TWFLLYM Ch 37
- Mar 17
- 8 min read
Between Gift and Sympathy
[Roserikta] "This makes no sense."
Her lips lost all color.
[Roserikta] "Clobell wouldn't just vanish without a word. This...... This is definitely an accident."
Her complexion continued to pale. Two hours had already passed since Clobellina's disappearance.
[Eaton] "Isn't she a cat that freely wanders around on her own anyway? Could she be taking a nap somewhere?"
[Roserikta] "Cats sleep in their usual spots. Clobell always sleeps next to me. If she were taking a nap, she wouldn't have left the bedroom."
[Eaton] "Then......"
[Roserikta] "Something happened."
She desperately explained that such an incident had never occurred before.
Clobellina had run away on a whim in the past, but never without a word. She had at least left a letter back then.
[Kalart] "Don't worry. Everyone is searching for her. She couldn't have escaped the castle on those tiny paws."
He reassured her with a flat, emotionless demeanor. He displayed rational calculation rather than worry or obsession.
In the Crown Prince's logical mind, the combined efforts of the Royal Guard and the servants scouring the castle would inevitably locate a single cat.
Observing his reaction made it impossible not to believe the love potion's effects had completely vanished. She remained the sole entity he looked at with such sweet, obsessive intensity.
Though she thought it impossible, Clobell's words kept echoing in her mind.
Then he just likes you independently of the love potion, meow?
[Roserikta] "......"
She quickly shook her head.
What am I thinking? Clobell is missing. I should only be focusing on finding her.
[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness. I believe so too, but......"
Normally, she wouldn't have worried this much. Even if Clobellina vanished without a word, using the Axaca powder would have eventually revealed her whereabouts.
But right now, the Axaca powder was critically low. She had used most of her supply to brew the antidote.
She scraped together the remnants for a brief attempt, but it proved useless.
She felt a bitter sense of helplessness. Something had definitely happened to Clobellina, yet she could do absolutely nothing.
[Roserikta] "Too much time has already passed. We need to return to the capital......"
[Kalart] "A cat is a beast; it knows nothing of human schedules. I won't blame her for that. Eaton, go out and assist with the search. We can't leave without Clobell anyway."
[Eaton] "Pardon......? Yes, Your Highness."
Eaton hesitated for a moment upon hearing the command.
He must have sensed it, too. His Highness's attitude toward Clobellina had undeniably changed.
In the past, Kalart would have already rushed out to search personally, leaving the trailing Royal Guard feeling endlessly anxious and apologetic.
[Eaton] "I shall follow your command, Your Highness. Please don't worry excessively and grant us a little more time."
[Kalart] "Hurry. Don't make her worry too much."
[Eaton] "Of course, Your Highness."
I honestly can't comprehend this. Seeing his attitude toward the cat maid remain completely unchanged makes me wonder if His Highness only pretended to care about the cat from the start to win her favor.
What is this? What is going on?
Since yesterday, Eaton felt as though he understood absolutely nothing about what was happening to His Highness.
Is this also the witch's doing? Is the cat maid a witch?
[Roserikta] "I think I should go with you."
The cat maid, who had been pacing anxiously, stepped forward. Only then did Kalart rise from his seat.
[Kalart] "Then I will go as well. An extra person will help."
Was His Highness always this transparent and direct?
Anyway, now is the time to find the cat.
[Roserikta] "Clobell! Clobell!"
Her palms were slick with nervous sweat.
If this were the pharmacy, or at least Trifolium, she could have guessed her favorite hiding spots. But Kyrien Castle was too unfamiliar and vast.
[Roserikta] "Clobell!"
Focusing on a cat's preference for dark, narrow spaces, she searched the areas surrounding the bedroom first.
She opened every furniture drawer and checked the gaps between doors. Eventually, her search led her down to the basement.
The basement was dark and damp. Most areas had lit lamps, but some corners lacked light entirely, appearing as pitch-black voids.
The sheer vastness of the space amplified her anxiety. Clobellina wouldn't have ventured into such a place voluntarily. Given her lazy nature, she had no reason to leave the bedroom at all.
She hadn't disappeared on her own.
[Roserikta] "Hah......"
The moment she inhaled sharply, one of her feet staggered. Kalart, walking beside her, swiftly supported her waist to prevent her from falling.
[Kalart] "Are you all right?"
[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness."
She politely tried to step back to show she was fine, but he didn't loosen the arm wrapped around her waist.
[Kalart] "You don't look all right."
[Roserikta] "No, Your Highness. I really am fine......"
[Kalart] "I doubt that."
He released his grip. The moment his sturdy support vanished, her entire body swayed.
As if anticipating this, he supported her body with both hands again. No, his hold was firmer than before. It felt less like support and more like an embrace.
His hand slowly patted her back.
[Kalart] "Can you feel it? You're trembling."
[Roserikta] "Excuse me? I am?"
[Kalart] "Yes. Noticeably enough, even in the dark."
Was I? I was trembling. Because I'm worried. Because I'm scared.
[Roserikta] "Clobell is......"
Her mouth opened on its own. But speaking was difficult. Something felt stuck in her throat.
[Roserikta] "She is very smart, so she knew today was the day we had to return. She wouldn't have disappeared so suddenly. That means...... that means someone......"
[Kalart] "You believe someone might have laid hands on her."
[Roserikta] "......"
She couldn't bring herself to voice the confirmation.
She bit her lip and simply nodded. Her eyes grew hot. She tensed her body to hold back the tears.
Now was not the time to cry. She had to find Clobellina.
[Kalart] "Then this is a much larger problem than I thought."
He pulled her closer and muttered in a low voice. His lips brushed near her temple.
[Kalart] "Whoever it is, laying hands on my cat means they harbor grievances against me."
[Roserikta] "Not Your Highness, but perhaps against me......"
[Kalart] "I don't view that as a distinction. You are my person...... my sinner, under my protection."
Coming from his mouth, the word 'sinner' sounded remarkably strange. It sounded as absurdly polite and sweet as calling someone a lover or a lady.
[Kalart] "We need to change our search method."
Kalart] "Instead of searching for a missing cat, we must search for the person who had the opportunity to lay hands on her during that time."
[Roserikta] "Ah, then......"
[Kalart] "This might escalate into a significant issue. We may need to delay our return to the capital."
She looked at him with worry. He nodded lightly as if it were a trivial matter.
[Kalart] "That doesn't matter. I will interrogate all the servants the moment we leave this place."
Tap, tap.
The fingertips slowly patting her back stopped. Her trembling had ceased.
She faced him, now hyper-aware of his hand resting protectively against her back.
Even if he framed it as his own issue, she couldn't help but feel immense gratitude that the Crown Prince would ignore his scheduled itinerary to find Clobellina.
He was there to keep her from falling. She felt relieved he was there.
She whispered sincerely.
[Roserikta] "I apologize for...... causing you this trouble, Your Highness. And thank you."
[Kalart] "Now I face a dilemma."
[Roserikta] "Pardon?"
One of his hands discreetly brushed against her jaw, then gripped it.
[Kalart] "Should I pretend to be a decent human being and say it's no trouble? Or should I be completely condescending and demand a reward from you? Which would be better?"
The touch gripping her jaw was gentle and subtle, yet undeniably explicit. His thumb lightly brushed against her lower lip.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness. Even if you ask me that......"
[Kalart] "Yesterday."
He abruptly changed the subject, his thumb never stopping its caress.
[Kalart] "My anger refused to subside. So I thought about it more. What exactly enraged me so much? It was your attitude."
[Roserikta] "......"
She swallowed hard.
What do I do? I must have let my guard down too much.
Feeding the Crown Prince an unidentified substance wasn't something he would just overlook.
[Kalart] "The day before, you said you would permit anything I wanted. I interpreted that literally. I rejoiced foolishly, taking it as a sign you were finally beginning to accept me. But you were already planning to cure me and leave. Am I wrong?"
But he spoke of something else. Something entirely different from feeding him suspicious tea and deceiving him.
[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness."
[Kalart] "Then was your permission a sort of parting gift?"
Probably.
[Kalart] "Or was it sympathy?"
[Roserikta] "......"
She couldn't answer. But before she could speak, he read the answer in the twitch of her lips.
[Kalart] "It seems you're saying no. Was I right?"
[Roserikta] "Yes."
A small reply finally surfaced. It wasn't sympathy.
Setting aside his status as someone incapable of receiving pity, that night was like a final gift for Roserikta as well—an unforgettable, indelible gift.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness. I never once considered it...... sympathy."
[Kalart] "I quite like that answer."
The fingers tracing her lips stopped, only to pull her face closer.
[Kalart] "That night, you didn't hate my touch. That's why I couldn't even guess you were secretly planning to leave. Am I wrong?"
What should I do? What should I say?
He gave her no time to hesitate. Just like when he was sick, he possessed an incredibly sharp, beast-like instinct for targeting her exact points of weakness.
[Kalart] "You don't hate me. At the very least, you like me enough to worry when I'm a patient."
[Roserikta] "Your Highness......"
[Kalart] "Therefore, I'll place my bet on this."
He smiled brightly and abruptly pressed his lips against hers.
Claiming she couldn't move because he gripped her jaw was a mere excuse. She melted into his embrace.
She was currently experiencing what she had deemed the most terrifying event of her life. Yet, at all times, Kalart stood right beside her.
He held her shaking body steady when worry threatened to consume her. He acted as her pillar of support before she even thought to lean on him.
Rejecting a kiss from such a man proved impossible. She harbored zero desire to refuse him anyway.
It wasn't her first kiss, but the sensation against her lips felt entirely new. Just like the first time, it induced panic, followed by confusion, and finally left her mind completely blank.
This is unfair. This must be his first kiss, too. So why am I the only one...... at a total loss?
Look, even now......
When she clutched his clothes, panting and unable to figure out how to breathe, he expertly adjusted the angle to grant her a moment of air.
Their lips remained connected even then, but the subtle friction of skin shifting as he moved his head amplified his overwhelming presence within her mouth, making it feel far more erotic.
As her legs kept losing strength and her body went limp, the arm pulling her waist tightened.
He pulled the unresisting Roserikta into his embrace as he pleased and continued the kiss. The longer it lasted, the sweeter her mouth became, leaving him thirsting for more.
Whenever she showed even the slightest hint of pulling away, he flawlessly anticipated it and pressed his body closer.
It was a long, deep, and explicit kiss. A kiss intended to brand his lips onto hers. To ensure she would never forget it, no matter what happened.
[Eaton] "An accident......"
Despite diligently participating in the search, His heart remained heavy. The suspicions surrounding the cat maid remained entirely unresolved and continued to pile up.
Amidst this chaos, the cat vanished, and His Highness displayed a completely unexpected reaction.
[Eaton] "Groan. That must mean......"
That was why the Chamberlain's words kept gnawing at him. The cat maid was a witch. She had approached His Highness with an ulterior motive from the start, and the cat was merely bait.
The coronation staff was just the beginning. It was time for her to reveal her true colors.
[Eaton] "But His Highness shows no intention of reconsidering......"
The most bizarre element was Kalart.
Eaton would have preferred Kalart to act like a complete lunatic for everyone to see. Then he could have convinced the royal physicians and others.
But he appeared perfectly normal, just like always. The only aspect in which His Highness seemed compromised was the cat maid.
That was what confused people the most.
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