Chapter 101: Two Potions, Two Choices
"Uh... well..." Prince Henry lowered his head, embarrassed as he tried to explain. "It was too dark at night. And, well, people don’t look the sa with and without makeup."
"Sigh." The King had long been accustod to Henry’s unreliable way of thinking.
He then asked whether Henry wanted to seek Rhine’s help for a divination, but Henry refused. His reasoning? "Finding that girl myself would be far more fulfilling."
In the end, the King accepted his son’s absurd idea. However, after much discussion, they imposed certain restrictions—
Prince Henry was not allowed to go door to door, forcing every girl to try on the shoe. Instead, he could only travel to various regions of the kingdom, staying a few days in each place. The shoe would be displayed publicly, and only those who were willing could co forward to try it on. No one could be coerced.
—
And so, Prince Henry set his plan into motion.
His lavish carriage, accompanied by guards, traveled from one region to another.
At each location, soldiers posted proclamations and shouted through the streets, explaining the Prince’s intentions—any girl was welco to try on the glass slipper.
They declared that whoever fit into the shoe perfectly would beco Prince Henry’s wife.
Many girls dread of becoming a princess, but as they tried on the slipper, they all realized the sa thing—either their feet were too big or too small, too long or too short. None were a perfect match.
When Cinderella heard about this ridiculous search, her illusion of the noble prince shattered completely.
"Good grief, Momo’s magician friend was right—Prince Henry is seriously strange!"
"He’s disturbing the entire kingdom just to find soone? What a ss!"
"And his standard for choosing a bride? Just whether or not she fits into a shoe?!"
"Is he even looking for a specific person? If he really wanted to find soone, this isn't the way to do it. Maybe he just has a weird foot fetish?"
"Thank goodness the Crown Prince of the Western Asia Kingdom is Eric and not him. I can’t imagine what would happen if Henry ever beca king."
"Sigh... I guess not all royals are as perfect as they are in fairy tales."
Cinderella sighed to herself.
Then, a strange thought popped into her head—
"Wait... I lost a glass slipper too. Could it be that Prince Henry is actually looking for ?"
But almost imdiately, she dismissed the idea.
"Yeah, right. If he were looking for , wouldn’t he recognize my face? Why go through all this trouble?"
"Besides, I don’t even have a glass slipper! Plenty of girls at the ball were wearing them. The ones I had were just a temporary magic trick, and they definitely turned back at midnight." ŗÂ₦ỗＢƐS
The shoes she had worn at the ball had already reverted to their original form after the spell ended. So naturally, she assud the lost slipper had too.
What she didn’t realize was that Fairy Layla’s magic had actually malfunctioned. The spell had lasted longer than expected, leaving behind a genuine glass slipper.
Regardless, Cinderella had long since lost interest in Prince Henry.
After the ball, she had sold the pearls Momo had gifted her, earning a hefty sum.
She changed into practical clothing, then followed the birds to the seaside—where she t her "pen pal," Momo, for the first ti.
For years, they had communicated through the birds, sharing everything with each other. Their interests and passions aligned perfectly.
And now, at last, they stood face to face—
Cinderella was neither dressed in filthy rags covered in dust and sweat nor in the breathtakingly elegant, deep-blue gown from the ball. She simply wore ordinary, comfortable clothes.
Momo floated in the dark blue waters, the reflection of stars and the moon outlining the silhouette of a young rman.
The delicate rman boy lowered his head, afraid to et Cinderella’s gaze—afraid that she might look down on him for being a rman.
But Cinderella didn’t mind in the slightest.
"Momo, so you’re a rman! No wonder you know so much about the sea!"
"Thank you for the pearls you sent . Thank you for asking your friends to help . You changed my life!"
"There’s no need to hide it anymore. The whole kingdom knows now—rfolk aren’t so kind of evil creatures. Prince Eric’s new wife, Ariel, is a rmaid too!"
"I also heard that your people have already partnered with the rchant ships of the Western Asia Kingdom. They guide vessels away from storms and reefs, and even direct fish toward fishern, letting them catch a month’s worth of fish in a single day!"
That night, they talked about everything—from life on land to the wonders of the sea.
Eventually, Cinderella rented a house near the shore. Every day, she would go to the beach to chat with Momo.
It reminded her of the old days when they had relied on the birds to deliver their ssages.
Back then, Cinderella had to endure exhausting chores, the scorn of her stepmother, and the ridicule of her stepsisters.
But now, everything had changed—thanks to Momo.
—
One day, as they t again by the shore, Cinderella brought up sothing new.
"Momo, I heard that in your sea kingdom, there's a wise and knowledgeable Sea Hag who specializes in brewing magical potions—potions that can either give a rmaid human legs or turn a human into a rmaid."
"Now that the Western Asia Kingdom and your kingdom are allies, the second kind of potion is even being sold on land."
"Any human who wishes to visit the sea can apply for one, pay a fee, and receive a bottle."
"I’ve been thinking... I might drink that potion and go to the sea to be with you. My parents are gone, and I have nothing tying to this land."
"You’ve told so many stories about the ocean... It’s finally ti for to see it with my own eyes!"
As she spoke, Cinderella gazed out at the deep blue sea. Her eyes, shining like gemstones, seed to pierce through the rolling waves, reaching straight into the depths of the ocean palace.
In the water, the delicate rman boy was utterly stunned—he couldn’t believe his ears!
Cinderella wanted to beco a rmaid and stay with him?
Momo stared at the girl on the shore, her gentle smile warming his heart. At last, he gathered the courage to speak the words he had long kept hidden.
"To be honest... when I found out you were going to the prince’s ball, I thought he would fall for you."
"You’re different from all those pampered noble girls and rich rchant daughters. You have a unique and extraordinary charm. I even thought... maybe you’d beco his true love, his princess."
"I never dared to hope that you would actually choose to be with !"
But Cinderella simply laughed.
"I only t that prince once. And it was in a dimly lit ballroom, with noise all around us."
"We didn’t talk. We didn’t share anything about ourselves. We just danced—chanically, like strangers."
"But you’re different, Momo. We’ve been friends for five years."
"Long before Prince Eric t his beloved Ariel, we were already exchanging stories through those talking birds."
"Every morning, after finishing my chores, the thing I looked forward to most was waiting for the birds to arrive—bringing your stories about the sea."
"And soon, I’ll finally be able to see those beautiful fish with my own eyes, to watch the stars and the moon from beneath the waves…"
Sitting on the shore, Cinderella and Momo painted vivid dreams of their future together.
And this scene—of a girl and a rman, sitting side by side under the moonlight—was reflected clearly in the crystal ball.
Rhine and Ariel both saw the scene unfold.
"Thank you, Magician Rhine!" Ariel said excitedly. "Now Momo can finally experience love too!"
Speaking of which, Prince Henry’s nationwide shoe-fitting frenzy wasn’t over yet. I wonder how Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother are handling it, Rhine thought.
—
Cinderella’s two stepsisters and her stepmother had heard the news—Prince Henry was searching for a girl who could fit into the glass slipper, and whoever succeeded would beco his wife. They were absolutely thrilled.
"My two foolish daughters, listen carefully! As long as one of you can fit into that glass slipper, you’ll beco the prince’s wife and enjoy a life of unparalleled luxury!" The stepmother was practically beside herself with excitent. "It doesn’t matter which of you—it just has to be one! That way, I can bask in the riches too!"
The two sisters eagerly nodded.
"By the way, Cinderella never ca back after the ball," the elder sister remarked. "Did she get lost or sothing?"
"Idiot!" the stepmother scolded her. Then she sighed and said, "Cinderella’s background is much bigger than we ever imagined. She’s definitely living in luxury right now!"
Just the thought of it made her blood boil—
The very girl she had oppressed, treated as a free servant, was now probably living in a palace, dressed in the finest silks and adorned with priceless jewels.
She’s probably walking around in shoes carved from crystal, being waited on hand and foot!
Why should Cinderella get to enjoy endless wealth and status while I’m stuck here?
Fueled by envy, the stepmother ordered her daughters:
"Go try on that glass slipper! Now!"
The two sisters rushed out to attempt their fate.
But no matter how they tried, neither could fit into the shoe. One’s big toe was too large, the other’s heel was too wide.
"This is bad! We can’t fit!" The sisters panicked.
The stepmother, however, suddenly had an idea.
She left the house, and after a while, she returned—holding a small bottle of clear liquid.
"I went through a lot of trouble to get my hands on this magic potion," she said.
"It’s said to co from the rmaid Kingdom, brewed by the Sea Hag herself. You must have heard by now—the rfolk are now allies of the Western Asia Kingdom, which is how this potion made its way onto land."
"This is a miraculous potion. When a rmaid drinks it, she grows human legs!"
The elder sister looked confused.
"Mother, what does that have to do with us? We’re not rmaids."
The younger sister was just as baffled.
"Yeah, we already have legs."
"You brainless girls!" the stepmother snapped.
"There are different versions of this potion—each one grows a different type of foot! I specifically found the one that matches the shape of the glass slipper perfectly.
"Whoever drinks it will grow feet that fit the shoe exactly!"
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