TWFLLYM Ch 4

The Crown Prince’s Roommate

[Clobell] "Meow."

Clobellina finally relaxed. Her eyes, which had been wide with tension until they boarded the imperial carriage, narrowed into lazy slits once more.

According to her, she had been quietly gathering the Axaca powder in the basement when she sensed something strange.

She had crept upstairs and watched the situation unfold from a distance. When she heard the Crown Prince threatening to burn everything down, she hid in panic, certain she’d been caught for administering the love potion.

Now that she understood the situation, her attitude shifted completely. She hopped right onto the Crown Prince's lap.

[Clobell] "She’s been making me do this and that since dawn, bullying me. I had to use these tiny paws to pick up every single grain of powder from the floor. Ugh, why did you take so long? If you’d been any later, I would have developed arthritis at my young age."

Clack, clack.

The carriage sped down the main road. Looking out the window, the speed was enough to make one’s heart turn cold, yet inside the luxurious carriage, there was hardly a tremor.

Good grief. What is Clobell even saying? This whole mess happened because of her, yet she’s acting like she had nothing to do with it.

However, the lack of shaking wasn't the issue. She didn't have the mental energy to care about such things.

Clobellina, cradled in the Crown Prince's arms, was purring and "tattling" without a hint of exhaustion.

Even more absurd was that the Crown Prince, who couldn't possibly understand a word she said, was looking her in the eye and listening with genuine focus.

[Kalart] "Is it possible to learn the language of cats?"

He even went as far as to ask that.

Her worries grew. "Obsessed" felt like an understatement for his current state.

[Roserikta] "That is not possible, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "That is a shame."

...Are you serious?

The questions continued.

[Kalart] "How do you usually spend your time with Clobellina?"

[Roserikta] "It is the same as anyone else who keeps a cat, Your Highness. I feed her when I wake up..."

She paused. Her brow furrowed slightly.

...I feed her snacks, then meals, then more snacks, then more meals, Your Highness. And the rest of the time, I spend watching her to make sure she doesn't steal any other food.

[Kalart] "What kind of food does my cat enjoy?"

There isn't a single food she doesn't like, Your Highness. Ah, well, she hates boiled vegetables. But if they're covered in enough butter and sugar, she'll devour any vegetable in sight.

She chose her words carefully. If she were too honest here, Clobellina’s health might truly be in danger.

[Roserikta] "She loves boiled broccoli and cabbage the most, Your Highness."

[Clobell] "Meow!"

At those words, Clobellina immediately let out a cry. She leaped out of his arms and onto Roserikta’s lap, her front paws flailing wildly.

[Clobell] "What kind of trick is this! Why are you lying like that!"

[Roserikta] "See? She loves them so much. She gets so excited, she doesn't know what to do just hearing the names."

[Clobell] "Hiss! Are you going to keep lying!"

The pawing became more intense. He watched the scene with his arms crossed.

[Kalart] "It doesn't look like she likes them. It looks like the opposite."

...How sharp of him.

She pulled Clobellina into a hug. It was a move to hide her own expression. Though she was someone who rarely felt flustered or showed it, her expression had been in constant flux since yesterday. She felt that if her expression changed even slightly, his eyes would pierce right through her. She couldn't let her guard down.

[Roserikta] "This is your first time with a cat, isn't it, Your Highness? Every cat has a different way of expressing their emotions. Clobell..."

She pressed her index finger firmly against Clobellina’s forehead. When she did this, Clobellina had no choice but to behave.

[Roserikta] "Now, answer me. You absolutely love broccoli and cabbage, don't you?"

[Clobell] "..."

[Roserikta] "You should answer quickly. His Highness is curious."

The faint sound of Clobellina grinding her teeth could be heard.

[Clobell] "You’re really too much. I'm the reason we're going to live in luxury at the Imperial Palace."

[Roserikta] "Clobell."

[Clobell] "Me... meow."

A reluctant reply, no louder than a mosquito's buzz, followed.

His dark eyes scanned Roserikta and Clobellina as if they were needles. He clearly had his suspicions, but he had no choice but to believe it. It was obvious he knew nothing about cats.

[Kalart] "Then I must inform the head chef."

She gave him a bright smile.

[Roserikta] "Your grace is immeasurable, Your Highness."

Perhaps managing Clobellina’s weight would be easier than she thought.

Yes. Let’s stay calm. Since things have turned out like this, I’ll take the opportunity to put Clobell on a diet comfortably.

Of course, she also had to return the Crown Prince to normal before that.

If I look, I'll find a way.

She thought of her hastily packed bags. Inside was a book containing all the secret formulas of the Versaryl family, passed down from her great-great-great-grandmother. By studying the recipes within, she would be able to create a medicine to neutralize the effects of the love potion.

It bothers me to keep the pharmacy closed for so long, but this is something that must be done.

Clack, clack!

The speeding carriage gradually slowed down. She leaned her head out slightly, and the magnificent view of the Imperial Palace, which she had only ever seen from afar, came into view. It was the Trifolium Palace, known as the heart of the Empire.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness, welcome back."

From the moment the main gates opened, a seemingly endless line of people bowed in unison toward the carriage. Even though she was a witch who lived a life different from ordinary humans, the sight was intimidating.

[Clobell] "Whoa. What is all this? Are they all my subordinates now? Are they going to wait on me?"

Clobellina poked her head out the window, her nose twitching. The Crown Prince did not miss her expression.

[Kalart] "It seems you like it."

Clack, clack... Thud.

The carriage stopped. After crossing a vast garden, they arrived at the Crown Prince's Palace, located on the eastern side of the Trifolium Palace.

[Guard] "Your Highness."

The Captain of the Guard, who had come out to meet them, opened the carriage door and bowed.

[Guard] "Have you returned?"

[Kalart] "Give me the cat."

Instead of accepting the greeting, Kalart took Clobellina from Roserikta's arms.

[Clobell] "Meow."

His sharp, clear eyes softened the moment he held her, as if he had become a different person.

[Kalart] "Welcome to Trifolium."

He took her chubby front paw and kissed it.

[Kalart] "Everything you see is your home, and everything is yours."

[Clobell] "Meow."

Cradling the purring Clobellina, the Crown Prince stepped out of the carriage.

---

[Head Maid] "Your Highness."

[Chamberlain] "Your Highness!"

The Head Maid and the Head Chamberlain spoke at the same time.

[Chamberlain] "Your Highness, this is nonsensical."

[Head Maid] "Indeed, it is."

Although they maintained a polite posture, their expressions were full of dissatisfaction.

A new person had entered the Crown Prince's Palace. It was said that the Crown Prince had personally brought her by the hand.

The Head Maid and Head Chamberlain were seasoned veterans of the palace; they barely stopped themselves from asking who had taught him his etiquette. They tried their best to understand. But that wasn't the only problem. An order had been given to provide a commoner—someone with no title or noble sponsor—with the room right next to the Crown Prince’s bedroom.

Stunned, the Head Chamberlain and Head Maid had sought out the Crown Prince together.

[Chamberlain] "Your Highness, if I may be so bold, have you forgotten the imperial etiquette? Since Trifolium Palace was built, such an unprincipled thing has never happened."

Baron Lafitte, the Head Chamberlain, asked, prepared to lose his head. Of course, though the Crown Prince was cold, he was rational and would not execute him for such a thing.

[Head Maid] "Yes, I was about to say the same."

Added Countess Aldwin, the Head Maid, clutching her hands tightly.

[Aldwin] "Are you perhaps feeling unwell, Your Highness?"

The room right next to the Crown Prince's bedroom was empty. And it was meant to stay empty, as it was the room reserved for the future Crown Princess.

[Kalart] "I am fine. She is my cat, and I wish to keep her in the place closest to me."

[Aldwin] "No, that... a c-cat?"

[Kalart] "Yes."

[Lafitte] "Not the commoner who brought the cat?"

[Kalart] "That person will care for the cat. If she says she needs something, prepare it for her."

Aldwin and Lafitte exchanged a glance.

Already, rumors were spreading through the palace that the Crown Prince was obsessed with a cat. Ghost stories were also circulating—that the cat was a demonic creature or the reincarnation of a witch who had died unfairly. Either way, these rumors were not good for the Crown Prince's standing.

[Lafitte] "Your Highness... If it is just a cat, there is no need to give it an entire room."

[Kalart] "No, it is necessary."

Kalart was sitting at his desk, scanning various official documents with a rapid gaze. Even as he spoke, his eyes did not leave the paper. Occasionally, the scratching of his pen could be heard as he signed documents.

Processing these documents for several hours a day was part of his routine. With the aging Emperor becoming increasingly lazy, he was one of the busiest people in Trifolium Palace.

[Kalart] "If she doesn't have a room, she won't be able to consider this place her home."

[Aldwin] "Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"

[Kalart] "It means that no matter what you say, my mind will not change. You may leave."

[Lafitte] "Your Highness, please reconsider—"

The conversation ended there. As Kalart gestured, the guards standing behind him, like shadows,s stepped forward and pointed toward the door.

[Guard] "Please leave."

[Lafitte] "Ah... good heavens."

Lafitte wiped his forehead, and Aldwin rubbed her hands against the white silk apron of her dress.

When Kalart acted like this, there truly was no other way.

[Aldwin] "Then we shall take our leave, Your Highness. But we beg you, please exercise your usual brilliance."

She lifted her skirt and curtsied.

[Lafitte] "Yes, Your Highness. I agree. If you feel unwell from eating something wrong, please call us at any time."

The guards practically dragged the two of them out of the Crown Prince's office.

Click.

Looking at the thick door closing in their faces, the two let out a deep sigh simultaneously.

[Lafitte] "I wonder how this palace will survive..."

[Aldwin] "Should we inform His Majesty?"

The current Emperor of the Krye Empire, Veltow I, had been soaking in the hot springs at Shana Castle—known as the Summer Palace—ever since he developed a heat rash. He would not return until the season turned cool.

[Lafitte] "It will be of no use, my lady. You know His Majesty’s temperament well. We must handle this ourselves."

[Aldwin] "How?"

[Lafitte] "First, we must tighten everyone’s lips. We cannot let the word spread that someone has moved into the Crown Princess’s bedroom. And..."

His eyes glinted as he trailed off.

[Lafitte] "We must keep a close watch on the newly arrived palace maid. If she came here with an agenda, she will reveal her true intentions soon enough. We must ensure that doesn't happen."

Aldwin agreed.

[Aldwin] "Leave that to me. This is the Imperial Palace; how could a mere commoner without a title dare to play tricks? I must make her realize that this is not a place for someone like her."

[Lafitte] "Then I shall count on you."

[Aldwin] "Of course."

The two pairs of glinting eyes encouraged each other before they went their separate ways.

---

But they weren't the only ones thinking this way.

After dismissing Lafitte and Aldwin, Kalart issued a new order to the Captain of the Royal Guard.

[Kalart] "Pick two reliable people. Assign them to my cat and that woman."

Baronet Eaton was the Crown Prince's closest confidant.

It was Kalart who had appointed him—a knight of commoner origin—as the Captain of the Imperial Guard, and it was Kalart who had granted him the title of Junior Baron to silence the nobles who opposed his low status. Thanks to that, the finest swordsman in the Empire became its most loyal subject.

[Eaton] "Are you ordering me to provide protection? But if you assign guards to a subordinate, rumors will surely spread."

[Kalart] "It’s fine. It’s for surveillance rather than protection."

[Eaton] "Surveillance?"

Eaton asked, puzzled.

Having finished signing the last document, Kalart set down his quill and looked up.

[Kalart] "Did you not think it was strange?"

Eaton shook his head.

[Eaton] "I apologize, Your Highness. I am a swordsman, not a strategist. I dare not guess my lord's intentions."

[Kalart] "Then let me ask differently. Do I look like I’ve gone mad to you?"

The question, its meaning unclear, made Eaton’s shoulders stiffen. He replied with firm lips.

[Eaton] "...No, Your Highness. You are the same as always."

[Kalart] "Yes, except for the fact that I feel like I might lose my mind because my cat is so lovely and beautiful. ...Ah, there is one more thing."

Eaton’s question became cautious.

[Eaton] "What else do you find strange, Your Highness?"

[Kalart] "That woman. In her case, it isn't her appearance, but her voice."

[Eaton] "I didn't notice anything particularly strange, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "My ears are sensitive. As you know."

[Eaton] "Yes, Your Highness."

It was a secret of Kalart that only Eaton knew. While Kalart felt no inspiration from what he saw, his hearing was exceptionally keen. He could categorize even the smallest sounds and never forgot a voice he had heard once. At times, he seemed to distinguish people by their voices rather than their faces.

[Kalart] "When I first heard it, I felt a chill."

Because it was so beautiful.

He swallowed the word "beautiful." The most exquisite voice he had ever heard had said:

[Roserikta] "This damn cat!"

He hadn't seen the person, only heard the voice.

[Roserikta] "Just wait until you get home."

Then the voice had vanished. If he hadn't heard that same voice at the pharmacy where he went to find the cat, he would have thought he was going mad. That was why it was strange.

The woman who had taken the cat from the palace without him seeing her—why had she insisted on following him, saying she couldn't be apart from it? She could have just taken it away again, as she did before.

[Kalart] "There must be a reason. A reason why that cat appears so beautiful to my eyes."

He had seen cats before. None of them had been as beautiful as Clobellina. The only beautiful being in this world lived at a pharmacy.

Kalart had to suspect whether, among those countless mysterious medicines, there was one that had made him lose his mind. The emotional shift he was experiencing was sudden and startling even to himself.

[Kalart] "Choose people who can keep their mouths shut."

Eaton finally understood his meaning.

[Eaton] "I understand, Your Highness."

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