“Mirror mirror on the wall,” Junghee walked past the glowing mirror, the glass tinting with a shade of blue, “Who in this land is fairest of all?”

“You are indeed fair, my queen,” The Mirror replied, “But there is someone fairer than you now...and he is the fairest of all.”

“He?” Junghee scoffed, taking a sip from her goblet, “Who is this he?”

“The Prince of the neighboring kingdom,” The Mirror replied, “Lee Jinki.”

Junghee stiffened at the name spoken, her heart clenching, yet she did not let it leak onto her face for more than a second. “You are broken, Mirror.” She sent a beam of her gray magic towards it, lessening its glow, “How can he be any fairer than me?”

“You can see for yourself, my beloved queen,” The Mirror answered, “He is returning from the battlefields...and instead of riding home, he is riding to you.”

Junghee’s face softened a bit and she turned away from her mirror, “I will see him,” She sighed, “But he will not be able to see me.”
 

Ever since the Mirror had mentioned Jinki, Junghee had been greatly distracted. She had been once betrothed to him...when she was a princess and not a self-announced Queen. He was someone she had been fond of, she had once cherished, someone who made her heart catch beautiful rhythms, made it dance with joy whenever she danced with him. He was arrogant to the world but for Junghee, his walls would lower. Behind his arrogant mask, was a gentle boy who would smile shyly but bright, his smile so innocent, so contagious that made Junghee drop her own mask of arrogance. She was livelier after she had met him, her magic was the most golden it had ever been, reflecting her jubilant heart.

But now it was gray, and Jinki had lain forgotten amidst the pain that she had been inflicted with, the pain that she still struggled to live with, the pain that had made her what she was now.

It was four winters ago...when the gold of her magic had begun to dim into the gray that it was now.
 

“Existence, in entirety, shall see what is wished them to see,
The evil cast around you, you can never flee.”
 

- She had woken up to a dead silence and when she walked out, she found the workers scurrying around, avoiding her, not greeting her as usual. She headed to her parents’ chamber and there were many workers and nobles gathered around. They paved a path for her on noticing her and when she entered, she halted at the sight, her heart clenching with horror.

Her parents lay motionless in their bedstead, the royal doctor dismayed.

She walked in closer, spotting how their skins were sickly pale, how their lips were a dark shade, how blood dripped off their noses and lips. How they were angry marks around their necks, golden specks littered around them.

She staggered and fell upon her knees, tears clouding her eyes, her senses whirring around as her loss settled in, unable to focus upon the nobles in the room, their angry, hateful faces, the words they threw at her. She couldn’t defend herself against them, nor could she fight the soldiers who pulled her away, taking her down to the dungeons, locking her away.

Days passed and all she saw were soldiers guard her, push measly meals into her cell, their eyes full of hatred and fear. She couldn’t comprehend the faces they wore, the eyes with which they glanced at her.

When the soldiers changed duties, she spotted a familiar one, her private guard, one that had watched her grow up, one that was always kind to her, one that was familiar with how her nature truly was. She called out to him, but when he turned, something in his eyes struck her. It was the same as what she had seen in every pair of eyes that she had sighted. Hatred.

He looked away with contempt and Junghee called out to him again, reminding him of some moments he had been kind to her, some moments she had been kind to him, but he ridiculed them all. From his unreasonably stubborn words, Junghee could grasp that something was off. She watched him a while and noticed a difference in his eyes. Whenever he glanced from somewhere else towards her, a glint appeared and disappeared within a fraction of second...and that was when Junghee knew what was off.

She rested back against the wall, remembering the spell books she had read all her life. But this wasn’t a spell...it was a curse.

The curse of false impression.

When cast, everyone will only see what the caster wanted them to see. She had been framed for her parents’ murder to support that false impression of evil...and that impression...was now barricading her true self, making that the only thing they would see upon looking at her.

She knew she had to get out of the dungeons. It was futile to believe that she would receive justice. Everyone had a false impression of her, a curse that she knew not how to break.

She finally gathered courage and broke out of her cell using her magic, knocking out the soldiers who attacked. The others fled from her path, upon seeing the magic whirling around her fists. As she walked the corridors, everyone began to flee and by the time she reached the throne room, the castle was abandoned.

The moment she was in power, the moment she was free, the hatred in the eyes of her people had easily given rise to another emotion. Fear.

She could hear the fearful murmurings of the fleeing soldiers and workers...and it angered her. As the whispering faded and she was left in dead silence, the air grew suffocating. She knew she couldn’t revert anything, she knew that she could not win back her people with the cursed impression dousing her. The only thing that she could do in that moment to secure herself was to take advantage of what she had become.

Without a second thought, she picked up her father’s crown which had been resting beside his throne and wore it on her head before walking out into the balcony.

“Swear allegiance to your queen,” She spoke as everyone quivered, lifting her palm surrounded with her darkening magic, “Or die.” -
 

“My queen,” The Mirror broke her daze and she turned to it with questioning eyes, “Did you find anything in the new books you acquired?”

Junghee glanced at the pile of books littered around her chamber. Somehow, the curse was incomplete in all of them...even in books she had paid exorbitantly for, books that came from every corner of the world she could reach.

“Nothing…” She sighed, “I guess I am fated to be known as the Evil Queen.”

“Mirror mirror on the wall,” Junghee began as she entered her chamber after dressing up, only to trail off, realizing that the answer the mirror would speak is now no longer the same. She had been lonely all this while, and the only thing she took proud in had been her beauty. But honestly, she couldn’t care less who in the land was fairest of all. That question was the only one she asked, that question had become a habit, and on hearing the mirror say it was her, she felt a little pleasant about herself. That was all.

But maybe she needed to hear it because now nothing about her was prideful or pleasant.

Jinki’s mention had her riled up...her struggling heart was struggling more with the pain she had long suppressed, with the memories she had pushed away, with the feelings she had long forgotten.

All she could reminisce were the words from a scroll she had received a few days after that unfortunate incident, the scroll from the neighboring kingdom, revoking the betrothal. It wasn’t in his hand, not that it made any difference. He would have had no choice but to obey his father. Moreover, he was away, fighting battles with allies, maybe unaware of everything...but his oblivion was in vain. No matter what he held in his heart...it was bound to be replaced with hatred, with evil upon sighting her.

She had begun to fear meeting him, begun to fear the eyes he would glance at her with. The thought itself pained her, to find the only person left in this world who she cherished, who cherished her in return, to disregard her, blame her, be repulsed by her sight.

She sighed, deciding not to think of it much.

She was no longer the cheerful, loved princess of pure heart. Her heart had grayed due to the anger and dismay she had accumulated over the years, reflecting in her magic. She was cursed...and already a Queen. The Evil Queen. He definitely deserved better.

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