TWFLLYM Ch 66

The Unbroken Curse

[Kalart] "......No, does it even matter?"

His lips twisted into a sharp, bitter smile. The expression pierced Roserikta like a jagged blade.

[Kalart] "I can't separate your nature as a witch from your soul. You came to me as a witch. You helped me as a witch. Your voice charms me because of your power, and you try to leave me because of it. That is why I cling to you."

He reached out his hand. He waited for her to take it.

[Kalart] "The excuses you give mean nothing to me. So, I will ask again. Forget the reasons and tell me your heart. Do you want to leave me?"

[Roserikta] "......"

She stared at his hand. It remained open, offering a connection she could take at any moment.

[Kalart] "Am I so meaningless that you would vanish the moment you lacked a reason to stay? Were you planning your escape the entire time you were by my side? Do you hate me that much?"

[Roserikta] "......"

That was impossible.

[Kalart] "If you tell me you are leaving because you hate me, I will accept it. But nothing else counts. I will not let you go without a real reason."

She wanted to believe him. However, reality was rarely that simple.

[Roserikta] "No."

The word burst from her lips before she could stop it.

[Roserikta] "There are plenty of other reasons. The knights standing behind you are one of them. You might love a witch, but the rest of the world will not. I must leave because you are the Crown Prince of the Empire."

[Kalart] "Is that what you think?"

He turned his gaze toward the Royal Guards. The knights, who gripped their swords tightly, met his eyes with startled expressions.

[Kalart] "Do you all agree? Do you intend to make her status as a witch a problem?"

[Knight] "Pardon? Your Highness, we......"

[Kalart] "I asked if you plan to object to this woman because she is a witch."

[Knight] "Well......"

The Royal Guards suddenly became as silent as statues. No one was foolish enough to speak against the witch now. Kalart looked ready to draw his own sword against anyone who dared.

[Kalart] "Anyone who thinks that way may leave now. Go wherever you wish. I will grant you a title and wealth in the name of the Crown Prince."

[Knight] "......"

The offer of a reward instead of a blade was a relief, but no knight stepped forward. It wasn't fear of the Prince’s cold gaze that held them back. They understood why he spoke those words.

The guards had watched the Prince and the cat-maid closely for a long time. They knew the desperate way the two looked at each other, the rare smiles on the Prince’s face, and his ridiculous jealousy.

They also knew Roserikta was good. Even if they didn't understand the details, they saw her struggle to save the Prince from a monster. Without her, they would have died in that nightmare.

[Knight] "Your Highness. We......"

One knight started to speak, likely to explain their loyalty. But a sudden interruption cut him off.

[Clobell] "Rosie!"

She looked up toward the chandelier.

[Roserikta] "What is it, Clobell?"

[Clobell] "Don't you hear that?"

[Roserikta] "Hear what?"

[Clobell] "Something is coming. It sounds like a lot of them."

[Roserikta] "What?"

The sound Clobellina described soon reached everyone’s ears.

Rattle, clatter.

A bizarre, skin-crawling noise echoed through the room. In a space filled with shattered statues, a bleeding witch, and the bodies of fallen knights, a new tension gripped the air.

[Knight] "Is it...... not over yet?"

Creeeeeak!

The massive doors leading from the foyer to the eastern drawing room swung open. This was the same path they took when they first arrived at the castle.

A figure appeared in the doorway. He bowed with a timid yet polite expression. Everyone recognized him.

[Count] "Welcome, Your Highness. It is an unmatched honor for the House of Gibero, established by the glory of the first Emperor, Raquelman I."

[Knight] "Th-that is......!"

Shock forced their jaws to drop. The man standing there was Count Gibero—the man who died yesterday.

---

[Roserikta] "Close the door!"

The Count’s appearance was wrong. Roserikta assumed the black magic would break once the witch suffered a fatal wound. She couldn't understand why the dead Count now stood there looking exactly as he did in life.

Slam!

The guards moved instantly. No one took the strange events in this castle lightly anymore.

[Knight] "What is happening? Is it not over?"

[Knight] "The Count is dead! Did he come back to life?"

Thump, thump!

Heavy pounding shook the closed doors.

Thump, thump, thump!

The sound was as threatening as an earthquake. It didn't sound like one man; it sounded like dozens.

Roserikta remembered the box of bones in the secret room. The Black Witch was dying, but she wasn't dead yet. If her magic remained, those bones could take the form they had in life.

[Roserikta] "Those are likely the bones of the dead."

[Knight] "Bones? What do you mean?"

[Roserikta] "The bones of the people the witch killed to steal their life force. This house is full of them."

The knights stared in horror.

[Knight] "Bones? You mean the bones are moving on their own?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. They are victims of black magic, trapped even in death. The Count is the same."

[Knight] "But the Count looks perfectly fine!"

[Roserikta] "It is just an illusion. Remember the sound from earlier."

The knights turned pale as they recalled the dry, rattling noise. It was the sound of parched bones knocking together.

[Knight] "Wait. Why are they appearing now......"

Roserikta was prepared to say she didn't know the exact reason.

Crash! Bang! ......Crack!

The wooden doors shattered under the weight of dozens of skeletons.

Clatter!

The people of the Gibero estate poured through the broken entrance. They looked normal, but the sound of bones grinding together made her skin crawl.

[Roserikta] "Watch out!"

As she shouted, Kalart pulled her behind his back.

[Kalart] "Tell me what to do."

Roserikta watched him pick up a sword from the floor. The sight was both funny and heartbreaking. He knew nothing about black magic, yet his first instinct was to protect her.

[Roserikta] "Fire will work. Fire is the strongest purifying force. It will burn the traces of black magic from the bones."

[Kalart] "Then we will trap them and burn the building."

[Roserikta] "Leaving is faster than trapping them."

[Kalart] "A good idea."

He kept one arm behind him to hold her as he pointed his sword toward the opposite door.

[Kalart] "We go that way. Once everyone is out, lock the doors and set the fire."

[Knight] "Understood, Your Highness!"

The knights moved with speed. They backed away slowly, facing the crowd of bone-people.

Curiously, the creatures did nothing but stand still after breaking the door.

[Clobell] "Rosie! You forgot me!"

She screamed from the chandelier.

[Roserikta] "Oh...... I’m sorry, Clobell. Things were chaotic. I'll get you down."

As Roserikta reached for her broom, Kalart grabbed her clothes.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness?"

[Kalart] "Promise me."

[Roserikta] "Pardon?"

[Kalart] "Promise you won't just fly away."

[Roserikta] "I’m just getting Clobell."

[Kalart] "Your heart might change while you're up there."

Even without a love potion, this man has an obsessive personality.

[Roserikta] "There are more urgent matters right now, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "This is the most urgent matter to me."

His words meant she was always his priority, regardless of the situation.

[Roserikta] "I will not leave until I know you are safe."

[Kalart] "That will do for now."

He released her. Roserikta sighed, hopped on her broom, and flew to the chandelier.

[Clobell] "Hmph! How could you forget me!"

The cat leaped into her arms. Roserikta smiled apologetically while holding her.

[Roserikta] "Sorry, Clobell. Were you scared?"

[Clobell] "Of course, I was scared! I might have defeated a Black Witch, but what cat wouldn't be scared of shaking on a high chandelier!"

[Roserikta] "I was wrong. Let's go down......"

Roserikta stopped. Her expression shifted instantly. Clobellina followed her gaze to the floor.

[Clobell] "Gasp! Where did the witch go?"

[Roserikta] "She’s gone. ......How?"

The spot where Countess Gibero had been lying was empty. Not a single drop of blood remained.

Roserikta finally understood why the bone-people were standing still.

[Roserikta] "She is trying to escape. She hid among the crowd."

[Clobell] "What? Then we have to catch her!"

[Roserikta] "Yes. We have to find her."

The broom dived. Since the witch had likely changed her appearance, Roserikta searched for any clue.

[Roserikta] "She is badly injured. If we look closely, we will find someone who moves slowly or looks in pain......"

At that moment, as if waiting for her to get close, the Count and the servants lunged for her.

[Roserikta] "Ah!"

[Kalart] "Danger!"

She jerked her broom upward just as Kalart rushed forward.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"

The people of the estate attacked like wild animals. The chaotic battle between the living and the dead lasted until the first light of dawn.

---

Roar!

Flames climbed the walls. By sunrise, the massive castle would be a pile of ash.

The knights watched from a safe distance, looking exhausted. Everyone had injuries, and they had buried one of their own. Their minds felt heavier than their bodies after a night of nightmares.

[Roserikta] "......We couldn't find her."

She looked devastated. They had searched the castle, but the witch had vanished.

[Clobell] "She was hurt badly. She’ll have to hide for a while."

[Roserikta] "But the curse remains."

She whispered with a face close to tears.

[Clobell] "The curse? The one on the Prince?"

[Roserikta] "Yes."

[Clobell] "Didn't he say it was fine? Don't worry about it."

[Roserikta] "Still."

The fact that the witch lived meant she could return at any time.

Roserikta watched Kalart as he gave orders to the knights.

Would the witch ever give up on him?

If the curse had broken, perhaps she would have. In her current weakened state, she couldn't cast such a massive spell again.

Kalart noticed her gaze from across the field. He left the knights and ran toward her.

[Roserikta] "Don't run!"

She stood up and shouted. His body was in no condition for such exertion.

[Kalart] "I must look very weak to you."

He arrived and gave a bitter laugh.

[Roserikta] "No, it's just that you haven't recovered yet."

[Kalart] "Well, it's fine. My pride takes a hit, but I get your worry in return."

[Kalart] "I have good news. The carriage is repaired. The trip back will be more comfortable."

She already knew, but she nodded anyway.

[Roserikta] "That’s good."

He reached out and cupped her cheek.

[Kalart] "Are you coming back with me?"

[Roserikta] "I......"

As she hesitated, he looked like a hopeful child.

[Kalart] "Say you will come with me. I will handle the rest."

[Roserikta] "Before that, I have a question, Your Highness."