The Bronze Mirror That Changed My Fate

My mother, Aileen Stuart, leaves me a bronze mirror upon her death. One day, I suddenly hear its thoughts. It says exasperatedly, "My naive child, Zara hid her brooch and blamed you for stealing it. And your stepmother? Her tricks are so banal. She rubbed pollen on your clothes, hoping you'd have an allergic reaction and become disfigured. They really are the perfect pair in household scheming. "Dead mother, philandering father, vicious stepmother, wicked idiot of a sister… What an unfortunate deck of cards you have been dealt with." With the mirror's guidance, I manage to carve out a place for myself in this household. One midnight, it wakes me from my sleep. "Jemima, your chance to change your fate has arrived! The assassin who just entered the study next door is the crown prince. Save him, and you will secure a bright future!" Summoning my courage, I push open the study door. Chapter 1 Inside the dimly lit chapel, I knelt on the floor. My elder half-sister, Zara Johnson, stood before me. She said haughtily, "This is what you get for going against me. Do you think you're a legitimate heiress like me? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but a bastard daughter born to an insignificant concubine. How dare you even think of competing with me?" I lowered my head and answered in a cordial tone, keeping my composure. "I never wanted to compete with you, and I never stole anything from you." Zara snorted. "So what? Go tell Father. Let's see whether he believes you or me." With that, she turned and walked away. Silence once again settled over the chapel. I felt the pain in my knees and let out a quiet sigh. "Foolish child, you're going to drive me to my grave. It is obvious she hid that brooch! And she had the nerve to accuse you of stealing it! Your father is no better. He just blindly believes everything she says." I jumped in fright and looked around. There was no one else in the chapel, but the voice had been so clear that it couldn't have been my imagination. I gathered my courage and called out, "Who's there?" "It's me. Why are you looking around? I'm in your pocket." I instinctively reached inside my pocket. The only thing in there was a small bronze mirror. It was the sole keepsake Mother had left me. "I'm finally out. Can you not keep me in your pocket all day from now on? It's so suffocating in there." I gently stroked the surface of the mirror and asked in disbelief, "Were you the one talking?" "Of course, it's me. Who else would it be, a ghost? Have you been listening to me at all? Are you really going to let her trample all over you as she pleases?" I sighed and lowered my hand. "What else can I do? Father has never believed me. After all these years, I've gotten used to it." I was the illegitimate daughter of the Johnson family. Mother had died not long after giving birth to me. My stepmother, Ophelia Palmer, and Zara had constantly belittled and punished me over the years. Father had never once believed anything I said. It was as though both Mother and I were completely dispensable in his eyes. The mirror's voice grew irritated. "That's a terrible habit! Your father is a worthless womanizer, but he's not stupid. He doesn't care much about you, but it's not as if he cares much about your sister either. If you can put the evidence right in front of him, he'll definitely believe you." I shook my head. "Where would I even get evidence? Besides, what difference would it make if he believed me? Even if I stand up for myself this time, there'll only be a next time. They'll never leave me alone." The mirror grew increasingly agitated. "Why are you so stubborn? I'm a bronze mirror. I can perceive the workings of Heaven and Earth and see through all things. I can help you. Your mother must be frantic watching you from Heaven. "She went through all that suffering to bring you into this world. Think of your mother! How can you just let yourself, her daughter, be branded a thief?" I felt a jolt in my heart, and my eyes immediately reddened. Mother. Was Mother worried about me? The memories of my childhood had long since grown hazy. Before Mother died, she had clutched my hand with tears streaming down her face. She had said, "Stay alive. Jemima, you have to live. No matter what, live." I pushed myself to my feet and knocked on the tightly shut door. "Guards, I want to see Father!" Chapter 2 I knelt in the center of the great hall. Father sat in the main seat with an annoyed expression. Zara held Ophelia's hand as they sat to one side. Father asked, "Why did you wake the entire household in the middle of the night? What do you want?" I straightened my back and raised my head. "Father, I didn't steal Zara's brooch. I was falsely accused." Zara pointed at me and spoke first. "How could you, Jemima? You admitted it just now. Now, you're claiming you were framed? Are you deliberately doing this to rob Father and Mother of their precious rest time?" Ophelia tugged gently at her hand and stared at me. "You claim you were falsely accused, but Zara's brooch has indeed disappeared. A maid saw you enter her room with her own eyes. How do you explain that?" I remained silent. The bronze mirror I was holding in my arms quietly spoke. "Zara hid the brooch herself. It's in the jewelry box on her dressing table. Send someone to search her room, and they'll find it." When Ophelia saw that I said nothing, she let out a cold snort. "I knew you were rotten to the core. You've been holding a grudge, so you deliberately dragged your father and me out of bed just to cause trouble." Father shook his head as well. "You stole, and you came up with a lie to cover it up. Aileen was gentle and proper. How did she end up giving birth to a daughter like you?" The Aileen he spoke of was my mother, Aileen Stuart. The phrase "gentle and proper" was nothing more than an excuse to force me into submission. How could he possibly remember what Mother had been like? Ophelia glared at me even more resentfully after hearing his words. I bowed my head to the floor and spoke without holding anything back. "Zara's brooch is in her room. All you have to do is search it, and you'll know that I wasn't lying." Zara's face went pale with shock. "How dare you, Jemima? You want to search my room?" Father's face darkened, and his voice turned harsh. "Zara is an unmarried young woman. How can you ask for the maids to search her room?" But when Zara had accused me of stealing the brooch, Father had immediately ordered our maids to search my room. My bedding and drawers had all been turned upside down. But when it came to Zara, he was suddenly against it. I crawled forward a couple of steps and grabbed Father's robe. "Father, you're an official of the court. When someone claims to have been falsely accused, you always insist on investigating the matter thoroughly. Now that such an injustice has happened under your own roof, you can't ignore it." Zara stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face. "Have you lost your mind? How dare you disrespect Father and accuse me? I'll beat you to death, you little wretch." Her blows came down on me like a torrential storm. I curled into a ball, desperately holding the bronze mirror in my arms. "Enough!" Father raised his hand and cut her off. Then, he said impatiently, "Fine. Have a few maids search the room. I want to see exactly what kind of injustice you're talking about." The maids scattered in all directions. I remained kneeling on the floor, and my knees throbbed painfully. Before long, a maid returned carrying the brooch. She reported, "My lord, we found the brooch inside Ms. Zara's jewelry box." Zara's face turned ashen. Father shot her a sharp glance, and she hurriedly fell to her knees. She screeched, "Father, I don't know anything! That little wretch must have framed me! She must have found someone to sneak it into my room!" Ophelia turned toward her, her voice calm. "I think there must have been some misunderstanding. Didn't a maid see Jemima enter Zara's room earlier? Bring that maid here. We can ask her." The bronze mirror in my arms gave a cold snort. "She has bought off that maid she's summoning now long ago. The maid has some gold coins on her. Of course, she'll say whatever she's told to say." The maid soon arrived and knelt beside me. "My lord, my lady, I wouldn't dare lie. I saw Ms. Jemima enter Ms. Zara's room." Father looked at me and asked coldly, "What else do you have to say, Jemima?" I shook my head. "I have nothing to say, Father. Except that this maid is carrying some gold coins on her. Either she stole it herself, or she was acting on someone else's orders. Father, perhaps you should ask her if she has anything to say about that." Chapter 3 The maid was so terrified that she nearly lost her wits. Father waved his hand, and the other maids stepped forward. Sure enough, they found some gold coins on her. She raised her head in panic and met Ophelia's eyes. After gritting her teeth, she hurriedly bowed her head to confess. "It was my greed that got the better of me. I stole something from the household. Then, I falsely accused Ms. Jemima. I was afraid I'd be exposed, so I put the stolen item back in Ms. Zara's room. It was all my fault." At this point, there was little chance the maid would change her story. I looked toward Ophelia. She glared at me with eyes full of smug satisfaction. Father ordered the maid to be expelled from the household, and the whole matter was dismissed just like that. The bronze mirror cried out indignantly, "Your father is so biased. Anyone with eyes can see what really happened." I returned to my room and placed the mirror on my bed. I said, "Father isn't going to have a fallout with Ophelia over something so minor. As long as my name is cleared, I'm already satisfied. Thank you." Even so, I couldn't help feeling uneasy. After what had happened, Ophelia certainly wouldn't let me off easily. Sure enough, it only took a few days, and she made a move. There was going to be a spring banquet in the palace. Both Zara and I were among those invited. So, Ophelia had maids deliver our dresses early that morning. I was just about to pick mine up when the bronze mirror warned, "Don't touch it! There's cherry blossom pollen on it. Ophelia wants you to have an allergic reaction and ruin your face." My heart jolted, and I quickly pulled my hand back. Father was allergic to cherry blossom pollen, as were Zara and I. That was why we never planted cherry blossoms anywhere in the household. Yet, Ophelia had come up with such a vicious way to harm me. I stared at the dress on the table and suddenly had an idea. If that was how she wanted to play it, then she shouldn't blame me for playing along. If someone wanted to hurt me, I wasn't going to sit there and take it. I had my maid hang the dress up. Then, I ordered her to decorate it with gold thread and pearls. After that was done, the dress looked far more exquisite and luxurious than it had before. I also had word spread that I had received an incredibly beautiful dress. That very afternoon, Zara came to my room. Her eyes landed on the dress hanging on the rack before turning to me. She sneered, "Jemima, you're an illegitimate daughter. Where did you get such fine clothes? Don't tell me you stole them from somewhere again?" I stood up and said in a timid voice, "Would I dare do that, Zara? Mother sent this dress over. I added some gold thread and pearls. That's why it looks more luxurious now." Zara gave a cold snort and grabbed my arm. "I knew you were trouble. Your mother seduced Father back then and gave birth to you. Now, you intend to dress yourself up, don't you? Who are you planning to seduce? I'm taking this dress. Let's see what you'll wear to the spring banquet, then." My heart clenched at the mention of Mother, but I kept my expression perfectly calm. I pretended to reach for her while pleading softly, "Zara, I had this dress embellished just for the spring banquet. Please don't take it." She shoved me away. I fell to the floor, sending everything around me tumbling down. Zara said disdainfully, "Do you think you're worthy of wearing something this fine? Dream on if you think you're going to parade around at the spring banquet and attract every man's attention, you slut. Once Mother finds you a husband and marries you off, maybe you'll finally learn your place." I remained seated on the floor, watching helplessly as she took the dress away. The bronze mirror chuckled. "You're getting better at this, my dear child. You've even learned how to fight back." I picked it up and gently stroked its surface. "I can't let them step all over me forever. You're right. If Mother were watching, she'd be heartbroken to see me like this. I have to live with all my strength. I have to live better than every one of them. I have to live long enough to make Mother proud." Chapter 4 That very night, rashes broke out all over Zara's body. The main house descended into chaos, and several physicians were summoned in the middle of the night. I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She had been too impatient. If she'd waited until the day of the spring banquet to wear the dress, it would have made for quite a spectacle. Ophelia came to my room and caused a scene. She glared at me furiously, staring at me as though I were her sworn enemy. She seethed, "I underestimated you. Aileen was a woman who knew her place. But that isn't the case for you." I showed no fear. She had been the one to send the dress, and Zara had been the one to take it. Without evidence, there was nothing she could do to me. I countered, "Knowing one's place is the most useless thing ever. Mother knew her place—that's why she died in this household. I refuse to know my place. That's how I'll make you and your daughter suffer the consequences of your own actions." Ophelia scoffed and said, "We have a long way ahead of us. As long as you remain in this household, your fate is in my hands. Whether you marry a prince or nobleman, or some common laborer, I'll be the one who makes that decision." I gave her a small curtsy and reminded her, "You should hurry and go check on Zara. Make sure the rash doesn't spread to her face and leave her scarred. Otherwise, I'm afraid even a common laborer won't want her." Ophelia nodded slowly with a scowl and left angrily. As she stormed out, she said, "Jemima, you're quite something. Just wait. We'll see who has the last laugh." I heard that Father had also gone to Zara's room and ended up falling ill himself. Ophelia was so overwhelmed that she had no time to plot revenge against me. Zara was sick and couldn't attend the spring banquet. As a daughter born to a concubine, I wasn't allowed to attend alone. So, I was confined to the house as well. Ophelia had been right. As long as I remained in this household, my fate was in her hands. I had to find a way to put an end to this once and for all. Half a month later, the king fell gravely ill. The struggle for the throne between the crown prince, Quintus Spencer, and the second prince, Leon Spencer, grew increasingly fierce. The entire Javerton was filled with unease. Father remained neutral. He took several days of leave from court to keep out of the turmoil. A little after midnight one night, I heard a commotion outside in my sleep. The bronze mirror hurriedly woke me. "Wake up, child! Your chance to turn things around has arrived!" I sat up and held it in front of me. "What?" The mirror informed me, "A man just entered the study next to your room. It's the crown prince himself. If you help him tonight, good days await you in the future." I got out of bed, pushed open the window, and looked toward the study. It was pitch-black inside. I couldn't see a thing. I hesitated and asked, "Isn't this too risky? He's a man from outside our household." If this worked, I might have a chance to leave this house. But if it failed, my reputation would be ruined completely. The bronze mirror grew increasingly anxious. "So what if he's a man from outside? Reputation is nothing but an invisible shackle. If Ophelia decides to marry you off to some decrepit old man someday, what good will a spotless reputation do you then? "We don't have time to worry about all that! Get your priorities straight. An opportunity like this doesn't come every day." I tightened my grip on the bronze mirror. Then, I put on an outer robe and slipped out. The entire household was shrouded in darkness. I stood outside the study, gathered my courage, and pushed the door open a crack. In an instant, a sword was pressed against my throat. "Don't move!" I clenched my hands tightly and whispered, "If you hurt me tonight, you won't be able to escape this place." The moment I finished speaking, feverish knocking sounded from the main gates. "Lord Johnson, an assassin has broken into your residence! Open the gates and let us search your residence!" The man before me said nothing. His deep, dark eyes remained fixed on me. I looked at him, a glimmer of certainty flashing through my eyes. Then I called out loudly, "Father! I think someone has broken in here!"