72. The Full Moon Ritual
72. The Full Moon Ritual
[Episode 72] - Full Moon Ritual
After safely finishing the hunting competition and arriving at the royal castle, it was late at night, just before midnight. I arrived at the bedroom holding Titania, who had fallen fast asleep, exhausted from her first trip. I changed into my pajamas and sat down, leaning my back against the side of the bed where Titania was lying.
They say the most beautiful sight in the world is a sleeping child, don't they? A smile naturally spread across my face at the sight of Titania sleeping so prettily. Sadly, to think that such a cute, young child would hit puberty and...
Thinking about how she threw her body in front of Snow White to protect me, it didn't seem like she hated me that much. It must be that I committed some wrong against Titania, which is why she's avoiding me. Otherwise, she wasn't a child who would have any reason to hate me.
Surely, it must be my fault.
I stroked the sleeping Titania's face and closed my eyes for a moment.
'...First, I need to sort things out.'
Was the reason the events of the original story had been twisted until now the fault of the other 'Snow White'? I sank into deep thought, recalling the 'different things' from the original story that I had experienced so far.
'First, the incident where the First Queen Aurora became a 'Leanan Sidhe'.'
The incident where a certain 'witch' used First Queen Aurora's obsession to turn her into a 'Leanan Sidhe'.
It was undoubtedly the biggest incident among those that had caused the original story itself to be greatly twisted. Because of this incident, the King, who was originally the 'player role', died, and I, the 'stepmother', took his place.
According to Fran, the investigation into this incident was supposed to be handled by the 'Coven', the gathering of witches. They said the witches started the investigation because the victims included not just Aurora but also the 'Little Mermaid', but...
I hadn't heard anything about the progress of the case since then.
There was no way for me to know if that witch had been caught, or if she was still turning humans into fairies. I just didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it would be fine as long as she didn't cause me any more harm, but...
'Second, the visit of Princess Fiona and the delegation instead of the Prince.'
It was also the second event where I felt the original story had been ruined.
The incident where the Prince who was originally supposed to come didn't show up, and Princess Fiona visited suddenly. Of course, the Princess Fiona who visited was 'Snow White' in disguise.
It seemed she probably came to talk to Titania. Since an incident occurred where the two had some conversation and Titania hid away. And she even told me some strange things, too.
'And... third, what happened at this hunting competition.'
With what happened at this hunting competition, I realized that everything I had planned had crumbled like a sandcastle. The plan to introduce the dwarves to Titania, and the plan for Titania to go to the academy, all of it crumbled down.
I never expected everything I planned to fit together perfectly like clockwork, but it was a plan I had built up diligently like a sandcastle. But it wasn't without shock to see that plan completely collapse as if it had been kicked.
And the person who kicked that sandcastle...
"Another... princess, huh..."
I let out a deep sigh, took off the earring hanging from my ear, and tapped it. Then, the surface of the mirror rippled, and Ainsel, who looked exactly like me, poked her head out from the edge of the mirror and appeared.
"Ainsel, what do you think? You don't know either, right?"
-I don't know either... I can't even believe that something like this happened myself. But... I do have a few hypotheses. They're really just hypotheses, though.
Ainsel, who had put on glasses I didn't know where she pulled from, stroked her chin and began to talk about her 'hypothesis' on how Snow White appeared.
-First, do you remember? The 'ritual' that Vivian performed.
If it's the ritual Vivian performed...
Was it the ritual to steal Aurora's body? I still remembered it because the execution method was definitely bizarre. It was definitely a suicide ritual where she tied her body to a lake reflecting the full moon and entered it.
"Yeah, I remember."
-That ritual isn't originally used to enter someone else's body. You can enter someone else's body through that ritual, but that's just a side effect at best.
"...? Then what is the ritual originally used for?"
-Before I tell you that, first... do you know this story?
Ainsel, who had been reflected in the earring, headed to the 'main body' hanging on the wall next to the bed. It felt like it had been a while since I saw Ainsel's larger form after she entered the main body. As I stared intently, Ainsel cleared her throat, "Ahem," and continued the story.
-The story that there is another world inside the mirror.
"...?"
It was a story I vaguely knew.
It was a setting that frequently appeared in fairy tales or novels. Like the self reflected in the mirror being a self from another world, or a world existing inside the mirror that is the exact opposite of reality. It was a story that also appeared in famous fairy tales. Like Alice in Wonderland.
-That's true. Mirrors are also doors that connect to other worlds. And inside the mirror of that mirror, and inside the mirror of that mirror, there are other worlds. There are countless worlds inside the mirror that you can't even count.
As I looked at Ainsel as if I couldn't believe it, Ainsel puffed out her cheeks and snorted, insisting it was true. Shouting, "Do you think I'm a mirror fairy for nothing?!", she continued the story about the 'ritual' again.
-That 'ritual' uses the moon reflected in the lake as a 'mirror' to change the world one lives in into the desired world. Actually, it's overlapping the world inside the mirror with the world one lives in... anyway, the 'world' where Vivian entered Aurora's body also exists inside the mirror.
"If such a world exists, why did Vivian fail?"
-As I said before, the premise was different. Vivian wished to enter 'Aurora's body, which was empty without a soul' through the ritual, but at that time, the King was already inside Aurora's body.
"...Right, that's what happened."
-The ritual was supposed to enter the empty Aurora's body as Vivian wished, but because the King's soul was already in Aurora's body, there was no room for Vivian to enter. Because the ritual had the wrong premise, the world didn't change, and Vivian's soul had nowhere to go, so she just died.
It gave me goosebumps just thinking about it again. The image of the King screaming in a rotting body, desperately looking for Aurora, still seemed to flicker before my eyes. I frowned without realizing it at the scene that still occasionally appeared in my dreams.
-Of course, Silphy and I knew that fact, so we stopped Vivian. Even up until that time, I hadn't been forcibly contracted with Aurora. Yet, Vivian didn't believe our words and went ahead with the ritual. And, for some reason, you entered that empty body of Vivian.
"......I see. So that's how it happened."
I didn't really have much interest in why I entered Vivian's body. It had already happened, and it was a body I couldn't return from anyway. It seemed appropriate to say I had just given up in a state of resignation. So I didn't really want to know the reason why I entered Vivian's body.
And one of the reasons I didn't want to hear stories like this was because I thought, 'Couldn't I also return to my original body if I used that ritual?'
I didn't really have any attachment to my original body. I didn't have loving family anymore either. It would be a lie to say I didn't want to meet my close friends, but...
I turned my head and looked down at Titania, who was fast asleep beside me. Titania, who was asleep, wiggling and holding my finger in her sleep. A smile naturally spread across my face at that sight.
As expected, Titania is more important to me now than my old life.
-Anyway... what I want to say is, I think that princess...? might have also come here through a ritual? I don't know why she came over in her 'original body' instead of her soul... but I don't know if it's even possible to cross worlds through a mirror with a physical body in the first place.
"Yeah... is that why you said it was a hypothesis?"
-Yes, that's right. It's just a hypothesis. Perhaps the only person who knows better than this is the 'Grand Witch' of the Coven. That grandm—no, that witch has lived a long time, so she must know.
Come to think of it, one of the names that always came up whenever Ainsel talked about the Coven was the 'Grand Witch'. Wondering who on earth that 'Grand Witch' was that she kept being mentioned, I tilted my head and asked Ainsel.
"Who exactly is that Grand Witch you keep talking about? Can't I meet her once?"
-If you want, you can meet her right away. But, um... well... the Grand Witch is, well... what kind of person is she... A meddlesome old fogey? Even worse than the Queen Mother?
"I guess she's not a bad person?"
-Um... well? There are witches among the witches who avoid the Grand Witch. Once you get involved with her, she interferes too much. Imagine the Queen Mother coming to nag you every time. And there's no malice in that nagging.
"...I might hate it a little."
Thinking about the Queen Mother chasing me every day to nag me, honestly, it wasn't a good feeling. Plus, if it's nagging without any particular malice, I had memories of hearing it until my ears developed calluses at my company in my past life. So, in other words, the Grand Witch is...
"Does that mean she's an old fogey..."
-Um... anyway, the Grand Witch lives in the Fairy Realm. If I open the Fairy's Side Path, you could meet her right away, but... don't get involved unless it's a really important situation. That human's concept of time is like a fairy's, so she'll nag you until you die.
I resolved to avoid getting involved as much as possible, recalling the nagging of my old boomer boss. It seemed like the story about Snow White was coming to an end to some extent, but—
-And... this is also my hypothesis, but...
Ainsel, who was restless as if debating whether to say this or not, eventually let out a sigh and continued.
-Perhaps... I think the 'witch' who turned Aurora into a fairy is also that princess... I didn't know because I was so out of it at the time... but you know how I said my main body was kidnapped by 'someone' back then? The person who kidnapped me then...
"...Is it that princess?"
-Th-that's just a hypothesis! It might be my misunderstanding! Bu-but... perhaps...
Ainsel stammered and couldn't continue. As if she was sure, but didn't want to believe it. She seemed to be trying to deny it by shaking her head vigorously.
I had also suspected that Snow White might be that 'witch'. Because it would make sense if the reason the witches couldn't catch the culprit was because she was hiding in a hut.
But...
'Even if Snow White came from another world as the hypothesis suggests, Aurora is her biological mother. If she really is the culprit, why is she doing this? What is she thinking, turning people into fairies?'
This was a story I couldn't know unless I heard it directly from Snow White.
What she was thinking when she did such things, or if there was some reason she was committing such wrongs. Thinking about it any further was just my delusion.
Letting out a deep sigh from a feeling of inexplicable frustration, I held the sleeping Titania in my arms and closed my eyes. Ainsel had already settled into Titania's necklace, and she let out a deep sigh just like me.
I chuckled at the position, as if the three of us were lying in bed together, and stroked the sleeping Titania's hair. Perhaps because stroking her hair tickled, Titania scrunched up her face in her sleep.
That look was also adorable, so I gave a small kiss to Titania's wrinkled forehead. Then I hugged her even tighter in my arms and felt Titania's warmth.
Being like this, I felt my frustrated heart settle down a little, just a very little bit. Unlike me, Titania seemed to feel stuffy and tried to toss and turn...
I hugged her even tighter and didn't let Titania go from my arms.
'For now... let's only think about Titania. Let's only think about how this child will grow up. Now... there are only 5 years left until Titania enters the academy. When that time comes, I...'