TWFLLYM Ch 6
- Jan 23
- 9 min read
What Happened in the Bathhouse
Alone once more, he was shrouded in complete and total solitude. Once a day, this was his time to let his eyes rest. Beneath the surface of the water, everything was refracted and blurred, and he preferred it that way. If he did not have these moments of peace, he felt he might have lost his mind long ago.
The Crown Prince suffered from an illness known to no one else. To his eyes, human faces appeared twisted and distorted. It was not a general failure of his vision, as he had no trouble seeing objects or landscapes. Only living, moving beings appeared warped as they entered his sight. Consequently, every living creature in the world looked hideous to him.
Looking at another person always required an effort beyond imagination. While he had grown accustomed to hiding his abnormality, he believed he would never grow used to the distortion itself, not until the day he died.
However, that belief had recently changed. For the first time, he had found a living creature that looked beautiful to his eyes. That creature was Clobellina.
It was something no one else could ever understand, but for him, it was a world-altering shift. He was that desperate.
For the first time, he learned what beauty was and how overwhelming such a sensation could be. Therefore, he had no intention of letting her go. Regardless of how suspicious her origins might be, he intended to keep Clobellina by his side.
But his rest was shorter than expected.
Creak, thud.
The door to the bathhouse swung open. He assumed Eaton had already returned and offered no reaction.
[Roserikta] "Oh? Is someone here?"
But the voice he heard was entirely different. It was a voice so beautiful it sent a chill down his spine. Following the voice, a cat let out a series of meows, and the voice continued as if holding a conversation.
[Roserikta] "No way. It cannot be that cold. It is no use complaining, so just give up. There is no way out of this bath. That strict Head Maid will surely want to smell the soap on you to make sure you are clean."
A set of light, pitter-patter footsteps approached and stopped near the bath.
[Roserikta] "But I do not see any soap. Should I have asked for some in advance?"
It was then that Kalart raised his head. With the sound of water droplets scattering, he spoke.
[Kalart] "Pull the string over there. Someone will come."
She froze.
She had plenty of excuses. It was only natural to be startled when suddenly faced with a naked man, though his lower half was submerged, and he fortunately seemed to have a towel wrapped around him.
Furthermore, the man in question was now narrowing his eyes at her as if she were the one in the wrong.
To be clear, her shock was not because his damp, cold, shimmering physique was young and robust, nor was it because he looked perfect enough to charm a witch alive.
...Surely, that was not it.
Why did it have to be him?
Roserikta, who had instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, forced them open. She kept her gaze fixed low to avoid looking at his bare chest.
[Roserikta] "I... I apologize, Your Highness. I will find another bathhouse."
[Kalart] "There is no need for that."
He reached out a damp hand toward Clobellina.
[Kalart] "Did you not come to bathe Clobellina?"
[Roserikta] "I did."
[Kalart] "Then proceed."
[Roserikta] "But..."
But Your Highness is naked right now. Are you telling me to stay here and watch?
Flustered, she realized his reaction was far too calm.
As the Crown Prince, he always had servants attending to him; showing his bare skin was likely a daily occurrence, and he probably lacked any sense of shame regarding it.
[Roserikta] "Then... Your Highness, have you finished your bath?"
[Kalart] "I was planning to."
His gaze softened as he looked at Clobellina, who was being held by Roserikta.
[Kalart] "I suppose it would be good to learn how to bathe a cat. Besides, I was just beginning to miss my cat."
Oh, dear.
Roserikta swallowed her retort. He was essentially telling her to bathe the cat while continuing to look at his naked form.
This was a terrible situation. For starters, she had no idea where to put her eyes. However, she could not disobey his orders, so her only option was to finish the bath as quickly as possible.
[Roserikta] "It is not much different from bathing a person. You wet the fur thoroughly, apply soap, and rinse. After that, you must dry the fur with a dry towel. This part is actually more time-consuming and troublesome than the bath itself. Come here, Clobell."
She lifted Clobellina and dipped her into the water at the furthest possible point from where Kalart was sitting. However, neither of them dreamed that the water the Crown Prince sat in so nonchalantly would be so freezing.
[Clobell] "Meee-ow!"
The moment she touched the water, she leaped up in a panic.
[Clobell] "It's cold! Are you trying to kill me!?"
[Roserikta] "Clobell!"
Roserikta lost her grip. She reached out both arms to catch the thrashing, pale-faced cat. And then...
[Roserikta] "Oh!"
Splash!
The bath was deeper than she had expected. Having lost her balance, she thrashed about in the water. The water was so cold that she couldn't think straight.
[Roserikta] "Ack!"
Just then, a large, firm hand gripped her arm. While she was busy coughing up a mouthful of cold water, Kalart pulled her up, holding her as if he were embracing her.
[Roserikta] "Ah..."
Her bottom hit the floor of the tub. She found herself sitting on the edge of the bath's interior, facing the Crown Prince. His hands were still firmly gripping her waist.
[Kalart] "Are you alright?"
[Roserikta] "..."
She wanted to answer, but she couldn't. It took her a moment to realize her lips were trembling too violently to speak. She was freezing.
[Roserikta] "Cl-Clo..."
She looked for Clobellina. Kalart turned his head and pointed to a corner of the bathhouse.
[Kalart] "She is over there."
[Roserikta] "Ah..."
It seemed she had managed to spring out of the bath while Roserikta was falling in.
[Clobell] "What was that? I thought I was going to die."
She shook herself vigorously to get rid of the water. Then she sat on the floor and began to lick her fur intently.
[Kalart] "Clobell seems fine."
[Roserikta] "Yes, she... fine..."
[Kalart] "But it seems you are not."
[Roserikta] "I... I am sorry. I..."
Roserikta shook her head, trying to move away from him. But for some reason, her body would not obey. Like her lips, her entire frame was shivering uncontrollably.
[Kalart] "Was it really that cold?"
He tilted his head. Since he frequently bathed this way, he didn't seem to realize just how frigid the water was.
Meanwhile, her lips had turned blue. Her wet clothes were stripping away her body heat, making her feel colder by the second.
[Roserikta] "I... I must go... h-hh..."
[Kalart] "It must be because of your clothes. Take them off."
[Roserikta] "Pardon?"
Even while shivering, her eyes flew wide.
What did he just say?
[Kalart] "I said take them off, because the wet clothes are making you cold."
[Roserikta] "No, that... that is... r-ridiculous..."
[Kalart] "If you are worried about me doing something to you, rest easy. I don't have the slightest intention of doing anything like that."
As she continued to shake her head in protest, he reached out and began to pull up the hem of her dress himself.
[Roserikta] "N-no... this is... no..."
Terrified, she tried to push him away. Her freezing hands touched his bare chest, and in her panicked state, she began to hiccup.
[Roserikta] "Hic! No, hic!"
It was then that a faint smile spread across his face.
[Kalart] "I never knew the sound of a hiccup could be so pleasant to the ear."
[Roserikta] "Pardon?"
She stared at him with blank eyes.
What is he talking about? Is this man a bit crazy?
[Kalart] "Do it again."
[Roserikta] "..."
She must have been dumbfounded, for her hiccups stopped instantly.
[Roserikta] "Your... Highness. F-forgive me... but right now, you are..."
[Kalart] "Do I seem like I've lost my mind?"
She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, but she nodded.
[Kalart] "I am aware of that. But your voice is so strange that we should consider ourselves even."
[Roserikta] "What?"
Was her voice strange? That couldn't be right. If anything, people usually praised it.
[Kalart] "It is strange. It is so beautiful it is frightening. When I listen to it, nothing else seems to matter."
[Roserikta] "...?"
She blinked. Her voice, carrying the bloodline of a witch, certainly sounded beautiful to human ears. But usually, people just said it was a nice voice; they didn't react as extremely as him.
His hearing must be incredibly sensitive.
And there was usually a reason for such sensitivity. For example, when someone lost their sight, their sense of touch, smell, or hearing would become heightened to compensate.
Could there be something wrong with his eyes?
She quickly searched her mental encyclopedia.
Or is it a side effect of a medicine?
Filled with worry, she asked him.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness. Have you... been feeling unwell lately? Even if you are not sick, is there anything... uncomfortable... or anything that has changed?"
[Kalart] "Why do you ask?"
[Roserikta] "As you... know, I am a pharmacist. Hearing what you said about my voice... I wondered if something might be... wrong with your ears..."
[Kalart] "My ears are sensitive, yes, but that has been the case for a long time."
If that was true, it wasn't a side effect of a love potion.
As she fell into deep thought, Kalart continued to move his hands.
[Kalart] "Your attempt to stall for time is admirable, but you must still take off those clothes. If you stay like this, you will be sick all night."
[Roserikta] "No, Your Highness. I am fine—"
[Kalart] "If it bothers you that much, I will close my eyes."
Having said that, he actually closed his eyes. Then, without mercy, he grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it upward as if to yank it over her head.
[Roserikta] "Ugh!"
She let out a soft groan at the cold, stinging sensation of the fabric against her skin.
Kalart, with his eyes still shut, wore that same strange smile from before.
[Kalart] "I really am going to lose my mind. First, the hiccups, and now your groans are pleasant to hear as well."
...No, Your Highness. That might be a matter of your personal taste rather than sensitive hearing.
[Kalart] "That is one layer done."
The outer dress had been removed. Next, his hands fumbled over her chemise, attempting to remove it in the same manner.
[Roserikta] "No, wait!"
She stopped him. The chemise had a narrower neckline than the outer dress and could not be removed the same way. If he kept pulling, the fabric would surely tear.
[Roserikta] "This... this has buttons that need to be... undone. I will do it—"
[Kalart] "Tell me where the buttons are."
[Roserikta] "No, I..."
[Kalart] "Do not keep talking back to me. And do not reject the kindness I am trying to show you. I am not used to such things."
A hint of irritation in his voice sounded like a threat.
Curiously, it made her realize what he was thinking. His lack of interest in others meant he treated no one as special. Therefore, treating everyone equally, he simply wanted to solve the problem in front of him, although she was a woman.
The embarrassment or shame she felt as a woman was never a consideration for him. He was the Crown Prince, one who bestowed favors, not one who sought to understand others.
She bit her trembling lip.
This man would have acted the same way even if I were a man. Yes, I understand that. I also know that the Crown Prince of the Krye Empire is not a lecher.
But that was only his perspective. Roserikta was a woman, and the fact that a man—the Crown Prince, no less—was undressing her was still an incredible and nonsensical event.
[Kalart] "Where are the buttons?"
[Roserikta] "Sigh..."
It seemed she had no choice but to go along with this madness. After checking repeatedly to make sure he still had his eyes closed, she guided his hand to the buttons of her chemise.
[Roserikta] "Here."
He began to undo the buttons with a steady, unhesitating touch. He was as skillful as if he had undone dozens of dresses before. She couldn't bear to watch and turned her head away.
Do not think about it, do not think about it. No, let's just pretend Clobellina grew hands. Yes, that's better.
But controlling one's thoughts was never as easy as it sounded. With her face burning hot, she struggled to think of something else. Eventually, she let out a cough and then a bit of a song.
That's it. I'll sing. Then he will think about something else, too.
She began to hum softly. Singing did indeed help distract her. But it was short-lived.
[Kalart] "Stop."
He abruptly interrupted her song.
[Roserikta] "...?"
[Kalart] "If you continue, I will not be able to keep my promise not to touch you."
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