Chapter 61: "I Love You, Whether You're Human or rmaid"
Inside the palace, in Ariel’s room, the little rmaid was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the victorious diviner—the Sage of Rose Kingdom—who was tasked with revealing her true identity.
Her slender hands fidgeted as her heart pounded. Her newly acquired human feet scraped nervously against the floor, as if she were walking toward her doom.
“Ariel!”
Prince Eric burst through the door, pulling her into a tight embrace.
He held her so firmly, as though loosening his grip would cause her to vanish. He hugged her with the sa desperation as when she had clung to him during that stormy nightmare.
“My girl, I know now—I know everything! Everything I should have known—oh, how could I have been so blind for so long?”
His words were disjointed, spilling out in a rush. He wanted to say everything at once but didn’t know where to start.
Ariel, confused and bewildered, didn’t understand a word. She felt the wetness on her cheek and realized it was from the prince’s tears.
“My prince, what are you saying? What do you know?” Ariel asked, both excited and frightened.
In that mont, she realized he had called her “Ariel”—her true na, the na of the Princess of the Sea Kingdom.
—It was the first ti since their eting that she had heard him say it.
“Ariel, the foreign mage told everything about you. I know who you are, that you’re a rmaid, and a princess, no less! Haha, I always said you seed like a foreign princess. I wasn’t wrong!”
“I saw your underwater kingdom, your father, your sisters, and your magnificent palace beneath the waves. Your kingdom is far more beautiful than any on land. Even a simple pearl adorning your palace is more exquisite than the jewels on my mother’s crown.”
“I know it was you who saved that stormy night. You are the girl I’ve longed for, the one who saved my life!”
“And I know the risks you took to walk on this land, to turn your beautiful tail into these—these awkward, unnatural legs!”
“…”
The prince poured out his words, desperate to show her that he finally understood, that he was worthy of being with her.
“You… you know everything? All of it? Prince Eric, my prince!” Ariel was stunned, unable to form coherent sentences.
Her cheeks felt even wetter now, but this ti, the tears were her own.
She couldn’t help but think,
“That foreign sage must be an extraordinary mage to have uncovered my entire past. He even glimpsed the deep-sea kingdom! Yet, he hasn’t even t ?”
Ariel wrapped her arms around Eric’s neck, her pale, delicate hands caressing his handso face. She gazed into his dark, shining eyes and asked carefully:
“My prince, now that you know I’m a rmaid, do you despise ? Are you afraid of ? I’m not even human—I’m just a monster from the deep sea. In your world, rmaids are seen as harbingers of shipwrecks.”
“Of course not,” the prince said, his voice trembling. “I’ve known for a long ti that such tales are slanderous lies about you and your kind!”
He didn’t admit that he had only learned this today.
“What difference is there between humans on land and rfolk in the sea? The distinction lies only in our bodies, but what determines whether we can be together is the resonance of our hearts!”
Eric tightened his embrace. “In this palace, everyone is supposed to be of my kind, yet no one is more like than you. My father, the courtiers who flatter —they all care about things I find aningless. But you, you’re different. You share my love for romantic stories, you listen to my hunting tales. We’re both drears, not grown-ups like them.”
Before the teary-eyed Ariel could respond, Eric kissed her lips.
“I love you, my girl, my princess, my Ariel!
“Whether you are human or rmaid, whether you have a tail or legs, I love you all the sa. Let us be together forever, never to part.
“I will marry you in the chapel, in the presence of the priest. I’ll place my hand over your heart and pour all my love into you. This way, you’ll gain an immortal soul.
“To give an immortal soul as a gift to one’s beloved—there’s nothing more romantic in all the stories, epics, and fairy tales I’ve ever read!”
He kissed her long, beautiful lashes, and she kissed him in return.
“At the right ti, I will et with my father and ask for his blessing for us to be together,” Eric said.
“But how will you explain my identity to your father?” Ariel asked, worried. “Even if you accept , will your father let you marry a rmaid?”
“I’ll do my best to convince him!” Eric’s voice was resolute. “I have no intention of marrying the Princess of Enderland and swearing an eternal vow to soone I don’t know. I will never love her. I love only you, my princess.”
At that mont, the prince’s gaze shifted beyond Ariel, to the doorway, where a young figure stood.
“You’re here, esteed mage!” the prince said excitedly.
“Ariel, turn around and look—it’s him! The one who helped understand you, the one who told everything I needed to know. Let’s thank him together!”
Ariel, both nervous and apprehensive, turned slowly.
“What kind of person is the victorious diviner, the Sage of Rose Kingdom, the powerful mage who revealed my identity?” she wondered.
“Will he be an old man with white hair and a long beard?”
When she turned fully, she saw a boy cloaked in pale robes, as if he had stepped out of a storybook. His silver hair glimred beneath his hood, framing a youthful, refined face. His skin was pale and nearly translucent, and his cool, luminous eyes t hers.
Ariel’s mouth fell open in shock. She nearly cried out.
The foreign sage and great mage was none other than him—her recent human friend, the kind-hearted magician who had given her the potion to gain human legs!
No wonder he knew so much… Ariel instantly understood.
Rhine waved at his rmaid friend and pressed a finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture.
The little rmaid quickly closed her mouth, pretending she had never seen Rhine before.
Watching the prince and the rmaid locked in a tight embrace, Rhine smiled. The scene felt tiless.
Of course, the peace didn’t last long. It was interrupted by a ssenger’s voice outside:
“Your Highness, the Enderland delegation has arrived. His Majesty requests your presence in the Grand Hall to discuss your marriage to the Princess of Enderland.
“Also, His Majesty reminds you to bring the amnesiac girl with the beautiful voice—she’s to sing for the delegation!”
Enderland!
Hearing the na of the kingdom that had once invaded Rose Kingdom, both Rhine and the newly arrived Aurora frowned.
Enderland was one of the most formidable military powers on the western continent. Their naval fleet, even more famous than their cavalry and chariots, was a terror of the seas. The empire robbed neighboring nations like bandits, pillaging resources and territory. Their royal privateers, ard with letters of marque, dominated the seas, preying on every rchant ship outside their alliances.
Aurora, who had personally commanded troops to repel an Enderland invasion, harbored a deep grudge against the empire.
“Sorry, esteed mage,” Eric said, hurriedly arranging for luxurious accommodations for Rhine and Aurora. “Ariel and I must attend to the delegation. I can’t host you properly for now.”
As Eric and Ariel left, worry etched on their faces, Rhine knew that love alone wouldn’t be enough for the prince to marry his beloved. A royal’s choice of spouse wasn’t theirs to make freely.
Aurora sighed.
“I’ve heard the King of West Asia plans to marry Eric to the Princess of Enderland. How unfair! Ariel’s so unlucky!”
Turning to Rhine, she asked, “Do you think the king might agree to the match if Ariel’s singing impresses him?”
Rhine shook his head.
“The king doesn’t need marriage to keep Ariel in the palace. He’ll believe she can serve him without it. For this marriage to happen, Ariel must prove she offers greater political value than the Princess of Enderland.”
Aurora looked pensive.
“Of course, it’s not enough for Eric to know and accept Ariel’s identity,” she said sadly, already dreading the thought of her rmaid friend’s heart breaking, her body dissolving into sea foam.
Then, an idea struck her.
“Teacher, should we avoid the Enderland delegation? Will they cause trouble for us?”
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