TWFLLYM Ch 17
- Feb 4
- 9 min read
Requesting a Date
Her heart hammered against her ribs with terrifying force.
Her breath grew shallow for reasons she couldn't name. Her mind was a chaotic blur; she couldn't even begin to decipher what he meant by feeling "filthy."
A part of her wanted to vanish. Another part, however, wanted to take his hand and soothe him until that foul mood dissipated.
Her lips stung as if they were on fire. Why? Why did they hurt? She hadn't even realized she was injured until he touched her. Why now?
[Roserikta] "I cannot... apply this medicine for you."
Kalart fell silent.
Around them, the knights of the Royal Guard erupted into a silent frenzy. Some of them made frantic, desperate gestures, urging her to just apply the ointment already.
She closed her eyes tight, then opened them. Her words came slowly, forced out against the frantic rhythm of her heart.
[Roserikta] "If I apply the wrong medicine and the wound becomes infected...... it would be a disaster."
[Kalart] "It is fine."
His voice dropped an octave.
[Kalart] "I will not hold you responsible for such a thing."
[Roserikta] "I don't think I would be fine with it."
Her own voice sounded foreign to her ears, sending another jolt through her chest. She had no idea what was happening.
Unfortunately, the only ones who didn't understand the situation were Kalart and Roserikta themselves. The Royal Guard had already guessed the truth from the words being exchanged—or rather, from the way the two were looking at each other.
They were staring at one another with such desperate, aching longing. It was obvious to the onlookers: His Highness had fallen for the cat maid, and she felt the same.
[Roserikta] "So...... I will make a different medicine. By tonight, at the latest."
She gripped her skirt again and bowed. A strange heat crawled up the back of her neck, and she felt a desperate need to hide it.
[Roserikta] "If Your Highness can find even a little relief from the pain with that medicine, I would be very happy."
Her voice was barely a whisper as she turned her back. According to strict etiquette, it was a move rude enough to warrant punishment, but Kalart had no intention of reprimanding her. In truth, he didn't have the mental capacity to care about protocol.
[Kalart] "......"
His mind was fixated on her parting words.
If you can find relief... I would be happy.
[Kalart] "Ah."
He winced, his hand moving to clutch his chest.
[Eaton] "Your Highness!"
Eaton, who had been watching with held breath, rushed forward in alarm.
[Eaton] "Are you unwell? Why are you suddenly clutching your chest......?"
[Kalart] "I don't know."
His hand moved more restlessly against his chest.
[Kalart] "It's throbbing. It doesn't exactly feel like pain, but...... no, it does hurt. And yet, it doesn't. It hurts, but it doesn't."
The Crown Prince, speaking words that everyone but himself understood, stopped rubbing his chest and let out a small, soft laugh.
[Kalart] "It's not pain."
Ah.
The Royal Guard let out a collective, silent sigh of realization.
Our Prince is finally...…
Some knights even had to cover their mouths to keep from blurting out their thoughts in surprise.
[Kalart] "My mood has improved. No—it has become wonderful."
His smile deepened amidst the silent exclamations of his men.
[Clobell] "What are you doing?"
She trotted over and rubbed her plump body against Roserikta's waist.
[Clobell] "Making the antidote? Did you finish the recipe?"
[Roserikta] "No."
Roserikta shook her head slightly.
[Roserikta] "I wish that were the case. The antidote is still a long way off."
Clobellina narrowed her eyes.
[Clobell] "Aren't you being too lazy? What have you been doing this whole time? It's already been days since we arrived."
It was quite a talent for Clobellina to act like a mere observer when she was the one responsible for this entire mess.
[Roserikta] "If it were that easy, it wouldn't be a forbidden drug, would it? Clobell, I think you're adorable, but I wish you'd think before you speak sometimes."
[Clobell] "Are you attacking my feline honor now? Are you insulting me?"
[Roserikta] "I'm glad you understood. Anyway, stay back. I can't have your fur flying into the mixture."
She grumbled but moved away. Three years as a pharmacy cat had taught her what was important during medicine production.
[Clobell] "What kind of medicine are you making, then?"
[Roserikta] "A puncture wound ointment."
[Clobell] "Huh? Oh, is that for the guy who got hurt?"
[Roserikta] "Hmm? You know His Highness was injured?"
[Clobell] "I saw it from the side. Ugh, it was ridiculous. It's not like someone stabbed him; he poked himself."
[Roserikta] "What do you mean?"
[Clobell] "He was holding a pen and just snapped it with his own strength. There was some blood. Everyone made a fuss, but he told them to back off."
[Roserikta] "Ah...... is that so?"
She tapped her tail against the floor.
[Clobell] "Even though he said he was fine, why are you bothering to make medicine? Have you always been this much of a pushover?"
[Roserikta] "......It's not like that."
Roserikta pulled at the corners of her lips, trying to control her expression. Usually, she was quite good at hiding her feelings, but Kalart had a way of making that talent utterly useless.
[Roserikta] "He's been taking care of us in various ways. He grants most of my requests. I'm a pharmacist, so I'm just repaying him with medicine."
[Clobell] "Good grief. It's not like a cat worrying about a mouse. Making the antidote and feeding it to him is the only way to repay him."
The cat's tone felt strangely sharp. Roserikta noticed a shift in her attitude toward the Prince.
[Roserikta] "Did something happen, Clobell?"
[Clobell] "Happen? Nothing happened."
She snorted, but that expression was pure bravado.
[Roserikta] "Something definitely happened. What is it?"
[Clobell] "Well, he's just so strange. The side effects of that drug must be severe. He suddenly starts shouting and getting angry."
[Roserikta] "Oh...... really?"
[Clobell] "Why else would he break a perfectly good pen? The boy can't control his temper. He was snapping at his subordinates over nothing, and it made my ears ache."
Roserikta's expression grew serious.
[Roserikta] "Tell me more, Clobell. Why was he angry?"
[Clobell] "Ugh, there was no reason. He just got angry all on his own and went snap."
Her tail lashed back and forth as she recalled the moment. Something had clearly bothered her.
[Clobell] "It's like I don't even exist to him anymore. At first, he was all over me, but now he doesn't even look my way. Isn't this a serious problem?"
[Roserikta] "Hmm......"
That's strange. Does lovesickness do that?
[Roserikta] "The potion was old, after all. Could the effects be fading already?"
[Clobell] "Already? Then why did we even come here?"
[Roserikta] "I can't say for sure. I'm just guessing based on what you told me."
[Clobell] "Anyway, I don't want to hang out with him anymore."
[Roserikta] "But he summons you so regularly."
[Clobell] "So what! He doesn't even give me a single crumb of a cookie!"
Roserikta let out a soft chuckle.
[Roserikta] "So your 'lack of interest' was actually about that? You asked for cookies, and he didn't understand?"
Her pupils dilated as she looked side to side.
[Clobell] "Meow! T-That's not it!"
[Roserikta] "Oh, it definitely is."
[Clobell] "N-No...... I haven't even eaten that many! It's the truth! I only had one or two!"
[Roserikta] "Right, I see. That's good. I'll have to tell him not to give you any cookies from now on."
[Clobell] "Ack! Are you really going to be like that?"
She rushed over and waved her front paws as if trying to act cute.
[Roserikta] "Be careful, Clobell. I told you I'm making medicine."
[Clobell] "Hmph. Fine. I won't do anything, so don't you dare tell him to stop giving me cookies."
[Roserikta] "Now you're negotiating with something ridiculous."
[Clobell] "Otherwise, I'll shed my fur everywhere."
[Roserikta] "Goodness, I can't believe you."
With a snort, Roserikta waved her away.
[Roserikta] "If you act like that, I won't give you the cheese I sprinkle on your vegetables sometimes."
[Clobell] "Wow, that's so petty."
[Roserikta] "So don't disturb me. I promised to have this ready by tonight."
Clobellina crinkled her nose and twitched her cheeks.
Even though she knew the cat was being unreasonable, Roserikta couldn't stop a smile from slipping through.
Whose cat is this? Oh, right, she's mine. I definitely have a problem finding this so cute.
She focused on the ointment with a faint smile.
Clobellina, still watching with a dissatisfied face, suddenly spoke up.
[Clobell] "Do you like that guy?"
[Roserikta] "What?"
She nearly jumped out of her seat, as if she had been pricked.
[Roserikta] "Me? The Crown Prince? Are you insane? What a ridiculous thing to say!"
[Clobell] "You seem to like him more than me. Have you even paid any attention to me lately? And yet, you're making medicine for a wound he himself said was nothing. You're ignoring me just to make that stuff."
[Roserikta] "......Ah, so that's what you meant."
She reflexively clutched her chest. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt dazed.
[Roserikta] "It's not like that. That's impossible."
[Clobell] "Put your hand on your heart and say that. For real?"
[Roserikta] "Liking him more than you? That's absurd. You and I share a destiny."
[Clobell] "Hmph. You only say that with your mouth."
[Roserikta] "Don't talk nonsense, Clobell. Even if I did like him, what would happen? Getting attached will only make it harder when we leave."
[Clobell] "Exactly. That's why I'm saying we should feed him the antidote and get out of here. But instead of making the antidote, you keep doing these useless things."
The warmth that had filled the room suddenly cooled.
She's right. What am I doing? I need to make the antidote.
He's someone I'll never see again. Once he takes the antidote, these feelings of his head exploding will stop.
He's just acting strange for a moment. Just like Clobell said, he's suffering because he can't control the emotions caused by the drug.
She steeled her heart.
[Roserikta] "You're right, Clobell. From today on, I'll stay up all night if I have to, just to research the antidote."
[Clobell] "Good. Now you're thinking straight."
Clobellina finally relaxed and nodded.
She looked at her cat with a small smile—a smile that felt more like a mask than an expression of joy.
[Roserikta] "I'm glad I have you, Clobell."
[Clobell] "Geez, you're just realizing that? Hurry up and finish what you're doing. I won't disturb you."
[Roserikta] "Right. Thanks, Clobell."
Her hands moved faster. The new puncture wound ointment was completed an hour later and placed into a wooden jar from Versaryl Pharmacy.
News of the medicine's completion reached Kalart shortly after via a royal guard.
[Roserikta] "Pardon?"
She received the order to bring the medicine. However, the order was strange. While delivering medicine to the Prince wasn't odd, being told to board a carriage to do so certainly was.
[Roserikta] "Why a carriage......?"
[Knight] "The place where His Highness is staying is a bit far. It would take a long time on foot."
[Roserikta] "Does that mean His Highness won't be returning to the palace for a while?"
[Guard] "That is not the case."
[Roserikta] "Then why am I......?"
It wasn't an urgent wound that required immediate treatment, and she couldn't understand why he would summon someone so far just for a simple jar of ointment.
The knight delivering the message nodded, looking as though he understood her confusion perfectly.
[Knight] "Well, you see."
[Roserikta] "Yes?"
[Knight] "I understand. It's confusing, isn't it? We felt the same way. But men are actually just pretending you didn't hear that. At any rate, His Highness desires it."
If that was His Highness' will, she had no choice.
She gathered her skirts and boarded the carriage. It was similar to the one she had ridden when she first arrived at Trifollium, yet different. Still, the radiant golden imperial crest on the door and ceiling was the same.
[Knight] "Are you inside? Then I will close the door."
Thud.
The door closed with a polite but firm sound. It was a sound that seemed to say, You must go there.
[Roserikta] "Maybe I should have brought Clobell."
She toyed with the edge of her apron, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.
[Roserikta] "Why did he summon me so far away?"
Worries began to trot into her mind like the sound of the horses' hooves.
Thud.
The carriage finally came to a halt after a two-hour journey.
Roserikta, who had been staring out the window in anxiety, realized the carriage had completely left the capital and passed through empty fields.
The Crown Prince is in a place like this? But why?
It was so hard to believe that she wondered if someone had lied to her just to kick her out of the palace.
[Knight] "We have arrived. Please step down."
[Roserikta] "......Yes."
She stepped out of the carriage with a hesitant air. However, the moment her feet touched the ground, her expression shifted.
Oh, what a beautiful place.
The vast, empty field was a lush green, embracing the season. The air was different here compared to the bustling capital. A clear, clean energy permeated her entire body.
[Knight] "It is not that way; it is this way."
She turned at the knight's words.
[Roserikta] "Ah......"
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