The Sage of the Rose Kingdom answered truthfully,
âAriel comes from a kingdom His Majesty has never known.â
âIn that deep blue kingdom, every citizen possesses a heavenly singing voice and dances as lightly as a butterfly. Of course, even among them, Ariel is one of the most outstanding in both song and dance.â
âI seeâ¦â The king sounded a little disappointed. âSo Arielâs singing ability is just a natural talent, not the result of drinking from some blessed magical spring or taking an elixir.â
That meant he couldnât replicate this talent.
âA kingdom Iâve never known, perhaps never even heard of? It must be in a far, faraway place!â
The king had no doubt that there were distant kingdoms in the world he had yet to discover. This continent held far too many secrets, countless unexplored lands.
His curiosity about the kingdom Rhine spoke of grew.
âHonorable Magician, can you tell me more about that kingdom? If your divination magic can glimpse fragments of that land, perhaps I may have heard of it before?â
Rhine smiled and described it poetically,
âWhen I divined Arielâs origins, I saw breathtaking sights of that kingdom.
âThe ground is covered in fine white sand, with strange trees and plants growing all around. Tiny, multicolored creatures, unlike anything seen here, dart joyfully through the branches.
âThe grandest structure in that kingdom is their palace.
âIts walls are built from coral, while its tall, pointed windows are crafted from the finest amber. The palace is adorned with countless large, luminous pearlsâany one of which could be the most extravagant decoration on Her Majestyâs royal crown.
âThese beautiful things, which are worth a fortune in the Western Asia Kingdom, are nothing more than ordinary trinkets there. Even common children play with them as toys.â
The king listened, utterly mesmerized, as if he were experiencing a dream.
âWhat a remarkable kingdom,â he murmured.
âIf only we could trade with them! If they consider such things ordinary, we could buy them cheaply and sell them to other nations for a fortune. We could make the entire Western Asia Kingdom wealthy beyond imagination!â
But almost immediately, the king abandoned the idea, sighing in frustration.
âUnfortunately, that kingdom must be unimaginably far away, with little to no contact with other nations. Otherwise, their prices wouldnât be so strange. Thereâs simply no way they could engage in trade with us.â
Setting aside thoughts of that distant, dreamlike kingdom, the king finally voiced his real concern.
âHonorable Magician, Foreign Sage, perhaps you are unaware:
âMy son, Prince Eric, has been utterly captivated by that girl from the dreamlike kingdom, Ariel. However, he is supposed to marry the princess of our neighboring country.â
âPrince Eric is scheduled to visit that neighboring princess soon. Tell me, will he change his mind?â
âAs an exceptional prophet and seer, you can surely see far more than an ordinary man like me.â
The king deliberately used the term âneighboring countryâ rather than âEnderland,â knowing that the magicianâs homeland had once suffered an invasion by Enderland. ðÎÅá»áÃá¹¢@@novelbin@@
Rhine theatrically rubbed his crystal ball, his silver eyes glowing faintly.
After a long pause, the young magician finally spoke his prophecy.
âI see it, I see it. I see the future!
âIn the near future, His Highness Prince Eric will surely marry the youngest princess of the neighboring kingdom!
âThey will fall in love at first sight, their passion for each other undeniable. Their marriage will be a testament to the friendship between their nations! All the people of both kingdoms will celebrate and bless their union.â
Hearing the prophecy, the king let out a long sigh of relief.
The heavy weight on his heart was finally lifted.
âBoth the Witch of Enderland and the Sage of the Rose Kingdomâtwo court magicians of extraordinary skillâhave foreseen that Prince Eric will love and marry the neighboring princess.â
âThis means that once Prince Eric sails to meet the young princess of Enderland, his feelings will undoubtedly change. Thereâs nothing for me to worry about.â
Feeling quite pleased, the king thought to himself.
He then rewarded the magician with a generous sum of gold and silver before dismissing him.
As Rhine stepped out of the grand hall, a smirk curled at the corners of his lips.
âIt seems I have quite the talent for being a charlatan. Iâm really getting the hang of this whole âprophetâ act.â
Prophecies, after all, were one thing in wordsâ
And entirely another in how people interpreted them.
âIn any case, the Sea King and his forces are already prepared. Now, we just wait for the right momentâ¦â Rhine mused inwardly.
Being a prophet or seer in this continent was quite an advantageous identity.
People assumed such figures were objective and neutral, never realizing that prophets had their own interests.
Whether it was the reception he had received from Prince Eric last time or todayâs royal summons, Rhine had fully grasped the essence of being a seer:
Maintain the illusion of neutrality while feeding information to clients.
In reality, everything was staged behind the scenes.
How could a prophecy not come true when everything was already orchestrated?
Prince Eric eagerly shared the good news with Ariel.
He kissed her lips and held her tightly in his arms.
âMy father has agreed to let me visit the princess of Enderland. He said that if I truly have no interest in her, he might consider allowing our marriage.
âI have never been so eager to meet this Enderland princessâbecause I know that all I have to do is reject her!
âI can bring companions with me. My dear Ariel, come with me!â
Ariel, however, was a little uneasy.
âWhy would your father make such a proposal? Is he so certain that your feelings will change after meeting the princess?â
Hearing this, the prince suddenly felt something was off.
âCould it be that once we arrive in Enderland, weâll be forcibly detained? That we wonât be allowed to leave until I agree to marry the princess?â
âThat sounds a bit far-fetched⦠but not entirely impossible.â
They discussed the possibilities and ultimately made a pact.
âIf things truly become irreversible, we will drink the potion and leap into the sea togetherâ
We will become merfolk!â
Together with a large entourage, Prince Eric and Ariel boarded a magnificent ship bound for Enderland.
As the vessel sailed across the waves, Ariel and the prince talked endlessly about the seaâ
They spoke of its tranquil surface and raging storms, the strange fish that dwelled beneath, and what divers might see in the oceanâs depths.
To the attendants around them, it simply seemed like a young prince chatting with the girl he had rescued about their experiences at sea.
Only the two lovers knewâ
They were really discussing the place they were about to enter.
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