13. The Unresolved Question
13. The Unresolved Question
[Chapter 13] - Unresolved Questions
A pitch-black room.
The only light source in the dim, dusty room was the faint light leaking through the curtains. In that dark, dust-filled room, there stood a large mirror.
It looked identical to the large full-length mirror in Vivian's room. Ripples formed on that large mirror, and Ainsel, wearing Vivian's face, began to slowly appear.
-...There isn't much time left now. Soon, 'Vivian' will notice you all.
Ainsel was speaking to 'someone' in the dusty room, but in the dark, only the sound of something moving, sseuk-sseuk, could be heard.
-I've reached the point where I can no longer fulfill the contract. I will continue to keep the secret, but in reality, there is nothing I can do other than keep that secret.
Ainsel continued speaking as if annoyed, but the 'someone' in the room gave no answer. Ainsel narrowed her eyes and shouted at the faint afterimage.
-So now..!
*
After the Marchioness's business was more or less wrapped up, I returned to my room to find it was well past dinner time. I changed into my flowy pajamas, let out a sigh, and flopped onto the bed.
"I'm exhausted..."
It was a truly, truly exhausting day.
I'm already tired to death of acting like Vivian on a daily basis, but today I even got angry and slapped someone. So much had happened in a single day that I couldn't wrap my head around it.
To begin with, the Marchioness had caused more trouble than I thought. It turned out she had been managing everything regarding the Princess-nim, so cleaning that up was quite a task.
'I wondered why the Princess-nim was alone in the garden...'
At the time, I thought the Princess-nim had snuck out of the castle without the maid knowing, but it turned out it was because the Marchioness hadn't assigned a maid to the Princess-nim. What? The First Queen-nim didn't have a maid when she was young?
For now, since I didn't have many maids I could trust, I had no choice but to assign Ellie as the Princess-nim's temporary maid. Among the five maids under me, Ellie was the one I trusted the most.
Only after cleaning up the mess the Marchioness had made, at least roughly, could I return to my room. Then, the only thing left to do was...
I glanced over at the large full-length mirror, Ainsel's true form. Ainsel was peeking her head out from the edge of the mirror, watching me.
It was like a child who knew they had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded.
"Ainsel."
-......
"You have something to tell me, don't you?"
I sat up on the bed, crossed my legs, and looked at Ainsel. Ainsel hesitated, came out from the edge of the mirror, and hung her head with a sullen expression.
"...Don't you have anything to tell me about the First Queen-nim?"
-Th-that is...
"Why did you lie to me? You clearly told me, 'Vivian was jealous of the First Queen-nim, who was loved by the King, and performed a body-swapping ritual.' But, you said the First Queen-nim committed suicide? And that was 2 years ago."
-I, I didn't lie..!
Ainsel looked at me, biting her lip and even welling up with tears, as if she were truly wronged. However, I couldn't believe that. To begin with, it didn't make any sense.
-The 'Silphy' we met last time told you that too! That Vivian died while performing the 'body-swapping ritual'! I really didn't lie! Fairies aren't allowed to lie in the first place!
"...Huh?"
Only then did the story of 'Silphy,' whom I met in the garden, come to mind. The fairy that had landed on my shoulder had definitely said the same thing as Ainsel. That Vivian had failed the 'body-swapping ritual' and died.
-It's true! There are many things I can't tell you about the First Queen-nim... but I don't lie to you! Vivian really did 'perform a ritual to swap bodies with the First Queen-nim'!
"No, wait a minute, even so, that doesn't..."
I listened to Ainsel's plea, covered my mouth, and fell into thought.
The First Queen-nim who committed suicide 2 years ago.
Vivian, who performed a ritual to swap bodies with the First Queen-nim a month ago.
And me, who entered Vivian's body due to the failure of that ritual.
'If Ainsel's words are true, why would Vivian try to swap bodies with the First Queen-nim only now, 2 years later? It doesn't make sense. If 2 years had passed, the corpse would have decomposed—'
Huh?
A thought flashed through my brain, and I looked up at Ainsel. Surely, it's not what I'm thinking, is it? As if I couldn't understand, I wiped my mouth and asked Ainsel.
"Is she alive? The First Queen-nim?"
-......
Ainsel didn't say anything else. She didn't even nod; she just remained silent. I guessed that this was the 'thing I have to do while staying here' that Ainsel couldn't talk about.
"I heard that the First Queen-nim's body is buried in the royal tomb behind the castle. Am I right? Ainsel?"
-......
"...Why did the First Queen-nim commit suicide?"
-......
"Your Majesty—I mean, is the reason the King is in seclusion also because of the First Queen-nim's problem?"
-......
Seeing Ainsel's reaction, as if she couldn't answer anything about the First Queen-nim, I was convinced. Did she make some kind of contract? It was frustrating enough to drive me crazy.
...Even if the First Queen-nim were alive, this was a truly dizzying problem. After all, the fact that the First Queen-nim committed suicide was a story everyone in the royal castle knew.
The story that the First Queen-nim hanged herself and took her own life.
The problem was that everyone thought the First Queen-nim was dead. In other words, if the First Queen-nim were truly alive, as Ainsel's reaction suggested, it meant the First Queen-nim was completely hiding her survival.
'What on earth is going on? Is the First Queen-nim also a witch? Or is she someone who possessed a body like me? So she's hiding and living in secret? Then where is she hiding?'
No matter how much I thought about it, there was too little information. Since the person who could provide that information was keeping her mouth shut... for now, judging by Ainsel's reaction, it seemed right to assume the First Queen-nim was alive.
I glanced at Ainsel, rolling my eyes. Seeing Ainsel standing there hesitantly, I suddenly felt frustrated and thought, 'Can I really trust this mirror?'
"Hoo..."
The moment I let out a long sigh of frustration, Ainsel, with tears welling up in her eyes, sniffled in a very small voice, trying to hold back her tears, and continued.
-Hic, I, I'm sorry... I know you're frustrated... I, I'm sorry... I can't say anymore... But, I, I can't help it... I'm just a weak and useless mirror, waaaaaah.
Unable to hold back her tears in the end, Ainsel's eyes welled up, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Once they started flowing, they became thicker and didn't know how to stop.
Eventually, Ainsel collapsed into a crouch, hugged her knees, bowed her head, and curled her body into a ball. I don't know why she can't talk, but...
To me, she looked quite wronged.
I also got off the bed, crouched down to Ainsel's eye level, and looked at Ainsel, who had curled her body into a ball. Ainsel, who had buried her head in her knees and started crying, was now sobbing, 'Heo-heo'.
"...Alright, I was wrong, so let's stop and get up. Okay?"
-Heoeong. Heo, heu, heoeo.
"Y-yeah, shall we talk about something else? Like... the Princess-nim's 'lesson' starting tomorrow."
When I brought up the Princess-nim's lesson, Ainsel perked her head up as if interested. I soothed Ainsel in a calm voice, like comforting a child.
"Th-the lesson starting tomorrow, you'll have to help me too... No, I really need Ainsel!"
-Me..? Me..? How..? I'm just a mirror...?"
Ainsel, whose self-esteem had hit rock bottom, buried her head in her knees again and started rolling on the floor. What on earth happened with the First Queen-nim that her self-esteem would hit rock bottom just from talking about her?
Ahem, I cleared my throat and started talking about the lesson for tomorrow.
"That's obviously..."
*
The Princess-nim, hugging a pile of books, was waddling toward the Queen-nim's room. Seeing this, Ellie quickly took the books from the Princess-nim's arms as if snatching them, and asked the Princess-nim.
"Princess-nim..? Why are you carrying so many books..?"
"B-but... the Queen-nim didn't tell me what kind of lesson it would be... so..."
"Oh... r-right... Shall I go and ask the Queen-nim?"
The Princess-nim shook her head.
She didn't want to get on the Queen-nim's bad side from the very first day of lessons. She was afraid that if she didn't ask directly and sent a maid instead, she would get angry like the Marchioness.
The Princess-nim looked at Ellie, spreading her arms wide, asking for the books in Ellie's arms. Ellie insisted on carrying the books herself and followed behind the Princess-nim, carrying all ten books used for the lessons at once.
"Princess-nim... you don't have to worry too much. The Queen-nim won't teach like the Marchioness."
"Really..?"
Even at Ellie's words, the Princess-nim shrugged her shoulders, looking slightly anxious. When she played in the garden, she didn't know because it was fascinating, but thinking about it now, the Queen-nim had many bad rumors.
She was someone who disliked her in the first place. She didn't hit her every time they met, but she was someone who would curse, click her tongue, and look at her as if she had seen something truly unsightly.
The Princess-nim had no idea why such a person would suddenly take on the role of her 'teacher.' She just prayed earnestly that she wouldn't hit her like the Marchioness.
As she was praying with her hands clasped together, she arrived at the Queen-nim's room before she knew it. The Princess-nim gulped in front of the large door, looked up, and stared blankly at the door.
"Princess-nim, shall I open the door for you?"
"Ah, no, it's okay..!"
Seeing Ellie's arms, which were holding ten books, trembling, the Princess-nim quickly knocked on the Queen-nim's door. Then, the Queen-nim's voice telling her to come in was heard quickly from inside.
Opening the door, the Princess-nim quickly bowed her head and greeted the Queen-nim.
"Y-Your Majesty, I have come to see—!"
Kkwadeuk—
Perhaps because she was too nervous, the Princess-nim bit her tongue in the middle of her greeting. Due to the pain that made her feel like crying, tears leaked from the corners of the Princess-nim's eyes.
Because of the embarrassment of messing up her first greeting and the tongue pain that made her want to cry, the Princess-nim couldn't think properly. She had to greet her again quickly, but her tongue hurt so much that words wouldn't come out.
Just as she was at a loss, teobeok-teobeok, the Queen-nim began to move. The Princess-nim squeezed her eyes shut, bowed her head, and had no choice but to stand still, not knowing what to do.
As she stood still, the Queen-nim knelt on one knee in front of the Princess-nim.
"Princess-nim, say 'ah'."
"Heu-eh."
"Hurry."
Following the Queen-nim's words, the Princess-nim opened her mouth wide. The Queen-nim, who had examined the inside of the Princess-nim's mouth closely, smiled and stood up.
"Luckily, it's not bleeding. It'll be fine soon."
"Yes, ye-he..."
The Princess-nim looked up at the Queen-nim blankly.
And at the Queen-nim's appearance, the Princess-nim tilted her head as she looked. It was by no means the attire of a teacher giving a lesson. From a large white sun hat to a dress that was easy to move in.
In the Princess-nim's eyes, the Queen-nim's outfit looked like someone going on a picnic. The Queen-nim, wearing a large sun hat, asked Ellie, who was standing next to the Princess-nim.
"Ellie? What are those books?"
"Oh, they are for the Princess-nim's lessons..."
"Let's see... Administration, Diplomacy, Military Science, Law, Economics, The Prince..?"
Seeing the textbooks in Ellie's hands, the Queen-nim let out a scoff as if it were absurd.
The Queen-nim snatched the books from Ellie's hands and threw them onto her bed.
The books spilled onto the bed, bouncing around, and a few of them fell off the bed.
As the Princess-nim stared blankly at the scene, the Queen-nim put a large sun hat on the Princess-nim.
"I don't need books for my lessons."
"Yes..? B-but... in the Marchioness's lessons..."
"What do you mean, 'The Prince' at just six years old. That's something you can learn much later."
When the Queen-nim pressed down on the sun hat on the Princess-nim's head as if it were absurd, the Princess-nim grabbed the edge of the sun hat and lifted it up, as if she couldn't see in front of her.
Then, she saw the Queen-nim's face, smiling brightly.
"Get ready, today's lesson will be at the lake in the garden."
"Th-the lake..?"
"Yes."
The Queen-nim, who had a sly smile on her face, crouched down and made eye contact with the Princess-nim. The Princess-nim clutched her sun hat, looking slightly shy.
"Let's go boating."