TWFLLYM Ch 55

The Water of Life

[Roserikta] "……Ugh!"

She jammed her fingers into the gap of the cabinet door with every ounce of her strength. One finger wasn't enough to pry it open. The effort sent a jolting pain through her hand, making her fear her bones might snap.

[Eaton] "Soon……"

He muttered as he yanked the strap. The tough leather bit deep into her skin. Her breath hitched, and her vision blurred into a hazy gray. Still, she refused to surrender.

Crash! Smash!

She practically tore the cabinet door off its hinges. She scrambled through the neatly stacked bottles and gripped the first one her hand hit. Without a second to twist the cap, she hurled the glass bottle directly at Eaton.

Thud!

The blue bottle shattered against his head. The liquid inside drenched his hair.

[Roserikta] "Ah, that…… that was the Water of Life."

[Eaton] "Hrk!"

He shook his head violently to clear the moisture.

The Water of Life sounded like a grand, mythical potion, but its effect was simple. When the shimmering blue liquid touched an object, that object moved as if it were alive. Her grandmother used it for sick children; a few drops on a picture book or a toy gave them the most magical experience of their lives.

[Eaton] "Ugh, hng, ack!"

Most of the liquid had landed on Eaton’s hair. His short, thick strands began to rustle and wiggle as if they possessed a mind of their own. They tickled his scalp, his forehead, and his eyebrows. Everywhere his hair touched turned into an itchy nightmare.

[Eaton] "Heh, hee, ah-hee!"

He let out a bizarre sound—somewhere between a sob and a laugh—while his face twisted in agony. Even then, he struggled to keep his grip on the leather strap around her neck.

[Roserikta] "Hah!"

But his strength had faded. As the strap loosened, Roserikta gathered her power and slammed her forehead against his.

Crack!

The impact rattled her skull, but Eaton finally let go. Roserikta scrambled to her feet and grabbed a different medicine bottle.

[Roserikta] "This one will be painful, Sir Knight."

She aimed the bottle at him. At that exact moment, two sets of frantic footsteps echoed down into the basement.

[Kalart] "What happened? Are you safe?"

Smash!

The brown bottle broke against Eaton’s head without mercy.

[Roserikta] "Ah……"

She stared at Kalart as he sprinted into the room, her face pale with shock.

---

Oh no, what do I do?

The scene was a disaster. Kalart arrived to find Eaton’s hair moving like a nest of writhing snakes while Roserikta stood over him, smashing a glass bottle into his head.

He will definitely misunderstand this.

[Roserikta] "That, well……"

She searched for an excuse.

Should she say Sir Eaton’s fever made him see things? Then she would just be a person who broke glass over a patient’s head. Would he even believe that?

[Roserikta] "I wasn't trying to hurt him, or anything like that……"

[Kalart] "Say no more."

Kalart approached as if he didn't need any explanation. He reached down and grabbed Eaton by the collar.

Thud!

His fist connected with Eaton’s jaw, snapping his head back.

[Knight] "Gah! Your Highness!"

The knight who followed behind clutched his own jaw and shouted in horror.

[Knight] "You shouldn't do that! You must hear the details of what happened first……!"

[Kalart] "Why did you do this?"

Kalart demanded, holding Eaton tight. Eaton could only choke and gasp for air. Through his writhing hair, his bloodshot eyes looked empty and unfocused.

Deciding he wouldn't get an answer this way, Kalart slapped him across the face.

Slap!

[Kalart] "Speak!"

The accompanying knight jumped in, fearing Kalart might actually kill Eaton.

[Knight] "Your Highness! There must be a reason! You should hear the Captain's side first!"

The knight was the one who misunderstood the situation. To his knowledge, Captain Eaton was the most upright knight in the Empire. He would never attack a woman smaller and weaker than himself.

Therefore, Eaton must be the victim. After all, the knight had witnessed Roserikta hitting him with a bottle. The only question was the reason. Why did the "cat maid" attack him? Why was Eaton in her pharmacy in secret?

He must have discovered her true identity

[Knight] "She is a witch after all……!"

The knight began to shout at Roserikta, but she cut him off.

[Roserikta] "Let go…… cough…… of him, Your Highness."

Her voice came out as a raspy, painful croak. The injury to her throat made her sound like a different person.

[Roserikta] "You shouldn't touch…… that medicine. It is dangerous."

She pointed to the sticky brown syrup dripping down Eaton’s face.

[Roserikta] "The effect…… will start soon."

As if on cue, Eaton’s mouth fell open, and he began to laugh hysterically. The booming laughter echoed off the basement walls. She watched him with a look of pity.

[Roserikta] "It is Laughing Mushroom syrup."

[Knight] "L-laughing Mushroom?"

The knight recoiled in horror.

Laughing Mushroom wasn't as innocent as it sounded. Among the wicked potions used by witches, it ranked second only to love potions. It was a poison that forced a person to laugh until they died.

Drenched in the syrup, Eaton shook and sputtered, unable to control the violent bursts of laughter.

[Knight] "She really is a witch!"

The knight drew his sword.

[Knight] "Your Highness! Step back! It's dangerous! I will handle this……!"

Thud.

Kalart ignored them, dropping Eaton carelessly onto the floor.

[Kalart] "……"

Kalart walked toward Roserikta. The knight tried to block him, glancing nervously at Eaton, who was now rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter.

[Knight] "Your Highness! Don't go near her! It might be a trap! Even the Captain fell!"

Kalart didn't hear a word. He didn't misunderstand anything.

When he ran into the basement after hearing the scream, the first thing he saw wasn't the bleeding Eaton. It was the vivid red mark on Roserikta’s white neck.

[Kalart] "That must hurt."

He reached out to touch the mark left by the strap but stopped, fearing even his lightest touch would cause her more pain.

[Roserikta] "Your…… Highness……"

[Kalart] "Don't force yourself to speak. Your throat is injured."

She watched his black eyes grow darker than the deepest shadows in the room.

I can't hide this with a lie anymore. Not with Laughing Mushroom involved.

In truth, the idea that Laughing Mushroom was a deadly poison was mostly a human prejudice. In the right dosage, it served as an effective treatment for depression. But humans often used it without care. She had grabbed it in a panic, knowing it was the only way to stop Eaton.

[Roserikta] "Sir Eaton…… needs the antidote…… to stop laughing."

[Kalart] "Where is the antidote?"

[Roserikta] "The green bottle…… in the cabinet. He only needs…… exactly one spoonful."

[Kalart] "Did you hear that?"

He directed his words at the knight.

The knight, caught between the laughing man on the floor and the Prince standing by the "witch," nodded and dashed toward the cabinet. Saving Eaton was the priority.

While the knight searched, Roserikta struggled to speak.

[Roserikta] "Your…… Highness."

[Kalart] "Do you have something to tell me?"

[Roserikta] "I……"

Shouldn't it be the other way around? He surely had a mountain of questions for her.

[Roserikta] "I…… the knight……"

[Kalart] "I know."

[Roserikta] "……What?"

[Kalart] "I said I know."

He reached out and straightened her hair, which had become a mess during the struggle. His touch was warm and gentle.

[Kalart] "Whatever the reason, I know you didn't try to harm Eaton first. He started it."

His gaze fell sharply on the floor. The leather strap Eaton used to strangle her lay there. It was standard Royal Guard equipment—useful for hunting or subduing targets, but unnecessary for the Empire's best swordsman.

If Roserikta had attacked first, Eaton would have used his sword, not a leather strap. But his longsword remained untouched in its scabbard.

Kalart concluded that Eaton had attacked her for some unknown reason.

[Kalart] "That leaves only the question of why. Why would a knight who served the Imperial family so loyally try to harm you behind my back? There must be a significant reason."

[Roserikta] "……"

She bit her lip. Should she claim she didn't know? Should she say Laughing Mushroom is just a common medicine?

No, I can't. He might overlook the medicine, but Eaton is different. He tried to kill me, and he will face a heavy punishment. I can't let him suffer just to hide my identity.'

[Roserikta] "It is not…… the knight's fault……"

Before she could finish, Kalart pressed his finger to her lips.

[Kalart] "Later."

[Roserikta] "……?"

[Kalart] "I need to know the reason, but your throat is too sore to talk. We will discuss it later. It is a pity."

His touch remained affectionate. The word "pity" felt like a lie. He watched her trembling eyelashes and moved his fingertips, tracing her lips rather than just pressing them.

[Kalart] "Testify about today as soon as your throat heals. You are the only witness."

[Roserikta] "……"

She understood him perfectly. He was telling her that he would believe whatever she said. Even if she lied to hide her identity, he would accept it as the truth.

[Kalart] "So I hope you tell me the truth. Later."

He pulled her into a sudden, tight embrace as if he could no longer hold himself back.

[Kalart] "I am glad you are safe. That you aren't hurt more. That I…… didn't lose you."

His voice grew so low it almost disappeared, but Roserikta understood. He would have been devastated if she had been hurt further.

How can he be like this? How can he promise to believe even a lie?

It felt like blind love.

She closed her eyes, feeling the heat of his heartbeat through his chest. She wished her heart had eyes so she could close them too.

If I could, I would have fallen in love with him already. Regardless of whether I am a witch or he is the Prince.

A moment later, the knight found the green bottle and stopped Eaton’s laughter.

---

After taking the antidote, Eaton fell into a deep sleep. Since Laughing Mushroom was potent, the antidote was equally strong. He would sleep for at least several hours.

[Knight] "Where should I move the Captain?"

The knight asked with a stiff face. He remained tense. He accepted that Eaton attacked first, but his suspicion that she was a witch only grew.

[Kalart] "Leave him."

Kalart’s voice was like a blade.

[Knight] "Your Highness, the basement is cold, and there is nowhere for him to lie down……"

[Kalart] "It is his punishment. He has a strong body; sleeping on a cold floor for a few hours won't kill him."

[Knight] "But he was poisoned by a witch, Your Highness."

Kalart raised an eyebrow. The look carried two warnings: Don't use that word, and I don't care.

[Knight] "I will leave him then, Your Highness."

The knight stepped away from Eaton.

Roserikta was the one who looked concerned.

[Roserikta] "The bed……"

As she tried to suggest moving him to a bed, Kalart placed his hand over her mouth.

[Kalart] "Eaton is fine. And I told you not to talk."

[Roserikta] "……"

She could speak, but the rasping sound stung her throat every time.

[Kalart] "Stop worrying about Eaton and look after yourself. Do you have medicine for your throat?"

Axaca powder would heal it instantly, but she hesitated. Kalart had given her a choice: the truth or a lie.

She could reveal her identity and the Black Witch's curse, or she could maintain the boundary between humans and witches. She didn't know which path would cause less pain.

For now, she chose to hold onto the time Kalart gave her.

When my throat heals.

Until then, she would wait.

[Roserikta] "Te…… a……"

He pressed his finger to her lips again before she could finish.

[Kalart] "You don't need to answer. You have medicine?"

She wanted to say she had no medicine, but that warm tea would help. Instead, she just pulled on his sleeve. He nodded.

[Kalart] "I understand. Lead the way."

She walked half a step ahead toward the kitchen.

[Knight] "Your Highness! Wait! I am coming with you!"

The knight, unwilling to leave the Prince alone with a suspected witch, scrambled to follow them.