The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 104: Magic Mirror—Aurora Is the Most Beautiful

People always said that the Queen of the White Kingdom, who was also Snow White’s stepmother, was incredibly beautiful—but also extremely vain and jealous. She simply couldn’t tolerate the idea of anyone being more beautiful than her.

What outsiders didn’t know, however, was that beneath this terrifying jealousy lay an even darker secret: the Queen was a powerful and sinister witch, one who wielded black magic. It was through her magic that she had enchanted the King of the White Kingdom, making him utterly infatuated with her beauty and completely obedient to her. No matter how outrageous her demands were, the King would always comply!

Yet, the Queen’s greatest fear was that one day, the King would lay eyes on someone even more beautiful than her. If that happened, he might realize she wasn’t the fairest of them all, and her spell over him could break. That would be disastrous!

As a witch, the Queen possessed a magic mirror. She often stood before it, admiring herself and asking:

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most beautiful person in the world?”

As she stared at the face reflected in the mirror, the Queen fell into deep thought.

She decided to refine her question:

“Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?”

This time, at least, the answer was a woman—but someone she had never heard of, a princess from some unknown kingdom.

The Queen frowned, sinking into even deeper contemplation.

She reconsidered her approach:

“Alright, the world is too vast, and this land is too expansive. Handsome lords and beautiful princesses are everywhere—far too many to count. There will always be countless unknown princesses more beautiful than me. Maybe I should narrow it down a bit.”

So, she altered her question again:

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most beautiful woman in the Western Continent?”

Still, the mirror gave her an unfamiliar name.

“Hmm… let's be even more specific.”

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most beautiful woman in the White Kingdom and its surrounding regions?”

“…Still not good enough. Let’s adjust it one more time.”

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most beautiful woman in the White Kingdom?”

At last, the mirror finally gave the answer she had been waiting for:@@novelbin@@

“Of course, it is you, my Queen!”

The Queen burst into triumphant laughter, thoroughly satisfied.

“I knew it! I must be the most beautiful. Just look at my bright, enchanting eyes and my luscious red lips—who could possibly compare?”

She playfully covered her mouth with the back of her hand, as if trying to contain her delight.

For many years, the Queen repeated this ritual every single day, and every time, the mirror’s answer remained unchanged. Each time she heard the mirror’s flattery, she would smile in satisfaction. ṟ𝒶ŊỔ𝐛È𝐬

Then, one day, a mysterious organization known as the Coven of Witches sought out the Queen and invited her to join them. The members of this group were all extraordinarily powerful witches.

The Queen wasn’t particularly interested in magical discussions, nor did she possess the extraordinary magical talent that many of the other witches had. However, she did need potions that could preserve her youth and maintain her beauty, so she agreed to join.

That said, she rarely participated in the coven’s daily activities. Instead, she simply exchanged her mirror’s knowledge for a bottle of youth-preserving potion from time to time.

As the days passed, the Queen started to notice something unsettling—Snow White was becoming more and more beautiful!

With each passing day, Snow White grew more breathtaking. Her skin was as pure as snow, her cheeks as red as blood, and her hair as dark and lustrous as ebony.

“What if one day… my own daughter surpasses me in beauty?”

This fear nagged at the Queen constantly. And yet, as long as the magic mirror continued to reassure her each day with the same response—“The most beautiful woman in the White Kingdom is, of course, you, my Queen!”—she could finally relax.

But no matter how often she heard it, the very next morning, anxiety would creep in once more. She would rush to the mirror again, dreading the day it might suddenly tell her:

“My Queen, you are indeed beautiful, but your daughter, Snow White, is a thousand times more stunning than you!”

And then… the unthinkable happened.

As always, the Queen stood before the mirror and asked:

“Mirror, mirror, tell me—who is the most beautiful woman in the White Kingdom?”

But this time, the mirror hesitated. It stammered and faltered.

“Hurry up and answer me, mirror!” the Queen snapped impatiently.

The mirror trembled, its voice quivering as it pleaded:

“Your Majesty, please promise me that no matter what I say, you won’t shatter me, throw me from the tower, or do anything… extreme.”

“Fine, I promise!” the Queen agreed at once. She was desperate to hear the answer.

“Is this it? Has the dreaded day finally arrived? If my daughter really has become more beautiful than me… what should I do?”

Countless thoughts raced through the Queen’s mind before settling into one dark, sinister conclusion.

The mirror took a deep breath and solemnly declared:

“Your Majesty, you are indeed breathtaking. However, there is now a little princess who surpasses you in beauty a thousandfold!”

The Queen held her breath.

It had happened. Just as she feared!

“The most beautiful woman in the White Kingdom… is Aurora!” the mirror finally revealed.

“I knew it!” the Queen roared, storming out of the room in fury.

“Forgive me, my daughter Snow White, but I cannot allow you to be more beautiful than me. You must be eliminated—silently, without a trace!”

She had barely taken two steps out of the room when she suddenly froze.

“…Wait. Did I hear that right?”

The Queen dashed back inside and demanded:

“Who did you say is the most beautiful?”

“Aurora.”

As the mirror responded, it displayed a moving image—Aurora, riding a white horse alongside Rhine, passing through a lush green forest.

The little girl had golden hair and dazzling blue eyes. Her beauty was so radiant, her presence so mesmerizing, that it seemed almost otherworldly.

The Queen fell silent.

“…Wait. Who even are you?”

“I don’t know you at all!”

And just like that, the Queen’s nerves settled.

“Phew, what a relief! I thought the most beautiful person in the kingdom would be my daughter, Snow White. If word got out that I had killed my own daughter, that would have been… inconvenient. But since the one surpassing my beauty is just some stranger, well… that’s a different matter entirely.”

As she studied the image of Aurora and Rhine riding through the forest, she quickly deduced:

“Judging by their direction, it won’t be long before they arrive near the royal palace.”

Her expression darkened.

“If the King sees Aurora and realizes that someone in the White Kingdom is more beautiful than me… that would be a disaster. My enchantment over him might break!”

"No! That girl, Aurora, must be eliminated!"

The Queen steeled her heart and secretly summoned a burly huntsman.

She had long prepared for the day when Snow White's beauty might surpass her own. This very huntsman was someone she had chosen in advance—a killer ready for the task!

"I command you—go and kill Aurora! Once the job is done, I will reward you with great riches." The Queen issued her order.

"Understood, Your Majesty! Consider it done!"

The huntsman stood at attention, nodding fervently.

For years, he had heard whispers that the Queen was jealous of Snow White’s beauty and that she might one day hire an assassin to dispose of her daughter. That was why she had been secretly in contact with him all this time—to have him as her personal executioner when the moment came to quietly eliminate Snow White.

So, ever since the Queen first made contact with him, the huntsman had mentally prepared himself for this "big job."

He was in desperate need of a large sum of money to take care of his aging adoptive father and his young daughter. Once he killed Snow White, he could finally—

"Wait a minute!"

"Who did you say?"

The huntsman suddenly frowned in confusion.

"Aurora? Who's that?"

"Ahem…" The Queen coughed awkwardly, finally realizing that the plan had changed. Her intended target was now someone the huntsman had never even heard of.

She quickly ran back inside, using magic to create a copy of Aurora’s portrait and marking her location on a map.

"Your target is Aurora. She is here." The Queen pointed at the spot. "Her portrait is beneath this stack of papers."

"Bring me her heart, and the mission will be complete. In return, you will receive a generous reward."

After hearing the details of his task, the huntsman couldn’t shake the feeling that something was… off.

"Wait, wait, wait… so the Queen isn’t trying to kill her own daughter, Snow White?" he thought, bewildered.

For years, he had completely misunderstood the Queen’s intentions!

"That actually makes sense. Even if Snow White isn't her biological child, she is still her daughter. No matter how jealous the Queen might be, would she really be ruthless enough to kill her own child?"

With that thought, the huntsman suddenly felt guilty for misjudging the Queen.

"Maybe she's not as cruel as people say. I mean, she’s sparing her own daughter, right?"

Feeling somewhat relieved, he accepted the mission, grabbed his hunting knife, and left the palace, heading toward the forest.

As he walked, he pulled out the portrait of his target and studied it closely.

Upon seeing the little girl in the image, the huntsman felt puzzled.

"This Aurora girl… she’s just a child. Why does the Queen want her dead?"

It didn’t make sense. If the Queen wanted to get rid of some commoner she disliked, she could have simply ordered a soldier to handle it. Why had she secretly contacted him years in advance?

"If it were about killing her own daughter, that would be a different story—something the King must never find out. But for this? Why go through all the secrecy?"

The huntsman shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"Whatever. I just need the money to take care of my old carpenter father and my little girl. The reasons don't matter."

As the huntsman disappeared into the depths of the forest, the Queen watched from afar, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"I heard that huntsman has a young daughter… about the same age as the girl I'm trying to kill."

"When the moment comes, will he hesitate? Will he look at that beautiful little girl, see her helpless expression, and remember his own daughter? Will he falter and spare her?"

She decided to wait a while and then consult the magic mirror again to confirm whether the huntsman had succeeded—or if he had let his emotions get in the way.

In the Forest

Rhine and Aurora had stopped to rest by a riverbank, letting their horses drink.

Just then, they spotted a towering, broad-shouldered huntsman approaching them—his grip firm on a sharp hunting knife.