The Sage of the Rose Kingdom answered truthfully,
"Ariel comes from a kingdom His Majesty has never known."
"In 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."
"I see…" The king sounded a little disappointed. "So Ariel's singing ability is just a natural talent, not the result of drinking from some blessed magical spring or taking an elixir."
That meant he couldn't replicate this talent.
"A kingdom I've never known, perhaps never even heard of? It must be in a far, faraway place!"
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 and countless unexplored lands.
His curiosity about the kingdom Rhine spoke of grew.
"Honorable 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?"
Rhine smiled and described it poetically,
"When I divined Ariel's origins, I saw breathtaking sights of that kingdom.
"The 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.
"The grandest structure in that kingdom is their palace.
"Its walls are built from coral, while its tall, pointed windows are crafted from the finest amber. The palace is adorned with countless large, luminous pearls—any one of which could be the most extravagant decoration on Her Majesty's royal crown.
"These 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."
The king listened, utterly mesmerized as if he were experiencing a dream.
"What a remarkable kingdom," he murmured.
"If 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!"
But almost immediately, the king abandoned the idea, sighing in frustration.
"Unfortunately, that kingdom must be unimaginably far away, with little to no contact with other nations. Otherwise, their prices wouldn't be so strange. There's simply no way they could engage in trade with us."
Setting aside thoughts of that distant, dreamlike kingdom, the king finally voiced his real concern.
"Honorable Magician, Foreign Sage, perhaps you are unaware:
"My 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."
"Prince Eric is scheduled to visit that neighboring princess soon. Tell me, will he change his mind?"
"As an exceptional prophet and seer, you can surely see far more than an ordinary man like me."
The king deliberately used the term "neighboring country" rather than "Enderland," knowing that the magician's homeland had once suffered an invasion by Enderland.
Rhine theatrically rubbed his crystal ball, his silver eyes glowing faintly.
After a long pause, the young magician finally spoke his prophecy.
"I see it, I see it. I see the future!
"Shortly, His Highness Prince Eric will surely marry the youngest princess of the neighboring kingdom!
"They 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."
Hearing the prophecy, the king let out a long sigh of relief.
The heavy weight on his heart was finally lifted.
"Both the Witch of Enderland and the Sage of the Rose Kingdom—two court magicians of extraordinary skill—have foreseen that Prince Eric will love and marry the neighboring princess."
"This means that once Prince Eric sails to meet the young princess of Enderland, his feelings will undoubtedly change. There's nothing for me to worry about."
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.
"It seems I have quite the talent for being a charlatan. I'm getting the hang of this whole 'prophet' act."
Prophecies, after all, were one thing in words—
And entirely another in how people interpreted them.
"In any case, the Sea King and his forces are already prepared. Now, we just wait for the right moment…" 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 interests.
Whether it was the reception he had received from Prince Eric last time or today's 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.
"My father has agreed to let me visit the princess of Enderland. He said that if I truly had no interest in her, he might consider allowing our marriage.
"I have never been so eager to meet this Enderland princess—because I know that all I have to do is reject her!
"I can bring companions with me. My dear Ariel, come with me!"
Ariel, however, was a little uneasy.
"Why would your father make such a proposal? Is he so certain that your feelings will change after meeting the princess?"
Hearing this, the prince suddenly felt something was off.
"Could it be that once we arrive in Enderland, we'll be forcibly detained? That we won't be allowed to leave until I agree to marry the princess?"
"That sounds a bit far-fetched… but not entirely impossible."
They discussed the possibilities and ultimately made a pact.
"If things truly become irreversible, we will drink the potion and leap into the sea together—
We will become merfolk!"
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 sea—
They spoke of its tranquil surface and raging storms, the strange fish that dwelled beneath, and what divers might see in the ocean's 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 knew—
They were discussing the place they were about to enter.