Every Morning, My Mirror Saves the World - Chapter 51

Under the barrage of silent looks that practically screamed, *Hey, that’s not the part you’re supposed to be commenting on,* *Shouldn’t you be paying attention to what she just said?* and *I bet she didn’t hear a single word,* Lars—who had been holding himself back for quite some time—was the first to snap.

He charged over with a dark expression, shoved the girl aside without the slightest concern for her delicate beauty, and planted himself in front of Ruiyin in the classic posture of a dog guarding its food. Drawing the Sword of Shadow with one hand, he pointed it warily at the stranger.

“Who are you?! Why did you let Ruiyin hold you? Why were you looking at her like that?” Lars stared her down, fur practically bristling as he howled, “All of that belongs to me! You’re not allowed to call her whatever you—ow! Ruiyin, that hurts!”

Clutching his head in both hands, Lars turned around with tears of grievance in his eyes. Ruiyin expressionlessly withdrew the fist of punishment she was getting increasingly skilled at wielding, then returned her attention to the beautiful girl.

The girl sat rather awkwardly on the ground, rubbing one eye. Her bowed head and pale neck formed an elegant curve, and her large, misty eyes drifted blankly toward Lars. Gathering up her skirt in one hand, she rose and languidly leaned against his shoulder.

“Your Highness… that hurt…”

Lars shoved her to the ground even more violently. He stripped off his clothes at top speed, hacked them into scraps with a few swift strokes, then pulled the sandpaper he used to sharpen his sword from his spatial pouch and desperately scrubbed it all over himself while crying…

“Your Highness?” The girl looked helplessly at Vigia. “Are you angry with me?”

“…”

Everyone reached the same silent understanding in an instant. All irrelevant parties swiftly stepped aside, after which Galahad hauled forward a distinctly uncomfortable-looking Juvina from the back.

“My… lady, may I ask who you are?” Juvina inquired with impeccable courtesy.

“Your Highness, have you forgotten me?” Tears pooled in the girl’s eyes as she gazed pitifully at the genuine prince, then opened her mouth and dropped a thunderbolt from the highest heaven. “Have you forgotten the children we brought into the world together? They’re all doing very well now.”

Juvina swayed on his feet…

“Miss, I don’t believe we have ever met before, so might you perhaps…” Have the wrong man, for the love of God?!

Before he could finish, several looks stabbed into him from the side, clearly saying, *You animal!* *Scumbag!* and *You had “children” with her and still dare claim you don’t know her?!*

“Have you forgotten what happened on that hillside covered in cattails? I remember it was a bright, sunny afternoon. I remember every detail of that day… How could you have forgotten?” On the verge of tears, the girl parted her red lips and poured out her heart.

The accusatory stares promptly evolved into *In broad daylight?!* *Holy shit, they did it outside!* and *Please keep talking—Lord Vigia really wants to hear the rest!*

“…I don’t know you at all!” At last, Juvina abandoned every shred of princely composure and roared. “Who the hell are you?! I have never done that with any woman! If you continue making these claims, I have the authority to arrest you in the name of the prince!”

The crowd’s gaze finally turned into a long, meaningful “Ooooh…” and dropped in unison to a certain part of His Highness’s anatomy…

“He says he doesn’t know you, my lady. Could you tell us your name?” Doing his utmost not to reveal too much of his *Bwahaha, I finally won one* delight, Galahad addressed the fallen maiden with deep concern. “We’ll make sure you receive justice!”

“My name is Evelyn.” The girl raised her tearful face and clasped Galahad’s hand with passionate intensity. “Your Highness, would you come see our children with me?”

The name itself sounded perfectly normal, but it seemed… oddly familiar.

That vague familiarity distracted Ruiyin for a moment. Then she jumped as if someone had stuck her with a needle, hurriedly pulled a tattered parchment booklet from her travel bag, and flipped noisily to the page with writing on it. She stared twice, unable to believe her own eyes.

“Evelyn. Died in Light Calendar Year 389, on the third anniversary of the Orc invasion of Kandel Castle.”

So it was *you*!

Lars’s fiancée! The Evelyn who had betrayed Lars and gotten together with Juvina! The Evelyn who was going to die two years from now!

Ruiyin shot Lars a complicated glance. Hmm. The puppy was still earnestly crying over having been forcibly hugged and clearly did not recognize the girl in front of him. In that case, Evelyn must have had Juvina’s children before meeting Lars, then gotten involved with Lars, and finally betrayed him. Wait—wouldn’t that make Lars the other man? No, hold on, that still didn’t add up…

Just how catastrophically blind would Lars and Juvina have to be to fall for a brain-dead lunatic like this?! Even Vigia was miles better than her!

“…That look seems familiar.” Galahad gave Ruiyin a peculiar look as her expression shifted through a dozen emotions. “I think you looked at me the same way in the Dark Elves’ forest. Ruiyin, what’s wrong?”

Her expression growing even more complicated, Ruiyin looked away. “…Nothing.”

“…” Which meant there was definitely something, didn’t it?!

“Ruiyin QAQ…” Lars shuffled over, sniffling. “I didn’t touch her at all! You have to believe me, Ruiyin QAQ!”

Ruiyin raised her head and stared at him, heavy with worry. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Lars, do you like girls who are a little… intellectually deficient?”

“…Huh?”

“Or do you like girls who’ve already had children with someone else? Do you want your future partner to be a little stupider than you? Do you—”

“…Ruiyin, what are you even—”

“You don’t have to answer!” Ruiyin swiftly cut him off, turned away in utter despair, and said, “All right. Now let’s all… ahem, let’s all go see Juvina’s children…”

Juvina: …Hey! I already said they aren’t mine! Did any of you hear me?!

Evelyn led the way. The squad of lunatics gradually left the bustling marketplace behind, and the scenery grew increasingly desolate. Fields dotted with cattails and scattered wildflowers replaced the prosperous cityscape.

“Where exactly are you taking us?” Juvina asked warily. “I’m warning you: if you’re plotting something, I won’t show the slightest mercy merely because you’re a defenseless woman.”

Evelyn walked lightly ahead of them. She wore a blue cotton dress patterned with tiny flowers and a checked headscarf with rustic charm. A hazy smile graced her innocent, exquisite face. Beneath the blue sky and amid the green grass, she looked as holy as the Goddess of Spring.

“We’re already here, Your Highness.” Evelyn gave Ruiyin an enchanting smile. “Look around. Aren’t our children adorable?”

Around them…

Under the sunlight, the meadow seemed to glow with soft golden light. Countless cattails swayed their fluffy leaves in the breeze. This was the inner region of the Thread of Life, blessed with the brightest sunshine and purest air. But—

There really was nothing here except grass.

Juvina frowned and looked around, murmuring to himself, “I feel as though… this place is somewhat familiar…”

“You do remember!” Evelyn leaped up in delight. Bending over, she brushed her delicate fingers across the cattail leaves. “This one is Johnny, this one is Maria, and there’s Joseph… Look, this is Lillian. Doesn’t she look just like you?”

After a bleak silence swept through the party, Vigia hesitantly stepped forward and summoned enough courage to ask, “Is she talking about… those cattails?”

“Correct.” Ruiyin drew a deep breath from her core. “And she says every blade of grass looks exactly like Juvina. She’s so fucking right.”

Two human beings producing an entire meadow together was too fantastical even for a world of magic, okay?!

After a long period of contemplation, the noble prince finally figured out how he had accomplished the impossible feat of cross-species reproduction.

In brief, Juvina had once taken part in a public grass-planting event during his youth. His Highness attended as a representative of the royal family, sowed cattail seeds with the common people, and delivered a lengthy speech.

“But I’ve never seen you before.” Juvina racked his brains, unable to remember when he had ever provoked this particular horny incarnation of spring.

“I handed out the seeds that day,” Evelyn said, shyly twisting her skirt. “So every seed Your Highness planted was one we planted together.”

“You handed out the seeds?” Juvina narrowed his eyes, searching his memory. “I remember the ceremony’s organizers specifically invited that family. Could you be…”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am Evelyn Shandora.”

Ruiyin noticed Juvina’s eyes sharpen almost instantly.

“So you are Miss Shandora. Please forgive my discourtesy in failing to recognize you earlier.” Juvina bent at the waist and performed a graceful hand-kiss. “How fortunate that we could meet again.”

Overwhelmed by the attention, Evelyn covered her blushing face. “N-no! I’m the one who…”

“No, you must allow me to make amends.” Juvina smiled charmingly. “If it isn’t too much trouble, might you tell me where you live? I will visit you personally later and offer my sincerest apology.”

To Ruiyin, Juvina looked exactly like a sleazy punk trying to get a girl’s phone number… No, he was far more advanced than that. Armed with the invincible advantage of his face, he had skipped straight to obtaining her home address.

“What is he up to…?” Ruiyin muttered.

Lars studied the prince, who was shamelessly deceiving a mentally deficient girl, with a thoughtful expression. “I think… it’s probably because she belongs to ‘that family.'”

“‘That family’?”

“Her name is Evelyn Shandora. Shandora is said to be one of the oldest surnames in existence, though it has almost completely died out by now.” Lars grew solemn. “Ruiyin, did you know? Legend says members of the Shandora Family can foresee the future.”

He smiled a little sheepishly. “I’ve only heard the rumors myself. This is my first time seeing a member of the Shandora Family, and she really is… ahem, extraordinary.”

Ruiyin watched Lars crane his neck on tiptoe with visible excitement, and something in her mind suddenly became crystal clear.

A mysterious girl with prophetic powers × the handsome knight who saves the damsel × a devious, seductive prince—

So the love triangle had begun all the way back here!

Lars must have recognized Evelyn’s extraordinary nature at first sight, only for that peacock Juvina to abuse his power and steal the beauty away in the end. Yes. That was definitely the truth. (It absolutely was not.)

Ruiyin silently clenched a fist and swallowed her tears.

Don’t worry, Lars. If she’s the woman you want, then even if that bastard Juvina brings out every last shameless trick in his arsenal and sells his looks for all they’re worth, Auntie will help you snatch her back! (Hey!)

Author’s Note: