TWFLLYM Ch 33
- Mar 15
- 8 min read
Intoxication
[Roserikta] "No!"
She pushed through the Royal Guards and threw her arms around Kalart's neck.
Instinct drove her. Her body moved before her mind could process the action.
[Roserikta] "Don't do this, Your Highness. Please, Don't do this......"
She finally understood his claim that his head would explode. Her own mind mirrored that chaos right now.
Kalart recoiling from Clobellina was a natural reaction. With the love potion's effects gone, the cat would look as grotesque as any other living creature.
However, his subsequent, self-destructive panic baffled her entirely.
Why is he doing this? Was there a problem with the antidote?
Is this my fault? Did I do this to him? Me, of all people?
Her heart shattered into pieces.
She clung to him with all her strength. Watching him try to gouge out his own eyes to escape the visual chaos inflicted agonizing pain upon her.
[Roserikta] "It will be alright, Your Highness. I will make it alright. Your Highness......"
She pressed her lips to his ear as he violently tried to push her away. The Song of the Forest began.
Please.
Rest for the weary.
Dreams for those in need of visions.
A long, deep slumber for the one who requires oblivion.
[Kalart] "......"
As the low, whispering melody wrapped around him, he flinched. She held him even tighter.
Please. Let this man sleep. Let him close his eyes. Just for a moment.
[Kalart] "......Haa."
Only after the song flowed for a long time did he exhale a ragged sigh.
His eyes slid shut. His sweat-drenched head lost all tension and leaned against her.
Kalart dragged his cold fingertips across his eyelids. The movement put the onlookers on edge, but they relaxed upon realizing he harbored no violent intent this time.
He merely acted on instinct, touching his face to confirm his reality.
[Kalart] "My eyes are broken. They have worsened."
He muttered the words through bloodied, cracked lips.
[Kalart] "I am terrified to open them......"
He resembled a massive, wounded beast.
The fleeting moment offered a glimpse into the lifelong agony he endured. That realization tore at Roserikta mercilessly.
If I had known this would happen. I would never have given him the antidote.
I had no idea it hurt this much. I didn't realize what seeing just one normal thing meant to him.
What should I do? What do I do now? What do I do, Grandmother?
I am lost. I have no idea where to go or what to do......
[Roserikta] "Then keep them closed. Until you want to open them again."
Keeping his eyes shut, Kalart followed the whisper in his ear and found her cheek.
[Kalart] "Stay by my side. Listening to your song brings me peace."
[Roserikta] "Yes. I will stay right here."
[Kalart] "That is a promise."
He rested his forehead against the nape of her neck like a clinging child. The skin pressing against her was damp and cold, betraying the sheer volume of sweat he had shed.
She brushed back his damp silver hair. Her fingers trembled violently against his scalp.
[Eaton] "Your Highness, we should move you......"
Eaton spoke with great difficulty after noting Kalart's expression returning to normal.
Having regained his composure, Kalart nodded.
[Kalart] "Yes, that would be best. I can't sit on the floor forever."
[Eaton] "Haa...... Yes. Indeed, Your Highness."
Eaton finally unleashed the breath he had been holding. Only the gods knew the sheer terror and despair he had just endured.
Kalart stood up without assistance. The steady movement proved his recovery.
[Kalart] "Which way is the bedroom?"
He kept his eyes tightly shut. The composure existed only on the surface. He swallowed the paralyzing fear of what he might see upon opening his eyes.
[Eaton] "This way, Your Highness."
Eaton hastily guided him. Fearing physical contact might trigger another panic attack, the knight kept his distance and raised his voice. He purposefully stomped his boots, creating loud, echoing footsteps to lead the way.
[Kalart] "Understood."
Before following Eaton, Kalart grasped Roserikta's hand.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness."
Kalart, eyes still shut, found her cheek instantly—as if he had memorized its exact location—and pressed his own cheek against it.
[Kalart] "I can only walk if you hold my hand. As you can tell, I am no different from a blind man right now."
Their pressed cheeks made it impossible to read his expression. Roserikta harbored a strong suspicion that he wore a faint smile.
Is he using this situation, too?
He claimed he welcomed his cold because it meant I would care for him.
But...... he drank the antidote. Failing to recognize Clobellina proves the antidote worked. Despite the unexpected side effects, the love potion's influence is gone.
So why...... does his attitude toward me remain unchanged?
[Kalart] "Let us go."
He took the first step, keeping a tight grip on her hand. His confident stride tracked Eaton's exact path, proving he absolutely didn't need physical guidance to walk.
This is suspicious.
Worry and confusion stained her face as she stared up at Kalart's profile.
What exactly happened?
One thing remained certain. She needed to observe him longer. She could not leave right now.
Her internal turmoil persisted even after lying Kalart in bed.
What am I going to do with this man?
She was not the only one drowning in confusion.
[Eaton] "......Are you certain about this?"
He asked the question.
[Lafitte] "I am certain."
The Chamberlain nodded heavily from across the room. He held the teacup retrieved from Roserikta's quarters. It was the very cup Kalart had drunk from.
Immediately after consuming that tea, Kalart suffered his breakdown. The Chamberlain laid out the facts bare.
[Lafitte] "This should never have been permitted in the first place. A mere maid offering tea to His Imperial Highness is absurd."
[Eaton] "That is......"
Eaton contorted his face in distress. The Chamberlain spoke the truth; the interaction breached every rule.
The situation defied logic. Anyone observing the relationship between His Highness and the Cat Maid would know the truth.
The Prince treated the Cat Maid with unbelievable generosity, yet the maid never exploited that favor to overstep her station. She followed orders and fulfilled her duties.
Her pitiable gazes toward the Prince stemmed entirely from that strict adherence to her boundaries.
Requesting the investiture staff was shocking, but her insistence on merely borrowing it suggested an ulterior, practical motive.
Had the Cat Maid craved jewels, she would have accepted the diamond hairpin instead of a ceremonial staff she could never claim.
Furthermore, the diamond hairpin marked only the beginning. Had the Cat Maid accepted anything, His Highness would have gladly showered her with countless treasures. The Prince was the one desperate to give.
Thus, believing the Cat Maid laced his tea with a suspicious drug for malicious purposes required a massive leap of logic.
[Eaton] "She had no reason to do such a thing. His Highness is already......"
The Chamberlain severed his weak defense.
[Lafitte] "She bid her time. To satisfy an even greater greed."
Eaton shook his head.
[Eaton] "She doesn't possess the character of someone who......"
Once again, his sentence was ruthlessly cut short.
Following his meeting with Count Gibero’s messenger, the Chamberlain held absolute faith in the theory that the Cat Maid was a witch.
[Lafitte] "Look at the facts. Witches are deceitful creatures by nature. They flawlessly bewitch the eyes and deceive the ears of humans. Are your own words not proving my point, Sir Eaton?"
He claimed her every past action was a calculated move.
Confusion crushed Eaton's mind.
[Lafitte] "Look only at the facts. Not what your eyes and ears tell you, but the objective truth. His Highness drank her tea and exhibited abnormal symptoms. And what is the result?"
[Eaton] "......"
[Lafitte] "His Highness now demands only the Cat Maid by his side. If this is not a witch's trick, then what is?"
[Eaton] "Haa......"
He unleashed a long sigh.
Kalart's symptoms shocked him as well. A cause had to exist, and human nature dictated blaming the nearest target.
A past conversation with him surfaced in his memory.
[Kalart] "Do you not think it is strange?"
He was the first to cast suspicion upon the Cat Maid.
[Kalart] "There must be a reason. A reason why those two alone appear so beautiful to me."
Yet he abandoned his suspicions at some point. Instead, he displayed excessive affection. If a witch orchestrated all of this......
[Eaton] "I will...... investigate the matter."
[Lafitte] "You absolutely must. His Highness is already blind. Did he not drink the tea offered by the witch despite my prior warnings? He has reached a state where clear thought is impossible."
Despite his reluctance, Eaton had to consider the possibility.
He nodded heavily.
The image of Kalart—failing to recognize him and attempting to mutilate his own eyes—clung to his mind as a sticky, inescapable afterimage.
The night deepened. Kalart finally fell asleep after listening to the Song of the Forest on a continuous loop.
Roserikta exhausted herself coaxing him to sleep, as he stubbornly fought his drowsiness, claiming it was a waste to sleep now.
Only then did she find the strength to catch her breath.
She smoothed his hair over his pillow one last time, then leaned her weary body against the wall.
[Roserikta] "Phew...... Ah."
Startled by her own involuntary sigh, she covered her mouth and checked on him. He slept so soundly that he would not wake even if a storm raged outside.
Thank goodness.
Her back slid down the wall. She slumped against the edge of the bed.
He looks fine for now.
Kalart kept his eyes open before falling asleep.
Though no one else occupied the room besides her, he exhibited no pathological reactions.
Kalart himself stated he felt better, confirming to her that he looked the same as before.
Was the antidote incomplete?
She bit her fingernail anxiously.
I checked the recipe countless times. I was certain it was flawless. I would never have fed it to him without absolute confidence.
But if there was an error I failed to recognize…
Grandmother. Just how incompetent am I?
Creeaak.
The door opened slightly.
[Clobell] 'Is he alright now? What happened?'
Roserikta pointed to the bed with her eyes and placed a finger over her lips. It was a signal to lower their voices to avoid waking him.
[Roserikta] "How did you get in? There should be guards. Did they let you through?"
She mouthed the words in a near-silent whisper.
[Clobell] "No matter how many humans there are, how can they stop a single cat? If I decide to move silently, no one knows a thing. But what happened to him? Did the antidote fail?"
[Roserikta] "It looks that way for now."
Her face twisted as if she might burst into tears.
[Roserikta] "What do I do? If it really failed. If my incompetence caused this"
The approached and patted her cheek with a front paw.
[Clobell] "Don't cry. That might not be the case."
[Roserikta] "Then why...... No, I really don't know. What could be the problem?"
[Clobell] "Maybe there is no problem. He definitely didn't recognize me, right? Doesn't that mean the antidote worked perfectly?"
[Roserikta] "I thought so too...... but I don't think it did. His attitude toward me remains the same."
[Clobell] "Then why did he act differently toward me?"
[Roserikta] "That is...... because the antidote wasn't complete......"
[Clobell] "Exactly, we don't know for sure. We need to check."
The moment she finished speaking, Clobellina leaped onto the bed before Roserikta could stop her. Right onto Kalart's stomach.
[Roserikta] "Clo......!"
Thump!
The sudden, heavy impact on his stomach forced his eyes open. He faced a bizarre, black, distorted beast resembling a dust monster.
[Kalart] "......!"
Letting out a brief gasp of panic, he struck the monster away without a second thought.
Whack!
[Clobell] "Meow!"
The sudden blow sent her rolling off the bed.
[Clobell] "Ugh, damn it. Why is this human so strong? That hurts like death."
[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"
Roserikta rushed to him and frantically embraced his shoulders. She feared he would lose his grip on reality and spiral into another panic attack.
[Kalart] "Ah...... was that Clobell just now?"
Fortunately, no trace of panic remained. He calmly lowered his gaze to locate Clobellina.
[Kalart] "I apologize. But what can be done? It will take time for me to grow accustomed to your appearance."
His tone and voice mirrored his usual self flawlessly.
But that was precisely the problem. His attitude toward Clobellina before consuming the antidote was nothing like his usual self.
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