TWFLLYM Ch 3
- Jan 23
- 10 min read
A Strange Command
Cold. No, it was as if he lacked temperature entirely.
That was the sensation that washed over her the moment he opened his mouth. To call him a "statue" felt like an understatement.
She had expected this, but her heart still sank heavily in her chest.
As she feared, the Crown Prince had come with the sole intention of taking Clobellina away.
That cannot happen.
[Roserikta] “Your Imperial Highness.”
She spoke after swallowing a sharp breath. In that instant, the Prince's gaze wavered strangely. His eyes, which were as pitch-black as a night that swallowed all the world's light, flickered with a sudden ripple of emotion.
[Roserikta] “I am sorry, but you have come to the wrong...”
...place. I don't know any cat by that name.
That was the lie she intended to tell. She planned to flee the moment the Prince turned back.
Clack, jingle!
But before she could speak the lie, he held out the object in his hand.
[Kalart] “I have confirmed this with the one who crafted this collar. They informed me that three years ago, the owner of this pharmacy commissioned it and had the cat’s name engraved. Do not even think of lying or making excuses to me.”
The strange ripple in his eyes did not subside as he added a chilling warning.
[Kalart] “The consequences of doing so will be harsher than you can possibly imagine.”
[Roserikta] “...”
Her tongue froze. She felt a shiver run down her spine and unconsciously took a step back.
It’s no use. It won’t work.
The realization broke over her like a cold sweat. This man would never let her escape. No matter where she fled, he would hunt her down to the ends of the earth.
Wait. What time is it now?
It was morning. Yet, using only a single collar dropped by Clobellina as a clue, he had already tracked her down to Versaryl Pharmacy.
This meant he had forgotten about sleep. He had spent the entire night tracking down a craftsman capable of making such a collar and forced the truth out of them. This lightning-fast initiative was far from normal.
No one would go to such lengths just to find a cat they saw once.
It was impossible—unless they had consumed a love potion and their mind had become dangerously unstable.
She forced down her fear and met his eyes.
They were terrifyingly beautiful eyes. They were also eyes that looked frightening enough to justify the word "dreadful."
His eyes... they’re bloodshot. Grandmother’s potion is working.
And it was working in the worst way possible.
Step, step.
For every step she retreated, Kalart took two steps forward, erasing the distance. They were now so close that a single wrong move might result in her accidentally touching the royal body. Breathing became difficult. Furthermore...
This makes no sense. How can a person look like this?
Due to the absurdly close distance, she saw his face with agonizing clarity. He looked like a man who could bewitch a witch alive. She wondered if it was necessary for a human to be this handsome.
And he’s not even a witch.
Among witches, the nobler the bloodline, the more striking their outward appearance became. Setting aside the ability to handle magic or see its traces, the stronger the blood, the more beautiful the witch. If one possessed an unnaturally eye-catching appearance, there was a one-in-ten chance they were a witch. The thinner the blood, the less the beauty.
Roserikta’s appearance was quite plain. The only witch-like trait she had inherited was a beautiful voice.
The Crown Prince looks more like a witch than I do. Although, a man couldn't possibly be a witch.
Looking at a face so breathtakingly beautiful that it could be mistaken for a witch's made her mouth go dry. She swallowed hard and instinctively averted her eyes.
What should she do? Should she say the pharmacy owner was someone else?
No, then he would search the premises. That thoughtless Clobellina might even jump out and greet the Prince as if they were old friends.
And above all, he had consumed a potion that should never have been touched. As the pharmacist of Versaryl Pharmacy, could she turn a blind eye to that?
[Kalart] “Speak.”
[Roserikta] “Pardon...?”
Lost in her complicated thoughts, she jumped slightly at his voice, which dropped like a heavy stone.
She lifted her head.
[Kalart] “Say something, anything. Tell me where Clobellina is, and name the price you want in exchange for me taking her. Things of that nature.”
Roserikta snapped back to her senses. She was facing the immediate problem of whether Clobellina would be taken away or not. She had to steel his heart and respond.
[Roserikta] “I cannot do that, Your Highness.”
Her tone was quiet but firm. The terrifyingly beautiful Crown Prince did not take his eyes off her as he repeated the same command.
[Kalart] “Speak.”
He was likely demanding to know why it was impossible.
[Roserikta] “Clobellina is indeed the cat I have lived with since I was young. She is not just a cat; she is my family. Your Highness cannot take her away with a single word.”
[Kalart] “Continue.”
...What is this?
When he first entered the shop, she thought he would act like a complete tyrant who ignored everyone. Yet now, he acted as if he were willing to listen to whatever she had to say.
This man is strange.
[Roserikta] “I am a commoner with no status other than being a citizen of the Empire, but I know that even a member of the Imperial family cannot arbitrarily seize property that clearly has an owner. If that property is family, it goes without saying. You cannot take Clobellina, Your Highness.”
She finished her piece calmly.
Behind the Prince, the members of the Imperial Guard wore expressions that seemed to say:
I can't believe she's saying such correct things right to his face.
[Kalart] “I will be taking her.”
[Roserikta] “No, Your Highness. You cannot do th—”
[Kalart] “Name your price. Tell me what you want. I will pay.”
[Roserikta] “Family is not something to be bought or sold.”
[Kalart] “I am not trying to buy her.”
A low vibration was added to his voice. It sounded like a beast growling before a strike, causing hrt to pull her shoulders back.
What do I do? It seems the worst possible person has consumed the love potion...
She could already feel it. The result of affection twisting into an extreme uncontrollable obsession and a dreadful sense of possession.
[Kalart] “I intend to keep her by my side. And I will pay the price for it.”
[Roserikta] “...I do not see the difference, Your Highness.”
[Kalart] “There is a difference. If I intended to simply buy her, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you. I would have just calculated a fitting ransom and been done with it. Of course, it’s not as if I’m unwilling to do that. As you said, you are a commoner and I am the Crown Prince. You do not have the right to refuse what I choose to give you.”
His phrasing was different, but he was still saying he would just give her money and take the cat.
She suppressed the surge of anger rising within her.
Endure it. I have to endure it. He is the Crown Prince.
[Roserikta] “No matter how you phrase what you are giving me, it is no different from theft, Your Highness.”
[Kalart] “Correct. And?”
[Roserikta] “...Pardon?”
[Kalart] “Do you think I am incapable of doing so? Far from it. I can do it as many times as I wish. Your cat trespassed into the Imperial Palace last night, which is a serious crime. In place of the cat that committed the crime, I can execute you, its owner. I could lock you inside this tiny shop and burn it down while you are still alive. That is the Imperial Law.”
[Roserikta] “...”
This was a terrifying threat on a completely different level than simply buying the cat.
It wasn't just Roserikta who was shocked; the Imperial Guards also stood with their mouths agape. They were likely wondering what their Crown Prince—who had lived like a block of wood for twenty-eight years—had eaten to make him say such things.
As they mentioned, other than being unmarried, he was a flawless Crown Prince. That meant he was a man fit for his position. A sane Crown Prince did not make such horrific threats against his own citizens.
Her voice trembled weakly as she replied. She couldn't hide it no matter how hard she tried.
[Roserikta] “Would that not... be the act of a tyrant, Your Highness?”
[Kalart] “Perhaps.”
[Roserikta] “Are you willing to become a tyrant? Over a single cat?”
[Kalart] “I can, and I’ve decided that I’m willing to. I don't know if something went wrong inside me last night, but... damn it, I am saying I will do it anyway. If necessary.”
[Roserikta] “...”
She did not doubt his words.
Indeed, the Crown Prince was the last person who should have ever consumed a love potion. A man with absolute power who was willing to do anything to satisfy his twisted obsession.
There’s no other way.
She let out a deep, silent sigh.
Unless I flee to the Kingdom of Witches, I won't be able to escape this man in the human world.
If that was the case, she had to find another way.
I have to create an antidote.
She had to create an antidote that no witch had ever managed to make before and return the Crown Prince to normal. This was a responsibility she had to shoulder without hesitation as the one who inherited her grandmother’s pharmacy.
[Roserikta] “Very well... fine.”
She spoke as if exhaling a heavy sigh.
[Roserikta] “You may keep Clobellina by your side. In exchange, give me my price.”
[Kalart] “You may state whatever you wish.”
[Roserikta] “As I said, Clobellina is my family. I cannot imagine living apart from her either. Therefore, keep me by her side as well.”
She intended to use that as an excuse to watch the Prince and create the antidote. No, she had to do it. It was the best possible solution for now.
[Kalart] “That...”
His lips parted slightly.
[Kalart] “...Is that what you want?”
[Roserikta] “It is, Your Highness.”
It felt as if one could hear the ripples spreading in his eyes. It was like someone was tossing pebbles, one by one, into a still and very deep lake.
[Kalart] “Good.”
...Hm?
The permission was so easy that she had to blink in surprise. "Good"? It sounded as if the request was so easy that the Prince himself had been hoping for it.
[Kalart] “Bring the cat. We are going to the Palace.”
[Roserikta] “What? Right now? So soon?”
[Knight] “Your Highness. Forgive my presumption, but bringing a commoner into the Imperial Castle requires a procedure. First, there must be a sponsorship from a noble family to guarantee her identity...”
Kalart’s face crumpled slightly.
[Kalart] “Nobles?”
[Knight] “Yes, Your Highness.”
[Kalart] “I can do it myself.”
[Knight] “Pardon...? No, Your Highness is not a noble, you are royalty...”
[Kalart] “Is royalty not enough?”
[Knight] “No, it’s not that... it’s not that it’s insufficient, but there has never been such a precedent...? No, I’m not sure. For now, the Lord Chamberlain must issue the permit...”
The Knight, who didn't actually know much about the minor administrative details, trailed off in confusion.
[Kalart] “That’s something that can be resolved once we arrive.”
[Knight] “No, the procedure...”
[Kalart] “...”
The silence that followed from Kalart carried a heavy meaning:
What does a procedure matter in front of me?
The Knight wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.
[Knight] “Your Highness, if you allow it, I will return to the Imperial Castle immediately to inform the Lord Chamberlain. It won't take even a day at the earliest.”
Unless the Lord Chamberlain had lost his mind the night before, he wouldn't kick out someone the Crown Prince intended to bring in. The knight was essentially saying they should just hurry up and follow the rules.
[Kalart] “I’m in a hurry.”
But the Prince said he was in a rush.
[Knight] “Your Highness?”
[Kalart] “I want to have her settled as quickly as possible. Only then will I feel at ease.”
...The Prince was certainly in love.
Usually, when one is blinded by something, they fail to look behind or to the side. It was just a deep pity that the object of his affection was a cat.
[Knight] “I will follow your command, Your Highness. Hey, shopkeeper! What are you doing? Why haven't you brought the cat out yet?”
The shopkeeper, who had been speaking her mind calmly in front of royalty since earlier, was no different this time.
[Roserikta] “I cannot go yet.”
[Knight] “Wh... what?”
His Highness just said he was in a hurry!
[Roserikta] “I need time to pack my bags. I also need to post a notice that the pharmacy will be closed for the time being. I have to organize the herbs that spoil easily as well.”
[Knight] “How... how long?”
This sour voice contained a question of whether a commoner who had never learned etiquette for royalty would commit such an impertinence here.
[Roserikta] “Hmm... about three hours? If I hurry, that should be enough.”
The Knight turned to the Crown Prince with a stunned expression. He was curious to see what a man who was willing to ignore all procedures because he was in a hurry would say now.
[Kalart] “I will allow it.”
The Prince gestured to a nearby chair. A quick-witted knight pulled a chair over and placed it politely in a comfortable spot.
[Kalart] “In exchange, I require a price.”
He sat down with his long legs crossed on a hard wooden chair that could never compare to the plush sofas made by the Imperial furniture masters.
[Roserikta] “What kind of price?”
[Kalart] “Do not stop speaking.”
[Roserikta] “...Pardon?”
She blinked her eyelashes. The knights of the Imperial Guard were equally dazed.
[Kalart] “You may say whatever you wish, but let me hear your voice.”
[Roserikta] “Pardon?”
She asked once more, but it was merely a sign of her bewilderment, not a question.
The Prince sat leisurely and gestured to the other knights.
[Kalart] “The rest of you, make yourselves comfortable. We have three hours to wait.”
[Knight] “...Ah, yes. Understood, Your Highness.”
And so, three hours passed.
With the knights in their Imperial Guard uniforms huddled together in the cramped pharmacy, Roserikta awkwardly muttered meaningless things like, "Oh, there’s some dust here," or "I should do some sweeping."
The Crown Prince sat with his arms crossed like a marble statue, and whenever her voice fell silent, he invariably followed up with that bizarre command: "Speak."
By the time Clobellina had finally finished picking up all the Axaca powder in the basement, the preparations for the move to the Imperial Palace were nearly complete.
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