Isla's mind spiraled into absolute, suffocating panic as she frantically tried to think of a way to hide this monstrous truth from the world.
A sudden, desperate realization struck her: her terrifying true form would only be visible if she actually stood directly in front of a mirror, so if she simply avoided every single reflective surface, no one would ever know... but how long could she realistically manage to hide?
As she stumbled backward away from the glass, her trembling hand accidentally brushed against the massive pile of mysterious presents, sending one of the ornate boxes tumbling to the cold stone floor.
Isla's attention immediately snapped to the fallen gift, her brow furrowing in deep, calculating suspicion.
"Who on earth actually sent all of these?"she thought, carefully inspecting the box and realizing there was absolutely no name tag or identifying mark of any kind.
''Mom and Dad definitely didn't leave them here, and they were already neatly stacked in my room long before my parents even came to wake me up.
Could it possibly be from that arrogant, cow-dung-sniffing idiot, Lucier? Because if it is, I swear to the gods I will personally set this entire pile of garbage on fire!''
She hesitated for a moment, her intense curiosity battling her fierce, lingering annoyance.
''But... maybe I should just take one quick peek inside to see what it is; there is a slight chance it might actually be something remotely useful to me,'' she rationalized to herself, slowly reaching for the ribbon.
''And besides, as Mom always says, it is incredibly rude to just throw someone's gift away without even opening it.''
She hastily ripped away the exquisite wrapping paper and flipped the heavy lid open, only to let out a loud, utterly exasperated groan when she saw a thick, ancient-looking book resting inside.
''What the hell is this?!'
' Isla muttered angrily, her eyes flashing with pure, unfiltered irritation.
''Who on earth gives a boring old book as a birthday present?
These insufferable nobles are supposedly dripping with immense, unimaginable wealth, yet they have the absolute audacity to gift me a book? I swear, whoever gave this to me, I am going to march right up to them and smash their face in!''
Still grumbling bitterly under her breath, she roughly flipped open the thick, weathered cover to see what was written inside—but the very instant her eyes scanned the first few pages, a massive wave of sheer, profound astonishment completely washed over her.
Every single desperate, terrified question raging in her mind was answered right there on the aged parchment, making it incredibly, undeniably obvious that someone had intentionally left this exact book specifically for her.
The ancient text held the precise, flawless solution to her most immediate, horrifying problem: it explained exactly what to do if a magic user's reflection appeared as a terrifying half-human, half-serpent hybrid in the mirror.
The fundamental, crucial answer was surprisingly simple, yet incredibly difficult—she absolutely needed to master and completely suppress her chaotic, racing emotions.
Reading further, she realized this was no ordinary book; it was essentially a secret, magical survival guide written exclusively for those who had just undergone the brutal, agonizing serpent awakening and were desperately struggling to control their terrifying, newly inherited powers.
Isla fell into a deep, calculating silence, her mind racing as she slowly began tearing the wrapping paper off the remaining pile of presents, though she found absolutely nothing else of particular interest or magical significance inside them.
Suddenly, a gentle knock echoed through the room, and a royal servant bowed low at the threshold.
'Princess, all the esteemed guests have gathered in the grand hall, and the King and Queen are eagerly calling for your presence.'
'Y-yes, I am coming right away,' Isla stammered nervously, a sudden spike of anxiety making her heart skip a terrifying beat.
Before finally leaving the quiet sanctuary of her bedchamber, she hurriedly shoved the ancient, life-saving book into a secure, hidden drawer, praying it would remain undiscovered.
As she stepped out into the blindingly bright, magnificent main hall, she was instantly overwhelmed by the sheer, suffocating number of elite nobles and glittering royals gathered there.
She knew with absolute, terrifying certainty that she desperately needed to keep her chaotic emotions strictly under control to hide her monstrous reality, yet she had absolutely no idea how to actually achieve that perfect calm.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she masterfully plastered a flawless, innocent smile across her face and began gracefully greeting the sweeping crowd.
The King beamed with immense, overwhelming pride, gesturing warmly for her to stand by his side as he raised his hands to address the entire kingdom.
'Today, this grand and glorious celebration is being held in honor of my precious little princess, Isla, to commemorate her seventh birthday!
I sincerely hope each and every one of you thoroughly enjoys this magnificent evening!'
As the grand orchestra resumed playing, the noble guests began eagerly lining up one by one to offer their gifts and blessings, and stepping right to the very front of the line was none other than Lucier.
'Happy birthday, Isla,' he murmured, his pale face adorned with a charming, meticulously practiced smile that never quite reached his eyes.
'Thank you, Lucier,' Isla replied smoothly, her sweet tone dripping with heavy, underlying sarcasm.
'By the way, where exactly is your grand, unforgettable present? Earlier today, you were boasting so incredibly loudly, confidently claiming you were going to give me something I would remember for the rest of my life... blah, blah, blah.
So, what happened to it now?
Did you conveniently forget?'
Lucier's perfectly crafted smile tightened just a fraction.
'We royals... we never forget the words we have spoken, Princess.'
'Oh? But you certainly know how to completely back out of them when it suits you, don't you?' she shot back immediately, her bright blue eyes narrowing into sharp, venomous slits.
'Princess, you simply possess absolutely no patience,' Lucier chuckled softly, leaning in slightly with an arrogant, condescending smirk.
'Just wait a little longer.
As the old saying goes, the fruit of patience is always incredibly sweet.'
'Things given by you are never sweet... they are only ever bitter,' Isla whispered fiercely, the dark, venomous words slipping past her lips before she could even try to stop them.
In that terrifying, completely unguarded fraction of a second, her mind was violently pulled backward into the dark abyss of her tragic past life, forcing her to vividly and helplessly recall the agonizing, heartbreaking memory of the Queen's brutal, unjust death.
A massive, uncontrollable surge of pure, blinding hatred and profound grief violently spiked within her chest, completely and utterly shattering her fragile emotional restraint.
Her breath hitched in a sudden panic as the familiar, scorching heat began to violently ripple beneath her skin.
And just as her heart hammered with unbridled, monstrous rage, her frantic gaze inadvertently snapped toward the massive, intricately gilded mirror resting proudly on the opposite wall—and her blood ran entirely cold.
Staring back at her through the polished glass, completely unhidden and horrifyingly clear, was the terrifying, undeniable reflection of her monstrous, half-human, half-serpent form.
"What the hell is that"!!