TWFLLYM Ch 7
- Jan 23
- 9 min read
The Other Side of Common Sense
His voice, speaking words that made little sense, felt strangely rigid.
While she blinked her eyes in bewilderment, the last of her buttons was undone. He pulled off her inner dress as well, leaving nothing behind.
A biting chill struck her bare skin. As she curled her body inward to shield herself, a dry garment was draped over her shoulders.
[Roserikta] "Ah...?"
[Kalart] "Can I open my eyes now?"
It was his cloak. He had taken the cloak he had left nearby and wrapped it around her.
She bundled herself tightly in the fabric, which felt as spacious and heavy as a thick blanket. She was still cold, but she felt much better than she had while drenched.
She gave a small nod.
[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness."
[Kalart] "Very well."
He opened his eyes. His black eyes stared at her from a very close distance, and she could feel his gaze vividly. It was a strange, quivering look.
His eyes were beautiful. Combined with the unintended intimacy of her being undressed, the sight of such a handsome man so close made her face flush a deep crimson. However, there was something else behind that beauty.
What is it...?
She had never felt such a gaze from anyone before. It felt like intense hatred, or perhaps resentment. It felt like a deep void, or an unfathomable longing she couldn't begin to guess.
He is strange. There is something more to him. Something other than Grandmother’s medicine.
Just as she was managing to calm the heat rising in her face while lost in these thoughts, someone else entered.
[Kalart] "..."
[Eaton] "Yo—Your Highness?"
Eaton faltered as he stepped into the bathhouse, freezing at the unexpected sight. His jaw dropped so low it looked painful.
[Eaton] "W-what... ah, no, no... did I... did I interrupt something?"
Kalart narrowed his eyes, appearing confused by the question, and only understood the implication a beat later.
He was clad only in a towel around his waist, and a woman was pressed close enough to touch, wrapped in nothing but his cloak. With her discarded clothes strewn across the floor, it was a situation where a misunderstanding was practically inevitable.
[Kalart] "You know very well that is not the case."
[Eaton] "Ah, well... that is, I... I..."
Eaton was still unable to find his words. Even if nothing was happening, the sight was entirely foreign to him. He had never once imagined a scene where Kalart would be in such proximity to a woman without showing any sign of repulsion. He hadn't even thought it was possible.
[Kalart] "It is just as well that you are here. Is the water heated?"
[Eaton] "Pardon? Ah, yes. Yes, Your Highness."
[Kalart] "Then bathe Clobellina with that water. And you, go and bring a set of women’s clothes."
[Eaton] "Yes... eh? Women’s clothes? You mean..."
[Kalart] "As quickly as possible."
[Eaton] "Ah, yes... I understand. I will go at once, Your Highness."
Eaton backed out of the bathhouse with awkward, stiff steps.
Splash!
Kalart rose from the water.
[Roserikta] "...!"
Having caught a sudden glimpse of his bare body, she jerked her head away. As expected, the embarrassment belonged to her alone.
After stepping out of the tub, he picked up a fresh towel to dry himself and began putting on his clothes. Given how nonchalant he was about showing his skin, one would expect him to be used to being waited on, yet he seemed perfectly capable of dressing himself.
Then again, everything about him—from soaking in unheated water in a remote annex to his behavior now—seemed to defy common sense.
This led her to one inevitable conclusion.
He is strange.
It seemed the Crown Prince of the Krye Empire harbored secrets that the public knew nothing about.
[Clobell] "Meow."
In the meantime, Clobellina had finished grooming herself. She approached and began to rub her body against the hem of the cloak.
[Clobell] "My fur is all dry. I do not need a bath anymore."
Roserikta clicked her tongue, having expected this. She had wondered why the cat had been so quiet.
[Roserikta] "Not a chance. You only dipped in for a second."
[Clobell] "Do I really have to take a bath in this situation?"
[Roserikta] "Of course. You have to be properly lathered with soap and rinsed."
Clobellina flattened her ears, her whiskers trembling slightly. The very thought of a bath was clearly loathsome to her.
[Clobell] "And how do you plan to wash me in that state? Are you going to hold the cloak with one hand and wash me with the other? I will just slip away like this and this!"
[Roserikta] "Well... he said someone is bringing clothes. We can do it after I change."
Kalart approached them.
[Kalart] "Is it time for Clobellina’s bath?"
She nodded.
[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness."
A refreshing scent wafted from the freshly washed Kalart. Because of it, her eyes kept drifting toward his collarbone.
He isn't even trying to tease me. Seriously.
Roserikta struggled to erase the images flickering in her mind. The more she recalled the bare body she had seen by accident, the more conscious she became of the fact that she was currently naked under the cloak.
Is it okay just because he doesn't mind? He really needs more common sense. Compared to him, I am a perfectly sensible witch. It is extremely weird for a man and a woman who aren't lovers to be alone and naked like this.
As she gripped the cloak tightly, she felt him glance at her hands.
[Kalart] "Clobellina looks like she hates the idea of a bath."
His intuition was sharp. He seemed to understand about half of what the cat was saying, even though he couldn't possibly know her language.
[Roserikta] "No, Your Highness. She actually loves baths. Even now, she is disappointed because I cannot wash her yet due to my current situation."
Clobellina’s mouth hung open in shock.
[Clobell] "Are you not going too far? Since coming here, every time you open your mouth, a lie comes out!"
Hearing this, he actually looked pleased.
[Kalart] "Then I shall do it. Teach me how."
This was another shocking statement. The Crown Prince bathing a cat?
[Roserikta] "Your... Highness will?"
[Kalart] "Yes. It seems like it will be a pleasant task."
[Roserikta] "..."
As he spoke, a faint smile played on the corners of his lips. She sensed a subtle heat radiating from him.
His symptoms seem to be getting worse by the day. He might actually get sick at this rate.
She didn't have time to dwell on bare bodies. She had to make the antidote as quickly as possible.
[Roserikta] "First, hold her and lower her into the warm water. Wet her fur thoroughly down to the skin, then apply the soap. Please be careful not to let any water get into her ears."
[Kalart] "I understand."
Clobellina let out a sharp cry.
[Clobell] "Do I look like a pushover to you? Do you think I will just stay still if I'm forced into a bath?"
Roserikta was prepared for this.
[Roserikta] "Clobell. Just in case you're thinking of something, you must stay still. It would be a disaster if you scratched the Crown Prince. That is a hanging offense."
[Clobell] "Is... is that a threat?"
[Roserikta] "I am telling you the reality. We live in the palace now, so we must follow its laws."
Clobellina looked miserable.
[Clobell] "What is this? I came here to eat well, but the food still tastes like nothing, and I have to take baths all the time. Home was better."
Roserikta smiled sweetly. Clobellina needed to think about the consequences of her actions. It was good that she was finally learning a lesson.
[Roserikta] "Think of it as an honor, Clobell. His Highness is personally bathing you. No other cat in the world will ever have this privilege."
[Clobell] "Ugh..."
Whether the threat worked or not, she remained still even as Kalart lifted her.
[Kalart] "She is soft and yielding."
He let out an exclamation of wonder, as if the sensation were entirely new.
[Kalart] "She is warm, too. I can feel her heartbeat."
As he stared at Clobellina while holding her, Roserikta spoke.
[Roserikta] "Your Highness... have you never seen a living cat before?"
[Kalart] "I have seen them. But I have never wanted to touch one."
Did that mean Clobellina was the first living thing he had ever wanted to touch?
He only wanted to touch her after taking the love potion. What was he like before that?
Did it mean he had lived his entire life without knowing the warmth or softness of another living creature, or the steady comfort of a heartbeat? She suddenly felt that he might have been very lonely.
She knew that feeling well.
Since her grandmother passed away, she had been alone. If not for Clobellina, she would still be alone.
The heat of a fireplace or an oven was different from the warmth of a living being. After her grandmother died, no matter how much she stoked the fire, she always felt cold and empty.
Only after Clobellina arrived did the house feel warm again. The house felt like a real home. A place where she could fall asleep in cozy stability.
She spoke in a small voice without realizing it.
[Roserikta] "That is a relief."
[Kalart] "What is?"
[Roserikta] "That you finally know what warmth feels like."
[Kalart] "..."
[Roserikta] "Warmth is a great comfort when one is lonely."
Kalart fell silent. Instead of answering, his gaze drifted toward her. By the time his silent, persistent stare began to feel heavy, he turned back to Clobellina.
The difference in his gaze was unmistakable. When he looked at her, his eyes were cold and difficult to read, but when he looked at Clobellina, his expression softened as if he were a different person. She felt she could understand that change a little better now.
He might never have felt love before. Not for a person, and not for an animal.
So, for the time being, she felt she could tolerate his obsession with Clobellina.
There isn't much else I can do until the antidote is finished, anyway.
She hoped that when the time came, the Prince would find someone else. Not a witch’s cat, but someone he could keep by his side and exchange affection with whenever he wished.
Thanks to the effective threat of the gallows, Clobellina finished her bath quietly.
The Crown Prince, who was clearly a novice at bathing cats, learned quickly and skillfully lathered and rinsed her.
Clobellina, now fluffy and clean, looked even more adorable.
[Roserikta] "Whew. I am exhausted."
The end of a very long day had finally arrived. She was finally able to return to her bedroom and sit by the fireplace. It was already quite late.
There had been another commotion because of the clothes Baronet Eaton had brought. When told to fetch women’s clothes, Eaton had gone to the Head Maid. Countess Aldwin, having no idea the clothes were for Roserikta and only hearing it was the Prince’s command, had brought out a dress belonging to the late Empress.
One look was enough to tell that the dress was too magnificent and expensive to be borrowed lightly. She had refused to wear it, saying she would just dry her own clothes. However, that would have meant spending the entire night stuck in the bathhouse.
When Roserikta remained firm, Kalart simply gave the dress to her as a gift. No one could refuse a gift from the Crown Prince. In the end, she had to return to her bedroom wearing that very dress.
The servants and maids had seen this, and the word had traveled fast to the Chamberlain and the Head Maid.
It caused an immediate stir. The sight of the Prince walking while carefully cradling a freshly bathed cat in his cloak was gossip enough, but walking beside a new maid wearing the late Empress’ dress was a scandal of massive proportions.
Crackle, crackle.
The light from the fireplace illuminated her weary face.
[Clobell] "Mrow. Are you not going to sleep? I am so tired."
She nudged Roserikta with her front paw.
[Roserikta] "Ah, you must be tired too. I will make a bed for you. Where would you like it?"
[Clobell] "Are you not sleeping?"
[Roserikta] "No. I have to find a way to make the antidote. There is no benefit to staying here long."
She nodded while letting out a yawn.
[Clobell] "I agree. I do not know why everything here is so complicated and why people argue so much. It is too annoying to stay."
To her, the bickering over whether or not to wear a dress was likely impossible to understand.
[Roserikta] "Yes. Let's give him the antidote quickly and go home."
[Clobell] "Let's do that. I am going to sleep first. Good luck."
She hopped onto the blanket Roserikta had spread on the floor and closed her eyes.
Roserikta had expected her to throw a tantrum about not using the big, soft bed, but the cat was surprisingly agreeable. She really did seem sleepy.
She let out a soft laugh as she watched Clobellina start to snore.
[Roserikta] "Troublemaker. I wonder if she even knows I am suffering and losing sleep because of her."
She probably did. Despite her behavior, Clobellina was a clever witch's cat with great understanding—even if she had no intention of helping.
After shaking her head, Roserikta opened her bag and pulled out the Versaryl Pharmacy recipe book.
[Roserikta] "Let's see. First, I need to identify the ingredients."
She lay down in front of the fireplace and began to carefully read the ancient parchment pages, one by one. The sound of Clobellina’s breathing nearby sounded like a gentle lullaby.
As time passed, she began to doze off with the book still open, completely unaware of what would happen while she slept.
Comments