sat. Before she could wonder what he was doing, he picked up the fallen fan and offered it to her with a polite gesture.

[Rayden] "I am Rayden of the Iveton Grand Duchy. It is an honor to meet the legendary Crown Princess."

She extended her hand without thinking to accept the fan, but Lord Rayden grasped it first and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand.

Mmm. I've a bad feeling about this.

Roserikta, who had grown somewhat accustomed to imperial etiquette, hesitated to pull her hand away abruptly. As her fingers twitched, an entirely unfortunate event occurred.

[Kalart] "What do you think you are doing there?"

Kalart arrived. This was bad.

Roserikta rolled her heat-weary eyes.

This man named Rayden, who came from Iveton, was Princess Aika's half-brother.

Why do these siblings take turns visiting our home?

He would probably claim it involved some diplomatic matter or another, but Roserikta lacked any interest in such affairs.

[Kalart] "Why are you out in the garden at this hour without a single maid? And with……."

Kalart lengthened his stride, closing the distance between them in an instant. An observer would have assumed he used magic.

[Kalart] "Someone you barely even know."

His tone sounded calm on the surface, but Roserikta knew better. His dark eyes flashed with an intense blue glare, fixed entirely on the back of her hand where Rayden had just pressed his lips.

Is he furious? He must be.

[Roserikta] "We weren't walking together; we just crossed paths by chance. We literally just introduced ourselves."

[Kalart] "That is a highly unnecessary coincidence."

What nonsense. Could he even say things like that? Wasn't that a diplomatic insult?

[Roserikta] "I dropped my fan. The young lord was kind enough to pick it up for me."

[Kalart] "Is that so?"

Only then did his sharp, dark gaze shift toward the fan held in Lord Rayden's hand.

[Kalart] "I offer my gratitude on behalf of my wife."

Kalart extended his hand toward Rayden. The gesture demanded that he hand over the fan without another word.

Rayden narrowed his handsome eyes for a fraction of a second before placing the fan into Kalart's hand, realizing he had no choice.

Instead of returning the fan to Roserikta, Kalart held onto it and turned his body completely toward her. He bent down, bringing his face level with hers.

[Kalart] "Traveling this far alone during your condition is a reckless act. That is exactly why you end up exchanging words with people you don't even know."

Wow, seriously. What is he talking about?

So he was basically telling her to stop wandering around and stay confined to her bedroom?

[Roserikta] "I told you, he just picked up my fan."

[Kalart] "If you hadn't come outside, you wouldn't have dropped your fan, and an irrelevant stranger wouldn't have needed to pick it up for you, would he?"

His tone remained sweet and gentle, but the underlying message was completely different. At least, that was how it felt to Roserikta. A sudden wave of sorrow rushed over her.

[Roserikta] "He! Picked up! My fan! Because I couldn't!"

She shouted fiercely, causing Kalart's shoulders to stiffen in surprise.

[Roserikta] "I can't reach the ground! I can't just bend over carelessly!"

This was the second reason she had snuck out for a walk alone. As her due date approached, countless daily tasks became an immense struggle.

First of all, walking made her feel as if her back was breaking. She had to support her lower back with both hands to maintain her balance, causing her to waddle with every step. She needed to use the restroom constantly, her feet throbbed with pain after walking even a short distance, and she couldn't even put on her own shoes.

Elona assisted her with washing her face every time. That much was fine, but asking someone to trim her toenails felt deeply embarrassing. Although she used magic occasionally, even that proved difficult at times. Above all, channeling mana left her utterly ravenous.

The real issue was that her digestion had slowed significantly since her pregnancy. Even eating half her usual portion left her stomach feeling bloated and made breathing difficult. Yet, for the sake of the baby, she couldn't take digestive medicine every single time.

She was generally doing well, but whenever she struggled with such simple tasks, a sudden wave of sorrow would engulf her. People always said that pregnancy brought extreme emotional swings and made self-control difficult, but that was an understatement. One moment she felt blissfully happy, and the next, she felt completely broken.

Moreover, if she wept for no clear reason, everyone around her would panic, so she couldn't even grieve freely. The inability to cry whenever she wanted only added to her misery.

This was all Kalart's fault. She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but regardless, he was to blame.

[Roserikta] "Even when I force myself to look down, I can only see my stomach! That's why I can't do anything the way I want! ……Sob!"

As Roserikta finally burst into tears, panic struck Kalart, and he pulled her into his arms.

[Kalart] "No, that's…… no, I am entirely wrong. Please don't cry."

[Roserikta] "Let go of me! I am extremely angry right now! Your Highness has absolutely no idea what it feels like to be unable to pick up your own fan!"

In truth, she couldn't logically explain the exact cause of her anger, but the words poured out of her mouth uncontrollably.

[Kalart] "Don't say such things. If you are angry, just vent your anger at me."

[Roserikta] "What do you mean, don't say such things? Are you implying that I don't look angry right now?"

[Kalart] "I mean, don't push me away while you vent your anger."

[Roserikta] "You are the reason I am angry, so how can you tell me not to push you away!"

Thud!

Roserikta shoved Kalart with all her might. In doing so, she nearly lost her balance and slipped from the bench.

[Kalart] "Careful."

Of course, he caught her securely before she could fall. That only added to her grief.

I can't even push this man away the way I want anymore. Ugh, this is infuriating.

[Roserikta] "This is all because of you! If you had just let me go back then, I wouldn't have to deal with this!"

Panting heavily, Roserikta forced herself up. Rising from the bench required immense effort, and she had to do it slowly. She wanted to stand up abruptly and storm away in anger, but her body refused to cooperate.

[Kalart] "Let me support you."

Watching her struggle to stand, Kalart offered his hand, which she absolutely hated.

[Roserikta] "No, thank you!"

Slap!

Roserikta smacked his hand away and took a step forward. Perhaps because she had walked for so long, a sharp pain shot through the soles of her feet. This, too, resulted from her body growing heavy with pregnancy.

I can't even walk properly anymore.

Deeply miserable, she tried to leave the area, but Lord Rayden stood directly in her path. Normally, she would have avoided him with a quick step, but now even that required too much energy.

[Roserikta] "Could you please step aside, Lord Rayden?"

[Rayden] "Ah, yes."

Stepping back a pace as if only now realizing the situation, Rayden muttered absentmindedly.

[Rayden] "Is a shouting voice normally this enchanting to hear?"

[Roserikta] "Excuse me?"

Now she felt angry at Lord Rayden as well. Instead of uttering such useless words, he should just clear the path immediately.

[Rayden] "If you permit, I shall escort you back. You may shout at me as much as you like. You can even vent all your anger on me."

[Roserikta] "What on earth……."

As she stood frozen in sheer disbelief, Kalart forced his way into the narrow space between them.

[Kalart] "Ignore his ridiculous words. The only person you should vent your anger on is me."

Hearing both men tell her to be angry only made her feel more pathetic.

I am trying my hardest to express my fury, yet these men treat it like it's nothing.

[Roserikta] "Get out of my way!"

She shoved Kalart aside and walked away. She tried to walk quickly, but her pace remained agonizingly slow, making Kalart feel incredibly anxious as he watched from behind.

---

[Roserikta] "Haa, haak…… whew, I can't walk another step."

She sank onto the grass halfway back. She was out of breath, and her feet throbbed with pain. She wanted to slip her shoes off for a moment, but even that task required too much effort.

[Roserikta] "Ah, so hot. Why is the sun so incredibly bright today?"

Sitting on the open lawn without a single patch of shade, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her frantic breathing. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her face.

[Roserikta] "……."

Even without opening her eyes, she recognized what had occurred. A gentle, fluttering breeze touched her skin, accompanied by a familiar scent.

It was Kalart. He was undoubtedly using the feather fan he had taken from Lord Rayden to cast a shadow over her. Although she knew this, she stubbornly kept her eyes closed.

[Roserikta] "……."

[Kalart] "……."

Both remained completely silent for a long while. She broke the silence first.

[Roserikta] "It's hot."

[Kalart] "……What should I do?"

[Roserikta] "Fan me."

His response came with a slight delay. It was the time it took for Kalart to let go of his anxiety and let out a quiet laugh.

[Kalart] "With absolute pleasure."

A gentle breeze from the feather fan drifted over her face. With that cool air, the sorrow that had built up inside her began to melt away bit by bit.

[Roserikta] "You know, I……."

[Kalart] "Yes."

[Roserikta] "I am absolutely not the type of person who gets angry and screams for no good reason……."

[Kalart] "I know."

[Roserikta] "So Your Highness shouldn't react to every single thing I do…… and you shouldn't feel hurt by it either."

[Kalart] "I know."

[Roserikta] "They say this always happens when a woman carries a child."

[Kalart] "It is only natural."

[Roserikta] "……."

What do you know, he already understood everything.

[Roserikta] "That's a relief."

She whispered and opened her eyes. She met the gaze of Kalart, who had bent over completely to provide a larger shadow for her.

She curved her eyes into a smile, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, and he pressed a swift kiss against them.

It was an ordinary day filled with overwhelming affection, just shortly before their child entered the world.