〈 The Mirror of Desire 〉
Author: Mongwolhwa (몽월화)
[Book Chapter 1]
"Achoo! Achoooo! What is this?! Open the windows immediately! Achoo!"
Yeorang pushed the door open roughly, sneezing from the swirling dust, and shouted irritably.
The maids who followed her undid the firmly fastened latches and opened the closed windows, allowing light to pour into the dimly lit room.
Unlike Yeorang, who looked visibly relieved as if finally able to breathe, Yeowon shrank back to avoid the incoming light.
"That's enough."
When Yeowon's back hit the wall, leaving her with no room to retreat, Yeorang raised a hand to stop the maids.
"It’s not like you’re some kind of mole or anything. You’re wrapped up so tightly and still so fussy..."
Yeorang sneered and lightly waved an elaborate fan adorned with peacock tail feathers.
While this kind of sunlight might not bother Yeorang, Yeowon's situation was different.
Even the slightest touch of sunlight made her hand sting, and she knew that, even with ointment, she would suffer for several days.
As the sunlight drew closer to her toes, Yeowon shrank back even more and muttered gloomily.
"But it's noon right now…”
“Never mind that.”
Yeorang curtly cut off Yeowon's words, then turned her attention to the maids standing behind her.
“Go outside and bring the item loaded in the carriage.”
At Yeorang's command, the maids went outside and returned carrying a rather large chest, setting it down on the floor.
Compared to how carefully they set it down, glancing at Yeorang for fear of stirring up dust, the chest looked pitifully shabby.
Covered in thick dust, it looked as though it had been pulled out from some forgotten corner of a storeroom.
"W-what is this?"
"It's nothing special. You know I've had countless marriage proposals, right? This is one of the gifts I received from them."
Yeorang had been famous for her beauty and intelligence since childhood, drawing countless suitors who sought her hand in marriage. They sent gifts with every season, and even princes from foreign lands visited her in person.
As a result, rumours spread that Yeorang, the king's daughter, was wealthier than the King of Jino himself, thanks to the sheer number of tributes sent her way.
In any case, if it was sent as part of a marriage proposal to someone like Yeorang, then regardless of its shabby exterior, it was sure to contain something valuable.
"You're... giving such a valuable thing to me?"
Though her astonished expression was hidden by the veil, she couldn’t hide the tremble in her voice.
At Yeowon's reaction, Yeorang lowered her gaze to the dust-covered chest and let out a scoff.
"To think this is valuable... Well, maybe to you, Unni." [1]
"Yeorang, I don't need something like this..."
"It's a farewell gift, so keep it."
"Ah..."
At the mention of 'farewell,' Yeowon remembered that Yeorang would soon be leaving for Gyoyeon Kingdom.
After carefully selecting from countless marriage proposals, Yeorang was set to marry the Crown Prince of Gyoyeon Kingdom.
Gyoyeon Kingdom was so far away that it would take a month on horseback to reach, making it unlikely the two would ever meet again.
"I’m sorry... I don’t have anything to give you in return..."
"It's fine. Nothing you give me would satisfy me anyway."
Yeorang retorted coldly, watching Yeowon struggle with embarrassment.
“I’m not giving this only to you, so don’t get the wrong idea. Since I can’t take the gifts offered by other countries’ marriage proposals with me when I marry into Gyoyeon Kingdom, I’m simply dividing them fairly among my siblings.”
“Each according to their station,” after adding those words, Yeorang stood up.
Yeowon hurriedly called out to Yeorang, who seemed to have said everything she needed to and was leaving without any regret.
"Ye-Yeorang!"
Although her heart had already rushed to Yeorang, the fear ingrained in her body prevented her from moving her feet easily.
Still, this might be the last time, so she couldn’t just let her go like this.
Reassuring herself that there was nothing to worry about with the layers of clothing and the veil, Yeowon took a step forward.
She hid her reddened hands inside her sleeves.
Yeorang watched her quietly, with an expression that seemed to ask, 'What’s going on?’
When there was just one step left between Yeorang and Yeowon, she stopped.
“...You have to live well. Be happy.”
Yeowon murmured in a voice tinged with tears, her sleeves trembling. Seeing this, Yeorang let out a small sigh.
“Close the windows... No, lower the screens and leave us for now.”
The maids moved quickly to lower the screens that had been rolled up above the windows, and the incoming light gradually dimmed. Once the maids had left and the room fell into silence, it was enveloped in a comfortable, soft darkness. Yeorang lightly raised an eyebrow, as if silently asking, 'Is this acceptable?’
"Could I... hug you, just once?"
In response to Yeowon's cautious question, Yeorang muttered dismissively, “Do as you like.”
Although Yeowon was shunned by everyone, Yeorang, who had been born from the same womb, could not entirely turn her back on her.
The younger sister, whom Yeowon held in her arms after a very long time, was taller than her, unlike when they were young.
But she still seemed like a child.
Unlike herself, who would live and die in the Cold Palace, Yeowon once again wished that Yeorang would live freely, roaming the world and finding happiness.
After Yeorang left, Yeowon stood quietly in the same spot for a long time.
The wind that entered through the open windows made not only the lowered screens but also Yeowon's long black veil, which hung down to her chest, sway as if dancing.
Yeowon carefully walked towards the window, wrapping her hand in her sleeve before closing it.
With each window that she shut, familiar darkness settled in.
It was a familiar feeling of loneliness and desolation, but today, it felt even more intense.
Having calmly gathered her emotions, Yeorang lit a lantern and made her way towards her bedchamber, where the soft glow of the light gently spilled out.
Sitting on the bed, Yeowon finally took off the veil she had been wearing the whole time.
Skin so pale it seemed untouched by light, almost translucent, with soft pink lips and a dainty nose.
It was a face as beautiful as Yeorang's, renowned as the continent's greatest beauty.
However, unlike Yeorang's eyes, which were as black as mulberries, Yeowon's eyes were as red as ripe cherries, and her dishevelled hair was as white as that of an elderly woman.
White hair, red eyes, and skin that reddened and burned when exposed to sunlight.
Because of that, although Yeowon was born a princess of Jino Kingdom, she ended up persecuted and confined to the Cold Palace.
The palace servants whispered behind her back, calling her the Moon Rabbit Demon.
"A demon... They’re not entirely wrong, are they...?”
Muttering bitterly, Yeowon straightened the veil she had removed, picked up the lantern, and rose from her seat.
She couldn't just leave what Yeorang had left for her as it was.
Soon, the maids would bring dinner, but since it was given by Yeorang, she wanted to arrange it herself.
After wiping off the dust, Yeowon opened the chest.
Inside the chest were piles of fabric with somewhat unfamiliar weaves and embroidery, jewellery, and a considerable number of books, all jumbled together.
"I don’t know which country sent this, but... it seems it didn’t suit Yeorang’s taste..."
Recalling how young Yeorang would take out gifts, and if she didn’t like them, crumpled them up and tossed them back in, Yeowon couldn’t help but smile.
If it had been someone else, they might have been angry upon seeing the contents of the chest, but Yeowon didn’t mind at all.
Rather, she was just grateful that Yeorang had come to see her under the pretext of giving a farewell gift.
As Yeowon calmly sorted through the jumbled items, she paused. Something sticking out from between the fabrics looked worn at first glance.
"Why is this here?"
When she took it out, it was a mirror that seemed quite well-used.
Could this have been something Yeorang used?
Judging by the signs of wear, it might have been something she cherished.
Yeowon carefully placed the mirror on the table. She felt like she should ask Yeorang about it.
That evening, Yeowon sent a letter through the maid who brought her dinner, and by the following afternoon, she received a reply.
The letter stated that whatever was inside was no longer Yeorang’s concern and that Yeowon could do with it as she pleased.
It later dawned on Yeowon that perhaps Yeorang had purposely placed something she had been using, and Yeowon had clumsily failed to notice the gesture.
Yeowon carefully set aside a few books and the mirror from the chest, bringing them to her bedchamber and placing them where they would be easily accessible.
・・・・・
"Oh my goodness... What an outrageous thing…"
Yeowon hurriedly set down the book she had been holding. Her face, usually pale, flushed so deeply that it turned completely red, almost to an excessive degree. She thought it was probably similar to the colour of her eyes as she gulped down the lukewarm tea that had been sitting on the table.
The lukewarm tea wasn’t enough to cool the heat inside her, which was so intense that it left her feeling uncomfortable.
Fidgeting with the teacup, Yeowon glanced at the book she had tossed aside.
Yeowon's days were monotonous. She would sit in a place where light softly filtered in, reading books or doing embroidery.
And when the sun set, she would take a walk around the area.
She had read almost all the books in the Cold Palace, so recently she had been reading the books from the chest Yeorang had given her.
Today was one of those days.
However, the book she took out today was thinner than the others, so she thought she would finish it quickly.
As Yeowon sat down and opened the book, she was shocked to see it filled with outrageous content and embarrassing illustrations.
She put it down in surprise, but after a while, curiosity got the better of her.
Slowly, Yeowon's hand inched towards the book.
And a few days later.
"Huu... uh-heung."
Yeowon's hand was tracing over the thin blanket. Even though she knew no one was around to overhear, she bit the edge of the blanket and used her fingertips to rub and pinch her nipples.
She could feel it hardening even beneath the fabric.
She must have touched her own breasts hundreds, no, thousands of times while washing her body.
Yeowon had never imagined that simply stimulating the tips of her breasts could make her feel this way.
What about her soft, dough-like breasts? Each time she squeezed them firmly, it felt strange.
In particular, the area between her legs felt strange.
Not only was it wet as if she had peed herself, but it also felt itchy, as if bugs were crawling inside.
If she hadn't seen the book during the day, she would have thought something was seriously wrong with her body.
The thin book was commonly referred to as a pulp novel.
Not only were the contents about the intimate union between a woman and a man written in great detail but even the illustrations were meticulously drawn.
Moreover, it wasn’t the only book of its kind.
After finishing one book, Yeowon rummaged through the chest and found other similar books to read.
While doing so, she suddenly found herself becoming curious.
She wondered what it felt like for a woman to surrender to ecstasy under a man's touch.
Of course, Yeowon had no man to console her lonely nights, so she had no choice but to console herself.
"Ah! Haaa!"
Unable to contain the overwhelming heat any longer, Yeowon released the blanket she had been biting and let out a moan.
Her hand, mimicking the man's actions from the novel as it kneaded her breasts, slowly moved downwards and lifted the hem of her nightgown.
As she sat with her knees bent, the hem of her skirt seemed to rise as if it had been waiting for the moment, revealing her pale thighs.
After a moment of hesitation, her hand settled on her undergarment.
Although she had changed into it not long after bathing, her soft undergarment was now soaked with moisture.
She covered the wet undergarment with her entire palm as if to hide it.
Then, she pressed down firmly on the plump mound of flesh.
"Ah... Nng. It feels good..."
An exclamation escaped her lips without her realising it.
Completely immersed in the exhilarating pleasure, Yeowon went beyond simply pressing her crotch and used her fingertips to scratch the protruding area.
"Just a little more... Ah! Hng!"
Her hips tensed, and her whole body trembled. Then, she felt something surge and flow out from inside her.
A tingling sensation climbed up her spine and resonated in her head.
“Haaa…”
Her vision went black, and all the strength left her body.
Yeowon dropped her limp hand onto the bed and panted heavily.
Belatedly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she realised the mortifying actions she had taken and the words she had unconsciously uttered.
However, the languor spreading throughout her body didn't feel so bad.
But she was concerned about whether the area she had rubbed and scratched as if possessed, was alright.
Furthermore, she was slightly curious.
It was a place she hadn't even properly looked at while bathing.
Yeowon sat up and removed her undergarments.
A thick liquid stretched like a thread from her crotch to her undergarment before breaking off.
Recalling the scene described in the novel, she felt a warm sensation rise all the way to her neck.
Her undergarment was completely soaked as if it had been dipped in water and pulled out.
Yeowon dropped her wet undergarment to the floor beneath the bed and lowered her head to examine her crotch.
The raised mound had no body hair whatsoever.
The smooth flesh parted on both sides, glistening with moisture. The slight reddish hue made it seem almost inflamed.
"Is something wrong?"
Cautiously, she traced her entrance, but instead of the pleasure she had felt earlier, a sharp pain seemed to arise.
It seemed that she had gone too far after all.
She wanted to take a closer look to see what was wrong, but it was hard to see clearly.
Perplexed, Yeowon bit her lip and recalled the mirror Yeorang had given her.
Since it was within arm's reach, there was no need to get out of bed.
Yeowon spread her legs wide and placed the mirror between them.
Using the mirror to check for any injuries, Yeowon gently touched the folds of skin that met like butterfly wings on either side and lightly touched the entrance that gaped slightly open.
It looked a bit swollen, but there was no sign of bleeding, so it didn't seem to be a major issue.
As Yeowon was about to put the mirror away, something protruding like a nipple caught her eye.
Yeowon instantly recognised that the part that had become raised was the very spot that had made her vision go dark and her body tremble as if struck by lightning just moments ago.
"Ah, whenever it was described that men touched here, women would go wild."
Seeing it swollen and round as if begging to be touched again, Yeowon forgot her original purpose of checking for injuries.
As she scratched and pinched the protrusion, as if touching a nipple, an indescribable pleasure spread throughout her body, setting it alight.
Watching her reflection in the mirror while doing so, an even more peculiar feeling washed over her.
She thought she should stop at this point, but Yeowon's hand movements showed no signs of ending.
Translator's Corner:
[1] Unni (언니) is the Korean word for "older sister" or "elder sister," typically used by females to refer to their older sisters.
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