Whether it was the Sea King, Great-grandmother, the other mermaid princesses, or the royal nobles, everyone was frozen like statues at this moment.
Silence reigned in the magnificent deep-sea palace. The gurgling of distant underwater volcanoes spewing bubbles and the splashing of fish stirring the water outside the palace were clearly audible.
Even Aurora, who had already suspected something, had to admit:
What a crazy idea this was!
If the original destiny had unfolded, Princess Ariel's fate, whether successful or not, would only concern her personal destiny, whether she gained an immortal soul or turned into sea foam.
But Rhine wanted to turn this story into a replicable template.
It might even give all intelligent beings in the Sea Country a chance to obtain an immortal soul!
"The entire Sea Country, all its subjects able to obtain an immortal soul…" The monarch of the sea and his mother were equally shocked.
This was a sight they dared not even dream of!
"However, for my daughter Ariel, making a human fall in love with her is absolutely a daunting task! I have never heard of a mermaid and a human successfully falling in love in history," the Sea King said.
"Exactly, that's why this requires the help of His Majesty's kingdom, and the efforts of all of us," Rhine said with a smile.
Under his guidance, "assisting Ariel in conquering the human Prince" was no longer his personal task, but the outcome desired by the entire Sea Kingdom!
The Sea King, Great-grandmother, and Ariel's sisters' all regarded the two humans as their last hope.
"Respected Magician, Ariel's matter is mainly entrusted to you. You and your companion are humans, and only you can go to land!" the Sea King said, "If there's anything we can help with, feel free to come to us. The Sea Kingdom will spare no effort to assist!"
Rhine felt the fervent power of desire from everyone and nodded, accepting the task.
"I can now show His Majesty how Princess Ariel is progressing."
The Little Magician took out another silver mirror.
He placed a beautiful fish scale above the mirror and, using the fish scale Ariel had given him and the mirror he had left with Ariel as two mediums, performed a scrying spell.
On the dark mirror surface, ripples spread out, revealing Princess Ariel's current situation.
…
In the palace of the Kingdom of Summer.
"Have you heard? Prince picked up a girl on the coast."
"That girl is so beautiful, I don't know why she was unconscious on the coast next to the palace. Prince Eric was worried something might happen to her, so he brought her back to the palace."
"I also heard that Prince privately told his servants that the girl looks very much like the one who saved him during the shipwreck!"
"…"
Prince Eric walked into Ariel's room.
—He looked about fifteen or sixteen, a perfect match for Ariel's age, a remarkably handsome young man. From his temperament to his facial features, one could tell at a glance that he was a beautiful, fairytale-like Prince.
"Where are you from? Why were you by the sea? Where are your family?"
Prince asked Ariel, who had just woken up in bed.
Ariel was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
When Ariel learned that the Sea Hag was going to take her voice, she had imagined the scene of the Prince asking about her origin. She could only stare into Prince's dark eyes, saying nothing.
But now, destiny had taken a turn with Rhine's intervention. She was not a mute.
How should she answer?
Ariel thought of her family.
"Oh my, my sisters', my father, my grandmother, they must all be worried about me now! I'm such a selfish person!" Ariel thought.
"How should I explain my origin to Prince? I can't just say I'm a mermaid from the sea."
Ariel pondered for a moment, furrowing her beautiful brows:
"I can't remember."
A hint of disappointment appeared on Prince's face, as if a certain expectation had been temporarily dashed.
"It's alright. Perhaps a shipwreck took your memory, you'll slowly remember," Prince said with a smile.
"Gods. She truly resembles the girl who saved me during that storm and shipwreck! It's such a pity, she's lost her memory and doesn't know her past," Prince sighed inwardly, "But I am the Prince of the Kingdom of Summer, and I will use every means to find this girl's past!"
Prince walked with Ariel through the luxurious corridors of the palace.
Just as Rhine and the Sea Hag had promised, the mermaid princess, who had grown legs, still retained her beautiful swimming grace. She walked as lightly as a fish.
Prince and all the servants in the palace noticed her elegant and light steps, feeling surprised.
"You are truly beautiful, both in appearance and demeanour. I have never seen anyone in the world with such light and beautiful footsteps. You are simply like a princess!" Prince said.
Ariel knew that Prince was absolutely right!
Prince Eric prepared precious clothes made of silk and fine gauze for Ariel, making her the most beautiful person in the palace.
That day, the palace singers presented songs to Prince and his parents—the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Summer.
One singer's voice was exceptionally melodious, completely captivating Prince.
The prince smiled at the singer and rewarded her with beautiful golden jewellery.
"Prince, I think I could sing before I lost my memory," Ariel requested of Prince, "May I offer a song to you and your father and mother?"
The singers—including the one who had sung the most beautifully before—all cast meaningful glances at Ariel.
They didn't understand why Prince was so fond of this amnesiac girl of unknown origin. He gave her precious clothes made of silk and walked with her to watch sunrises and sunsets.
"Singing is an art. It requires both exceptional talent and years of practice," the singer who had sung the most beautifully before kindly reminded, "Not everyone can master it."
As the most beautiful singer in the court, her reminder was considered kind.
She understood that this girl wanted to show off in front of the Prince and believed she might have a beautiful voice, but compared to the standards required for a court performance, it was still too far off.
Prince, however, smiled at Ariel:
"Of course you can. Who could refuse your heartfelt wish? I am delighted by it."
How could others know that what Prince expected was not Ariel's singing itself, but the person singing?
As long as this familiar-looking girl revealed her voice to him, no matter how she sang, it would be the most beautiful sound in the world.