TWFLLYM Ch 34

A Tyrant's Courtship (1)

[Clobell] "Wow...... Look how he changed."

Her jaw dropped as she observed Kalart's transformation.

[Clobell] "Is he the same person? Did his eyes not drip with affection just from looking at me earlier? Now he stares at me like a stranger."

Roserikta recognized that fact as well.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness......? Does Clobellina look different to you now?"

[Kalart] "Unfortunately."

He pulled her arm, which wrapped around his shoulder, closer and nodded.

[Kalart] "I don't find her adorable anymore. Like all other cats, she looks like a mangled broomstick with dangling eyeballs."

[Roserikta] "Haa......"

That sigh held equal parts relief and pity.

Kalart lost his sense of affection. However, that outcome proved he had reverted to his state before consuming the love potion.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. Then you no longer find her adorable or wish to keep her by your side?"

[Kalart] "I wish I could say otherwise. But astonishingly, I harbor absolutely no feelings for her."

He muttered with complete indifference. At that exact moment.

Knock, knock.

Urgent, heavy knocks echoed through the door.

[Eaton] "Your Highness? Are you all right? A loud noise echoed just now. May I come in and check?"

The thud of Clobellina tumbling under the bed had alerted Eaton.

[Kalart] "Ah...... It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

[Eaton] "Still......"

The recent incident left Eaton restless. Kalart turned and asked Roserikta.

[Kalart] "What should we do?"

[Roserikta] "Excuse me?"

[Kalart] "I'm asking you. I believe I have recovered, but seeing Clobell differently makes me question that certainty. If seeing Eaton triggers another reaction, calming me will still fall to you, so I'm asking in advance."

She pondered for a moment and nodded.

[Roserikta] "You can't avoid people forever, so checking your reaction now while you remain stable is a good idea, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "In that case."

He placed his hand over her arm, ensuring her grip on his shoulder remained secure, and spoke toward the door.

[Kalart] "Come in."

[Eaton] "Yes, Your Highness."

Eaton swallowed hard as he entered. Kalart's condition terrified him as well. Fortunately, Kalart remained composed.

[Kalart] "He looks the same as before. He doesn't look any more hideous than he did before I fell asleep."

[Eaton] "Haa...... Thank goodness, Your Highness."

A sudden release of tension caused Eaton to stumble, nearly sending him sprawling in an undignified heap. His embarrassed cough broke the lingering tension in the room.

Right, the antidote wasn't defective.

His obsession with Clobellina vanished. The love potion's symptoms disappeared.

Roserikta's tangled thoughts slowly unraveled.

Did the detoxification process temporarily worsen his original symptoms? And did they stabilize once the antidote took full effect?

Yet one inconsistency defied logic. Kalart's attitude toward her remained entirely unchanged.

What could be the reason?

Why am I the only exception? Are his feelings for me entirely disconnected from the love potion......?

[Eaton] "Phew...... By the way, do you know why that incident occurred so suddenly?"

Eaton caught his breath and spoke.

Unfortunately, the scene before him perfectly matched the Chamberlain's description. The Crown Prince had suffered a sudden affliction after drinking the tea.

The Chamberlain had labeled it a witch's scheme. He claimed the witch intended to make His Highness rely solely on her.

Isolated from his loyal subjects, the Crown Prince's judgment would blind and deafen him. The witch's two hands would forge a prison to trap His Highness.

Having guarded Kalart for half his life, Eaton considered those claims unbelievable nonsense. Even if the cat maid were a real witch, he could not fathom Kalart falling prey to her manipulation.

However, the theory now held alarming weight. His gaze locked onto Kalart's hand resting over Roserikta's fingers.

Could it be true?

Did His Highness succumb to the witch's poison so slowly and secretly, escaping even our notice?

In that case, he needed to interrogate the witch in His Highness' stead.

[Eaton] "The Chamberlain of Kyrien Castle claims that the unfortunate incident occurred right after His Highness drank the tea prepared by the cat maid. Is that true?"

His question pierced the air like a sharp arrow. That arrow aimed directly at Roserikta.

The question offered no escape route. The cause, effect, and timeline aligned too perfectly.

She recognized that fact. She should have prepared a solid excuse. Yet she lacked any valid defense.

The outward appearances reflected the absolute truth. She had served laced tea to the Crown Prince, and he had exhibited an adverse reaction to the substance.

Even if the effects were temporary, secretly feeding a drug to a royal constituted an unforgivable felony.

[Eaton] "Answer me. Is it true?"

His voice whipped through the air.

[Roserikta] "I......"

[Kalart] "I was the one who suggested drinking tea."

Kalart interrupted her struggling reply.

[Kalart] "I asked her to prepare a sleeping draught because I anticipated a restless night. The medicine proved excessively effective. I ended up experiencing a dream before even falling asleep."

His excuse defied basic logic. Kalart actively shielded Roserikta.

Eaton spoke with a rigid expression.

[Eaton] "Your Highness. I know that isn't true. The Chamberlain clearly stated the cat maid brought the tea herself......"

[Kalart] "Eaton."

He called his name.

[Eaton] "......Your Highness."

[Kalart] "I have never doubted your loyalty."

[Eaton] "I am honored, Your Highness. I also pledge to you......"

[Kalart] "Right. So don't doubt me either. I know exactly what I'm doing."

His statement carried a clear warning: he acted on his own will regarding the cat maid's actions and his decision to cover them up, so Eaton needed to keep his mouth shut.

[Eaton] "Your Highness, I find this hard to accept. Why......"

[Kalart] "Stop interfering and leave. I wish to be alone with her."

[Eaton] "Your Highness!"

He smirked at Eaton, whose face burned crimson with breathless frustration.

Miraculously, that smirk proved more effective than verbal commands or displayed anger.

[Kalart] "Lately, everyone seems incapable of understanding my words. You all couldn't have gone collectively deaf, so is there a problem with my tongue? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Loyalty and insult rested a mere breath apart. If Eaton continued to press the issue, it would declare his total lack of faith in his lord. He needed to step down.

[Eaton] "No, Your Highness. I will follow your command."

Taking a step back and bowing at the waist, he left the bedroom.

However, the matter remained far from resolved. Eaton's suspicions had only just ignited.

Roserikta stared at the space Eaton had vacated. Suspicion thickened the air in his wake.

[Roserikta] "Why don't you ask me?"

She shifted her gaze to Kalart.

He possessed the greatest reason to demand answers. With the cause and effect so obvious, he should be interrogating her right now.

[Kalart] "About what? What did you slip into the tea?"

[Roserikta] "......"

Her complexion turned deathly pale.

He knew all along.

Of course, he couldn't possibly be oblivious.

[Roserikta] "I...... didn't commit any act to harm you, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "I know. If you wanted to harm me, you'd have used a different method. Not one that leaves such obvious traces."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness."

[Kalart] "So I thought about it. If you didn't mean to harm me, what was your goal?"

He grabbed her free hand and pulled it closer.

Since her other arm was still wrapped around his neck, the distance between them closed dangerously.

He kissed the inside of her wrist with agonizing slowness, just as he had done once before. The kiss defied all comprehension.

What thoughts run through his mind as he kisses me?

[Kalart] "The answer proved surprisingly simple. I just had to consider the outcome of drinking that tea."

Only one detail had changed. Clobellina.

[Kalart] "Clobellina no longer looks adorable to my eyes. Given that outcome, you likely attempted to restore my original state. Am I right?"

He possessed terrifying intelligence. She could no longer deceive or hide anything from him.

She dropped her gaze in complete dismay.

[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness."

He already suspected his obsession with Clobellina spawned from unnatural origins.

Perhaps he even suspected the love potion. Even if he didn't know the exact concoction, he realized a substance caused the fixation.

Should I confess everything honestly?

Then what will happen to me......?

However, his next question threw her off balance.

[Kalart] "Why?"

[Roserikta] "Excuse me, Your Highness?"

[Kalart] "I asked why you tried to fix me."

He toyed with her knuckles. He treated her hand like the most fascinating toy in the world.

[Kalart] "You must have wanted something from me in the first place, which is why you altered my perception of Clobell. That's why you entered the palace. I didn't accept you and Clobell without a shred of suspicion either."

I see. He harbored suspicions all along.

[Kalart] "But I don't recall doing anything specific for you. You couldn't have achieved your goal yet, so why did you try to end it so soon? That is my question."

Clobellina harbored those desires, not Roserikta. Even then, the cat sought nothing grand, merely a petty wish to eat delicious food instead of boiled vegetables.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness' sudden affection for Clobell...... was not my intention, but merely an unforeseen accident, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Ah, my."

His playful fingering stopped. Instead, his gaze replaced his touch. He locked eyes with her tenaciously, his stare mapping every inch of her face like a physical caress.

[Kalart] "So you took responsibility and restored me? You wanted nothing from the start?"

[Roserikta] "Yes."

[Kalart] "My."

That marked the second 'my'. Roserikta failed to comprehend his exact intent behind the word. In truth, anyone would share her confusion. Kalart displayed zero agitation after hearing that someone had manipulated his mind.

[Kalart] "So what did you plan to do next?"

[Roserikta] "I don't understand the intent behind your question, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "What did you plan to do after restoring me?"

Why is he asking this? The answer is far too obvious.

[Roserikta] "I planned to return to my original life as well."

[Kalart] "As if nothing ever happened?"

[Roserikta] "I thought that would be best for everyone. Returning to the time before the accident."

He abruptly furrowed his brows. That single gesture completely transformed his expression. His face contorted, his eyes radiating absolute frost.

[Kalart] "I despise that answer."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness......"

[Kalart] "Best for everyone. Indeed."

His contorted expression radiated such deep agony that Roserikta swallowed her words.

[Kalart] "Can you honestly say it wasn't just best for you alone?"

[Roserikta] "......"

She lost the ability to speak.

Although unintentional, she stood as a sinner against the imperial family. Depending on the interpretation, her actions constituted high treason.

She had committed such a grave offense and then tried to erase it and vanish without a trace. Kalart spoke the truth. Her plan favored only herself.

She bit her lip hard.

Should I have fled earlier?

That day, I sneaked into the imperial banquet hall to find Clobell. I should have run away right then without a second thought.

But the hour for regret had passed. The accident occurred, and its consequences now stared her in the face.

Now, she could only beg for the Crown Prince's mercy to buy time. Time to escape using the Axaca powder and her broomstick.

[Roserikta] "I know I committed an unforgivable act. I understand the gravity of my sin. I......"

[Kalart] "It is grave. Extremely."

He tightened his grip on her hand. Her knees buckled, sending her tumbling straight into his embrace.

He trapped the stumbling Roserikta within his arms on the bed and spoke.

[Kalart] "Every single thing you've done."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. If you intend to punish me for this......"

Panic forced her to twist her body. Her knees now pinned his legs.

Being embraced already felt awkward, but straddling him completely amplified her utter bewilderment.

He ignored her frantic squirming and delivered his piece.

[Kalart] "The sin that displeases me most is your lack of desire for anything from me since the beginning. That implies you're just a good-natured pharmacist caught in an accident. I hate that."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. This....... This posture hardly suits an interrogation for my sins. Please let me go."

[Kalart] "Ah, don't blame me for this. I might lose my temper if we lose physical contact."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness......"

[Kalart] "Do you have any intention of changing your answer before I issue your punishment? What you wanted...... Ah, the Crown Princess' seat would be perfect. Claim you desired that position and deliberately approached me using the cat as a front."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"

Her pale face conveyed her sheer outrage at the absurd suggestion. She had never harbored such intentions.

Kalart clicked his tongue and adjusted his grip on her. Instead of pinning his thighs with her knees, she now sat neatly upon his lap.

The new position proved exponentially stranger. They occupied the bed, and her posture closely mirrored one straddling his body.

The raw lust Kalart directed toward her flared into blatant, unapologetic exposure.

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