TWFLLYM Ch 84

When "No Way" Becomes "Indeed" (2)

[Roserikta] "I thought you were going to sleep?"

Kalart blinded her with his appearance. His silver hair shone with moisture, and his face held a faint flush.

He wore formal, elegant attire she had never seen before. A pin sparkled at the end of his thick cravat, featuring a jewel-encrusted eagle—the symbol of the Crown Prince. He looked ready to walk straight into his own coronation.

[Kalart] "I wanted to look good for you."

Roserikta, dressed for bed, looked the complete opposite. Her pajamas, made of a fabric that matched the new sheets, looked almost like her own skin under the flickering candlelight.

Every time she moved, the fabric flowed, revealing the lines of her body. The soft, rubbing sound of the material against her skin felt incredibly provocative.

She had no idea how alluring she looked. Had Kalart not been under a curse, he would have struggled to find a place to look—or he would have stared at her as if he wanted to devour her whole.

[Roserikta] "You could have just worn that tomorrow. It seems like a waste to dress up so formally for bedtime."

[Kalart] "That is exactly why I did it."

[Roserikta] "Pardon?"

She tilted her head. She clearly had no idea what he meant. Unfortunately, Kalart’s judgment had been clouded for some time, so he ignored the signals she sent.

[Aldwin] "Roserikta has asked for you to stay the night."

The Head Maid had told him.

At first, he thought Roserikta had overnight work and needed his help.

[Aldwin] "I will clear the rooms and the hallway on both sides. Please have a night that is anything but quiet."

A night that isn't quiet. The meaning was obvious.

His head had spun with dizziness, his blood rushing with heat.

She gave me her answer. She would never invite me for the night otherwise.

Kalart had gone straight to the bathhouse. He grew frantic, using soaps and oils he usually ignored. He dried his hair thoroughly, fearing wet strands might annoy her.

The Chief Attendant rushed to prepare his outfit, and following Klein’s advice that pajamas might look too suggestive, he opted for formal wear. Eaton boosted his confidence, claiming he had never seen the Prince look so magnificent.

You will surely make her fall for you this time. If she already has, she will fall twice over, Arad added, giving him a thumbs-up.

Despite all his preparations, his mind went blank the moment he stood before her door.

What do I do? How do I make her not dislike me?

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might rattle against his ribs.

Then, the door opened.

Roserikta poked her head through the gap. Unlike the times she had pushed him away in a panic, she greeted him with a gentle smile.

Welcome, Your Highness. I heard you are staying the night, she had seemed to say.

Can a person truly look this beautiful?

Kalart doubted his curse for the first time.

Perhaps my eyes are perfectly fine.

After all, Roserikta, dressed in peach-colored pajamas that looked like bare skin, didn't look ugly or horrific. She looked like a creature molded from lemon cream.

I could melt just by putting her in my mouth.

His mouth watered at the thought. He imagined a taste—soft, sweet, and tangy. He wanted to pull her into his mouth, lick her, and savor her properly.

His fingertips tingled, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

[Kalart] "It isn't hard to take off, though. I specifically chose clothes with few buttons."

[Roserikta] "Oh, I see."

Does that mean I should stop undressing her? Or stop undressing myself?

Kalart subconsciously moved his hand and loosened his cravat.

[Roserikta] "By the way, Your Highness, did you not bring pajamas?"

[Kalart] "I didn't."

[Roserikta] "Oh, then……"

She looked slightly troubled.

[Roserikta] "Are you going to sleep like that?"

Do I need to wear anything? Surely that is unnecessary.

[Kalart] "……I will do as you say."

He found it strange that his mouth moved on its own. In his mind, he was already kissing her, his lips locked with hers, too busy to speak.

[Roserikta] "Uh, well……"

Her voice trailed off. Roserikta looked at the ceiling with an awkward gesture, then turned toward the fireplace.

[Roserikta] "Will you sleep here again today?"

Just as he had mentioned before, a large cushion and a thick blanket lay on the new, fluffy carpet. It seemed to be a spot Roserikta had prepared, for the bed was covered in flower petals—provocative, blatant red petals.

He didn't mind them. It didn't matter. The bed or the floor—he didn't care where they were.

[Kalart] "Whatever you prefer."

[Roserikta] "Uh…… I don't mind either. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you, Your Highness."

She fluffed the cushion into shape and gestured to the floor.

Kalart, looking like a man bewitched, stopped unbuttoning his shirt and sat where she pointed.

For some reason, she scratched the back of her neck.

[Roserikta] "Then, please sleep. It’s not time for me to sleep yet…… I will read a book first."

A pink scratch appeared on her white neck, which looked just like lemon cream.

[Kalart] "Stop that."

His shirt, which he had chosen for its minimal buttons, left his chest wide open after he undid only three. Still in that suggestive state, he grabbed her wrist.

[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness?"

[Kalart] "You might hurt yourself."

She knelt on the carpet. It wasn't intentional, but the force of his pull brought her down.

[Roserikta] "Geez, a scratch like this isn't…… huff."

As her neck came before his eyes, his instincts awoke. Kalart wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed his tongue against the mark left by her fingernail. The sound of his tongue sliding slowly over her skin echoed through the room, bathed in the glow of two candles.

A soft moan escaped her lips, mixed with her confusion.

[Roserikta] "Wait, Your Hig……"

[Kalart] "You are trembling."

[Roserikta] "……Pardon?"

[Kalart] "You are."

He whispered against her neck. Hearing him, she felt a faint vibration where they touched.

[Kalart] "Don't be afraid. I will do my best……"

He pulled a patch of her skin into his mouth. His hand, the one not holding her waist, caressed the back of her neck with agonizing slowness.

[Kalart] "To handle you with care. More than anything else in this world."

As if touching a flower that blooms and wilts in a single night. As if watching a star that rises and sets only for tonight.

His lips slid down her neckline. Kalart felt a dizzying, distant sensation. He felt a hint of fear, too.

I must bite my tongue if I am to keep my promise to handle her with care.

He swallowed everything he touched, moving as slowly as possible.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"

She called out to him, breathless. Kalart raised his head from her chest. His own breath was ragged.

[Roserikta] "I think there has been…… a misunderstanding."

However, the reason for her breathless state was different from his.

[Kalart] "Misunderstanding……?"

[Roserikta] "You saw this bedroom and misunderstood, didn't you? Flower petals? Even I think this is too much."

Slowly, his brow furrowed.

[Roserikta] "I thought something was strange. It seems the Head Maid wanted to put me in an awkward position."

For once, Kalart couldn't understand her.

[Roserikta] "We shouldn't be swayed by this."

[Kalart] "……"

She peered around the room.

[Roserikta] "No one is watching or anything like that, right?"

Kalart realized then. Roserikta had never invited him. This was the Head Maid’s doing.

He felt a complex mix of emotions as he realized the reason.

The Head Maid’s decision to push Roserikta toward breakfast had also been a solo act.

She is doing this to help me.

Is it that obvious to everyone that I am dying of longing?

[Kalart] "That will not happen."

He touched her cheek with a bitter expression.

[Kalart] "She was likely sincere."

[Roserikta] "Pardon?"

What are you talking about?

[Kalart] "I mean, she wants us to be lovers."

She didn't believe him. To her, it meant their positions remained far apart.

[Roserikta] "No, Your Highness. That is not it."

[Kalart] "Why do you think so?"

[Roserikta] "Because the Head Maid cares for you deeply. She wouldn't like me being here."

She spoke as if it were an obvious fact. That didn't sit well with him. Even after allowing herself to be his lover, she still acted as if she stood on the other side of a river. As if no matter how hard he swam, it would be useless.

[Kalart] "Because she cares for me, she will naturally care for you. You hold my life in your hands."

[Kalart] "Therefore, my life is yours."

[Kalart] "Why do you not realize this?"

[Roserikta] "Because the Head Maid doesn't know that. And I don't want to drag her into things she knows nothing about."

A surge of emotion rippled beneath her expression.

[Kalart] "Even regardless of that, it makes no sense to say you are not welcome here. You are the most important person to me now."

Her face suddenly flushed red.

[Roserikta] "Where do you get off saying things like that so suddenly…… No, anyway, that only applies to you, and the Head Maid……"

[Kalart] "You are the one misunderstanding."

[Roserikta] "I am not."

Roserikta cut him off and looked at him with a look of resentment. His expression mirrored hers.

[Roserikta] "To someone who doesn't know the exact situation, I am just an ordinary pharmacist. It is only natural that I don't look like I fit in with a Crown Prince. It is not that I can't stand such gazes; I just want to be careful. That will cause the least amount of noise."

[Kalart] "I can't agree that you are an ordinary pharmacist."

[Roserikta] "Of course not, because I am a witch. But shouldn't I appear to be one?"

[Kalart] "Why?"

[Roserikta] "Why do you ask?"

She scrunched up her nose, as if the question were ridiculous. It was a separate matter, but Kalart wished she wouldn't do such cute things while they argued. The heat he had been suppressing threatened to swallow him again.

[Roserikta] "Because that is the safest and most mundane path for everyone…… Where are you going?"

Kalart stood up without waiting for her to finish. In truth, he had not come empty-handed. He picked up the jacket he had dropped on the floor and pulled a small box from the inner pocket.

[Kalart] "I think I must tell you it is already too late for that. You are not an ordinary pharmacist."

Click.

He opened the box. It had been completed just today, delivered by Klein. Inside the gold-rimmed velvet box sparkled a necklace with a unique locket. The locket was shaped like a tiny book, featuring the same eagle crest and jewels as the pin on his cravat.

[Roserikta] "What is this?"

[Kalart] "An Imperial Advisory Appointment."

[Roserikta] "……Pardon?"

[Kalart] "Usually, these are the size of a book, but I had them make it small on purpose. I hoped you would carry it with you."

His words held a hint of resentment; he had not forgotten how Roserikta had rejected every gift he had tried to give her until now.

[Kalart] "You are an advisor helping the safety of the Imperial Palace, an honorary head of the Royal Guard, and consequently, you will enjoy the status of a Marchioness Martianan and possess the assets that come with it."

[Kalart] "As a token of gratitude for the grace you have shown the Empire, the Imperial family will treat you with the same etiquette as royalty, and the House of Martianan will always be the top priority in any future political marriages. This applies to you and anyone who shares your blood until the day the Empire vanishes."

[Roserikta] "Oh……"

She stared at the necklace, her mouth slightly agape.

Kalart personally opened the book-shaped locket and placed it in her palm. Inside, the content he had just described was engraved in tiny, dense letters alongside the Imperial seal. The gold and gems used to craft this appointment were priceless, but the content inside exceeded any material value.

In short, it meant she and her family would be treated as royalty.

Click.

After watching Roserikta read the appointment to the end, Kalart closed the locket and fastened it around her neck.

[Kalart] "If you mean that you lack the status or the family to fit in with me, don't worry about it. With this, you have become one of the top ten highest-ranking people in the Empire. By tomorrow, your new position will be officially documented, and everyone in the Imperial City will know. It means everyone here must treat you exactly as they treat me."

[Roserikta] "I…… I don't know what to say."

She whispered long after he finished.

She really didn't know. She had never considered titles or noble status. Wealth meant little to a witch.

If she had been asked to accept a title in exchange for killing the Black Witch, she would have refused for the sake of simplicity. What shocked her was the reason he had gone through all this trouble.

[Kalart] "I’ll handle the rest. You only do one thing."

Had he been planning all of this since the moment he said those words?