The Enderland delegation remained unexpectedly calm—or at least, they appeared to be.
They made no public announcement about the old witch's assassination.
Instead, they proceeded with their scheduled meetings with the king, carrying out all the usual diplomatic duties. The only explanation they offered was that the wise court witch was feeling unwell and resting in her chambers.
"The envoys from that bandit nation must be losing their minds. They know that the old witch failed in her attack and got herself killed instead, but they can only accept their bad luck! What else can they do? They lack both strength and justification."
Hearing about the Enderland delegation's reaction, Aurora couldn't help but laugh.
Without a doubt, fighting back against the old witch last night had brought her immense joy—just like any other ten-year-old girl would be thrilled after getting a favorite new toy.
For some reason, Aurora had a nagging feeling that the old witch bore some resemblance to the Black Witch Maleficent, the one who had cursed her yet whom she had never actually met.
Was it because they both wielded sinister and ruthless magic?
Meanwhile, Rhine had already contacted the Sea King of the Mermaid Kingdom, instructing him and his soldiers to prepare for an important mission.
At this moment, Rhine was studying a broken wand, now in two pieces on his desk—the very wand that had turned into the emerald viper last night.
With the serpent's death, the wand had been destroyed, its magic temporarily lost.
Yet, with a simple divination spell, Rhine quickly discerned the wand's original power.
"It could transform into a deadly viper, bypassing most magical defenses. Against powerful spellcasters, it would be an incredibly useful tool. I wonder if it can be repaired?"
Rhine pondered.
In fairy tales, myths, epic sagas, and classical tales of gods and demons from both the East and the West, powerful magical artifacts often exceeded the abilities of their creators.
This made sense—if a magical item couldn't do something beyond its maker's capability, why create it in the first place?
Without a doubt, in this fantasy world, a truly skilled mage needed practical magical tools.
The Tinderbox and its summoned dogs had already proven useful several times! But right now, the only magical item he and Aurora had was the Tinderbox, and that wasn't enough.
After confirming that the Enderland delegation wouldn't be causing trouble for the time being, Aurora eagerly urged,
"Teacher, let's check on Ariel and Prince Eric! The king doesn't seem willing to let Prince Eric and Ariel marry. This is awful!"
Rhine placed his crystal ball on the desk, setting a button from Prince Eric's coat in front of it as a medium.
He had deliberately brushed against the prince's coat earlier to ensure he could summon the button whenever needed.
Just as the young magician was about to start chanting his spell, a polite knock sounded from outside the guest room.
With a snap of his fingers, the door handle turned on its own, and the door swung open.
Standing there were none other than Prince Eric and Ariel.
Both of them looked utterly dejected.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Rhine asked. "Did His Majesty refuse to approve your marriage with Ariel?"
"That's right. My father told me that for royalty, a marriage based on love is a luxury. The person I marry must be the princess of Enderland."
Prince Eric's face was as pale as death.
Ariel had only seen him look this lifeless once before—on that stormy night when she had rescued him.
"Why does it have to be like this? I don't object to an alliance between our two nations, but why does a sacred marriage have to be entangled in dirty politics? Why must I vow eternal devotion to someone I don't even know? I can't accept watching Ariel's heart shatter, leaving her to dissolve into sea foam!"
Eric spoke in a rush as if he needed to pour out all his emotions before they consumed him.
"Did you tell your father what I revealed about Ariel's origins? That was why he sought a diviner in the first place, wasn't it?" Rhine asked.
—Last night, he had already received his payment for the divination: a generous amount of gold and silver coins.
"Now that the Enderland delegation is here, my father is too busy negotiating with them to care about this issue. I hinted that Ariel is a foreign princess, but he thought I was joking."
Prince Eric sighed in frustration.
Ariel sighed along with him, silently berating herself for being reckless and impulsive.
"I suppose it's time for me to give up. I really can't be with the prince. Why did I have to fall in love with a young prince of all people?" she thought.
"After thinking it through, I've made my decision," Prince Eric declared.
Ariel braced herself for his cruel verdict.
"Let's elope, Ariel!"
"What?!" Ariel was stunned. "Are you joking? You're the crown prince of the Western Asia Kingdom!"
"I have a younger brother who's currently traveling abroad. He can take my place as the future king!" Eric said with firm resolve.
"I'm not a politician. If I take the throne, I'll never be a good king."
Aurora, who had been silently listening, felt a jolt in her heart.
She, too, was the future ruler of a kingdom.
"What is a politician?" Aurora asked.
She already knew the definition, but she wanted to hear Eric's answer.
"A politician is someone who can ruthlessly sacrifice a group of people for a greater goal. They sacrifice the few for the many, the unimportant for the important—and they do it without emotional turmoil."
Eric looked away, his voice growing softer.
"I respect them, and I know the world can't function without them. But I don't want to be one of them."
Aurora lowered her head in deep thought, saying nothing more.
Just then, Ariel grasped the prince's hand tightly, gazing into his dark eyes.
"No, my Eric, my prince. I can't just elope with you.
"I can't selfishly take away a young man who was meant to be king, leading you to some unknown temple to swear an eternal vow.
"What would your father think? If you suddenly disappeared one morning, he would be devastated!"
She froze as memories of her own family flooded her mind.
She thought of the undersea palace, her sisters' garden, the five of them holding hands and singing on the ocean's surface, the Sea King gripping his trident atop his throne, and her Grand Matron standing solemnly in the deep-sea palace, crowned in silver.
She might never return to them.
Even if she did marry Prince Eric, she would be bound to the human world forever.
Back when she first came ashore, Ariel had longed for human life.
But now, she finally understood the pain of losing something precious.
Both the land and the sea were beautiful in their ways.
Why couldn't she have both? Ariel wanted it all.
Eric chuckled. He could read Ariel's thoughts just by looking into her blue eyes.
"It's no different from what you did for me, Ariel.
"You abandoned everything in the sea to come to this land. You left your sisters, your father, and the beautiful palace beneath the deep blue ocean.
"So why is it any different if I do the same for you?"
Ariel shook her head.
"It's not the same, my prince!
"I'm a mermaid, born without an immortal soul. If I die, I'll turn into sea foam.
"But you're human.
"You don't need me to complete your soul, but I desperately need you."
She suddenly felt ashamed of her selfishness.
"I'm asking Eric to abandon everything for me, just so I can obtain an immortal soul. That's not right!"
She whispered, "Besides, where would we even run to? The king would find us before the day was over!"
At that moment, Aurora, who had been observing their exchange, grew suspicious.
"If he's planning to elope, why would Prince Eric come to Teacher?
"Just to inform a magician he barely knows?
"Or… does he have another plan and needs Teacher's help?"