The Old Witch of Ender was overjoyed when she heard that the Prince of Summer Kingdom was coming by ship.
She had known for a long time that the Princess of Ender was the one who had saved the Prince during the shipwreck—this was an encounter she had intentionally arranged.
And the current Ariel was nothing more than an emotional substitute.
When the Prince met the Princess, all destinies would be sealed!
That naive Princess, who had been studying the necessary royal etiquette in a distant temple, had also returned to Ender by ship, solely to greet the foreign Prince.
Although she was the youngest Princess of Ender, she was still two years older than Ariel.
She was also a beauty, with delicate and fair skin.
The Old Witch combed the Princess's hair as she sat, sprinkling fragrant spices on her:
"My Princess, you will meet the Prince of Summer Kingdom tomorrow.
I have sprinkled a captivating fragrance on you; you will surely charm any man and make them yearn for you.
"Take this packet of spices.
From now on, you can sprinkle them on yourself every day to remain forever charming and attractive."
What the Old Witch said was not false.
What she didn't tell the Princess was that men who smelled this soul-captivating magical fragrance for a long time would be enchanted by her dark spell, lose their minds, and become puppets obedient to the Old Witch.
From beginning to end, the Princess of Ender was unaware of all the political schemes, not knowing that her fate had long been arranged by others.
She did not know that she was another hidden blade for her father's conquest of the continent, and a tool for the court witch to join the Witch Society.
"I am ready to meet the foreign Prince," the Princess said.
She was actually not very interested in the Prince of Summer Kingdom, whom she had never met, but as a royal Princess, she knew she was merely a pawn on her father's chessboard, with no right to choose.
The Princess was certain of who she deeply loved—
In the past, under the guidance of the Old Witch, she had gone to a temple in a forest to learn all royal virtues and etiquette.
One early morning, at dawn, the Princess walked out of the temple as usual, bathed in the morning light, and happened to see a handsome young man lying on the shore, his face as pale as a corpse.
He must have suffered a terrible shipwreck and been swept ashore by the waves!
The Princess woke the young man, called for nearby people to save him, and then turned and left.
It was a beautiful encounter, yet it was etched into the heart of the Princess.
To this day, the Princess did not know who the handsome young man was; judging by his expensive silk clothes, still damp from the seawater, he must have been a wealthy young master.
With a nervous heart, the Princess looked up, gazing at the distant sea—
A magnificent wooden ship was slowly approaching from afar, carrying none other than the Prince of Summer Kingdom.
...
Under the glow of dawn, the ship of Summer Kingdom sailed into the port of Ender Imperial City.
The bells of the clock tower rang, the sound of harps drifted down from many tall buildings, Soldiers waved their gleaming bayonets in salute, and heralds raised their fluttering banners.
Before Prince Eric was about to disembark and proceed with the agreed plan to meet the Seventh Princess of Ender, he found Ariel once again.
"Ariel, you still have that medicinal wine, the one that can give you back your beautiful mermaid tail," the Prince said, "After I leave this time, I will return to this ship within three days."
The Prince added:
"If I don't return on time, I might have encountered some accident.
For example, someone might force me to stay there until I accept the Princess of Ender—this might be an agreement between my father and Ender.
"If I still haven't returned by the third sunset, drink that medicinal wine and jump into the sea.
Under the nourishment of the seawater, you will grow back your beautiful mermaid tail.
"And I will do the same: secretly drink the medicinal wine and jump into the sea.
"We will meet together in the sea!
"We will meet as agreed, in the seawater beneath this ship.
Then, you will take me to that deep-sea palace!
"Both my father and others will think we simply committed suicide by jumping into the sea, long dead.
My sensible younger brother will finally be able to replace me, his useless elder brother, as the Crown Prince of Summer Kingdom.
"But no one will know that we are singing and dancing together in that world beneath the sea!
"No one will imagine that in that deep blue underwater palace, we will make vows of love and share immortal souls!"
Ariel nodded gently, clutching the brown medicinal wine in her package, and agreed to the Prince's proposal.
"Oh, right, Eric, if you encounter trouble.
Perhaps this item can help you."
The mermaid princess handed a small, smooth silver mirror to Prince Eric.
This was precisely the gift that the sorcerer Rhine had given her when she left the deep blue ocean.
It could summon the sorcerer regardless of distance, seeking his help.
However, Ariel had never used it until now.
But perhaps Prince Eric would need to use it later!
"Just face the mirror and state the difficulty you've encountered, no matter how far away, the sorcerer Rhine will be able to hear..."
The Prince thanked Ariel, waved goodbye, and walked down the magnificent ship.
...
At the celebratory feast, Prince Eric finally met the Princess of Ender.
"It's you!"
When this familiar face came into view, the Princess of Ender was so surprised she couldn't believe her eyes.
When those around her told her that this was the Prince of Summer Kingdom, the Princess almost thought she was dreaming, experiencing hallucinations from excessive longing.