The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 57: The Prince's Misunderstanding

Prince Eric's eyes dimmed slightly.

As expected, his father cared only for appearances and political expedience.

This amnesiac girl with the most beautiful voice in the world was just another tool.

At 15, Eric disliked the "adult," "pragmatic" matters of life.

He loved hunting, sailing, reading romantic novels, grand epics, and fantastic tales of magical creatures. He yearned for freedom, adventure, and love.

But he couldn’t deny that the foundation of the world rested on those "adult," "pragmatic" concerns, not the romantic dreams of youth.

As the prince of the Western Asia Kingdom, he knew he was destined to become like his father—letting go of today's ideals, just as his father had once been a boy like him.

For example, Eric knew his father was seeking an alliance with Enderland, a northern powerhouse with the most formidable navy in the western lands. They could protect the Western Asia Kingdom’s fisheries and maritime trade from pirates—even though most pirates in these waters were, in fact, Enderland's royal privateers, operating under crown-issued letters of marque.

Even so, the alliance negotiations had to continue. Politics could not be tainted by personal likes and dislikes.

“Hurry, my son. We must do everything we can to uncover this amnesiac girl’s origins and the secret behind her extraordinary voice!” the King said excitedly.

“A girl with such heavenly music in her soul cannot come from an ordinary background!”

The King began speculating wildly in front of his bewildered child:

“If she belongs to the court of a powerful king or emperor, we’ll return her as a token of friendship and goodwill between nations.

“This could be a crucial bargaining chip at the negotiation table!

“If her identity is more common, it means she can serve our court for years to come. That would be even better.

“We also need to learn the source of her extraordinary voice. Such transcendent music far exceeds human limits—it can’t possibly be natural!

“Perhaps somewhere in this world, there’s a magical spring. If anyone drinks from it, they could sing as beautifully as she does!

“If our kingdom is the first to discover such a treasure, it would be invaluable. Many nations would trade gold for it!”

Prince Eric lowered his head.

No matter the scenario, it seemed to stray far from his original intent.

He had only wanted to help this girl recover her past.

Eric couldn’t help but wonder:

If this amnesiac girl’s singing had been ordinary, would her fate have been different?

But his father’s will was absolute, and the King had already begun issuing commands.

He ordered his capable ministers to uncover the girl’s origins by any means.

One clever minister offered a suggestion:

“This amnesiac girl likely washed ashore after a shipwreck, so she’s probably from a distant land. The continent is vast; there are hundreds of nations as large as our Western Asia Kingdom in the west alone. Using conventional methods to find her origins would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“We could turn to magic.

“In the northern Rose Kingdom, their former royal advisor was a powerful mage who once saved the king’s life with his magic. It’s said that Enderland’s failure to conquer the Rose Kingdom months ago was partly due to this mage.

“Even if we can’t hire such a skilled magician, we could enlist a capable diviner. Let them use scrying or astrology to uncover the girl’s origins!”

The King beamed at the idea but soon frowned.

“But how will we ensure the diviners we recruit aren’t frauds?”

The clever minister proposed:

“We can hold a competition to recruit diviners from across the kingdom and beyond. The one who provides the most accurate predictions will investigate this girl’s origins.

“If their divination proves effective, we might even consider hiring them as a royal advisor.”

The King approved this plan.

He offered a generous reward to attract the finest diviners.

People from the Western Asia Kingdom and beyond were invited to participate.

Later, as the prince strolled with Ariel under the radiant sunset, he held her hand with a hint of melancholy.

"My father is organizing a nationwide search for diviners to uncover your origins and the source of your beautiful voice," Eric said with a sigh.

"And soon, the Enderland delegation will visit. My father wants you to sing for them. He’s pursuing an alliance with Enderland, using every means to win their favor."

The prince knew the girl had become a tool in his father’s grand plans.

But Ariel didn’t mind. She summoned her courage and asked,

“Do you love me?

“I don’t care who I sing for, as long as I can stay with you forever!

“If your father treasures my voice and allows me to remain in the palace with you, that would be perfect!”

The mermaid princess understood that she must become the prince’s wife to gain an immortal soul. Otherwise, the curse would crush her heart and dissolve her into sea foam.

The prince clasped her hand and gazed into her sea-blue eyes with his dark ones.

Today, he realized he had to speak the truth.

“Do you know?

“You look so much like the girl who saved me, but not completely. There are many differences between you.

“That happened not long ago. I was sailing when a terrible storm struck.

“Sailors say storms like that are called by evil mermaids or lure unsuspecting ships into dangerous waters.”

No, it wasn’t like that! Ariel screamed internally.

Only now did she realize how humans perceived her kind.

“If the prince knew I was a mermaid, would he scorn me? Fear me? Hate me? Blame me for deceiving him?” Ariel wondered.

The prince continued,

“I was swept into the sea, but luckily the waves carried me to shore.

“There, a young woman saved me. In my half-conscious state, I vaguely remembered her appearance.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Of everyone I’ve ever met, you resemble her the most. That’s why, among all the beautiful women in this palace, I’m so drawn to you.

“But I’m certain you’re not her. Your voice is different—more beautiful than hers.”

Ariel’s heart shattered.

She remembered that storm.

The prince wasn’t carried to shore by waves—she had saved him and brought him to land.

From a distance, she had watched as a young human woman awakened the unconscious prince.

The prince remembered only the one who had roused him, not the mermaid who saved him.

“Oh, no. Prince Eric doesn’t know it was me who saved him!” Ariel thought.

“Am I just a substitute for that human girl? What a cruel twist of fate!”

She couldn’t resist asking,

“So, I’m just a stand-in for the girl you truly long for? Because I resemble her?”

The prince fell silent.

This scene played out in a mirror, visible to Rhine, Aurora, the crowned Sea King, the Grand Matron, and the other mermaid princesses in the underwater palace.

“It’s my turn now,” Rhine said.

“I’ll pose as a diviner and answer the Western Asia Kingdom’s call, revealing Ariel’s true identity!”