TWFLLYM Ch 53

Look Only at Me (2)

Everything felt wrong. The entire situation defied logic.

Did the love potion's side effects vanish?

I thought he was about to fall for the Black Witch! They even held hands! I saw it with my own eyes!

Why is this man acting like this?

Perhaps he possessed a twisted habit of acting prickly toward those he liked.

Roserikta thought back to their first meeting. No, that wasn't it. He had been so polite and gentle that it was almost a problem.

Maybe he just hates people interrupting him because he is the Crown Prince?

Ugh, I have no idea.

After silencing the Countess, Kalart turned back to Roserikta.

[Kalart] "Do it. Send someone else."

Even in her confusion, Roserikta stood her ground.

I am sorry, Your Highness, but no other human can enter that pharmacy. Who knows what they might find there?

[Roserikta] "I can't. No one else can recognize the materials. I must go myself."

[Kalart] "If you tell them what to look for, they can do it. My men are not stupid."

[Roserikta] "I trust the Royal Guards, but a single lesson doesn't make a pharmacist."

[Kalart] "I am not asking them to be pharmacists. I am asking them to pick up ingredients."

[Roserikta] "Even so......"

Realizing they were getting nowhere, she tried to compromise.

[Roserikta] "Then I will take a knight with me. That should ease your worries, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "A companion?"

His face twisted into a scowl. He hated the idea of her going alone, but sending another man with her felt even worse. The problem was that she didn't understand his heart at all.

[Kalart] "I will not allow another human to go."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness."

[Kalart] "If that is the case, I will go. Take me."

[Roserikta] "Your Highness?"

As she blinked in disbelief, his expression grew icy.

[Kalart] "Is there a reason I can't go?"

There were too many reasons to count. Most importantly, a man as sharp and perceptive as Kalart might discover the suspicious secrets hidden inside her pharmacy.

She disagreed.

[Roserikta] "That makes no sense. You shouldn't waste your time acting as a guard."

[Kalart] "I can do whatever I want. And this time, you are wrong. My presence is necessary."

It is more than necessary.

He gripped her arm and turned her toward the door.

[Kalart] "Since time is short, we leave now. Lead the way."

She looked up at him. He stood close behind her, his gaze so firm that she knew she couldn't stop him.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness, wait. If you are really leaving, shouldn't you consult the guards? They will be shocked if you suddenly head for the capital......"

[Kalart] "You certainly care a lot about others."

He looked down at her, his mouth curved in a sharp line.

[Kalart] "Even when those people are utterly useless."

He released her arm and walked out of the bedroom first.

[Roserikta] "Wait......"

Left behind, Roserikta stared at his back with a dazed expression.

[Countess] "Go ahead. Keep acting out, you little thing."

A voice like a chilling curse echoed from behind her.

Slam!

The bedroom door shut. It didn't close on its own; the Black Witch forced it. Now, Roserikta was trapped alone with her.

She turned to face the Countess. Rage burned in the woman's unnaturally beautiful amethyst eyes. Roserikta clenched her jaw to keep her legs from quivering.

[Countess] "I will make you very small indeed. Run while your legs still work."

Roserikta took a quiet breath and looked at the witch.

[Roserikta] "I refuse. I know what you did. To that man, and to many others."

The Countess remained unmoved.

[Countess] "So? What do you plan to do about it?"

[Roserikta] "I will break the curse you put on him. I will stop you."

[Countess] "Do you think you have the power?"

She lifted her chin. Though her face remained still, her contempt was undeniable.

[Countess] "You are just a child who hasn't even lived thirty years. All you can do is sprinkle glittering powder. Besides......"

She inhaled deeply. She wasn't just breathing; she was catching a scent.

[Countess] "Oh. You aren't just a brat; you are a half-blood. Versaryl must be desperate. They must have no real witches left if they settled for a creature like you."

[Roserikta] "......"

The word 'half-blood' stung Roserikta's heart. The child of a human man and a witch. A half-witch who never received a baptism. A girl who could never step foot in the Kingdom of Witches. Someone who perhaps should never have been born.

[Countess] "What can someone like you do to me? Do you even know what kind of curse I used?"

Despite the insult, Roserikta stood tall. She had inherited the pharmacy of Versaryl and now stood as the shield for the Crown Prince.

[Roserikta] "No, I don't. But I will find the answer."

[Countess] "My, why so positive? Given the way you were born, you should be a miserable wreck."

[Roserikta] "I am positive because I had no proof until now. I only guessed that you were a Black Witch. I guessed that you cursed the Prince so he couldn't love anyone else, all so you could have him. But you just confirmed it. Don't try to deny it now. I was right."

The Countess twisted her lips.

[Countess] "What a mouth on you."

[Roserikta] "I have no reason to use kind words with you."

The amethyst eyes flashed.

[Countess] "Shall I force you to be polite? I can show your pathetic body the meaning of black magic."

[Roserikta] "I refuse that, too. I would rather figure it out myself."

The Countess stepped forward. Even that single movement made Roserikta's spine stiffen. Her mouth moved on its own, but she desperately wanted to escape.

As expected of a Black Witch. Just being in the same room drains my lunar energy.

Lunar energy was the source of a witch's magic and life force. When it weakened, a witch's body grew ill, as if her immunity had vanished.

[Countess] "Keep talking. It makes the lesson more rewarding. Do you like dogs?"

Coming from the witch, the word 'dog' sounded sinister.

Roserikta stepped back.

[Roserikta] "I have to leave now. If I stay too long, the Prince will come looking for me. Why don't you open the door before he gets suspicious?"

[Countess] "Oh? You intend to use a human man as a shield? Well, it is your best move. A fake witch like you has no other options."

[Roserikta] "Maybe. I am indeed only half a witch."

She faced the Countess, her face pale but her spirit unbroken.

[Roserikta] "But you aren't doing so well yourself, are you?"

She was scared, but she didn't cower. The Black Witch didn't feel as terrifying as she expected. Roserikta believed the witch wouldn't kill her yet.

She knew why. The witch couldn't use her full power. Kalart had proven that. He had cut the witch off and protected Roserikta—a sharp contrast to the Captain of the Guards, who treated the witch's words as law.

[Roserikta] "Using human men as shields is your specialty, isn't it? But you failed. Kalart isn't in your hands. Your power doesn't work on him."

[Countess] "What...... did you say, you miserable half-blood......"

The Countess trembled with fury. Her amethyst eyes burned like flames. Roserikta knew she had hit the mark.

[Roserikta] "You can't kill me. You haven't captured Kalart yet. If I die now, he will hold you responsible."

[Countess] "......"

The Countess fell silent, her weakness exposed.

Roserikta turned and pushed the door. It wouldn't budge; magic held it shut.

[Roserikta] "I am leaving. Open the door. Or I will scream so loud the whole world hears me."

[Countess] "You…..."

The Countess pointed a trembling white finger at her.

[Countess] "Don't expect your body to stay in one piece. I will tear you apart."

That sent a shiver down Roserikta's spine. Those elegant nails could easily rip a young witch to shreds.

[Roserikta] "I won't do anything so cruel. But I will use everything I have to destroy you—"

Bang!

The door flew open. The witch clearly had no interest in letting Roserikta finish her sentence.

[Roserikta] "Destroy...... Ah!"

The sudden opening nearly sent Roserikta tumbling forward.

[Kalart] "Destroy what?"

Strong arms caught her with perfect timing. If Kalart hadn't grabbed her, she would have hit the floor.

She looked up at the man holding her waist.

[Roserikta] "Were you...... waiting for me?"

[Kalart] "You didn't come out."

What is with him? He just walked away looking so angry.

[Roserikta] "I thought you were upset."

Her voice softened. Kalart pulled her upright.

[Kalart] "I am."

[Roserikta] "Then why......"

[Kalart] "Being upset is one thing. Caring about you is another."

He noticed the change in her voice. It meant her heart was softening toward him.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. He never broke eye contact.

[Kalart] "Even when I am angry, I never stop thinking about you."

[Roserikta] "Ah."

Her mouth hung open.

He was telling the truth. The Black Witch wasn't controlling him. How was that possible? The curse was designed specifically to prevent this.

[Kalart] "Based on your face, I should ask now. May I go with you to the pharmacy?"

It still felt wrong and irrational, but Roserikta had no more excuses. Besides, the furious witch behind her might try something else. She couldn't stay on guard forever.

[Roserikta] "On one condition."

[Kalart] "What is it?"

[Roserikta] "The pharmacy is dangerous, filled with poisonous herbs. You must wait outside."

[Kalart] "Is that why you didn't want me to come?"

In a way, yes. The pharmacy was dangerous—for her secrets, not just for him.

[Roserikta] "Yes."

He smiled, looking satisfied.

[Kalart] "If that is the reason, I agree."

[Roserikta] "Thank you, Your Highness."

And so, the Prince's sudden trip was decided. The Royal Guards tried to stop him, but it was useless.

The capital was a half-day ride away, but the Prince looked so happy that his loyal subjects didn't dare argue further.

---

I should have told him the carriage was fixed.

Roserikta swallowed a sigh. She should have told him his carriage was perfectly fine and he could leave whenever he wanted.

Yes, she should have said it a hundred times. If she had, she wouldn't be sitting here, pressed tightly against Kalart on a single horse.

To keep the trip simple, they had skipped the formal clothes. Kalart wore only a shirt and trousers under a cloak. This meant only a thin layer of smooth silk separated her cheek from his chest.

The more she tried to ignore it, the more she noticed the heat through the fabric.

[Roserikta] "......Hic."

She tried to hold back a sigh but made a strange sound instead.

[Kalart] "What is it?"

He pulled the reins to slow down.

[Kalart] "Is the ride too rough?"

[Roserikta] "No, it's......"

Horses shook when they moved. The problem was that she shook in perfect sync with him. She couldn't exactly ask him to move further away.

[Roserikta] "I just had to sneeze."

[Kalart] "Ah. The dust."

He looked at her.

A half-day ride naturally covered a person in dirt. For Kalart, even that minor annoyance was something he wanted to fix.

[Kalart] "Then how about this?"

His words sounded like a suggestion, but his actions said otherwise. Without waiting for an answer, he opened his cloak and wrapped it around her, pulling her into his embrace.