TWFLLYM Ch 19
- Feb 8
- 9 min read
The Person to Forget (1)
His kisses grew more intense by the second.
Panic flared within her. She knew she should stop him, yet the words remained trapped in her throat.
[Kalart] "I am afraid. I fear that one day, I will lose control and do exactly that."
[Roserikta] "......"
He pulled his lips away. Instead of releasing her, he tugged at her wrist, pulling her closer. Her frozen body was dragged toward him without resistance. The distance between them, already dangerously narrow, vanished entirely. If she tilted her head a mere fraction, their lips would brush.
[Kalart] "If my gift pleased you, may I kiss you?"
[Roserikta] "Pardon?"
Her lips, which she thought had turned to stone, parted in a gasp.
A kiss. She wondered if she had misheard him.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness......?"
She had heard correctly.
His expression remained undeniably grave.
[Kalart] "I know I am clumsy. There is likely a better way to do this. But these emotions and desires are new to me. I don't know what they are. I can think of nothing else except to ask for your permission with all my heart."
[Roserikta] "That is......"
[Kalart] "Right now, I want to kiss you. No, I have wanted to for a long time."
Her mind mirrored the chaos of the hazy pink space surrounding them.
Was this the effect of the Love Potion? Since Clobell, the object of the potion, was a cat, did the sexual tension redirect itself toward the nearest human?
[Roserikta] "I......"
Rejection was the only logical answer. His desire was a lie—a counterfeit emotion manufactured by a magical substance. Once he consumed the antidote, these feelings would shatter like glass.
But therein lay the problem. Because the potion had created this fake affection, the responsibility rested entirely on her shoulders.
[Kalart] "Is it not allowed?"
His voice dropped an octave. He sounded like a man coaxing, pleading, or perhaps even seducing. His claim of being "clumsy" felt like a lie; with a mere shift in his tone, he could lure anyone into his grasp.
Guilt rippled through her. She felt a pang of pity for him. The Crown Prince, caught in the web of a fake emotion, suffered a desperate longing for someone he shouldn't even look at.
It's my fault. No, it was Clobell's fault, but ultimately, that meant it was hers.
What should I do?
If she turned him away now, her heart would ache as much as his seemed to.
[Roserikta] "If you...... promise me just one thing."
Her eyelashes fluttered as she spoke. Her heart trembled even more violently. This was a difficult answer to give.
[Kalart] "What is it?"
[Roserikta] "Tell me this will be the last time. Say you will never ask this of me again."
One apology was enough. Feeling pity for him and wanting to give him everything was a path she could only walk once. A second time would be too late. She wouldn't be able to handle the consequences. Just once. Just once before she finished the antidote.
She looked at him through her trembling lashes.
[Roserikta] "Then you may, Your Highness."
His face stiffened. A long silence stretched between them before he spoke again.
[Kalart] "......May I ask why?"
[Roserikta] "Because if it only happens once, it will be easier to forget. For me, and for you."
[Kalart] "......"
His gaze lingered on her lips for a long time. As the seconds ticked by, his thirst seemed to intensify. He licked his lips like a man wandering in a desert. The sound of him swallowing reached her ears, sharp and dry.
[Kalart] "Then that is a rejection."
His voice sounded parched, as if it might crack.
[Kalart] "In that case, I will not trouble you."
With those words, he stood up. His warmth, which had been heating the skin of her neck only moments ago, vanished instantly.
[Roserikta] "......Thank you, Your Highness."
The heavy knot of emotion sank to the bottom of her heart. She couldn't tell if the sensation was relief or regret.
In the meantime, the sunset faded, and the lake surrendered to the black void of night. It was time to return to the Imperial Palace.
[Clobell] "Yawn. You're finally back?"
It was nearly midnight by the time Roserikta returned to the Crown Princess's bedroom.
Clobellina, who had been snoring in the center of the bed, opened one bleary eye at the sound of the door.
[Roserikta] "Yes, Clobell."
[Clobell] "Where on earth were you?"
After a series of yawns and a long stretch, she hopped off the bed and trotted to Roserikta's feet.
[Clobell] "Weren't you just going to deliver some medicine?"
[Roserikta] "Yes. But His Highness was far away."
[Clobell] "Far away where?"
[Roserikta] "I don't even know. He said it was an Imperial estate."
[Clobell] "Hmph. That guy has no conscience. A little blood on his finger is no big deal, yet he makes a busy person travel all that way."
[Roserikta] "No, it wasn't like that."
She sat on the floor and pulled the cat into her lap. As she stroked the cat's round head, Clobellina began to purr and closed her eyes.
[Clobell] "If it wasn't that, then what?"
[Roserikta] "He called me there to give me a gift."
[Clobell] "A gift? A real gift?"
Her eyes snapped open. She began to scan Roserikta's hands back and forth.
[Clobell] "What did he give you? Why are your hands empty?"
[Roserikta] "He showed me something very beautiful. There is a grove of Lumar trees on the estate. In the middle, there is a lake......"
The mist had made it look ethereal. He said he brought her there just to see it. At sunset, the lake and the sky had turned a vibrant pink.
[Clobell] "Yawn. Is that all? If it was a Lumar tree, you should have collected the dew. You can sell that for a high price as a beauty treatment."
She yawned, showing no interest. It was the typical attitude of a shrewd and realistic witch's cat.
Roserikta laughed and tugged on her tail.
[Roserikta] "It was genuinely beautiful."
[Clobell] "Forget it. Does 'beautiful' provide a meal or gold? Just wash up and make the antidote. Didn't you say you'd stay up all night researching starting today?"
[Roserikta] "Ah, right. I should. I'll go wash my face."
[Clobell] "Go ahead. I'm going to sleep."
She hopped back onto the bed.
As Roserikta prepared to wash, listening to the rhythmic purring, she whispered to herself.
[Roserikta] "And Clobell...... he said he wanted to."
To kiss her. She had refused out of fear.
[Roserikta] "......I don't know."
She wondered if that had been a rejection. Perhaps, instead of saying "one time is enough," she had actually wanted to say "if only for one time." The thought hung heavy in her mind, like a stone tied to her heart.
[Roserikta] "......No, what am I thinking?"
She shook her head vigorously. This was all because the Crown Prince, despite his claims of being clumsy, was naturally gifted at seduction. He looked so sorrowful and desperate that she almost tricked herself into believing he wanted her with his entire soul.
[Roserikta] "Get it together. What am I supposed to do if I lose my head? I am the one who has to make the antidote."
She had sworn it. She would never fall for him.
After washing and changing her clothes, she rubbed her heavy eyelids and opened her recipe book.
She wanted to finish the antidote as quickly as possible. Otherwise, she feared she would fall for the lie created by the Love Potion.
Several days passed.
She had plenty of time to research the antidote. In other words, Kalart had not sought her out.
[Roserikta] "I need a sapphire. A huge one."
Thud.
It was the fourth day of her being holed up in the bedroom studying the recipe.
She set down her fast-moving pen, her face flushed with excitement. She had found a clue.
Her plan involved neutralizing her grandmother's ingredients with substances of opposite properties, but some were dangerous if mixed carelessly. They could become lethal toxins.
She wondered if she could use a sapphire to draw out the toxicity beforehand. However, the ingredients were volatile, so she needed to run experiments to confirm the stability.
That was the problem. Finding a large sapphire wouldn't be easy. Setting aside the cost, such large gems were only traded among the nobility. As a commoner, she couldn't even find a place to buy one.
[Clobell] "You need a sapphire?"
Clobellina, who had been dozing by the window, approached her.
The cat had been full of complaints for the past few days. For some reason, the Crown Prince hadn't shown his face, and Roserikta was too absorbed in her research to pay her any attention.
[Clobell] "Can you make the antidote if you have that?"
[Roserikta] "I can't guarantee it, but I can try. It's the most promising method right now."
[Clobell] "Then it can't be helped. Go buy one. But do you even have the money?"
Roserikta laughed at the absurdity.
[Roserikta] "How could I have that much money? What do you think gems are? Even if I sold every medicine left in the pharmacy, I couldn't afford a sapphire."
[Clobell] "Then what?"
[Roserikta] "It's a human object, but since I can't get it the human way, I'll have to use the witch way."
[Clobell] "Heh. Are you talking about stealing?"
[Roserikta] "It's not exactly stealing. I'll just use it for a bit and put it back."
She snorted.
[Clobell] "Isn't that the same thing? If you take it without a word, it's theft."
[Roserikta] "It's different. I told you, I'll return it. First, I need to find out where a suitable sapphire is located."
[Clobell] "Are you going to use the powder?"
[Roserikta] "Yes. Keep watch for me. His Highness might call for me."
She flicked her tail irritably.
[Clobell] "But listen. Do we really have to give him the antidote? Don't you think he's already fine?"
[Roserikta] "Pardon? What do you mean?"
Roserikta, who was opening the wooden trunk hidden under the bed to find the Axaca powder, stopped.
[Clobell] "Isn't he cured? I haven't seen his face in four days. I've been stuck in this bedroom for four days because of it."
[Roserikta] "......What?"
She paused her search, looking skeptical.
[Roserikta] "Has it been four days?"
[Clobell] "You've lost your mind again. Did you not even know the dates were passing? I could tell four days passed just by counting the meals I've eaten."
[Roserikta] "Ah...... I had no idea."
Her bad habit had resurfaced. When she focused too much on a recipe, she often forgot her surroundings. On the outside, she ate when told and answered questions, but her mind was in another world.
[Clobell] "Tsk, tsk. Typical you. At least it was short this time."
[Roserikta] "Right. Four days is decent for completing a stage of research. Did anything happen while I was under?"
[Clobell] "Didn't you hear me? Nothing happened, and that's the problem. I think he's cured. Shouldn't we check that before you go through the trouble of making an antidote?"
[Roserikta] "I doubt that's the case......"
She muttered to herself.
As far as she knew, his condition was only becoming more severe. The "love at first sight" had evolved into a desperate sexual tension, making it seem like the target had changed.
In truth, she couldn't know for sure, but she firmly believed his desire for a kiss was driven by the Love Potion.
[Roserikta] "Still, if he hasn't sought you out for four days, there might be a change in symptoms. I should check on him first, as you suggested."
[Clobell] "Exactly. But if he doesn't call for us, we won't see him at all. How do you plan to do it?"
[Roserikta] "I'll have to think of a way."
Meeting him within his palace—it seemed easy, yet if the Prince intended to avoid her, it would be incredibly difficult.
Fortunately, she knew a place within the palace where he often went to be alone.
[Eaton] "Your Highness. You must come out now. You have been in there too long."
Only two people remained in the spacious bathroom of the annex: Kalart and Eaton.
Kalart sat in an ice-cold bath, wearing only a towel around his waist. Eaton paced back and forth, unable to watch any longer.
[Kalart] "I am fine."
[Eaton] "No. Your lips have turned blue......"
For four days, the Crown Prince had immersed his naked body in this freezing water every single day.
It was an irreverent observation, but even a man as stubborn and slow as Eaton couldn't fail to notice that something was wrong with the Prince's state of mind.
It all started after the trip to Hallion Lake, following Arad's advice.
On the ride there, the Prince had been in an uncharacteristically good mood. He had ridden so fast that Eaton felt as if his pelvis would split just trying to keep up.
[Kalart] "The cold brings me back to my senses."
[Eaton] "Senses......? What was it like before, then?"
Eaton's face darkened with worry.
[Kalart] "I can't stop thinking about it."
Kalart's lips twisted. Seeing that expression, Eaton felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
[Eaton] "Thinking about...... what, Your Highness?"
[Kalart] "The command to end it with one time."
[Eaton] "Pardon?"
[Kalart] "That it would be easier to forget that way."
[Eaton] "......"
Eaton broke into a cold sweat standing beside the bone-chilling bath. He had no idea what the Prince was talking about, but he could sense it was a grave problem. It was agonizing.
[Kalart] "Does that mean she is someone I must forget?"
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