TWFLLYM Ch 72

Why the Full Moon Must Be Bright

[Roserikta] "Just hold the bag. I'll pick the mushrooms. Be careful not to touch them. As I said, they make your hands itch."

Near three massive Lumarr trees, stumps and thickets cluttered the ground. Tiny, translucent mushrooms twinkled like glass pebbles, hiding in the shadows.

[Kalart] "If you teach me how, I can help."

[Roserikta] "Oh, it doesn't work if a human picks them."

[Kalart] "What a shame."

[Roserikta] "Many things that grow under the moonlight are like that. It's likely why a witch's medicine looks strange to humans."

[Kalart] "I see."

He listened to her stories about witches with focused attention. His desire to know more, his silent urge for her to keep talking, made her want to open up.

[Roserikta] "Anyway, be careful. I don't have an antidote for the Laughter Mushrooms right now."

[Kalart] "I understand."

[Roserikta] "But you can tell me when you spot one."

[Kalart] "I can certainly do that. Good."

The search began. His curse seemingly didn't apply to plants, as he found the tiny mushrooms faster than Roserikta.

[Kalart] "There's one here."

[Roserikta] "Wow......"

A perfect score on the witch's exam. This man is scary.

He was so handsome that he looked more like a witch than she did. Now he was even better at finding mushrooms. She couldn't even brag about being a witch in front of him.

Roserikta shook her head and plucked the mushroom Kalart pointed out. He watched her hands closely.

[Kalart] "Do they itch yet?"

[Roserikta] "No. I'm fine for now."

[Kalart] "When does the itching start?"

[Roserikta] "Hmm...... After about twenty. That's why Laughter Mushroom syrup is so hard to make. Twenty mushrooms only produce a spoonful or two of syrup."

[Kalart] "What about a whole bottle?"

[Roserikta] "Two full bags this size."

His eyebrows twitched.

[Kalart] "A single bottle should cost as much as a castle."

[Roserikta] "Exactly. If humans knew the effort involved, witches would have been rich long ago."

[Kalart] "Sell it to me. I'll buy it."

She laughed out loud.

[Roserikta] "Are you trying to become a witch too?"

[Kalart] "I’m simply buying medicine."

[Roserikta] "What would you even use it for?"

[Kalart] "I’ll have to think about that, but there's always a use for it."

[Roserikta] "Like what?"

[Kalart] "Like...... when Arad shows off his muscles for no reason."

[Roserikta] "Pardon?"

Naturally, she didn't know why Arad would show off his muscles.

[Roserikta] "Is his physique that impressive?"

As she spoke, she remembered seeing Arad's bare chest.

[Roserikta] "Oh, right. It was impressive. His arm muscles were perfectly balanced. His posture was straight, too. Do knights show off to each other like that?"

[Kalart] "......"

He went silent. He bit his lip slightly.

[Kalart] "Not really. He must be losing his mind."

His tone sounded sharp. She tilted her head.

Well, even if you’re proud of your body, showing off in front of the Crown Prince is a bit much. How would he feel watching that?

Wait. Why would this man be jealous of someone else's body?

She had seen Kalart's body, too. Twice. And not just his chest—his entire form, draped only in a thin towel. Heat rushed to her face.

This man looked much better than Sir Arad...... didn't he?

[Kalart] "Why is your face turning red?"

Kalart, having only just become her lover, didn't know her thoughts. He didn't know how she saw him or what she thought of his face.

[Roserikta] "Why do you......"

Overcome with embarrassment, she turned away.

[Kalart] "No, I must know."

He caught her. She was holding a mushroom, so she had to be firm.

[Roserikta] "Ah, don't touch me! The mushroom......"

[Kalart] "Does Arad look good to you?"

[Roserikta] "You'll itch if you touch...... Wait, what?"

[Kalart] "I asked if a body like Arad's looks good."

[Roserikta] "......?"

She blinked in disbelief. What was he saying?

Ah, is it because of the curse? Is he asking for a pharmacist's opinion?

[Roserikta] "Well, 'looks good' is a bit of a tricky phrase, but I suppose the answer is yes. It's a healthy, balanced body from constant training. Based on his muscle strength, he's in peak condition for a swordsman."

Kalart's body was different. Assessing him only as a pharmacist was impossible. His sculpted beauty confused her.

How can a human have a body like that? I thought it only existed in statues.

There's no need for his collarbones or feet to be that perfect. One finger could afford to be shorter.

Yet, he was flawless. It didn't matter if he was a swordsman or not. He could just breathe, and that would be enough.

[Kalart] "......What must I do to have a body like that?"

No, you don't need to. Don't ruin my favorite view.

[Roserikta] "Why would you want that? You don't need to be a knight, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "So you feel good when you look at me."

[Roserikta] "......Pardon?"

The answer caught her off guard. She blinked for a long time.

I already enjoy looking at you way too much.

[Kalart] "You can think I'm petty, but answer me. I’m willing to do anything."

Petty? What?

[Kalart] "I can't change my face, but I can make my body look like his."

This man is crazy. Why would he copy someone else when he looks like that?

Why throw away something so good?

[Roserikta] "I didn't say you were crazy. ......But I do like it."

He heard her mutterings. She turned bright red again and shook her head.

[Roserikta] "No, I didn't mean to say that out loud...... please forget it."

[Kalart] "I'll forget the 'crazy' part. But not the rest. You like my body? More than Arad's?"

[Roserikta] "Why ask something so obvious? Ah, the curse made you unaware......"

[Kalart] "No. It's because you never told me."

[Roserikta] "......"

[Kalart] "You don't realize how stingy you are with your affection. I only heard you say you liked me for the first time yesterday. Unless you tell me you like my body or anything else, I have no way of knowing."

[Roserikta] "......"

She was speechless. She looked away, feeling guilty, and whispered.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness...... looks much better. More than Sir Arad or anyone else. There's no comparison."

[Kalart] "Tell me that while looking at my face."

[Roserikta] "I'm a bit embarrassed right now."

[Kalart] "Even so."

Even though the curse made looking at things meaningless for him, he wanted to meet her eyes. It meant everything to him. That gave her courage.

[Roserikta] "I love looking at you."

Looking into his beautiful black eyes felt like being pulled into another world. Sometimes she wanted to forget time entirely. She wanted to count every blink, every lift of his eyelids, and the shadows his lashes cast. She wanted to see what his dark, glass-like pupils reflected.

[Roserikta] "You once said you’d never seen a cat as beautiful as Clobell. I feel the same. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you. I lose track of time when I look at you."

[Kalart] "......I'm glad."

His response was slow. He seemed to swallow her words one by one, making sure not to forget a single one.

[Kalart] "I'm glad I was born to your liking."

She swallowed his words, too. It sounded as if he existed entirely for her. She would never forget this.

[Roserikta] "Deeply."

[Kalart] "Now."

[Roserikta] "Yes?"

[Kalart] "I feel like this is the moment we should kiss."

She was thinking the same thing.

[Roserikta] "Then do it with your hands behind your back. If my hands touch you, you might itch."

[Kalart] "I understand."

He immediately put his hands behind his back. Roserikta giggled and did the same. Before she could even hide her hands, his lips met hers.

The weight of his lips was sweet. For someone who claimed this was his first love, he was incredibly skilled.

He opened her lips and explored deep inside. The taste of him was sugary.

[Kalart] "This is uncomfortable."

He whispered against her lips. He pulled his hands back and wrapped his arms around her.

[Roserikta] "Oh! Your hands will......!"

[Kalart] "It's fine."

[Roserikta] "......Mmh."

Warnings were useless. As always, the deeper the kiss, the more her thoughts vanished. Everything was quiet, and nothing else mattered. Just him.

The soft sound of their skin meeting tickled her ears. Was he hearing this, too? This seductive sound.

She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

You know, Your Highness. It's not just the way you look. I love everything about you. Everything.

Even the sound of her dress wrinkling as he held her tight was sweet.

---

They ended up with a full bag of mushrooms. Being a diligent witch, Roserikta couldn't leave a mushroom unpicked. Eventually, her hands began to itch.

[Roserikta] "Ah, here. Right here."

[Kalart] "Here?"

His fingertips gently scratched between her fingers.

[Roserikta] "Too soft. It makes it itch more."

[Kalart] "Then like this?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. ......Mmm, that's perfect."

The relief was brief. Soon, the itching blended with another sensation. Everywhere he touched felt cool and then itchy again—not just her hands, but her heart.

She simply loved this. Having someone who would carefully scratch her hands because she said it itched. Having that person be this man.

[Kalart] "......This is strange. I think I'm starting to itch, too."

[Roserikta] "Really? Oh no. The mushroom dust must have gotten on you."

This time, she scratched his hands. She realized why he had struggled with the right pressure; her gentle touch only made it worse.

[Kalart] "Ah, wait...... that feels more like tickling."

He pulled back and laughed. She looked worried.

[Roserikta] "I don't know how hard to scratch."

[Kalart] "You can go harder."

[Roserikta] "Like this?"

[Kalart] "Harder."

[Roserikta] "But it will hurt."

[Kalart] "It doesn't hurt. Ah, the wrist too."

[Roserikta] "Here?"

[Kalart] "Mmm. ......Ah, that's good. The other side too."

[Roserikta] "Here?"

[Kalart] "There."

Actually, because she was so careful, he felt more tickled than relieved. But he liked the sensation and didn't want her to stop.

More. Anywhere.

The way her fingers moved from his wrist to his inner forearm was lovely.

[Roserikta] "But Your Highness. It doesn't itch all the way up here, does it?"

Greed was always easy to spot.

[Kalart] "......It's the truth."

You're the one making me itch.

[Roserikta] "The mushroom dust couldn't have reached this far."

[Kalart] "Then maybe I was already itchy."

He grinned and tickled the back of her hand as she reached for his arm.

[Roserikta] "......You were lying."

She stepped closer.

[Roserikta] "You were just teasing me."

She poked his sides. Kalart laughed breathlessly and leaned back.

[Kalart] "Ah, not there. That's too......"

[Roserikta] "I thought you liked being itchy, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "I do, but the sides are difficult."

[Roserikta] "Why, if you like it?"

[Kalart] "Because I like it."

He grabbed her waist. Her arms were already up, making her perfectly positioned for him to hold her close.

[Kalart] "Because I can't hold back."

It was a good thing the full moon was bright. If it were dark, he might have acted on a more devious impulse. Kalart rested his chin on his chest and looked down at her as she stared up at him. He stroked her cheek.

[Kalart] "You can do whatever you want to me, but you should consider how lovely you look while doing it."

[Roserikta] "You were the one who started it...... Your Highness."

[Kalart] "There's no way I look lovely to myself."

[Roserikta] "What are you talking......"

Before she could laugh at his nonsense, Kalart leaned down.

The fact that this man was close enough to kiss just by lowering himself slightly was sweet.