Moonlight Garden (2)

As night fell and Serina was changing to go to bed, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Opening the door, she saw the knight Abitus standing there, whom she hadn’t seen in a while. He was dressed in knight’s gear, as if he were about to stand guard duty at the watchtower with the soldiers. He stood with his lips tightly sealed, holding a long, blue woolen cape in both hands.

“The Princess-nim has ordered you to come to the Rose Palace’s garden. And because it’s a chilly autumn night and you’ll be cold outside, she bestows this cape upon you. She said to come out without a lamp and empty-handed, wearing this, so prepare yourself quickly.”

“Thank you.”

Serina knelt and received the Princess’s gift. As the cape touched her hands, Serina felt the soft and smooth texture of fine wool, something she had never touched before. Even if you sheared all the wool from one sheep, you wouldn’t get much of this kind of wool.

“It’s good clothing for keeping out the cold. Knights also wear coats or capes over their armor in winter.”

“There are many maids and court ladies she could have sent, but I wonder why she specifically sent the knight-nim.”

Serina stood up and stroked the cape she had received, asking the question. The knight in front of her stroked his short-cropped beard with his thick hand and replied.

“If a maid gives a gift to another maid or court lady, the groups might become jealous.”

Abitus gave a simple explanation, bowed, and turned to go his way. Soldiers who were going to stand guard duty at the watchtower together, also fully equipped, followed the knight. Serina watched their backs and unfolded the cape that Mirabilis had sent.

It was made of dark blue wool, trimmed with brown leather around the edges, and had a gilded bronze ornament carved with a tree at the neck to fasten it. Serina wondered why the Princess-nim was calling her, but once she put it on, the cape was warm and fit perfectly.

Leaving the palace and entering the garden, the moonlight was very bright. The pale light of the full moon filled the ground, so there was no need for a lamp. A slender figure like a shadow stood near the entrance of the garden. It was Mirabilis, also wearing a long cape.

“Princess-nim? I was surprised by your sudden call. Not even in the Main Chamber (Ju), but to think you would call me to the garden.”

“The moonlight is bright, so I wanted to take a walk, but I was bored being alone, so I called you.”

Mirabilis and Serina moved into the garden. The sound of their shoes clicking echoed on the paving stones on the ground. The wind was cold at night. If Mirabilis hadn’t sent the cape, it would have been hard to bear the cold.

Thanks to Mirabilis holding a summer tea party in the Rose Palace’s garden, Serina had been inside before, but at that time, she was just eagerly waiting for the tea party to end, so she couldn’t properly enjoy the beauty of the garden. Now that she had entered the garden again like this, it was a pity that she couldn’t properly see the beauty of autumn because it was night. Under the dim moonlight, the colorful colors of the plants and trees looked as if achromatic paints had been smudged and mixed together, so she couldn’t properly capture them in her eyes.

“It’s been three years since I came to the Rose Palace, but I’ve never properly appreciated the beauty of the garden. Now that the Princess-nim has kindly called me, the garden, with its daytime splendor gone, looks frighteningly lonely.”

The owner of the Rose Palace smiled gently at Serina’s words and brushed her side hair back with her hand.

“There are many who have seen the garden in the daytime, but very few have seen the garden at night. Although you said it was scary, isn’t this sight of the moonlight shining askew on the Rose Palace beautiful enough? Serina, I hope you will enjoy the night view with me.”

Mirabilis’s tone was calm and gentle. The Princess-nim’s slender outline, soaked in the faint moonlight, shone subtly even in the darkness, standing out. Admiring that she was truly a beautiful person, Serina quietly put the reins of speech on him, led by the dark red emotion that permeated her heart.

“Regina Lecta.”

The moment that predetermined word came out, Mirabilis stopped walking. Her eyes lost focus as if she had been sucked into a deep place, and her face became hazy with her will blurred. Seeing the dignified Princess-nim transformed into a doll by a single word from a fallen noble’s daughter, she was unbearably delighted by a strange sense of victory.

“Mirabilis, why did you call me out here in the middle of the night?”

“I wanted to be… with Older Sister (Eonni-nim)…”

Serina couldn’t help but let out a “Hoo” at the answer. If she was calling her out separately because she wanted to be with her, it was a very good sign. But Mirabilis was a little cautious after seeing Serina’s reaction.

“Perhaps… was it bothersome…?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Serina smiled and shook her head. Even in a hypnotic state, Mirabilis was cautious, watching Serina’s feelings. Mirabilis seemed to be developing more and more affection for Serina. Even for the ‘fake’ one, not the ‘real’ one. There was no way she could dislike Mirabilis wanting to approach her.

It seemed like she should ask for the Keyword (Yeolswetmal) to awaken Mirabilis as her younger sister without going through the hypnotic state.

“Mirabilis, from now on, if I say ‘Voco Sororem Pauram’ to you, the fake you will fall asleep on the spot and the real you will awaken. Got it?”

“Yes…”

Voco Sororem Pauram. In ancient language, it means ‘I call my little sister.’ Serina used to set the Keyword (Yeolswetmal) in ancient language, trying to find words that were not commonly used in everyday life, and Mirabilis also knew ancient language well, so she easily remembered such short Keywords (Yeolswetmal) like that.

“When I snap my fingers, wake up as the real you.”

When Serina snapped her fingers, Mirabilis blinked and woke up from her hypnotic state, then immediately clung to Serina’s arms in front of her.

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim), I missed you!”

Mirabilis rubbed her face against Serina’s chest. If she were a real child, there would be a difference in size between Serina and her, but since Mirabilis, whose height and build were similar to hers, was in her arms trying to lean on her, it was a little difficult for Serina. But without showing it, the Older Sister (Eonni) stroked her younger sister’s hair.

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim), did you like the cape I sent? I wanted to send other things with it, but if I sent too many things, people around me would think it was strange, so I held back and only sent that.”

Mirabilis lifted her face and sparkled her eyes, sincerely hoping that Serina would like the gift she had sent. Of course, it was good clothing, but it was actually insignificant as a gift from the Princess-nim.

But she couldn’t tell Mirabilis to her face that it wasn’t a big deal. Besides, if she had sent a grand item, people would really have something to say. Serina didn’t want to attract attention from others so that her secret wouldn’t be revealed.

“It was an appropriate and good gift. Thank you.”

Then Mirabilis’s face brightened greatly. While walking in step with Serina, she clung to Serina’s arm as much as possible and intertwined her fingers, like a child holding her father’s hand, or like a maiden leaning on her lover.

“If someone saw this, they might think we’re in a Daesik relationship, don’t you think?”

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim) and Daesik…”

While she seemed to be avoiding the words, Mirabilis didn’t seem to dislike it. Did Mirabilis originally like relationships with women, or did she like Serina so much that she was willing to accept even Daesik? Serina was curious, but she didn’t bother to ask. At this point, Mirabilis herself wouldn’t know.

There was no one in the garden at night except the two of them. The sound of soft footsteps and quiet voices continued thinly, breaking the silence of the night. The two walked together and whispered stories. This was the first time Serina had talked so much with ‘Younger Sister Mirabilis’ like that.

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim), I grew up outside the palace when I was young.”

“Outside the palace? Ah.”

It was a story from another world for commoners or fallen nobles like Serina, but the royal family or wealthy high-ranking nobles would send their children to other noble families of lower rank and trustworthy instead of raising them directly, to spend their childhood.

The family that would raise them had to meet strict conditions, such as being trustworthy and having no sick people or criminals, even if they were of lower rank as nobles. It was under the pretext of raising children strongly, but there was also the intention of wanting to get their hands off childcare issues.

“But the house I went into was my mother’s family. Of course, everyone treated me politely… but they only treated me politely and no one really treated me properly. They only strictly taught me etiquette, saying they were raising me strongly and correctly.”

The Rose Palace’s lady put strength into the hand she was holding with Older Sister (Eonni-nim). Sweat flowed from her hand, but Mirabilis stuck close to Serina and matched her pace, moving the words with the tip of her tongue.

“Even when I grew up a little and entered the palace, Royal Mother (Mohu) didn’t see me much. Royal Father (Buhwang) tried hard to come, but… he was busy with national affairs, so it wasn’t easy. In fact, I don’t even know if it’s true that Royal Father (Buhwang) tried to come, that’s what Mullaba told me.”

Mirabilis was leaning her head on Serina’s shoulder and walking, so she couldn’t see her face properly. In the path illuminated by the faint moonlight, Mirabilis’s sad voice shattered and scattered like dry flower petals as it came out of her mouth.

“The Older Sister (Eonni)… Padrentia, whom I barely met, also hated me. She never told me the reason, but it must have been because I was her half-sister. After the Former Empress (Hwanghu) passed away and Royal Mother (Mohu) entered as Empress (Hwanghu), she must have hated me as the daughter of the Former Empress (Hwanghu) Jeonha. I tried to get close to Older Sister (Eonni), but Padrentia coldly rejected me. She didn’t hit me or anything… but Older Sister’s (Eonni’s) eyes were so sharp that it was hard for the young me to handle…”

Mirabilis paused for a moment, as if choosing the right word. The autumn insects chirped, then stopped when the two came close, and only cried faintly again after they had passed far away.

“Malice, yes, it was full of malice. She doesn’t have that look now… but I still remember that look.”

Mirabilis stopped talking again. The two had already reached near the pond in the center of the Rose Palace’s garden. The pond was surrounded by white pebbles picked up from the beach, and lotus flowers and other plants that grow in water, as well as willow trees, were planted in the water. Nearby was the pergola where Serina had been during the previous tea party.

Around the pond, as befitting the Rose Palace’s garden, red roses and all sorts of colorful roses were planted, splendidly decorating it. Clean, thick sand was laid around the pond, and chairs were placed for people to sit and rest, a resting place designed for people walking through the garden to sit and rest.

“This is my favorite place in the Rose Palace. That’s why I wanted to tell Older Sister (Eonni-nim) here.”

Mirabilis was still holding his arm and speaking. Serina had no way of guessing what her younger sister wanted to say here. As the cold night wind shook the faint reflection of the moon on the water, her long hair, as soft as silk and pale in color, fluttered.

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim), I really like Older Sister (Eonni-nim).”

Mirabilis lifted her head from Serina’s shoulder and hugged her tightly again, burying her face in her chest. She felt the air warmed by body heat inside the capes they were wearing. In that way, under the moonlight, Mirabilis seemed to feel Serina’s body temperature and the beating of her heart.

“Older Sister (Eonni-nim) is my destined person. Older Sister (Eonni-nim) is the true Older Sister (Eonni-nim). Padrentia also refused to accept me as her younger sister, but Older Sister (Eonni-nim) accepted me as her younger sister. When I met Older Sister (Eonni-nim), I was reborn.”

Mirabilis lifted her head from her chest, released her intertwined hands, and knelt in front of Serina. The quietly flowing moonlight shattered on Mirabilis’s hair, sparkling in a dizzyingly mysterious platinum color.

“I swear eternal faith to my soul’s Older Sister (Eonni-nim).”

Mirabilis took Serina’s hands in both of hers and kissed them respectfully. Serina herself had put in the false suggestion that ‘kneeling and kissing the back of the hand is a way for a younger sister to show faith to her older sister.’

So now, here, Mirabilis kissed Serina’s hand again to swear her faith once more. Moreover, the expression ‘destined person’ was also a phrase in the suggestion that Serina had said to Mirabilis in a hypnotic state to make her accept that ‘I am your Older Sister (Eonni-nim).’

Serina was reminded of a passage from the book left by Bingalsa.

― I convey methods that can leave behind and misuse hypnosis. Just as fertilizing rough land makes it fertile and allows one to farm and harvest abundantly, if one is truly good, one will find a good path even in the magic I have left behind and benefit people widely. But if one is evil, one will absorb it like a dry cloth absorbs water, and the evil path is easier than the good path. Therefore, it is wicked.

Serina could no longer mock and sneer at Mirabilis, who recognized her as ‘Older Sister (Eonni-nim)’ and swore her faith with such a pure heart, even if it was a false emotion that she had instilled. Rather, she felt as if her shoulders were weighed down and she was suffocating.

‘What have I done?’

The mocking Keywords (Yeolswetmal) and subversive suggestions she had made to Mirabilis flashed through her mind. An emotion that was difficult to describe, twisted and tangled, whether it was sadness or joy, guilt or conquest, churned in her heart.

She had never thought that she would feel this way towards the Princess-nim. Even though the moonlight was dim, Serina’s eyes saw Mirabilis’s lips, which were uttering the words of oath, as burning red, and her heart ached.

From the first time she held the magic book, Bingalsa had continued to demand choices. The result of those accumulated choices was this. Even though it was successful enough, she couldn’t purely rejoice in the result.

‘Did Bingalsa have prophetic abilities… No, that can’t be. This isn’t a prophecy, it’s a prediction.’

If any magician had prophetic abilities, there would be plenty of places that would run out barefoot to invite them. There was no way such a person would be Bingal (貧竭: poor and having nothing). He had only predicted it based on the insight he had gained while suffering from poverty. If a person gained and understood the ability of hypnotic magic, it was easier to use it for evil than for good.

Every time Serina hypnotized Mirabilis, she was forced to make a choice. A two-way choice of whether to use it for good or evil. And the result was a little girl who absolutely trusted Serina.

‘It’s already too late… I can’t turn back now. If this is the result of my choice, I have no choice but to carry it to the end. Now that it’s come to this, I have to thoroughly control Mirabilis’s mind so that she can never escape from my hands for the rest of her life. If I fail… my fate will only be thrown into a miserable pit of destruction.’

Everyone thinks that they are closer to good than evil. Even obvious villains often excused their actions by saying that they couldn’t help it, so they were justified.

Serina also thought that she was closer to good than evil, even if she wasn’t a saint. But at this moment, she had no choice but to admit that she had clearly chosen the path of evil, not good.

Stroking Mirabilis’s hair as she knelt and rubbed her face against the back of her hand, feeling the soft texture of her hair and the warm body temperature of the back of her hand, Serina lifted her head and gazed at the deep darkness beyond the sky where the moonlight did not reach.