TWFLLYM Ch 15
- Feb 3
- 9 min read
Misunderstanding
After finishing her preparations, Roserikta immediately threw herself into the task of making the burn ointment.
Since she had all the necessary ingredients, only the process of simmering and mixing remained.
There was just one problem: she couldn't hang a pot over the fireplace here as she would back at her pharmacy. It would look far too suspicious.
Left with no choice, she used Axaca powder to bypass the long simmering process.
Clobellina, watching from the side, clicked her tongue.
[Clobell] "Aren't you being a bit reckless? Axaca powder doesn't just fall from the sky."
[Roserikta] "Hush, Clobell. I know that. But what else can I do?"
[Clobell] "Tsk, tsk."
Thanks to the Axaca powder, the ointment was finished in no time. All that was left was to let it cool, transfer it into a wooden jar stamped with the name of Versaryl Pharmacy, and wait for it to harden.
As she had planned, the ointment already gave off a pleasant scent, mixed with the fragrance of achillea.
[Clobell] "Is it done already? That was fast."
[Roserikta] "Because I used Axaca powder."
She pouted her tiny mouth.
[Clobell] "You might as well have just healed the wound directly. You're using the powder anyway."
[Roserikta] "Don't be snide, Clobell. I have to hide my identity, so there's no other way."
She knew it was a somewhat foolish move. Her supply of Axaca powder was already dwindling. Even though she had brought a generous amount just in case, it was disappearing faster than expected. Since she didn't know how much powder would be needed for the antidote, she needed to hurry.
[Roserikta] "Now, I'm going to focus on researching the antidote. Don't disturb me. I need to concentrate."
[Clobell] "What? Already? Why don't you play with me for a bit first?"
[Roserikta] "I've suddenly developed a sense of urgency. I must finish the antidote and leave this place before the Axaca powder runs out."
[Clobell] "How many times have you said that? I don't even believe you anymore."
She had no retort. The explanation that she hadn't had time to make the antidote because of various incidents felt like a mere excuse.
[Roserikta] "So don't talk to me. I want to focus."
[Clobell] "Fine. Then should I go alone later? You can stay here by yourself."
Clobellina's suggestion was fueled by a hidden desire to go and feast on cookies in peace, but the idea caught her interest.
[Roserikta] "Oh, will you? Can you really do that?"
[Clobell] "Why not? I just have to go there and let them hold me. You stay here and make your antidote comfortably."
Just then, a polite knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock.
[Roserikta] "Ah, the knight must be here."
She quickly covered her recipe book with a sheet of white paper, stood up, and opened the bedroom door.
[Guard] "I have come to collect the cat by His Highness' command."
Just as expected, a royal guard stood there. However, something was a bit strange. It wasn't Arad; instead, it was a knight slightly shorter than him, wearing a black cloth that covered his face from the nose down to the chin.
Unbeknownst to Roserikta, this was the result of Eaton's desperate attempt to follow Kalart's order—to choose the shortest and ugliest man in the Royal Guard. The knight was naturally bewildered by the situation.
[Roserikta] "Yes. I was already getting her ready. But why are you covering your face, Sir Knight?"
The knight's brow furrowed slightly behind the cloth.
[Guard] "I was told it was an order from His Highness."
[Roserikta] "To cover your face?"
[Guard] "I don't know the details. I am simply following orders."
[Roserikta] "Ah, I see."
She scooped up Clobellina, who had trotted over to the door, and handed her to the knight.
[Roserikta] "Here. You can just hold her like this."
The knight raised an eyebrow in surprise.
[Guard] "I am the one to hold her?"
[Roserikta] "Yes. His Highness asked for the cat, didn't he? That means he didn't summon me, right?"
[Guard] "Ah...... I suppose so."
The knight, who had mindlessly assumed the cat maid would accompany the cat, nodded and took Clobellina.
Thinking about it, the cat maid was right. Unless the Prince specifically mentioned her, a commoner couldn't just decide to visit His Highness on her own.
[Roserikta] "She'll stay quiet as long as you hold her like this."
[Guard] "Understood."
Clobellina adjusted her plump body within the knight's arms, finding a stable position.
[Clobell] "I'm off then. You focus on your antidote research."
[Roserikta] "Have a safe trip, Clobell. Please take good care of her, Sir Knight."
[Guard] "Do not worry."
The knight and Clobellina departed.
Now alone, she went to find Lady Elona to give her the burn ointment.
Since the Imperial Palace was vast, she had to use Axaca powder again to locate her. Her heart grew heavy as she watched the amount in the glass bottle decrease, but the result was worth it.
Lady Elona's beautiful smile, as she thanked her repeatedly, was payment enough for the medicine.
[Clobell] "Meow."
The sound of a cat's cry echoed through the Prince's office, which was filled with bright morning sunlight. It was a beautiful room where every corner sparkled. In the center sat a breathtaking man, leaning against his desk with his chin in his hand, and a cat at his feet.
It was a scene so picturesque it could have been a painting, but the reality was a bit different.
Clobellina, sitting at the Prince's feet, was glaring at him with a deeply dissatisfied expression.
What is wrong with this guy? Is he even a human in love?
Across from the Prince, Eaton was looking pale, wiping his forehead as he glanced back and forth between Kalart and Clobellina.
[Eaton] "Your... Your Highness. Perhaps it would be better if you sat in a chair instead of standing so uncomfortably......"
The way Kalart leaned against the desk with his arms crossed was undeniably handsome. In fact, due to his incredible proportions and height, he looked radiant in any position. However, it was surely uncomfortable for a man with such long legs to keep leaning against a desk like that.
[Clobell] "Meow!"
Why don't you listen to him? You look like you're in a terrible mood. At least change your posture.
Kalart uncrossed his arms, leaned down, and scooped Clobellina into his arms. Her fluffy belly pressed against his arm. As he felt her warm, soft, and plump body, he let out a soft murmur.
[Kalart] "I thought it was the cat I wanted to see."
[Eaton] "...Pardon, Your Highness?"
[Kalart] "Was it her voice I wanted to hear more?"
[Eaton] "Excuse me...?"
Eaton took a hesitant step back. It wasn't an intentional move, but an instinctive reaction. Unless his ears were failing him, the Prince was definitely saying he missed the cat maid.
He took the wrong potion. I'm the one who fed it to him, so why is he looking for Roserikta?
Clobellina raised a paw and tapped Kalart on the chin.
[Eaton] "You—! How dare you...!"
Eaton's eyes widened in horror, but Kalart seemed unbothered. Instead, he gently caught Clobellina's paw and looked at her with affectionate eyes.
[Kalart] "She must have wanted to touch my chin. It must be a sign that she's opening her heart to me."
No, that's not it. I did it so you'd snap out of it.
[Kalart] "Look. She's making eye contact and talking to me. I wish I could understand the language of cats."
Forget it. You're not a witch, so what are you hoping for?
Besides, you need to seriously reflect on yourself. If you took a love potion, shouldn't you act like it?
I want cookies. Order your subordinates to bake some cookies immediately. And bring some milk and honey for the tea.
She expressed her grievances quite seriously, but Kalart's mind was elsewhere. In truth, he was also feeling troubled because he couldn't understand his own behavior.
He had ordered the cat to be brought to him after breakfast. He thought it would be nice to have the cat with him while he spent the morning in his office. And the cat had come. More accurately, only the cat had come. Only then did he realize that what he had originally wanted was something else.
[Guard] "Your Highness. I have brought the cat as you commanded."
He had wanted the one saying those words to be the cat maid, not a royal guard. He had wanted her to enter quietly and sit wherever his eyes could reach, holding the cat. No, he would hold the cat himself; he had wanted her to sing to him. It didn't even have to be a song. As long as she kept talking, whether to him or to herself, it would be enough.
Her voice was always sweet and refreshing, making him feel as though he were walking through the most beautiful forest. He would close his eyes and enjoy that ceaseless voice, then reach out his hand, just like last night......
[Kalart] "......"
As his thoughts reached this point, he suddenly raised the hand that wasn't holding Clobellina. His hand moved through the air. It was a gesture similar to the one he had used last night, brushing Roserikta's forehead after laying her in bed. His hand, groping the air, then mimicked the action of grasping something.
He likely wanted to hold her cheek. To hold her cheek and very slowly feel all her warmth, as if storing it in his palm. Then, he would lean down to catch her pleasant scent, and......
[Kalart] "And......"
The image of their noses brushing surfaced in his mind. The cat maid would hold her breath, as she always did. He thought of her tightly closed lips. For some time now, he had wanted to make those lips open again. He would use his fingers to pry them apart, and when he heard her gasp for breath, he would kiss her.
[Kalart] "Ah......"
The vision of kissing the cat maid continued in his mind. The scene flowed so naturally that it felt like an inevitable progression.
[Kalart] "I wanted to kiss her."
At his final realization, a loud thud came from behind Eaton. In his constant state of recoiling, he had finally hit his head against the wall.
[Eaton] "P-Pardon, Your Highness? Kiss? Who? Who are you talking about?"
[Kalart] "I think it would be very good."
[Eaton] "Yes? What? Your Highness, a kiss? No, what exactly...?"
[Kalart] "I feel like I should."
[Eaton] "What... a kiss? No, surely, you don't mean...?"
[Kalart] "I must."
[Eaton] "Yes...? I... Your Highness...?"
Eaton couldn't even manage to ask what the Prince intended to do. It was true, then. The thought that had crossed his mind when he saw the Prince carrying the cat maid himself yesterday was true. It seemed he intended to place the cat maid in the long-vacant spot in his heart.
Eaton shook his throbbing head to dispel the racing thoughts. It wasn't the Captain of the Royal Guard's place to question the Prince's heart. His job was simply to remain faithfully by the Prince's side, just as he had always done.
[Kalart] "How does one go about kissing a woman?"
[Eaton] "That... with all due respect, are you asking me, Your Highness?"
But perhaps he should offer some advice, seeing as the Prince was asking such things.
Right. Our Prince, with a face like that, has never been in a relationship. How unfortunate…
Ah, wait. Neither have I.
He stood up straight, forcing strength into his legs, which were still shaking from the shock.
[Eaton] "Forgive me, Your Highness. I cannot answer that question."
[Kalart] "Why not?"
[Eaton] "Because... I have no knowledge of such matters, Your Highness."
I haven't even held a woman's hand in my life, Your Highness.
[Eaton] "If we search the Royal Guard, there will surely be someone who can answer that question, Your Highness. Shall I find someone?"
Kalart nodded.
[Kalart] "Yes."
[Clobell] "Meow."
Clobellina, who had been listening to the entire conversation between the Prince and the Captain, let out an exasperated cry.
Something is terribly wrong. I was only planning on eating my fill of delicious food and then leaving.
Somehow, the object of the Prince's interest had become Roserikta.
A dark premonition that leaving the Imperial Palace would become even more difficult began to fill Clobellina's small head.
We have to give him the antidote quickly. Seriously.
There seemed to be no other way.
Among the Royal Guard, Arad was unanimously chosen as the one with the most romantic experience. He was quite handsome, and his easygoing personality made him popular with the ladies. It was said that he had even been in formal relationships before joining the Royal Guard.
[Arad] "Did you call for me, Your Highness?"
He entered with a flushed face. He had clearly rushed over upon hearing that the Prince had summoned him urgently, without knowing the exact reason.
[Kalart] "I called you because I have something to ask."
[Arad] "Ah, yes, Your Highness. Please, ask me anything."
He stepped forward, his eyes sparkling. However, Kalart, who said he had something to ask, suddenly narrowed his eyes and frowned.
[Kalart] "What is that?"
[Arad] "Pardon, Your Highness?"
[Kalart] "There's a smell."
[Arad] "Oh, is it offensive?"
Flustered, he began sniffing himself. There was indeed a smell. The burn ointment Lady Elona had just applied gave off an incredibly refreshing and gentle fragrance.
Lady Elona, who had brought the ointment specifically for him and rubbed it gently onto his burn, had been so cute and lovely. Every time her hands moved, his skin and heart would tingle; he had nearly had a nosebleed from the sheer worry she showed him. In short, he felt like he was walking on clouds.
Kalart noticed it immediately. He saw that Arad was in an unnecessarily good mood, while radiating a pleasant scent he had never smelled before.
[Kalart] "What is that smell?"
[Arad] "It is the scent of the burn ointment the cat maid made, Your Highness."
He replied with a proud smile.
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