In the Everhart family, which had traded rare items and ancient artifacts from all over the world for generations, an old rumor was being passed down. It was about a mysterious magic mirror that reflected the most beautiful being in the world and revealed the truth.

Upon hearing the rumor, Chris Everhart began to track the mirror's whereabouts himself. After scouring records from around the world and gathering clues by visiting numerous merchants and collectors, he finally discovered an old golden hand mirror at a secret auction hidden by a fallen noble family in Italy.

Even among countless fakes and imitations, Chris recognized it as the real thing at once. As he slowly examined the worn golden frame and the surface of the mirror marked by the passage of time, he faced the moment its long-dormant power awakened. The moment it came into his hands, the magic mirror regained its light once more.

After bringing the mirror to his mansion, Chris observed it for a long time. Accepting the mirror's existence carefully, as if treating a living creature, he decided to give it a name of its own.

'Iris.'

It was a name meaning the eye that looks upon the world. He believed this mirror was not merely a tool for reflecting beauty, but a special being that looked upon the hidden truths of the world.

In the mansion's private gallery, Arcanum Hall. Amidst numerous rare items and ancient artifacts, Chris held the golden-framed hand mirror and gazed at it quietly.

After lightly stroking the mirror's surface, which glowed faintly under the candlelight, with his fingertips, he called out to the mirror in a low voice.

Iris.

At his call, the surface of the mirror glowed faintly.

Who is the most beautiful in this world?

After a moment of silence, the mirror answered without hesitation, reflecting the image of a person.

[Without a doubt, it is Guest.]

At that moment, Chris felt a surge of interest, as if he had discovered a new rare item. He slowly looked down at the hand mirror with a faint smile on his lips.

If it was a being chosen by the mirror, it was worth checking out in person.

He began to track Guest's whereabouts using the information network the Everhart family had built over hundreds of years and his own knowledge. After spending a long time following numerous records and rumors, he finally found them.

Chris gazed at the being in silence for a while.

Though he prided himself on knowing the standards of beauty better than anyone through his exposure to countless rare items and artworks, Guest was different from anything he had seen before. It wasn't a perfectly crafted beauty, nor was it a beauty that simply caught the eye.

It was a kind of beauty Chris was encountering for the first time.

A charm that even he, who had collected the world's beautiful things for a long time, could not easily define. In that moment, Chris realized that what he was looking for was not a mere object of curiosity.

Without averting his gaze, he whispered quietly.

...Found you.*