LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 14: The Future in the Mirror
Chapter 14: The Future in the Mirror
Rhine ran his fair palm across the silver mirror, causing ripples to spread outward.
The King and Queen, along with the 12 witches, all leaned in to see the image gradually forming within the mirror.
The witches, even the highly knowledgeable Violet Fairy, were visibly surprised by the sight.
Was the mirror directly showing scenes of the future?
Typically, prophecies and divinations rarely achieved this level of clarity.
Most magicians, when performing divinations, preferred to speak in riddles, being as vague and mystical as possible to keep their reputation intact.
Of course, Rhine himself knew that the "future" displayed in the mirror was mostly based on his knowledge as a transmigrator of how this story would unfold.
He only supplemented this understanding with a small amount of magic to fill in reasonable details.
As for the spell that caused his eyes to glow silver…Its only purpose was to create visual effects!
Displaying scenes in this way might be unheard of for the magicians of this world, but to Rhine, who had been exposed to 21st-century films, it was a trivial concept.
The mirror showed scene after scene, almost like a movie:
The old King issued a decree to confiscate all spindles in the kingdom and had them destroyed.
This led to widespread discontent among the people, but nothing could change the King’s resolve.
Armored soldiers stormed into homes, pushing down women still weaving at their looms, shoving aside their children who tried to resist, and seizing the family's sole spindle amid screams and tears.
To ensure no spindle escaped confiscation, the King locked Little Princess Aurora in a small palace, forbidding her from taking even a single step outside.
As time passed, the Little Princess grew up day by day, and all the blessings bestowed upon her by the witches came to fruition:
She was intelligent and beautiful, gentle and graceful, beloved by everyone who met her. Her brilliance was unmatched, and she had an astonishing ability to memorize anything after reading it once.
Yet this Princess Aurora, who embodied all the world’s virtues, was never able to set foot on outdoor grass or chase butterflies in playful joy.
From the moment she could remember, her life had been confined to a luxurious prison.
Her entire world was bound by magnificent marble pillars and dazzling crystal chandeliers.
The path from her boudoir to the grand hall was the extent of her universe.
In the mirror, the teenage Princess Aurora appeared with flowing, molten gold-like hair, sparkling emerald-green eyes, and a beauty beyond compare.
The Queen trembled with emotion, instinctively covering her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
Rhine was moved by her reaction, though he had no way of knowing Aurora’s exact appearance as she grew up. However, countless works had depicted the grown-up Sleeping Beauty—books, Disney movies, and animations.
The Princess’s appearance in the mirror was a composite of these depictions, further enhanced and refined, with details adjusted based on the current traits of baby Aurora blessed by the witches. ṙãꞐɵꞖЁṤ
Rhine had intentionally blurred the mirror’s image and pulled the perspective further back, ensuring no one could scrutinize the fine details of Aurora’s features.
Even if Aurora’s real appearance as an adult slightly differed from this portrayal, that wouldn’t be an issue—after all, it was more than ten years into the future.
No one would remember a slightly blurred image well enough to compare it with the real thing!
Besides, once he bestowed "that blessing," the direction of the Sleeping Beauty story would completely change. Aurora’s demeanor and image would undergo a dramatic transformation!
"Do I really have a knack for being a con artist prophet? I sure know how to fool people," Rhine chuckled to himself inwardly.
In the mirror, the young girl stood dazed, repeatedly gazing at the people coming and going through the doors, listening to the laughter from a world beyond her reach.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness and depth, as though she were an observer from another world.
But Aurora did not complain.
She understood the curse, its causes, and the weight of the kingdom’s fate resting on her shoulders.
She accepted her father’s decision and understood clearly that the door was a boundary she must never cross.
Watching another group of people leave through the doors, heading into a world she could never step into, and disappearing beyond her view, the Little Princess sighed softly, smiled faintly, and returned to her room.
Outside the mirror, the 12 witches, along with the King and Queen, all saw this scene—the faint smile of Princess Aurora, tinged with helplessness.
Coupled with the Little Princess's breathtaking beauty, this sight stirred even the most hardened hearts. A few of the witches and the Queen wore sorrowful expressions.
A girl gifted with perfect health, capable of running freely, with an astonishing memory, universally beloved, and full of grace, was permanently confined during the prime of her life—year after year, without end.
The Queen, who loved her daughter deeply, was already in tears.
Seeing his wife’s sorrow, the King’s expression darkened slightly, but his resolve remained firm:
“Do not be sad. Compared to the catastrophic end this curse could bring, the price Aurora is paying is trivial.
“The condition for triggering the curse is Aurora being pricked by a spindle, after which the kingdom would face disaster.
“Our actions are meant to stop the curse from coming true, to protect our daughter and everyone else!
“This is but a small, necessary sacrifice.”
The Queen nodded.
She understood the bigger picture. She had simply been momentarily swayed by her daughter’s radiant image in the mirror and felt a pang of maternal guilt.
Yes.
If it meant preventing the Black Witch’s curse from coming to pass, any price was worth paying!