TWFLLYM Ch 88

Marriage Vow (2)

However, Kalart possessed zero intention of letting Roserikta go alone.

[Kalart] "Is that it?"

[Roserikta] "I also feel apologetic for taking up your time. Genuinely."

[Kalart] "If that is all, neither is a problem. The Imperial Jeweler will likely keep their mouth shut even tighter around those unconnected to the Imperial Family. And as for my time, I'm perfectly fine. I plan to handle the most pressing matter right now."

He nodded once and gestured out the window.

[Klein] "Here it is, Your Highness."

The person approaching was not a Royal Guard, but Klein.

He looked unwell. As he handed a square box to Kalart, Roserikta noticed his hands trembling slightly.

[Roserikta] "Are you ill, Sir Klein?"

[Klein] "Ah, yes! Indeed! As expected of a pharmacist, you recognize it instantly! What a blessed eye for detail!"

[Roserikta] "Your hands seem to be trembling."

[Klein] "Yes! My wrists throb so badly I might die. My knuckles ache as well. I fear I might develop a grave illness at this young age!"

Normally, hearing someone ask if you are okay makes the pain feel worse. Klein grabbed Roserikta, prepared to launch into a full complaint, but Kalart intervened.

[Kalart] "You have done well. Go and rest. I won't seek you out until tonight."

[Klein] "You were going to let me sleep at ni—Ah, no, never mind. Your Highness. Have a wonderful trip, the two of you. And you too, Clobell."

Klein backed away, looking ready to cry.

Kalart ordered the carriage to depart without delay.

[Kalart] "Move out."

[Guard] "Yes, Your Highness."

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage—likely the most conspicuous and bizarre among all the Imperial vehicles—began to move.

Heavily armored with iron plates and looking absurdly large and sturdy, the carriage rumbled forward, tightly surrounded by forty Royal Guards. The sight was impressive.

As a result, wild rumors that the Crown Prince was preparing for war buzzed through the capital all day.

---

[Roserikta] "What is that?"

[Kalart] "Nothing important."

She was curious about the box Klein had delivered.

For something "not important," the box looked incredibly luxurious and beautiful. A large eagle crest, crowned and unmistakable symbol of the Crown Prince, decorated the center of the white box.

She decided not to count how many jewels adorned the eagle.

[Roserikta] "Sir Klein looked quite exhausted. Was it because of this box?"

[Kalart] "He is exaggerating. He merely drafted an official document over the last hour and a half."

Click.

Ignoring the complaints about his secretary, Kalart opened the box.

Inside rested a silk document rolled onto a golden rod, decorated with red tassels and the Imperial crest embroidered in gold and silver thread.

This isn't just "nothing."

She shot him a sidelong glance.

It's highly suspicious when he brings something like this.

Beneath the scroll lay a pen and a bottle of ink. Kalart uncapped the ink, dipped the pen, and closed the bottle. Then, with the ease of someone who had done it hundreds of times, he signed the end of the scroll, which was filled with tiny, dense text.

Ah, it isn't what I thought. He must have just brought it because he was busy. It must be an urgent document requiring his signature.

It was indeed urgent. However, it had nothing to do with state affairs.

[Kalart] "Sign here. The text is mostly useless formalities, so you don't need to read it now. Just sign."

[Roserikta] "Me too? What is this?"

[Kalart] "Read it later when you have time. Here."

He held out the pen. She looked at him suspiciously.

[Roserikta] "Are there documents I need to sign as well?"

[Kalart] "There will be many from now on. You are an Imperial Advisor."

[Roserikta] "Ah, I see."

I thought being an Imperial Advisor was merely an honorary title, but it seems there are actual duties involved.

Scratch, scratch.

She signed where he indicated. Until that moment, she harbored no suspicions. She never imagined Kalart would use an official Imperial document to scam her.

[Clobell] "Huh? Isn't this a marriage certificate? It says 'marriage' right here."

Scratch... screeeech!

[Roserikta] "What?"

The pen slipped at Clobellina's words.

[Kalart] "My. It would be a problem if it tore."

He swiftly snatched the document away, the final stroke of the signature crooked.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"

Click.

The box snapped shut, ignoring her protest. Kalart set the box aside and gently grasped both of her hands.

[Kalart] "I will tell you now to prevent any misunderstanding: a mere signature on a piece of paper doesn't constitute a marriage."

She narrowed her eyes. Very narrowly.

[Roserikta] "Then what is that?"

[Kalart] "It is not a marriage certificate, but a marriage vow. It is a documented promise to wed as soon as preparations are complete."

Is that true?

[Roserikta] "Why do we need a marriage vow......"

[Kalart] "We do."

If he had his way, he would hold the wedding immediately instead of signing a vow. However, an Imperial wedding required extensive preparation. Even rushing it would take three or four months, involving tedious tasks he preferred to ignore.

The person who would suffer the most from those tasks, of course, was Roserikta.

That meant less time spent together. Kalart wished to waste absolutely no time. The time they had might only be ten months. A ridiculously short period.

Of course, he refused to believe that separation was inevitable after ten months.

There must be a way. I will find it.

Those ten months needed to be spent solely on finding the solution.

[Roserikta] "What is the reason?"

[Kalart] "There are too many to list. They might seem trivial to you, but they are incredibly important to me."

[Roserikta] "Um...... saying only that doesn't help me understand."

[Kalart] "For instance."

He glanced at Clobellina and offered a brief smile.

[Kalart] "With this, you can enter my bedroom whenever you please. If we are merely dating, we must give advance notice. To the Head Maid, the Chamberlain, the Captain of the Guard, and others."

[Roserikta] "......Oh my."

[Kalart] "That would undoubtedly be uncomfortable. The same goes for me. I don't want to announce it every time I sleep in your bedroom."

Now she understood why Kalart glanced at Clobellina first.

While that was certainly a valid reason, it didn't eliminate all the problems.

[Roserikta] "Wait a moment."

[Kalart] "Hmm?"

He pressed kisses all over her palms even as he answered.

[Roserikta] "There is a much more important issue."

[Kalart] "What is it?"

His dark eyes peering through his fingers were incredibly distracting. When he narrowed his eyes like that, he looked so devastatingly sensual that she lost her words.

[Roserikta] "You haven't even proposed to me, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Ah, that is......"

[Roserikta] "You just tried to make me sign it without a single word."

Clobellina chimed in, nodding in agreement.

[Clobell] "Exactly. Isn't that totally unfair? Are you getting married all by yourself? Aren't you even going to ask?"

[Kalart] "......"

He looked away for a moment, staring at nothing. He had indeed committed an act for which he had no excuse.

[Kalart] "That is......"

In truth, he was afraid. Terrified, she would refuse.

Roserikta seemed to treat her departure after ten months as a foregone conclusion.

He couldn't tell her that he didn't need an unborn child, nor could he ask her to abandon the child for his sake.

He believed the Roserikta he knew would never accept a marriage destined to last only a few months.

I am leaving soon. It is better not to leave many traces behind.

She might say something like that.

He lacked the confidence to hear those words.

[Kalart] "......As I said, it is not a marriage certificate."

[Roserikta] "You said it is a vow. It literally promises marriage, but you can't do that alone."

[Kalart] "I have no intention of doing it alone."

Kalart couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

She couldn't possibly know what kind of days he had been enduring. He was constantly realizing the existence of an incredibly difficult task he had never anticipated.

Hiding my expressions is so difficult.

I want to show you exactly how much I love you. If I let my guard down, I feel like I might start crying.

[Kalart] "I was...... trying to buy some time. I know it wasn't a good method."

A small twitch appeared on his cheek. He had strained too hard to maintain his expression.

Once, his greatest struggle was abandoning his expressionless mask. He found it strange that the opposite was true now.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness."

However, he didn't realize that Roserikta faced the same struggle every time she looked at him.

She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek.

[Roserikta] "Not right now."

[Kalart] "......Don't say no."

[Roserikta] "When we find a way, please do it then."

[Kalart] "......"

[Roserikta] "No. I will do it then. I won't be able to buy you an expensive jewel ring, though."

He answered slowly.

[Kalart] "Don't speak nonsense. Proposing is my job. I won't let you take it."

She laughed heartily.

[Roserikta] "Think about it again. You might become the first human to receive a proposal from a witch. You might even appear in the history books of the Witch Kingdom about three hundred years from now."

[Kalart] "Before that, it will be recorded in the Imperial archives. The first royal to marry without ever proposing."

[Roserikta] "Um...... as far as I know, you just committed something very similar."

[Kalart] "As I told you, it is a vow. Not a certificate."

[Roserikta] "It is the same thing."

[Kalart] "It is different. You simply don't understand Imperial etiquette."

[Roserikta] "Are you commanding a witch to follow Imperial etiquette now?"

[Kalart] "Since you don't know, I am telling you to accept the opinion of someone who does."

[Roserikta] "If you put it that way, I must obey whatever you say, must I not?"

[Kalart] "That would be wonderful."

He pulled her tightly into his arms. Only where she couldn't see did his brow finally furrow.

I wish I could handle everything exactly as I please. So that a parting ten months from now wouldn't even be worth worrying about.

[Roserikta] "......"

She patted his back silently.

As if to thank him for not doing that. As if to say she loved him for not doing that.

---

[Hailey] "Welcome, Your Highness. This is the greatest honor our family has received since the name of Raquelman I."

The Imperial Jeweler Hailey, fully prepared thanks to the Royal Guard arriving a step ahead, welcomed the Crown Prince's party.

He cleared the main road in front of the jewelry shop and threw the doors wide open.

He laid out the most expensive tea and sweets available in the capital and prepared brand-new teacups and chairs that had never been used.

[Hailey] "Please, sit comfortably, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Thank you for your hospitality."

Kalart guided Roserikta to sit on the large, three-person sofa first. When Clobellina quickly claimed the spot next to her, he stood behind Roserikta.

[Roserikta] "Y-Your Highness?"

Hailey looked flustered for a moment, glancing between Kalart and Clobellina.

[Clobell] "Oh, my. Why are you staring at me with those shocked eyes? He can stand for a bit. Will a royal die if he stands for a moment?"

Roserikta turned her head to look at Kalart, and he smiled, lightly tapping the tip of her nose.

[Roserikta] "You may sit, Your Highness. We can just move Clobellina to the side a little."

[Kalart] "It is fine. I don't want to earn Clobellina's unnecessary resentment."

One look at his expression was enough to understand.

Ah, so this must be the Marchioness of Martianan from all the rumors.

They said His Highness would give her his liver and gallbladder, and it seems to be true.

If that was the case, the future of the Imperial Family's jewelry purchases depended on this Marchioness.

[Kalart] "Don't mind me. The one who has business with you is here."

[Hailey] "Ah, yes. I assumed as much. Yes."

Hailey stood respectfully before Roserikta with his hands clasped together. He wouldn't dare sit while the Crown Prince stood.

[Hailey] "Please, command me, Your Grace."

The honorifics felt unfamiliar, causing Roserikta to scratch behind her ear. It seemed being a noble wasn't for everyone.

[Roserikta] "I believe Lady Elona requested a moonstone. Is it still difficult to find moonstones in the capital?"

[Hailey] "Ah, was it regarding that matter?"

Hailey slapped his knee.

He had already heard that the Imperial Family wanted to know the distribution channels of the missing moonstones. He had been utilizing his connections to investigate here and there.

[Hailey] "I happened to find a clue. However, I hadn't reported it yet because I wasn't entirely certain and wanted to investigate further. Your visit is quite timely."

[Roserikta] "What kind of clue?"

[Hailey] "Are you familiar with the House of Merve?"

[Roserikta] "No. Are you, Your Highness?"

Kalart's expression turned serious.

[Kalart] "The Lord of Idarion. Did they not say a sudden blizzard froze their entire territory? The residents left to find new homes, and I heard the ice never melted after that."

[Hailey] "I heard the same, Your Highness. But that might not be the whole truth."

He retrieved something from the drawer behind his appraisal desk. It was a letter sealed with blue silk ribbon and a red crest.

[Hailey] "You will understand once you see this."