TWFLLYM Ch 36
- Mar 15
- 8 min read
The Causality of the Moonlight
Roserikta hardened her expression. The effort failed. Her face burned crimson. Glaring with such a flushed face only invited ridicule.
[Roserikta] "I told you not to use those words. You agreed back then."
Clobellina ignored her. The cunning cat clearly did it on purpose. Roserikta glared at the feline and changed the subject.
[Roserikta] "Anyway, we'll find out once we break the curse."
[Clobell] "Why does it work like that?"
[Roserikta] "Breaking the curse means the Crown Prince can love anyone. Then he'll find genuine love, and he'll naturally forget the rest."
He would forget his current obsessions. Lust or whatever it might be.
Yes, that will happen.
[Clobell] "That's strange. You said the antidote cleared out all the love potion. Why does something keep lingering?"
[Roserikta] "The antidote worked well, but that's...... Ah, I don't know right now. Don't interrogate me. You caused this mess in the first place."
[Clobell] "Wow. Are you shifting the blame to me because you've got nothing to say?"
[Roserikta] "No, you keep insisting, even when I say we can't jump to conclusions."
[Clobell] "You complicate things when the answer's simple. Can't you just accept he liked you from the start?"
[Roserikta] "No."
She drew a firm line. That refusal acted as a spell cast upon her.
[Roserikta] "That makes no sense. The Crown Prince never liked anyone before. If it were that easy, it wouldn't be a curse. Those feelings sprouted only after he consumed the love potion. Whether it's lust or something else, it connects directly to the potion."
She rejected the idea that the Crown Prince harbored pure affection for her. He lacked any logical reason, and such an outcome remained forbidden. Blaming the potion's residual effects offered a far more convincing explanation.
[Clobell] "Well, if you say so."
Clobellina lost all interest in the Crown Prince's actions. The prince's attitude toward the cat had transformed, leaving no room for further expectations.
The feline originally came to the Imperial Palace to gorge on delicious food, but Roserikta's presence ruined that plan.
Preferring a swift return home, Clobellina decided to focus on the new task of breaking the curse instead.
[Clobell] "I'm frightened. If a curse exists, a black-magic witch must exist too. Do we have to fight her?"
[Roserikta] "Perhaps. I'm terrified too, Clobell."
She bent down and met Clobellina's eyes on the bed.
[Roserikta] "But I must do this. Only I can handle this task."
The prince must harbor fear as well. A distorted world devoid of love must terrify him. An isolating world devoid of understanding crushed him.
Roserikta stood as the solitary intruder in that desolate realm. That reality transformed his threat of imprisonment into a desperate confession.
Kalart would never relinquish the first person to breach his walls.
I'll open the door for you.
With firm resolve, she nodded.
So you can love anyone. So anyone can love you. After that, I'll return to my rightful place.
Then I can speak proudly before my grandmother. As a pharmacist, as a witch, I gave my utmost effort.
[Roserikta] "I need to retrieve the grimoire from the pharmacy. Grandmother's hidden collection must include books on black magic. No, they definitely exist. Otherwise, she wouldn't have hidden them so thoroughly from me."
[Clobell] "Can we even go? He won't let us leave."
[Roserikta] "I'll ask for permission. I'll tell him I urgently need something."
[Clobell] "If he planned to let you go, he wouldn't threaten to lock you up."
[Roserikta] "He'll let me go. I just have to promise to return."
That man remained weak. His tyrannical facade always crumbled into gentle embraces.
[Roserikta] "Anyway, let's proceed with that plan. Clobell, you'll help me, right?"
[Clobell] "Goodness. You ignore my objections anyway, yet you pretend to care about my opinion."
She cradled Clobellina, who turned away in feigned annoyance.
[Roserikta] "I suppose I'm a pharmacist to my core. Now that things have unfolded this way, the moonlight must've guided you to feed the Crown Prince that love potion. No other human would've recognized the curse."
Clobellina squirmed and shoved Roserikta away with both front paws.
[Clobell] "Don't pretend to be close. You have a serious problem. You rejoice even when the situation deteriorates. This isn't the guidance of the moonlight, but a trap set by the moonlight!"
[Roserikta] "Oh, come on, a trap?"
[Clobell] "What else would it be? We have no idea how long this imprisonment will last. When do you plan on returning home? Our pharmacy will go bankrupt at this rate!"
[Roserikta] "Haha...... What can I do? The thought keeps crossing my mind. They say a witch's intuition never fails."
[Clobell] "You're incredibly dense."
[Roserikta] "No, no. That can't be true."
She clutched the squirming cat. Clobellina clicked her tongue before surrendering to the embrace.
[Roserikta] "The pharmacy will survive. This mission holds far more importance than selling medicine."
We'll be fine. Grandmother resides behind the moon. We mortals, can't see her, but she watches over us.
Whenever the moonlight descends with particular warmth, it means she wrote a letter.
She had just received one of those silent letters.
Stay strong, for only you can accomplish this task. I trust you to resolve it.
That is the true purpose of Versaryl Pharmacy's medicine.
Live diligently and kindly as a proper witch, and let us meet here later.
Perhaps that was the message. Embracing this mindset transformed everything into the causality of the moonlight.
She placed Clobellina on the bed.
[Roserikta] "Let's sleep with the window open tonight, Clobell. Grandmother might send another letter."
[Clobell] "You can't read it even if she sends one."
[Roserikta] "That doesn't mean she'll stop sending them."
After changing into pajamas and washing her face, she lay in bed, clutching Clobellina.
A single thought dominated her mind. Eradicating Kalart's curse.
If he gains the ability to love anyone, will he finally find happiness......?
[Countess] "She's no mere novice, but a remarkably audacious one."
A white cat remained inside the bedroom where Roserikta and Clobellina lay. It stayed silent, masking its breathing, concealing itself in complete secrecy.
The creature absorbed every word of their conversation. Every syllable the white cat captured was transmitted directly to Countess Gibero, who wore an identical necklace.
[Countess] "I considered letting her live for crafting the antidote, but she uncovered the curse? Moreover, she refuses to walk away?"
She let out a purring laugh. The sound mimicked the agitated rumble of a highly irritated feline.
[Countess] "Versaryl Pharmacy...... The witches of Versaryl. Such a repulsive, cursed connection. Don't you agree?"
The empty air warped and clouded. She exhaled a long breath into the distortion.
Her languid gesture mirrored a bored predator engaging in meaningless play, yet her alluring features transformed the action into a breathtaking display of seduction.
A mere glance or the brush of her dress carried an indelible, lethal intent.
[Countess] "Exploiting an idiotic husband has its limits. I must intervene personally."
She parted her dress.
The gaping fabric exposed her voluptuous chest. A single, glaring flaw marred her pale skin: a cross-shaped wound branded directly over her left breast.
The gash glared with a grotesque crimson hue. It gave the gruesome illusion of continuous bleeding.
She traced the injury with her fingertip. Lingering agony forced her eyes into a narrow scowl.
[Countess] "Mmm...... I still need more time. However, I can't allow that half-wit to run rampant."
She withdrew her hand, revealing viscous blood smeared across her pale skin. The dense, blackened fluid defied natural biology, yet it undeniably resembled blood.
She glared at the fluid with intense revulsion before licking it clean off her finger.
Her brow furrowed sharply. Suffocated by annoyance, she snatched the bedside bell and rattled it.
Ring, ring, ring!
Count Gibero bolted into the room in a frantic rush.
[Count] "Wife! You called!"
She jerked her chin at her husband, mimicking an owner eager to abandon a loyal but diseased dog.
[Countess] "How long has it been since I assigned you that task? Are you actually handling that cat properly?"
[Count] "Ah, that's...... P-please wait just a moment, wife. I released the bait in Kyrien exactly as you instructed, so we'll catch something soon."
[Countess] "That's too slow! That novice remains one step ahead of us!"
Her voice sharpened into a blade.
[Count] "W-wife......"
He shrank back and burst into pathetic tears. He threw himself at the Countess' feet, pressing his forehead against the floor, and wailed in absolute despair.
[Count] "Hic, sob...... Please...... Please forgive me, wife. Don't abandon me. Hic......"
[Countess] "Sigh...... Not again."
She scowled and shook her head.
She harbored zero compassion or affection for her weeping husband. She lacked even the basic empathy expected between humans. Instead, her icy stare mirrored a creator disgusted by a failed experiment.
[Countess] "I can't endure this pathetic display anymore."
Muttering those words, she delivered a ruthless kick to the Count, who had just grabbed her foot to rub against his cheek.
[Count] "Wife......"
Rolling across the floor, he wailed for a long time, consumed by sorrow over the rejection. His behavior defied all logic of a rational human being.
Drained of even annoyance, she abruptly turned away.
[Countess] "He'll break soon. Just like the others. I've run out of time."
She glanced down at the grotesque wound on her chest. This injury fundamentally opposed her power.
The underlying magical energies clashed in complete contradiction. Optical illusions could conceal the flesh for a few days, but the festering rot deepened afterward. It remained an incurable affliction.
This is all because of that accursed Versaryl family's medicine.
She silently ground her teeth.
Fine. If the nuisance blocking my path carries the Versaryl name, all the better. I'll exact my revenge simultaneously.
[Countess] "I need to see the Captain of the Royal Guard."
[Count] "Huh......? Wife? Did you just speak to me?"
He wiped his tears away and leaped to his feet. His damp eyes sparkled with sheer ecstasy.
[Count] "Just say the word. I'll sacrifice my life to fulfill your command."
[Countess] "Keep your worthless life. Bring the Captain of the Royal Guard to me. By any means necessary."
[Count] "Understood! Wait right here. I'll go immediately and......"
Before finishing his sentence, Count Gibero sprinted out the door.
The time for returning to the capital arrived. Finishing their business in Kyrien eliminated any reason to linger.
Roserikta folded her borrowed dress and returned it to the Head Maid, believing her departure preparations were complete. She opened her bedroom door.
[Roserikta] "Clobell! Time to go back. We have a lot of luggage, so you need to walk with me...... Huh?"
[White Cat] "Meow."
The bedroom looked identical to when she left it, save for one detail.
Clobellina, who had rolled around on the bed moments ago, had vanished. Instead, the habitually lethargic white cat offered a cute vocal greeting.
[Roserikta] "Strange. Where did she go? Clobell?"
She searched every corner of the bedroom.
[Roserikta] "Stop playing around and come out. It's time to leave. His Highness must be waiting already."
[White Cat] "Meow......"
The white cat paced around her ankles. She met the creature's gaze.
[Roserikta] "Little white cat. Do you happen to know where Clobell went? Could you tell me if you saw anything?"
[White Cat] "Meow."
Failing to communicate with a feline proved an entirely alien experience. She shook her head in frustration.
[Roserikta] "What's the problem with you? I don't understand why we can't communicate. Anyway, will you stay quiet? We need to head back now. Sit right here in your spot."
[Roserikta] "Clobell! I won't tolerate this prank. Come out right now if you want to avoid punishment."
[White Cat] "Meow......"
Only the white cat's cry echoed in response.
After scouring every inch of the bedroom and the adjacent corridors, she finally accepted a grim reality. Clobellina had completely disappeared.
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