The Sage of Rose Kingdom answered truthfully: "Ariel comes from a kingdom His Majesty has never understood.
"In that deep blue kingdom, every citizen has a voice like the music of the heavens and dances as light as butterflies. Of course, even in that kingdom, Ariel is one of the most outstanding in song and dance."
"So that's it..." The King was slightly disappointed, "It seems Ariel's singing ability is just a talent, not due to drinking some blessed magical spring water or elixir."
This meant he couldn't replicate this talent.
"A kingdom even I haven't understood, perhaps haven't even heard of? It must be in a very, very distant place!"
The King didn't doubt that there were distant kingdoms in the world he hadn't heard of.
This continent held too many secrets, with countless unexplored secret realms!
He became somewhat interested in the kingdom Rhine spoke of:
"Esteemed Magician, could you tell me something about that kingdom? If your divination magic can show some fragmented images of that kingdom, perhaps I might have heard of it too?"
Rhine smiled and replied, introducing it poetically:
"When I divined Ariel's origins, I saw the beautiful scenery of that kingdom:
"The ground there is covered with fine white sand, and strange trees and plants grow. There are many colorful small animals, never seen by people here, that joyfully flit among the branches and leaves.
"The most magnificent building in that kingdom is their palace.
"The walls of the palace are built of coral, and the high, pointed windows are made of the brightest amber. The palace is also inlaid with many large, bright pearls, any one of which could be the most splendid decoration on Her Majesty the Queen's hat.
"These beautiful things are quite valuable in the Summer Kingdom, but they are common there; even ordinary children use them as toys."
The King listened in astonishment, as if experiencing a dream:
"That truly is a special kingdom.
"If only we could trade with them. Let them sell us those common things, and we can sell them to other countries. That way, we would surely earn many, many gold and silver coins, making the entire Summer Kingdom prosperous!"
But immediately, the King gave up this idea, sighing helplessly:
"Unfortunately, that kingdom must be very, very far away and hardly communicates with other countries in the world—otherwise, why would their prices be so bizarre? They simply have no possibility of trading with our summer Kingdom."
Temporarily forgetting that distant, dreamlike kingdom, the King finally asked the question that worried him:
"Esteemed Magician, Sage from a foreign land, perhaps you are unaware:
"My child, Prince Eric, has recently been passionately infatuated with Ariel, that girl from the dream kingdom. However, he is supposed to marry the princess of a neighboring country.
"Prince Eric is going to see that neighboring princess in the next two days. Tell me, will he change his mind?
"You are an excellent prophet or seer; what you can see must be far more than what I, an ordinary person, can."
He deliberately used the term "neighboring country" instead of emphasizing "Ender" because the King knew that the magician's home country had once suffered Ender's invasion.
Rhine rubbed the crystal ball theatrically, and silver light bloomed in his eyes.
After a long time, the Little Magician finally made his prediction:
"I see, I see. I see the future!
"In the near future, Prince Eric will surely marry the youngest princess of the neighboring country!
"They will fall in love at first sight; they will fall hopelessly in love with each other, pouring their entire souls and emotions into each other. Their marriage will be a testament to the friendship between the two countries! All the citizens of both kingdoms will bless them."
Having received the Magician's prophecy, the King breathed a sigh of relief.
His heart, which had been hanging, finally settled.
"Whether it's that witch from Ender or this Sage of Rose Kingdom, these two highly skilled court magicians have both foreseen that Prince Eric will fall in love with and marry the neighboring country's princess.
"It seems that after Prince Eric truly sails to meet that Little Princess of Ender this time, his feelings will definitely change. Then I won't have to worry."
The King thought gleefully.
He further rewarded the Magician with a great deal of gold and silver and sent him away.
As he walked out of the court hall, a slight curve appeared on Rhine's lips.
"It seems I'm truly becoming more and more gifted at being a charlatan. I'm increasingly grasping the essence of being a prophet."
Prophecy, in its literal sense, is one thing.
How the listener understands it is another matter entirely!
"By the way, the Sea King and his subordinates are ready; they're just waiting for the right moment to arrive..." Rhine muttered to himself.
Thinking of this, Rhine couldn't help but sigh that being a prophet or seer was truly a good identity on this continent.
These charlatans sounded objective and neutral enough; whether what they said was right or wrong, kings and nobles would at most doubt their skill, rarely realizing that they themselves had their own agendas!
Whether it was receiving Prince Eric's reception last time or the King's summons this time, Rhine had subtly grasped the essence of a prophet:
Appear neutral on the surface, providing information to the employer.
In reality, everything behind the scenes is conspired!
How could such a prophecy not come true?
...
The Prince told Ariel the good news.
He kissed her crimson lips and held her in his arms.
"My father wants me to meet the princess of Ender, saying that if I'm truly not interested in her, he will consider allowing our marriage.
"I've never been so eager to meet that Little Princess of Ender—I don't even need to do anything, just reject her!
"I can bring my retinue with me. My Ariel, you come with me too!"
Ariel was still a little worried:
"Why would your father make such a suggestion? Is he so sure that your feelings will change greatly after seeing that princess?"
The Prince heard this and indeed felt there was something slightly off.
"Could it be that once our ship arrives in Ender, we will be forcibly kept there, unable to leave, until I agree to marry the Little Princess of Ender?
"This sounds a bit exaggerated, but it's not entirely impossible."
They discussed various possibilities and finally made an agreement:
"If the situation truly becomes irreversible, we will both drink the medicinal wine, jump into the sea, and transform into merfolk together!"
Eric and Ariel, along with a large retinue, boarded a magnificent ship and set off for Ender.
As the ship sailed across the sea, Ariel and Prince Eric talked a great deal about the ocean.
They talked about calm seas and storms, about strange fish living in the sea, and what divers could see underwater.
The surrounding attendants all thought that the young Prince and the girl he had rescued were merely discussing their experiences at sea.
Only this loving couple knew that what they were talking about was the place they were going to.