episode_0013

The room was as dark as ink. In this dimly lit space where light barely penetrated, a faint glow seeped through the curtains, serving as the sole source of illumination. Within this dim and dusty room stood a large mirror.

It was identical to the full-length mirror in Vivian’s room. As ripples formed on the large mirror, the figure of Ainsel gradually began to appear.

“…There isn’t much time left now. Soon, ‘Vivian’ will become aware of your presence.”

Ainsel seemed to address “someone” in the dusty room, but amidst the darkness, only the sound of something moving could be heard.

“I’ve reached a point where I can no longer fulfill the contract. Secrecy will continue, but practically speaking, there’s nothing else I can do beyond maintaining that secrecy.”

Continuing with an air of irritation, Ainsel received no response from the “someone” within the room. Frowning, Ainsel shouted at the faint apparition.

“So, now…!”

***

After roughly denying the maid’s request, when I returned to my room, it had already passed well into the evening. Clad in airy pajamas, I let out a sigh and collapsed onto the bed.

“I’m exhausted…”

Truly, it had been an exhausting day. Pretending to be Vivian on a regular basis was tiring enough, but today, I even found myself slapping someone across the face in anger. So much had happened in just one day that I couldn’t gather my thoughts.

In the first place, Lady Hwujak had caused more trouble than I had anticipated. It turned out she managed everything related to the princess, so rectifying that situation was quite the task.

“Why was the princess alone in the garden back then?”

I had initially thought the princess had sneaked out of the castle without the maid’s knowledge, but it turned out Lady Hwujak hadn’t assigned a maid to the princess. What? The first queen didn’t have a maid when she was young?

First of all, there was a reliable maid, so I had no choice but to assign Elli as the princess’s prospective maid. Among the five maids under my command, Elli was the one I trusted the most.

After roughly managing the mess that Lady Hwujak had caused, I could finally return to my room. Now, the remaining issue was…

I turned my head and looked at the large full-length mirror, which was the embodiment of Ainsel. There, peeking out from the edge of the mirror, Ainsel was looking at me.

It was as if she were a young child, afraid of being scolded for her mistake.

“Ainsel.”

-…

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

Getting up from the bed, I sat at the edge and crossed my legs, looking at Ainsel. She hesitantly emerged from the mirror, then lowered her head with a sullen expression.

“…About the first queen, do you have nothing to say to me?”

– Th-that…

“Why did you lie to me? You clearly told me, ‘Vivian, the first queen, performed a ritual to change her body because she was jealous of the king’s love.’ But now you say the first queen committed suicide? And that was two years ago.”

– I-I didn’t lie..!

Ainsel bit her lip, looking at me as if she were truly unjustly accused, tears welling up in her eyes. However, I couldn’t believe her. It was impossible to believe her words in the first place.

“Last time, ‘Sylphy’ also said the same to you! Vivian died while performing the ‘ritual to change her body!’ I really didn’t lie! Fairies shouldn’t lie in the first place!”

“…Huh?”

Only then did I recall the story of ‘Sylphy’ whom I had met in the garden. The fairy perched on my shoulder had said the same thing as Ainsel. Vivian failed in the ‘ritual to change her body’ and died.

“It’s true! There’s a lot I can’t tell you about the first queen, but… I didn’t lie to you! Vivian really did perform a ‘ritual to change her body’ as the first queen!”

“Wait, even if that’s the case, it’s just…”

Listening to Ainsel’s plea, I fell into deep thought, blocking any further words.

Two years ago, the first queen committed suicide. A month ago, Vivian performed a ritual to switch bodies with the first queen. And now, I am in Vivian’s body due to the failure of that ritual.

“If what Ainsel said is true, why would Vivian try to switch bodies with the first queen only now, after two years? It doesn’t make sense. After two years, even a corpse would have decayed—”

Huh?

In an instant, I raised my head to look at Ainsel, brushing aside the thought passing through my mind. Surely, it can’t be what I’m thinking, right? As if unable to comprehend, I wiped my mouth and asked Ainsel, “Are you alive? First Queen?”

-……

Ainsel remained silent, offering no further words. Not nodding, just maintaining silence. I surmised that this must be what Ainsel couldn’t articulate, the ‘task to be carried out here.’

“I heard that the first queen’s body is buried in the royal family’s tomb behind the palace. Is that correct? Ainsel?”

-……

“…What was the reason for the first queen’s suicide?”

-……

“Your Highness, so the king’s passing is also related to the first queen’s issue?”

-……

Observing Ainsel’s reaction, as if unable to respond regarding the first queen, I became certain. What kind of agreement could there be? It was maddeningly frustrating.

…Even if the first queen were alive, this was truly a perplexing matter. The fact that the first queen committed suicide was a story known to anyone in the palace. That she hanged herself and ended her life.

The problem lay in everyone assuming the first queen was dead. In other words, if the first queen were truly alive as Ainsel’s reaction implied, it meant that the first queen was completely concealing her own existence.

‘What on earth is going on? Is the first queen also a witch? Or like me, someone who has possessed another? Is that why she’s hiding and living in secret? Then where could she be hiding?’

The information seemed too insufficient, as the person who could fill in the gaps remained tight-lipped… For now, judging by Ainsel’s reaction, it seemed right to assume that the first queen was alive.

I glanced at Ainsel with a furtive eye roll. Seeing her standing there stiffly made me feel frustrated, and I couldn’t help but wonder, “Can I really trust this mirror?”

“Sigh…”

As I let out a long sigh of frustration, Ainsel, tears welling up in her eyes, spoke in a barely audible voice, as if trying to hold back her sobs.

“I’m s-sorry… I-I know you’re f-frustrated… I’m s-sorry… I can’t say more… but I c-can’t help it… I’m just a weak and useless mirror.”

Unable to hold back her tears, Ainsel eventually began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. Once they started flowing, they only grew thicker, showing no sign of stopping.

Finally, Ainsel collapsed, curling up and hugging her knees, burying her head. I didn’t know why she couldn’t speak, but from my perspective, she seemed quite distressed.

I got off the bed and crouched down to Ainsel’s eye level, looking at her like a concerned parent. As Ainsel began to cry, now sobbing heavily, I said, “Okay, I was wrong, so let’s stop this. Okay?”

“Sob… S-sob… Sob…”

“Y-yeah, let’s talk about something else, shall we? Like… the ‘lessons’ the princess will have starting tomorrow.”

When I mentioned the princess’s lessons, Ainsel seemed interested, raising her head slightly. I comforted Ainsel in a calm voice, as if consoling a child.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll need to help me with the lessons… No, Ainsel, you’re absolutely necessary!”

“M-me..? H-how..? I’m just a mirror…?”

Self-esteem shattered, Einsel buried his head in his knees and began rolling on the ground. What on earth had happened with the first queen to make his self-esteem plummet just from hearing about her?

Ahem, clearing his throat, he started talking about the classes starting tomorrow.

“Of course, that’s…”

*

The princess, clutching a book tightly, was walking unsteadily towards the queen’s chambers. Watching her, Ellie quickly snatched the books from the princess’s arms and asked, “Your Highness… why are you carrying so many books?”

“Well, um… since Her Majesty didn’t tell me what kind of classes we’ll be having…”

“Oh… I see. Shall I ask Her Majesty for you?”

The princess nodded hesitantly. She didn’t want to disturb the queen’s mood unnecessarily on the first day of class. She was afraid that if she sent a maid to ask instead of asking herself, the queen might get angry like Lady Hujak.

Asking for the books in Ellie’s arms, the princess spread her arms wide and looked at Ellie. Nevertheless, Ellie insisted on carrying the ten books used for class and followed behind the princess.

“Your Highness… you don’t need to worry so much. Her Majesty won’t teach like Lady Hujak.”

“Really…?”

The princess slightly hunched her shoulders, seeming a bit uneasy even after Ellie’s reassurance. She hadn’t known when they played in the garden, but now she realized that the queen had a bad reputation.

She was someone who had always disliked her. Although she didn’t hit her every time they met, she cursed, stuck out her tongue, and looked at her with eyes that said she was truly unbearable.

The princess couldn’t understand why such a person would suddenly become her “teacher.” She earnestly prayed that she wouldn’t be hit or anything like Lady Hujak, that was all she hoped for.

As she clasped her hands together in prayer, they arrived at the queen’s chambers without realizing it. The princess swallowed nervously, raised her head, and stared blankly at the door.

“Your Highness, shall I open the door?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay…”

With trembling arms holding ten books, the princess quickly knocked on the queen’s door upon seeing Ellie’s shaking arms. The queen’s voice promptly invited her in.

Opening the door, the princess swiftly bowed to greet the queen. “Oh, Your Majesty—!”

Clack!

Perhaps due to extreme tension, the princess bit her tongue mid-greeting. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

Feeling embarrassed for the botched greeting and in such pain that tears threatened, the princess couldn’t think straight. She needed to quickly re-greet, but the pain made speaking impossible.

At a loss for what to do, the queen began to move. The princess, with eyes tightly shut and head bowed, had no choice but to stand still.

As she stood there, the queen knelt before the princess.

“Princess, open your mouth.”

“Uh…”

“Quickly.”

Following the queen’s command, the princess opened her mouth wide. After inspecting inside the princess’s mouth, the queen grinned and rose.

“No bleeding. You’ll be fine soon.”

“Yes, yes…”

The princess blankly looked at the queen.

Then, looking at the queen’s attire, the princess gazed, smiling. It was definitely not the attire of an instructor giving a lesson. A large white sun hat and a practical dress.

In the princess’s eyes, the queen’s outfit seemed more suited for a picnic-goer. The queen, wearing the large-brimmed hat, asked Ellie, who stood beside the princess, “Ellie? What are these books?”

“Oh, they’re for the princess’s studies…”

“Let’s see… Administration, diplomacy, military science, law, economics, rulership…?”

Seeing the textbooks Ellie held, the queen burst into incredulous laughter. Snatching the book from Ellie’s hand, she flung them onto her bed. The books spilled out and bounced on the bed, some falling underneath.

The princess gazed blankly ahead, and the queen mother placed a large sunhat on her head.

“I don’t need books for my lessons.”

“Really..? But in Lady Hoojak’s class…”

“What does a six-year-old need to know about governance? Governance. That’s something you can learn much later.”

Pressing down on the hat atop the princess’s head as if in disbelief, the queen mother lifted the end of the hat as if the princess were not there.

Then, the queen mother, with a bright smile, said, “Get ready, today’s lesson will be at the lake in the garden.”

“T-the lake..?”

“Yes.”

With a chuckle, the queen mother crouched down, meeting the princess’s gaze. The princess, looking slightly embarrassed, gripped the brim of the hat.

“Shall we go boating?”