TWFLLYM Ch 86

The Unreadable Letter

At some point, Clobellina had slipped into the study.

Only Klein and Eaton could understand her, but the atmosphere instantly turned as cold as if someone had dumped ice water over them.

[Kalart] "Did you…… just speak?"

For the first time, Clobellina had spoken to Kalart.

[Clobell] "If a witch vanishes without a trace, isn't the method obvious? She put on her invisibility cloak and flew away. Go check if Rosy's broom is still there."

Klein immediately shouted in triumph.

[Klein] "I can't believe it! That makes sense! I must go check if the broom is there right now!"

Klein pushed away his desk and tried to run. Unfortunately, he was the slowest runner among everyone in the room.

The fastest to move was Kalart. He shoved past the Royal Guard blocking his path and sprinted toward the Crown Princess' bedroom.

Bang!

Roserikta no longer kept her broom under the bed, but in the wardrobe. When he flung the wardrobe doors open, a broom was there.

[Clobell] "Just in case you didn't know, Rosy has two brooms. One is hers, and the other is her grandmother's."

The remaining broom was the one Kalart knew. He recognized it because they had ridden it together when picking mushrooms in the forest.

Roserikta had flown away on her grandmother's broom—the one she had cherished for so long.

[Kalart] "……"

The shock left his face, replaced by cracks of disbelief. He looked like a man whose expression had been shredded to pieces by a blade he couldn't block.

Why?

His mind felt like it was breaking apart from searching for an answer.

Why? Why did she disappear?

Especially on the day after we spent the night together.

---

[Roserikta] "There is no fog today."

She sat in that familiar place. At the edge of the lake, in the middle of the Lumar tree grove. The place where Kalart had given her his first gift.

[Roserikta] "That's a shame. I waited the whole time."

She offered a bitter smile.

[Roserikta] "I guess it's a rare sight. We were just lucky that day."

Without the fog, it was just an empty lake. As the sunset faded, she thought it looked lonely rather than magical, like a fairy kingdom.

What was he thinking when he came here and sat alone?

He must have been alone.

Since the fog doesn't always roll in, he must have come here often.

It must have been a lonely, desolate place like this back then.

He probably didn't even know it was lonely……

Tears threatened to fall again. She covered her eyes with her sleeve. They were already swollen a light pink from crying so much.

[Roserikta] "What do I do. Really. What do I do……"

He knows now. He must know that he is lonely.

But what does he do if there is no one here?

What does he do……

Roserikta buried her face in her knees and cried for a long time. She didn't know how to stop. It felt like she would only stop when every drop of moisture left her body.

Soon, the sunset faded. The moon descended over the black lake. A thin crescent moon swayed on the surface of the water. It looked like a broken boat drifting ashore.

Her face sticky with dried tears, she raised her head and looked at the moon riding the water's surface.

[Roserikta] "This is…… a letter. Isn't it?"

Somehow, she knew. This was a letter sent from the dark side of the moon.

[Roserikta] "But Grandmother. I am a half-witch. I can't read it. I have no idea what you are saying. I don't know what to do now, or what to……"

She swallowed a heavy lump of sorrow.

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

[Kalart] "Then don't say anything."

[Roserikta] "……?"

It was not a hallucination. She whipped her head toward the sound. Kalart stood there.

[Roserikta] "How…… When did……"

Startled, she stammered.

[Kalart] "Just a moment ago. I didn't know…… how to speak to you."

His answer returned quietly, like a sigh.

Roserikta saw how gaunt and haggard he had become in just a single day. The skin around his eyes was as dark as her own swollen, tear-stained ones. His lips were a mess. Peeling white skin made them look incredibly painful.

[Roserikta] "How did you know…… I was here?"

[Kalart] "I didn't. This was the last place I checked. I should have come here first."

His answer hinted at so much. He must have checked her pharmacy, the forest where they picked mushrooms, and everywhere else.

[Kalart] "No, perhaps only I would have liked that. You are the one who ran away to avoid me."

He stayed at a distance, making no move to approach. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Roserikta noticed several new cuts on his hands.

[Kalart] "Tell me. What must I do?"

His deep, clear voice was now rough and hoarse.

[Kalart] "Then I will do exactly as you say. If you tell me not to search and only to wait, I will do that."

Tears welled up again, and Roserikta shook her head.

That is not it. It really isn't.

I just…… found out. I found out that the one thing I thought must never happen happened last night.

His face twisted in agony.

[Kalart] "I want to do anything to stop you from crying…… But I don't know. I don't know if I am allowed to. If I have the right."

[Roserikta] "Tha—No, I……"

She knew why Kalart stood so far away, unable to approach. By not coming any closer, he was showing his fear that the distance between them might grow even wider.

[Roserikta] "I have…… something to tell you."

She was equally terrified of growing apart. She turned her body and held out both arms toward him.

[Roserikta] "But please hold me first."

[Kalart] "……"

He ran to her. Closing the distance was simple. She only needed to say one word, asking him to come.

---

[Roserikta] "I am a half-witch."

She whispered, burying her cheek in his chest. The tip of his nose brushed through her hair.

[Kalart] "What does that mean?"

[Roserikta] "It means I didn't receive the moon's baptism. The power a witch uses comes from the moon. When a witch gives birth, three witches immediately baptize the child with moonlight. That is how a complete witch is born."

This time, his fingertips stroked her hair.

[Kalart] "Why did you not receive it?"

[Roserikta] "Because there were no witches to baptize me. My mother gave birth to me in the human world. With a human man, in the human way."

[Kalart] "Then can you only use half your magic?"

[Roserikta] "It is slightly different than that…… I can see magic, but I can't use it. To use spells, I have to use magical powder. That is why I only know a few spells."

He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss near the crown of her head.

[Kalart] "Are you upset by that?"

[Roserikta] "Yes. Not because I know so few spells, but because that is the only way I can use magic at all."

[Kalart] "I don't understand what you mean."

Rustle.

A small sound echoed against his chest. It was the sound of Roserikta burying her face deeper.

[Roserikta] "It means my mother gave me the power of the moon she possessed."

[Kalart] "……"

Instead of answering, Kalart kissed the same spot again. It was amazing how well he knew when words were needed and when they were not.

[Roserikta] "Do you know what happens to a witch who loses the energy of the moon?"

[Kalart] "No."

[Roserikta] "She dies."

[Kalart] "……"

His body stiffened.

[Roserikta] "To a witch, the energy of the moon is the beginning and everything else. It is the source of magic and the start of life. A witch who loses the moon's energy becomes very weak…… and dies. Like a candle burning out when its wick is gone. That is why a witch's child must be baptized when born, so the moon's energy seeps into their body."

[Kalart] "I see."

His hand patted her back with extreme slowness.

[Roserikta] "That is why a witch who falls in love with a human man always has to make a choice. Which one will she give up? Love, or parting? The child's life, or her own life?"

I always thought I had to choose parting. But without realizing it, I chose love.

They call it a choice, but it doesn't feel like one. It was an irresistible force to me.

[Kalart] "Are there no witches who give up the child?"

[Roserikta] "I wonder…… Perhaps there is somewhere. But a witch capable of giving up her child would likely have given up love before that."

[Kalart] "Is that so?"

Silence stretched between them for a while.

Silence was also another name for understanding. Roserikta thought Kalart had already figured out what she was about to say.

Because it feels like he is crying right now. Something keeps falling on my head. Cold, sad, tender, heartbreaking drops.

So she had to speak. There was no reason to hide it anymore.

[Roserikta] "Do you know how a witch has a child?"

[Kalart] "……No."

[Roserikta] "A stork brings it."

[Kalart] "What?"

He clearly didn't believe her. She let out a short laugh through her swollen eyes.

[Roserikta] "It's true. When a witch wants a child, or when she is ready without even knowing it, a stork visits. The stork is the moon's messenger. It comes to announce that she is with child. And ten months later, the baby arrives."

[Kalart] "That is really surprising."

Now she had to say it.

[Roserikta] "A stork visited me yesterday."

[Kalart] "……"

Kalart stopped breathing.

[Roserikta] "Right before I fell asleep, after you had already fallen asleep."

The kisses stopped. The hand gently rubbing her back stopped. In place of his frozen body, she patted the back of his hand.

[Roserikta] "A child…… will be born. Because of a human man, in the human way."

[Kalart] "No, it won't……. No. That…… no……"

He stammered. She didn't dare to look at his expression.

[Roserikta] "Then I will have to make a choice."

[Kalart] "You don't have to do that!"

He roared. The shout seemed to burst from him before he even realized it. Startled, he pulled her shoulder tight against him. His sweat-dampened forehead pressed into the back of her neck.

[Kalart] "There must…… be a way. We can find a witch to perform the baptism……"

[Roserikta] "No. There isn't."

Her words held a heavy truth. Humans were the ones who drove witches out of the human world through witch hunts. The witches had all left for the Witches' Kingdom, and the few remaining ones lived in hiding. None of them would reveal their identity to help a human.

[Kalart] "Don't…… say that. don't conclude things so easily. don't be so quick to……"

She was not being quick. It was to prepare in advance for an inevitable parting.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. Please promise me one thing."

He pressed his forehead against the back of her neck and shook his head.

[Kalart] "I refuse."

[Roserikta] "You should at least listen."

[Kalart] "I will not listen."

[Roserikta] "If you promise me, I will promise you too. That I will look for a way."

A groan that sounded like a boiling kettle escaped his lips.

[Kalart] "There is no reason to demand a price for looking for a way."

Because there might be a chance I won't find one.

[Roserikta] "Don't come here alone. Especially on days without fog."

[Kalart] "……"

He tightened his grip around her. It hurt to be held so tightly, but she didn't ask him to let go.

[Roserikta] "No. Fog or no fog, don't come alone. Bring someone with you when you come."

If I am being held this tightly, then the pain is fine.

[Roserikta] "Please promise me, Your Highness."

Kalart never said he promised.

The unreadable letter from her grandmother melted into the water and vanished at dawn.

Only when their bodies were cold did the two leave the lake and return to the palace.

---

[Elona] "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!"

After returning to the palace, Roserikta slept like a log for an entire day.

When she woke up the next day, she was greeted by Elona's face, unable to contain her excitement.

[Elona] "A baby! Goodness! Already!"

[Roserikta] "Ah……"

She had to explain why she had suddenly disappeared, but she couldn't tell them everything in detail. So she just told others that she was with child. And that she knew early because she was a witch.

Those who witnessed the utter chaos that consumed the palace when Roserikta vanished looked ready to grab her and burst into tears.

We are so glad you are back, they seemed to say. Among them were the Head Maid and the Chamberlain, which surprised Roserikta.

The only people who knew about the child were those who also knew she was a witch.

Burning with enthusiasm, Elona had scoured every shop selling baby furniture and clothes while Roserikta slept. Her only sorrow was that the news was not public, so she couldn't announce whose baby items she was buying.

[Roserikta] "We still have ten months left."

[Elona] "No! What are you saying? The baby is already here right now!"

[Roserikta] "Well…… It's a bit early to say that……"

[Elona] "What do you mean, a bit! On such a joyous occasion!"

She grabbed both of Roserikta's hands, shaking them while humming a tune.

[Elona] "Wow, my goodness. What a blessing this is. Do you know? Ever since you came to the palace, Lady Roserikta, good things have kept happening. And the most amazing thing of all is the baby!"

Good things keep happening……

A bitter taste pooled in her mouth as she looked at Elona.

Is this really a good thing?

[Roserikta] "I…… suppose so."

[Elona] "Of course it is! Wow, I am so happy I could dance. Would you care to dance with me, Lady Roserikta? It's a shame there's no music, but I happen to have quite a talent for…… Ah, this is no time for that. I promised to tell His Highness the moment you woke up."

Elona winked, as if they shared a secret.

[Elona] "His Highness stayed up all night watching over you. He seems like he doesn't know what to do with himself now that the baby is on the way. You won't even be allowed to walk on your own two feet from now on, Lady Roserikta."

---

Note:

A witch requires the energy of the moon to survive; without it, they become extremely weak and eventually die.

Normally, a witch's child receives this energy through a "moon's baptism" performed by other witches at birth.

Because Rose's mother chose to live in the human world with a human man, Rose didn't receive a proper baptism.

To prevent her daughter from dying, the mother transferred her own "power of the moon" to Rose. As a result, the mother died at a young age, but Rose was able to survive as a half-witch.

This chapter is heartbreaking; it nearly made me cry.