TWFLLYM Ch 62

Please Don't Eat the Cat

The Countess clutched her stomach and vomited.

Since she turned her back on the moon, everything touched by moonlight clashed violently with her body. Even the smallest amount felt like poison. Nausea surged through her, impossible to suppress.

[Countess] "Ugh! Urgh! Ack!"

She crawled across the floor, gagging. The life force she had stolen from the Royal Guards crawled out of her throat like insects.

[Countess] "Ha... haaa... ha."

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand after spitting out the last drop.

[Countess] "That dog-like... how did it get mixed in... argh!"

The torment didn't end there. The scar on her chest tore open, and blood bubbled out. She clutched the wound to stop the flow, letting out a silent scream of agony. Her hands turned crimson. They trembled with the sheer force of the pain.

She brought her blood-stained fingers to her lips and licked them. Because of the black magic that halted her death and aging, her blood no longer flowed. It simply sat inside her like her other organs. Losing even one drop meant losing a piece of her life. No matter how foul it tasted, she had to swallow it all.

[Countess] "......That half-wit brat!"

Crash! Bang!

She glared at the room, and the furniture shattered as if struck by an invisible hammer. The beautiful bedroom turned into a disaster zone in an instant.

[Countess] "Just you wait. I will... I will definitely tear you to pieces."

A sudden wind whipped through the room. In the blink of an eye, the Countess vanished.

---

Kalart galloped across the garden and leaped from his horse the moment the main gate appeared. He moved before the animal even stopped.

[Knight] "Wait, Your Highness!"

The knight's frantic cry failed to slow him down. Kalart pushed the doors open and entered the castle.

Total darkness swallowed the interior. Not a single lamp burned. Without the faint moonlight leaking through the open doors, he wouldn't know if his eyes were open or closed.

[Kalart] "Go find some lights. As many as possible."

He gave the order without turning back toward the knight.

[Knight] "Your Highness! You aren't staying here without me, are you?"

[Kalart] "I have a bad feeling. I made enough noise to wake the dead, yet not a single person has come out. Something happened to the men I left behind."

Kalart drew his sword.

Thud.

His heavy riding boots hit the floor, creating a sound that felt unnervingly loud in the silence.

[Knight] "Your Highness! Don't go! I will check for danger first!"

[Kalart] "Find the lights. That is faster."

[Knight] "Your Highness!"

Kalart used the faint moonlight at his back to find his way.

Slam!

The doors shut abruptly. The castle turned into a void where he couldn't see an inch ahead.

[Knight] "Gah! Your Highness! Are you safe?"

[Kalart] "For now. Did you close the door?"

[Knight] "No, no! Why would I do that!"

[Kalart] "Then what......"

Rustle. Scuff.

Footsteps echoed through the empty hall. The sound of multiple feet shuffling grew louder.

[Knight] "Y-Your Highness... what... what is that?"

[Kalart] "I don't know."

Kalart gripped his sword tighter.

[Kalart] "I only know they aren't friendly."

He relied on his ears, which were sharper than most.

[Kalart] "Don't move. Don't even draw your sword. In this darkness, we are more likely to kill each other."

[Knight] "Yes, Your Highness. That sounds wise."

Scuff, scuff... rustle... stop!

Kalart focused every sense on the noise. The moment the steps stopped, he swung.

Thwack!

The sound was strange. It wasn't the sound of cutting flesh or splashing blood. It sounded like something breaking.

[Kalart] "What is this......"

He paused, confused.

[Countess] "You returned early, Your Highness."

The room brightened. Kalart saw the same scene from his first visit. The beautiful Countess descended the stairs with graceful steps. However, her purple eyes looked cloudy and dull.

She looked unstable and dangerous. Fatal, yet tempting.

[Kalart] "What was that just now?"

The Countess ignored his question and continued her approach.

Kalart scanned the area. His sword had definitely broken something, but nothing lay on the floor. Instead, he noticed a crack on the shoulder of one of the black stone statues surrounding the central staircase.

[Kalart] "Do those things move?"

She laughed. The sound felt like it was strangling the air.

[Countess] "What a silly thing to say. Statues moving? You must be exhausted from your long journey. Here."

She reached the bottom of the stairs and held out her hand.

[Countess] "Take it, quickly. I will help you sleep."

Her smile widened, carrying an obvious temptation. Her thin, sheer dress clung to her skin like a second layer, revealing every curve. She looked nearly naked. The line from her white neck to her chest was dizzying.

[Countess] "Beautiful Crown Prince. I will give you a sweet sleep you have never even dreamed of."

---

[Knight] "The cat... the cat... the black cat... I must skin it and put it in the stew pot......"

The sixth knight muttered these chilling words as he approached. Clobellina, acting as the bait, shivered.

[Clobell] "Hiss! I can't listen to this twice! How can he say such horrible things!"

Roserikta approached silently from behind.

[Roserikta] "Hang in there, Clobell."

She raised the wooden window bar, which looked more like a heavy club.

For a witch about to strike someone, her expression remained calm and focused. She looked like a doctor about to perform surgery.

That is the weak spot, so if I use this much force...…

She prepared to strike. But the knight, still muttering about stew, suddenly blinked and tilted his head.

[Knight] "Wait. Why am I putting a cat in a pot? Does anyone actually eat cats? No, that's just......"

Whoosh!

He heard the sound of a weapon cutting the air and spun around.

[Knight] "Whoa! What are you doing!"

[Roserikta] "Ah! Oh no! Get out of the way!"

Thump!

The knight moved quickly, and Roserikta let go of the bar to avoid hitting his head.

[Knight] "Argh!"

Instead, the bar fell and slammed into the top of his foot.

[Knight] "Ow, ow! My foot! Argh!"

The knight hopped on one leg, clutching his foot. To be fair, a sudden hit to the top of the foot causes immense pain.

[Knight] "Ugh! I think it's broken... ugh! Why did you attack me!"

[Roserikta] "Move your hand. Let me see if it's broken. And if you want a reason, you tried to hunt Clobell first."

[Knight] "What...? Me?"

The knight forgot his pain for a moment out of pure shock.

She took the chance to grab his foot and press down firmly.

[Knight] "Ow! Gently, please! But why would I hunt the Prince's cat? I would have to be insane to do that. You must have seen someone else."

She checked his bones and confirmed nothing was broken.

[Roserikta] "It is just a bruise, Sir Knight. Don't you remember?"

[Knight] "Remember what?"

[Roserikta] "What you just said. You said you were going to catch Clobell, skin her, and put her in a stew pot."

[Knight] "What? I did... gasp!"

The knight stood up properly, his pain fading as soon as he heard it was just a bruise. He suddenly remembered that he had been muttering exactly what she described.

[Knight] "I, uh... I suppose I did... but why on earth would I do that?"

[Roserikta] "Do you remember Sir Eaton being sick?"

Roserikta quickly invented a reason. It wasn't far from the truth. Being controlled by a witch and being delirious with fever were equally serious.

[Knight] "Of course I remember. Then, am I......?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. You caught the same fever."

[Knight] "Gasp! How could this... is there a plague in this castle that makes people go mad?"

[Roserikta] "It is very likely."

Black magic wasn't exactly a plague, but it spread just as silently. The panicked knight patted his own body.

[Knight] "Oh no, am I still... gasp... I think I have a fever......"

[Roserikta] "No, you are fine now. You trained your body so well that you defeated the sickness on your own."

[Knight] "Oh, really?"

The knight accepted the fake diagnosis immediately after the compliment. Roserikta guessed that the Water of Life she gave the other five knights had played a part.

The magic was draining their life force. When the Water of Life mixed in, it must have fought the black magic. That's why the knights are waking up.

Her theory held up. The Water of Life her grandmother made could actually fight the Black Witch.

[Roserikta] "We need to check on the other knights quickly. Will you help me?"

[Knight] "Certainly. I will lead the way! It is dark, so follow me closely."

Things were going better than expected. Feeling relieved, Roserikta followed the knight. Clobellina walked beside her.

[Clobell] "Rosie. Do you still need that club? Maybe you should keep it just in case."

Roserikta whispered so the knight wouldn't hear.

[Roserikta] "I think we're safe now that we have a knight. And it's a window bar, not a club. Calling it a club makes it sound like a weapon."

[Clobell] "You used it to hit someone, so it's the same thing."

[Roserikta] "I didn't hit him, I knocked him out."

[Clobell] "What's the difference?"

Since she hit him to knock him out, it really was the same thing.

[Roserikta] "Just follow me, Clobell."

Roserikta changed the subject. Clobellina followed with a huff.

One by one, the knights were waking up from their dark trance.

---

[Kalart] "Sweet sleep, you say."

He lowered his sword and walked toward the Countess. To anyone else, it looked like he was about to take her hand and surrender to her charms.

[Kalart] "I want something else instead."

[Knight] "No, Your Highness! Get away!"

The knight tried to grab Kalart, but he was too late. The moment he reached out, his body froze.

[Knight] '......!'

He tried to scream, but no sound came out. His body turned to stone. He couldn't even blink his eyes.

Kalart stepped closer to the Countess.

[Countess] "Tell me. What do you want?"

She narrowed her eyes and moved her lips softly.

[Countess] "I will do my best to satisfy you."

[Kalart] "Anything?"

[Countess] "Anything."

Kalart stared into her clouded purple eyes. Thanks to the Countess, he realized there were different kinds of beauty. One kind made him happy, while another kind was nothing more than a hollow shell.

The Countess's beauty was like a portrait. Looking at her felt like studying a piece of art. It was like someone explaining the definition of beauty to a man who didn't understand it. It was completely different from the beauty he heard vividly in his ears.

He felt no desire to own her, nor did he feel peace. He had no urge to hold her or kiss her. All of those desires belonged only to Roserikta.

The shock of learning something new eventually fades. Kalart learned quickly. He had heard enough about beauty. Now, all that remained was the truth behind her actions.

[Kalart] "I am glad to hear that. I want an answer from you."

[Countess] "What kind?"

Kalart reached out and grabbed her dress. He didn't just hold it; he wrapped the fabric around his hand and gripped it firmly. The Countess placed her hand gently over his.

[Countess] "Oh, you are impatient. Right here?"

He ignored her words and spoke his own.

[Kalart] "What did you do to my eyes?"