The Destiny of the Rainbow

It was a little over one month since Cadere left for the Silent Forest.

In the meantime, in the room with no window, in a deserted place where no one cared to visit her, and it was only her alone, Iris repeatedly paced back and forth then huddled in front of the mirror for no reason. Even if she had to be forced to be washed or to be fed up by the maid, her eyes never stray from the mirror.

At first, she was planning to see Eckebrecht and Parviz through the mirror. She was delighted upon seeing the family and people she had missed. However, loneliness, forlorn, emptiness, and lifelessness surged in, making her stop watching. So unsurprisingly she looked for Cadere. She never failed to be there when she called her name. She missed her.

She felt better whenever she found Cadere. Not a single day missed to call out her name. Iris had nothing to say but blame herself instead of Cadere. She should’ve blamed Cadere. If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have been brought here, she wouldn’t have been treated like nobody in this vast palace. Still, after all of that, Iris acted as if she had forgotten everything about it.

There was nothing left of Iris. No one looking for her, no one calling her, no one loving her. Only Cadere, the one who showered her with affection and attention. She no longer had a habit of pitying herself because of Cadere.

At one point, Cadere had grown into something more: her lifeline, salvation, and light.

A bashful whisper from Cadere’s bitten red lips, her touch and eyes were packed by love, flowers and fruits she brought by herself, her departure to the Silent Forest for the sake of Iris’ happiness, as well as the first kiss she initiated.

Everything revolved around Cadere.

Thus realization hit upon Iris 15 days after Cadere’s disappearance. She was convinced and started to believe that everything she had done was because of Cadere. Without her knowing, she started to lose her rational side the more she missed Cadere.

However, the problem wasn’t about the longing. She couldn’t forgive herself for also feeling lust whenever Cadere appeared in the mirror. Although their age didn’t differ that much, she was aware she was still her mother. Not to mention, she called her ‘Mother’. To top it off, they were of the same gender. She was aroused by not only someone from the same gender, but also her daughter. ‘Is there any person like this in the world?’

For that reason she tried to divert her attention from the mirror from time to time. By the time she woke up in the morning, washed up and had a cup of tea, Cadere’s face entered her mind–no, she had been thinking about Cadere all day long. What was worse, she even enjoyed being toyed by Cadere in her dream. Everyday was a tortured to woke up from the dream with overly excitement to the point her whole body twitched.

And so, she put cloth over the mirror. However, more often the cloth was removed by her very own two hands. She acted like a child who had just discovered the world of adults. Although she was dumbfounded by the fact, she had no control over it.

But now, she was restless as the sun was going to set through the window.

“Because it’s in the middle of winter, the sun sets faster…”

In the past, she would shut her mouth from talking right away, but now she let it be. After all, it was only her here, no one would come, no need to stay alert. There were only occasional chirps from unknown birds and wind, that was why she filled it with soliloquy.

She glanced at the window and saw an orange sky. As she chewed her fingernails, she couldn’t resist taking off the cloth that covered the mirror.

“It’s okay, the sun had set at this time.”

Talk about justifying herself.

“Mirror, mirror. Can you show me Princess Cadere?”

Iris clasped her hands together while staring at the mirror. The blurred mirror soon reflected the image of Cadere. Still wearing a thin nightgown, Cadere was looking up at the sky with her feet dipped in the lake. She was worried that Cadere might catch a cold since the weather was still chill. In a sudden move, Cadere’s head turned to the side, meeting with Iris’ eyes. Startled, Iris fell half a step from the mirror.

‘I’m sure she couldn’t see me, but why does it feel like her eyes pierce me?’

Iris always wondered about it but dismissed it. When she was about to move her foot to get closer to the mirror, a man popped out of nowhere behind Cadere. A large bow was secured behind the back of the man wearing a top made of animal skin and a bottom with a rough texture that commoners would wear. A long round barrel filled with arrows fastened at his waist.

“…Who are you?”

She felt uneasy. Iris forgot for a moment it was the Silence Forest, the place where no one could come back once entered. Her one hand covered her mouth, afraid a scream might break loose.

“Are you perhaps Princess Cadere V Parviz?”

“I’ve no obligation to reveal my name to the lowly. Didn’t you come here knowing about it anyway? Cut the chase, who told you to kill me? The King? Or Duke of Euclid?”

“You must’ve recognized me as the hunter under the King’s command.”

The tip of Cadere’s red lips curled up with her eyes sharpened. Her face was really cold and fierce. This was the first she ever saw Cadere with that expression. A kind of expression she never revealed to Iris. And never did she talk with disdain in her tone to Iris.

The Cadere she remembered was always smiling gently, sometimes with gloomy eyes, but quickly acted cute with glittering eyes.

“I see. However, it’s up to God whether I die or live.”

“For me, my God is the King, so nothing changes.”

“Did you know? They say the rainbow is God’s messenger and brings luck. So my life and death depends on the answer of the rainbow.”

“I’m just a lowlife who doesn’t understand what you’re saying, Princess.”

“That means, you can shoot with that arrow of yours.”

Then, the sound of breaking glass rang in Iris’ ears. She wondered if it was her heart or soul that was shattered.

She didn’t know anymore.