Introduction:

  Ingrid stared at the beautiful girl reflected in the mirror. She tried to recall how they would often describe her. ‘A woman with a face that even the gods would envy.’

  Her lips curled upwards, and the girl in the mirror followed suit.

  The girl in front of her is always complimented for her smile. Wherever she went, people flutter around her like butterflies, desperate to see her lips bloom into an enchanting smile. Unfortunately, her smile is as rare as a Corpse flower and disappears as fast as a Corpse flower dies. In fact, her smile has quite the similar effect like that of a Corpse flower—it attracts a lot of pests and bugs.

  “My Lady, which shoe will you be wearing today?” asked the maid who has been patiently waiting for Ingrid by the side. Her master has a habit of staring at her own reflection during the early mornings before doing anything else.

  She doesn’t think wrong of her master's habit. Had she had a similar countenance, she’ll surely do the same.

  “Lily, do you know Narcissus?”

  Lily did not answer knowing it was probably a rhetorical question.

  She and her mistress are of the same age. She was born in their household and has been beside her mistress ever since she can remember. So you could say, she knew her mistress more than anyone else.

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  “Narcissus is a figure from a myth whom they say is very handsome. He was so handsome that one day, he saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with himself,” Ingrid narrated. She tore her eyes from the mirror and walked towards her closet where a variety of shoes were displayed.

  “I always thought that such a myth was ridiculous.”

  Ingrid grabbed a pair of black shoes and handed them to her maid. She returned to her chair and raised her slender feet.

  Lily went on her knees and gently placed the shoe on her snow white foot. Her every movement was careful and gentle, like she was handling a fragile glass.

  As the sole daughter of the Grand Duke of Lennox, Ingrid was extremely doted upon. That, coupled with her beauty that could topple the mountains, everyone treated her both with reverence and fear.

  Rumors have it, that the Emperor of Learia, her father's brother also favors her a lot. The amount of gifts she gets from the castle whether there is a special occasion or not is a very big proof of it. Thus, no one ever tries to get in her way.

  With her loving and rich family, and having such beauty that can melt even the hardest of hearts, one could say that her life was that of a perfect fairytale.

  “Lily, do you think such a myth to be true?”

  Lily raised her head to look at her mistress, just to see the latter staring at a distance. There was a tinge of loneliness in her beautiful emerald eyes.

  The sun’s rays made Ingrid’s porcelain skin glow luminous. At that moment, she looked like a goddess that descended from the heavens.

  A lonely goddess.

  To everyone, Ingrid's life was a picture of perfection. However, Lily knew better. Her mistress' life is most lonely. She is like a beautiful flower that everyone loves to watch and see but none dare to come close.

  Just like a Corpse Flower in full bloom. The difference is; people avoid the corpse flower because of its rotten smell, but they avoid Ingrid because her beauty is hard for them to stand.