Prince Eric smiled as he lifted the mermaid princess's hand high and held it in front of him.
"So, let's elope to the sea!
"That way, you can return to your sisters and your father.
"Your family will see their princess has come home—bringing with her a handsome prince!"
"What?" Ariel was stunned.
"But… you're human! You can't live in the sea. For humans, only the dead who sink to the ocean floor can reach my father's kingdom."
The prince smiled. "Normally, mermaids can't grow legs and walk on land, either. But here you are, standing before me, aren't you?"
"..." Ariel was at a loss for words.
"That's exactly why I came to seek the magician's help!"
Prince Eric turned toward the silver-haired magician who had remained silent all this time and gave him a deep bow.
"Honorable Magician, since you have a potion that let Ariel lose her tail and grow legs, could you also create one with the opposite effect? A potion that merges a human's ugly legs into a beautiful fishtail? Let me become a merman too!"
Ariel was utterly shocked.
Then, she suddenly reacted. "Wait, no! How do you even know that Rhine is—"
"Yes, I am the magician who gave Ariel that potion in the deep sea," Rhine admitted openly.
Back when he first met the prince, he needed to maintain an air of neutrality, so he didn't reveal that he already knew the mermaid princess.
—Just as if he were merely an impartial diviner, obeying the king's orders to uncover Ariel's identity.
But now, there was no need to keep up that pretense.
"So, it was you after all." Prince Eric let out a sigh, a satisfied smirk of youthful triumph appearing on his face.
"When I watched the vision you projected, I noticed that the magician who gave Ariel the free potion had a blurred face but a figure that resembled yours.
"Last night, Ariel and I talked a lot, and your name came up multiple times. She's terrible at lying. Her beautiful lips might not betray her, but her eyes do.
"Thank you, honorable Magician. If not for your generosity in giving Ariel that potion, I never would have been able to hear her enchanting voice."
Rhine gave a slight nod.
"Your Highness, as you suspected, I am indeed capable of creating a potion to turn a human into a merman. After all, my potion-making skills surpass those of the Sea Hag.
"If I can craft a potion that lets a fish grow human legs, then by using certain herbs from the forest, I can invert the potion's properties—merging a human's legs into a beautiful tail and granting them the ability to breathe underwater.
"But this potion only changes the body, not the soul.
"Ariel did not automatically gain an immortal soul when she became human, and likewise, Your Highness, even if you turn into a merman, you will still retain your original immortal soul—and you can share it with Ariel!
"However, even if she uses the potion to turn back into a mermaid, the curse placed upon her won't be lifted. Removing that curse… would be far more difficult."
Prince Eric listened carefully to Rhine's explanation.
Then, the human prince gently took the mermaid princess's hand.
"That's wonderful! Ariel, did you hear that? Let's drink the potion together and become merfolk! We'll dive into the sea, swimming freely side by side!
"Last night, you told me so much about your time in the ocean—you spoke of your father's palace and your sisters' gardens, of the pearls and seashells that adorn the Sea King's grand hall. You described how the stars and the sun look dimmer yet larger when seen from the ocean, and how, when you look up and see a vast, dark shadow, it means a ship or a great whale is passing overhead.
"Such wonders… I can hardly even imagine them! I can't wait to see them for myself.
"When we return to the deep-sea palace as merfolk, your sisters and father will be overjoyed to see their little princess home!
"We will hold a grand wedding in the deep blue ocean, and all the merfolk will bless our union. You will be with your family once more."
Ariel covered her mouth, unable to speak, her eyes misting over with emotion.
"My dear Ariel, there can be no better ending than this—not even the greatest novelist could write a more perfect conclusion!
"Even if I had no betrothal to worry about, even if no one opposed our sacred union—even if tomorrow, a royal herald rode across the kingdom announcing our engagement to the world, and even if, under a priest's witness, we held hands and vowed to be together for eternity… Would that truly be the perfect ending for you?
"No, it wouldn't.
"My dear Ariel, in that scenario, you might gain love and an eternal, immortal soul… but you would forever lose your family and the homeland you once cherished. You would be bound to the human world and never return to the deep blue sea!
"I must thank my father—and that Enderland princess, whom I've never met and was arranged to marry. They have given me a reason—a reason to escape this land-bound palace.
"I can go with you to the palace beneath the sea. I can meet your family and greet them. We will dance and sing together in the halls of the ocean, and in the end… we will become foam upon the waves!"
Ariel's voice trembled.
She wanted to refuse him outright, but then images of her grandmother, her father, and her sisters surfaced in her mind.
"But, Eric… you would lose so much. You'd lose your strong, human legs and become something no longer human. You'd lose your noble status as a prince, leave your father and the Kingdom of Western Asia forever… all just to be with me?"
Prince Eric chuckled.
"Isn't that exactly what you once did for me?"
Ariel was speechless.
As the two gazed at each other with deep emotion, Rhine, completely oblivious to the romantic atmosphere, handed them two bottles of dark brown liquor.
"The potion to turn human legs into a fishtail is ready."
"So fast?" Ariel was shocked.
"The more you practice, the faster you get." Rhine shrugged, patting the large dog he had just drawn blood from.
"This potion is different from the one before. It's not clear like water—it's bitter yet fragrant, like fine liquor.
"A mermaid only needs a simple reason to walk on land, but for a human to become a merfolk… there must be a deeper, more bittersweet story—just like this potion."
Prince Eric took the potion with curiosity. "Does this magical liquor have a name?"
"I added mermaid tears as an ingredient, so maybe… Pearl Tears' Elegy?" Rhine chuckled at his joke. "Just kidding. It has no name, nor does it need one."
"Rhine, my human friend—my honorable magician—you've helped us once again! I don't even know how to repay you." Ariel's voice was filled with gratitude.
"I'll let you know once I figure out what I want," Rhine said.
Yet another favor owed. Rhine sighed inwardly—this magician of wishes sure had a knack for accumulating debts. Perhaps he should start considering how to cash them in.
Holding their bottles of dark brown potion, Eric and Ariel exchanged a glance.
Then, with a solemn expression, they turned to Rhine and asked:
"Honorable magician and prophet Rhine, you can see what we cannot—the future. When do you suggest we go to the shore, drink this potion, and dive into the sea together?"