Chapter 24: Mirror, Mirror

Clea woke up and looked at the window.

As the sun was setting, darkness was appearing in the sky.

‘Has he not returned yet?’

No one had come to wake her until now.

She guessed that Edmund went out and had not returned.

She looked at the bell pull for a moment and contemplated.

‘I don’t want to be bothered.’

She couldn’t forget the maids who had been chirping like sparrows.

Even sparrows wouldn’t know what they’re saying.

Their chattering really exhausted anyone who heard it.

Clea carefully got up right after waking and checked her condition in the mirror.

“Not bad.”

It was one of the things she liked most since possessing this body.

Though she would feel bitter if this was the only thing she liked.

Even though she had just woken up from a deep sleep, she smiled with satisfaction at how beautiful she looked without any particular grooming.

‘Was it this smile that won him over?’

During her long stay at the Odoi mansion, she rarely had a reason to smile.

She was even mocked for seeming emotionless.

But since coming here, she started showing various expressions.

Though she had only felt irritation because of Grit and Lloyd before.

Here, she felt joy, gratitude, regret, and sadness.

It was so different from the people who only thought about how to use her.

“Meeting you that day must have been the happiest moment for me.”

She said those words with genuine sincerity.

Though she could say them because no one was around, she wanted others to hear…

These feelings of hers.

Especially the person who held a special place.

She gazed into the mirror.

Suddenly, these words came from her as she looked at her reflection,

“Mirror, mirror, is the image you’re showing me now truly my honest self?”

The her in the mirror was smiling.

But tears were flowing from her eyes.

She clutched her chest tightly at the feeling that was both painful and overwhelming.

But that didn’t change the expression beyond the mirror.

Clea knew well why she was making such an expression.

That’s why she felt even more angry.

“How wonderful it would be if I could stay with you for a long time.”

The clock drawn on the back of her hand.

Sometimes when she looked at the clock, there were moments where she felt she might go crazy.

When she couldn’t breathe properly.

When everything turned white from dizziness due to confusion.

It was the fear of slowly dying in pain.

Still, she had never felt sadness before.

For her, there was no need to continue living here unless she could return to her original world.

Loving family, friends, and other people.

The years she spent here feeling all alone and abandoned had worn her down.

It had been completely meaningless, leaving no lingering attachments.

“I’ve become a little scared. That I can’t grow old together with you.”

She tasted blood from her slightly bitten lip.

Tears were now continuously flowing from Clea’s eyes.

Would this mark disappear if she cut it out with a knife?

It was different from the days when she thought she didn’t care if she died from the curse.

Now, Clea wished to be freed from the curse.

But despite her wish, the curse remained clearly visible, as if it would never disappear.

She stepped outside while silently shedding tears.

When she came out, the waiting staff could hardly hide their flustered expressions.

But they didn’t approach to comfort Clea.

They kept their distance, fearing their inadequate words of comfort might only displease her.

Of course, Clea was grateful, knowing their intention wasn’t to ignore but to be considerate.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to get some fresh air.”

“It’s dangerous now that the sun has set.”

They couldn’t help but block her path outside.

Currently, neither Edmund nor Oberon was in the imperial palace.

It seemed dangerous for her to go somewhere else in this situation.

But Clea wanted to sort out her feelings while getting some air.

So she made an uncharacteristic request:

“It will just be for a moment, please.”

The maids hesitated.

They hadn’t expected her to make such a request, and they were worried about possible situations.

What if she happened to encounter another member of the imperial family who might object to her presence?

However, not wanting to ignore Clea’s polite request, they soon decided,

“Just for a moment.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Ah, let’s go together!”

Clea started walking.

Her mind warned that she should restrain herself as she might cause trouble for Edmund.

But her stifled heart welcomed the breath of fresh air.

Looking at the beautiful moonlight rising like a full moon, Clea tried to sort out her emotions.

She followed the same path she had taken when evading Oberon.

It was a place she had reached while walking mindlessly.

As she headed there, Clea felt as if her time was stopping.

It was fine even if it was just an illusion.

She wanted to sort out this urgency she felt, even if through an illusion.

While walking, she encountered someone.

“You are…”

“Your, Your Majes–”

“Stop.”

She met Odin, whom she had conversed with in the garden before.

Odin had seen Clea from afar and appeared before her in disguise as before.

Meanwhile, the maids were shocked when they recognized who he was.

Unlike Clea, they had occasionally seen Odin in disguise beside Edmund.

Though they tried to bow in greeting after recognizing him,

They were forcibly stopped midway by Odin’s gaze from across.

While Clea felt somewhat peaceful meeting someone she knew, the maids were terrified.

They never dreamed they would encounter Odin of all people, so soon after leaving the Crown Prince’s palace.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“Why are you here instead of guarding the garden?”

“Someone else is guarding it now. And what brings you here?”

The maids were horrified at Clea’s response.

How could she ask why he wasn’t guarding the garden?

Who would dare speak that way before the Emperor?

However, Clea didn’t think her companion was the Emperor.

From the start, her image of the Emperor was someone who always wore luxurious clothes.

People had actually said so too.

The Odin she had met until now appeared extremely shabby.

Someone nobles would consider merely a servant not worth dealing with.

But Clea didn’t particularly care about such things.

What distinguished people was character, not status.

‘Just like before, she doesn’t discriminate between noble and common when dealing with people.’

Odin found Clea fascinating.

As a duke’s daughter, she must have only met distinguished people.

Usually, nobles would look down on those wearing shabby clothes.

Though not all were like that, still, many nobles did so.

But Clea showed no sign of hesitation despite Odin’s appearance.

He was pleased with how Clea treated him without pretense.

So he hoped she would continue speaking with him in this way, without knowing his identity.

“You’ve been crying.”

“I guess it shows.”

“Could it be because of the Crown Prince?”

Clea noticed the maids’ bewilderment at Odin’s words.

She interpreted the current situation like this:

“It’s fine. Nothing will happen just because a mere servant speaks carelessly about someone who isn’t here.”

As though she was worried whether anyone might hear a mere servant speaking freely about the Crown Prince.

But the maids were concerned about something else.

Though they tried to somehow correct her misunderstanding,

“Ah, Miss, that’s not–”

“Well, isn’t this young lady right? These days people even gossip about the Emperor behind closed doors.”

The maids were horrified at Odin’s interruption and following words.

Meanwhile, Clea felt puzzled by the maids’ attitude, who had been bothering her just hours ago.

She found it hard to understand why they were showing such reactions.

Clea met Odin’s gaze.

His eyes resembled Edmund’s so much they reminded her of him.

Suddenly she thought, perhaps this is what the Emperor would look like.

As she met Odin’s eyes, she recalled someone and said with a slight smile:

“Though I am sad because of him, he treats me well. So my tears now are because of the problems I have.”

She felt embarrassed admitting she had cried out of frustration over her own problems.

Still, she felt relieved after expressing it outwardly rather than keeping it buried deep inside.

Odin looked admiringly at her for bravely confessing to another person.

“Is that so.”

To lighten the potentially awkward atmosphere, he said,

“If the Crown Prince is indeed treating you badly, let me know.”

“What would you do if I told you?”

“What would you like me to do? How about making it so he can’t inherit the throne?”

“You make pleasant jokes. Still, I want to wish for his happiness.”

Though this made the maids present turn pale.

“My, how kindhearted.”

“Thank you just for saying so.”

Odin thought about the child who would become his daughter-in-law.

He had been curious what kind of person she was, hearing rumors circulating that Clea Odoi was a villainess.

How wicked a woman must she be for such rumors to persist?

But meeting her in person, he sighed thinking rumors indeed couldn’t be trusted.

‘Though I haven’t joked even once.’