TWFLLYM Ch 2
- Jan 23
- 9 min read
Like a Glass Slipper
[Clobell] "Are you really doing this to me?"
She stared at Roserikta, her two eyes brimming with a damp, resentful glow.
Of course, the look had no effect. Roserikta lifted her teacup, pretending not to notice, and spoke sternly.
[Roserikta] “You don’t have time to play around. If you keep this up, even staying up all night won't be enough to finish.”
[Clobell] “Do you think this is reasonable? Use your eyes and take a look. When am I supposed to pick all of these up, grain by grain? And with cat paws, no less!”
She let out an aggressive huff of breath, pointing toward the Axaca powder scattered across the basement floor.
This was the punishment given to her for her attempt at running away the day before. She had to return every single speck of the Axaca powder she had spilled back into its bottle.
[Roserikta] “There will be no food until you finish your punishment.”
She immediately flared up and shouted.
[Clobell] “What? Where is the justice in that! Are you telling me to starve to death while I work?”
[Roserikta] “Then just do it quickly.”
[Clobell] “Listen to her talk nonsense to a cat. Is this the kind of job that can even be done quickly?”
She kept meowing her protests, but realizing that her complaints weren't working, she crept over to Roserikta’s side to try a different tactic.
[Clobell] “Meow... Come on. Can't you just let it slide this once? I came back anyway, didn't I? Even if I did try to run away.”
Roserikta forced herself to remain cold and pushed her away.
[Roserikta] “That’s only because I went to find you. If I hadn't, wouldn't you have tried to settle down there?”
[Clobell] “Well... I mean, I was planning to come back after getting a decent fill of food. Am I a fool? You’re my witch, and I’m your cat. Where else would I go?”
Roserikta didn't respond, only letting out a short, dismissive snort.
In reality, the teacup in her hand trembled slightly. She had been frightened—terrified that Clobellina actually wanted to leave her, and that she would be left all alone once again.
Because of that fear, she couldn't forgive the cat so easily. She had to scold her thoroughly so the thought of running away would never cross her mind again.
[Roserikta] “Go back and finish your punishment. I’m not letting this slide.”
[Clobell] “...Witches are so heartless. Fine.”
Realizing her flattery was useless, Clobellina trudged back to her spot and began sluggishly picking up the Axaca powder.
Roserikta pretended to drain her teacup while keeping a sharp eye on whether Clobellina was actually serving her sentence.
[Roserikta] “...Wait.”
Something felt off.
[Roserikta] “Clobell. Shake your head.”
[Clobell] “Huh? Wh-why all of a sudden?”
Clobellina’s spine went stiff with panic.
[Roserikta] “Do it now.”
[Clobell] “No, why would I...”
She began to back away hesitantly. Roserikta set her teacup down with a sharp clack and glared at her with a terrifyingly stern gaze.
[Roserikta] “Clobellina. Cat of the Witch.”
[Clobell] “Ugh... Are we really doing this?”
Whenever Roserikta used her full name, she couldn't move an inch.
[Roserikta] “Follow the instructions of your contractor.”
If a familiar did not follow the instructions of its witch, it would lose its ability to use magic and its ability to speak the human tongue. In other words, they would return to being an ordinary cat—something Clobellina absolutely did not want.
[Clobell] “Ugh...”
Clobellina reluctantly shook her head.
However, it was silent.
There should have been the clear jingle-jingle of a bell, but no sound came at all. Of course, she had gained so much weight lately that the bell was almost buried in her neck fat, making it hard to hear normally, but the total absence of sound meant only one thing: the collar was gone.
[Roserikta] “What did you do with the necklace?”
Her voice was low and calm. To those who knew her, this calm tone was far scarier than screaming. It meant she was about to be angry in a very rational, cold way.
[Clobell] “Well... you see...”
A necklace worn by a witch's cat was no ordinary trinket. It was an item imbued with mana; it would never come off on its own unless the cat willed it.
[Clobell] “I left it there on purpose.”
[Roserikta] “...What?”
She took a sharp breath in disbelief before asking again.
[Roserikta] “You did what?”
[Clobell] “I took it off and left it behind.”
[Roserikta] “Why?”
[Clobell] “So he could find me.”
Clobellina wagged her tail awkwardly and looked away. It was painfully obvious that she wanted to bolt right that second, but she stayed put only because she knew Roserikta’s wrath would be ten times worse if she fled.
[Roserikta] “Who? So who could find you?”
[Clobell] “Who else? That Crown Prince guy.”
To Roserikta, who had no idea what had happened at the banquet, the mention of the Crown Prince felt incredibly foreign.
[Roserikta] “The Crown Prince? You mean Crown Prince Kalart? The one everyone calls a living statue?”
Rumors about the Crown Prince were endless. Although she had little interest in high-society gossip, the one thing she knew was that he was a very strange man. People said that while his appearance was as beautiful as a cold marble statue, he was a man entirely devoid of warmth.
[Roserikta] “Why would a man like him see a necklace and come looking for you?”
[Clobell] “Well... obviously because he fell for me.”
[Roserikta] “He fell for you?”
[Clobell] “I mean... I am quite charming, after all...”
Roserikta’s gaze became even calmer. It was so calm it felt frigid.
[Roserikta] “Clobell. Tell me the truth. What did you do? Why would the 'Statue Prince' fall for you?”
[Clobell] “Well... if I'm honest... you won't get angry, right?”
It was too late to escape. She purred nervously, looking up at Roserikta with wide, round eyes.
[Roserikta] “I’ll listen first, then I’ll judge. What did you do?”
[Clobell] “So... a while ago, I was rummaging around looking for hidden snacks, and I might have found something in the basement storage closet.”
[Roserikta] “The basement closet? You mean Grandmother’s closet?”
She swallowed hard and nodded.
[Clobell] “That’s the one.”
[Roserikta] “What did you find there?”
[Clobell] “You know... that pink potion in the bottle...”
[Roserikta] “What?”
Her voice turned sharp. Her face instantly went pale.
Oh, heavens.
[Roserikta] “Are you... are you talking about the Love Potion? You used that? On the Crown Prince?”
[Clobell] “It worked really well! It looked like he was ready to give me anything just at the wave of my paw. I could have eaten things much better than that stupid roasted pork—Meow!”
She let out a sudden yelp as Roserikta grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her up.
[Roserikta] “Clobell! Are you out of your mind? How could you even think of using that!”
[Clobell] “Meow! Put me down before you talk! It was there, so I used it. What other reason do I need? If the potion worked, great. If not, whatever. I just thought it would be nice for both of us to live a more comfortable life...”
[Roserikta] “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!”
In her sheer panic, Roserikta screamed.
There were different types of magic. Among them, the most dangerous was magic that targeted the human heart. The human heart was something fluid, irregular, and incomprehensible. One could never guarantee the outcome.
A love potion could make someone fall in love with a specific target. However, the form that love took varied from person to person. To one, it might be an impossibly sweet emotion; to another, it could turn into a hatred that surpassed affection, or perhaps an obsessive desire for possession.
The history of scandals caused by love potions was endless, as were the lives ruined by them.
Humans and witches belonged to different worlds, yet they had to coexist. Any harm caused to humans by a witch’s potion would inevitably return as a threat to all witches. Eventually, love potions became taboo among their kind.
Her grandmother, who had been a pharmacist, likely hid that potion deep in the basement for the same reason. Even though she was skilled in magic and herbs, she kept the taboo.
[Roserikta] “There isn't even an antidote for that! And you fed it to the Crown Prince...”
Feeling dizzy, Roserikta slumped down onto the floor. How was she supposed to fix this?
Since it was a potion made by her grandmother, there was no way it would be ineffective. The Crown Prince had undoubtedly fallen in love with Clobellina.
The problem was how he would love a witch's cat. She couldn't even begin to guess what a man with that much power would do to find a missing cat, or how far he would go.
He might send men to seize the cat. Although a witch and her cat were bound by fate, Clobellina might be stolen away.
[Roserikta] “...This won't do.”
She muttered with a deep furrow in her brow before suddenly standing up.
[Clobell] “Huh? Where are you going?”
[Roserikta] “We have to run away. Before the Crown Prince finds us.”
The worst-case scenario was the world finding out the Crown Prince had consumed a forbidden witch’s potion. It wasn't an impossible theory.
If they found Roserikta using Clobellina’s collar as a clue, they would discover she was a pharmacist, and then they might suspect the Prince's strange behavior was due to a drug.
[Roserikta] “...Then it’s all over.”
It would be the end of Versaryl Pharmacy, which had stood since her grandmother's grandmother's time. She would be executed for the crime of harming the Imperial family. And it might not stop there; a bloody witch hunt might sweep through the entire Empire.
[Clobell] “What do you mean 'it's all over'? Why are you being so bleak? Isn't it a good thing if the Prince falls for me? Let's use this chance to change our luck. First, let's ask him to move us from this old house to a better place—Meow!”
Clobellina jumped as she yanked her ear.
[Roserikta] “Stop talking nonsense and pack your bags. No, you don't even have bags. Just pick up all that Axaca powder. As soon as that's handled, we're leaving.”
[Clobell] “What? Are you crazy? Where would we go!”
[Roserikta] “Anywhere. Far away. I heard the mushrooms in the Adilbahn Mountains are quite good; maybe there.”
[Clobell] “What about the pharmacy! What about the shop!”
[Roserikta] “It's closing for a while.”
[Clobell] “No, I think you're misunderstanding something. That Prince guy wasn't such a bad person. Most of all, judging by how he treated me, I saw the potential for him to be a total pushover.”
[Roserikta] “Will you please shut your mouth, Clobell?”
She dragged Clobellina by her ear and set her back down in front of the Axaca powder.
[Roserikta] “I’ll be packing, so pick it up quickly. Don't miss a single grain.”
[Clobell] “No, no matter how much I think about it, you're overreacting. Listen to me. That Prince guy...”
Slam!
Instead of listening, she slammed the door shut. She had to escape. No matter how much she thought about it, that was the easiest and fastest solution.
[Roserikta] “They say he’s a heartless man, so maybe his 'love' won't be much. Maybe it'll just be a brief flutter in his heart. Please, let it be that.”
She prayed that his love would not blossom into obsession.
She closed her eyes for a moment and made a wish to the moon that would rise tonight. She prayed for everyone's safety—both human and witch.
But it was too late.
Tinkle!
Just as she was about to hang the "Closed" sign and begin packing in earnest, the clear sound of the shop's bell rang out.
[Guard] “If anyone is inside, come out. His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, has business here.”
Unfortunately, the Prince's arrival was much faster than she had feared.
They were all tall. They wore identical dark-red cloaks. The swords fastened to their waists struck their thighs in rhythm with their steps. It was the Imperial Guard she had only ever heard stories about.
Roserikta recognized the man standing in the center. He was the man who had chased Clobellina all the way to the garden last night. If she had been even a moment later, she wouldn't have been able to bring Clobellina home.
So that man was the Crown Prince...
She stared at his face like a witch possessed by moonlight.
He had beautiful silver hair that looked as if the Milky Way had descended upon him. Beneath it, his pitch-black eyes were as mysterious as the night sky.
In crafting this man's features, God must not have allowed a single mistake. He looked like a masterpiece carved from stone. One would have to add the word "perfect" before describing him.
Looking at his ideal, square shoulders and long, straight limbs, she felt like sighing. She wondered if it was even possible for a human to look like that.
However, there was another reason why the man drew the eyes of others so mercilessly besides his absurdly handsome face. It was his aura—his sheer presence.
The air surrounding him seemed different from that of ordinary people. He possessed a beauty that made it impossible to look away, yet a weight of authority that made it impossible to stare.
Step.
As their eyes met, Kalart took a step forward.
[Roserikta] “Y-Your Imperial Highness...”
She finally snapped to her senses, politely clutching her skirt and bowing low.
On the surface, she appeared to be following Imperial etiquette perfectly, but in reality, she was desperately racking her brain.
What do I do?
He was fast—far too fast. She had brought Clobellina back around midnight, and by this morning, the Prince had already found where she lived. Not only that, he had come in person.
Stay calm. First, I have to send him away somehow. Then I can use magic to disappear.
It was a pity to close the pharmacy for a while, but she was in no position to worry about that now.
While a million thoughts raced through her head, the Prince’s voice reached her.
[Kalart] “I have come to collect my cat.”
[Roserikta] “...”
Ah... of course.
[Kalart] “Where is Clobellina?”
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