Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Witch of Fate’s Great Call - Chapter 4
Thanks to Mrs. Loving’s chatter, Kalynia finally understood why the kingdom was so crowded with guests and why the guards had been so vigilant at the gates.
According to Mrs. Loving, tonight’s ball is especially significant. Invitations were sent not only to neighboring countries but even to places so far away their names are barely known.
“They’re all princesses aiming for the queen’s position. Not only are princesses from various countries coming, but every unwed noble lady of the Snow Kingdom will gather at the castle tonight!”
Mrs. Loving imagined the scene of dancing in the grand castle, her face glowing as if she herself were one of the invited princesses or noblewomen.
The young king must be in a hurry to marry now that he’s returned alive from the war.
Kalynia thought, savoring the tender pork that melted in her mouth.
The thought of the king searching eagerly for a queen annoyed her, especially knowing he was the grandson of Snow White.
“Oh, are you young ladies here for the party, by any chance?”
Mrs. Loving asked, lowering her voice to a whisper and glancing at Kalynia.
“Are you perhaps a princess?”
She thought it strange that an actual princess would stay at her inn, but couldn’t let go of the slim possibility.
Kalynia was taken aback. She never imagined anyone would think she was a princess dressed in such shabby travel clothes. The ridiculous misunderstanding almost made her laugh out loud.
But it gave her an idea. Kalynia smiled.
“You have sharp eyes, Missus. Yes, I’m a princess from a country far, far away.”
She tried to sound as dignified as possible, like a real princess. Catherine, sitting across from her, grimaced and mimed a gagging motion.
Fortunately, Mrs. Loving didn’t notice, and instead, she was thrilled. She felt incredibly honored to have a princess staying at her inn and even lowered her voice to whisper conspiratorially.
“And in fact, she’s not my sister but my lady-in-waiting.”
Kalynia nodded toward her sister, who was glaring at her, and Mrs. Loving nodded in agreement as if that made perfect sense.
Catherine’s frown deepened, which delighted Kalynia.
After patiently enduring Mrs. Loving’s chatter for a bit longer, Kalynia finally stood up, saying she needed to prepare for the party.
“Let’s go, my faithful lady-in-waiting, Catherine.”
Catherine glared, clearly annoyed, but got up without a word. The two of them pretended to head toward their room, but as soon as no one was watching, they slipped out of the inn.
“Kalynia, don’t tell me you actually plan to sneak into the castle pretending to be a princess?”
“Exactly. Isn’t it a great idea?”
“A great idea? You’re going to walk in wearing rags like that?”
Catherine looked Kalynia up and down with a scoff.
They couldn’t afford a dress, and unless a miracle occurred, her younger sister, who couldn’t even pull out a magic wand by herself, had no way of magically changing her clothes.
“I won’t help you with this.”
Certain that Kalynia was hoping she’d assist, Catherine refused even before she could ask.
“I wasn’t going to ask you for help anyway.”
Kalynia stuck her tongue out at Catherine, picked up a pumpkin from a pile against the wall, and lifted her long, trailing cloak.
Beneath the cloak were a pair of red shoes—her mother’s heirloom, special shoes that allowed her to use magic in place of a wand.
“You! Since when did you bring Mother’s keepsake with you?”
Catherine, shocked, demanded an explanation, her voice rising in anger.
Kalynia quickly covered Catherine’s mouth before anyone could overhear, looking around. Fortunately, no one had noticed the commotion.
“Did you think I’d come to steal the magic mirror in enemy territory without any tools?”
“……”
“I’m serious, Catherine. Tonight, I’m stealing that magic mirror. So help me.”
She hinted that she’d remove her hand if Catherine agreed to help.
Though still glaring at her sister, Catherine finally gave a reluctant nod. As Kalynia released her, Catherine let out a long sigh.
“If you get scolded by Emily later, don’t blame me.”
“It’ll be fine. As long as I bring back the mirror, she won’t scold me!”
Kalynia remained optimistic despite Catherine’s warning. Catherine sighed again.
Just when she thought her sister had matured, here she was, returning to the foolish little witch who used to boast about becoming a great witch like Grimdelwald.
Kalynia, having freed Catherine, clicked her heels. The pumpkin transformed into a large carriage. Then, looking around, she caught two frogs hopping nearby and picked them up.
“What are the frogs for?”
Catherine asked grumpily, but Kalynia told her to watch. She clicked her heels again, and the frogs turned into two splendid horses to pull the carriage.
“And, a coachman!”
Kalynia, excited, scanned her surroundings and spotted a crow watching them. She transformed the crow into a coachman wearing a fine black coat and a stylish hat.
“Now, everything is ready!”
