Prince Eric's eyes were a little dim.
Sure enough, his father still cared about his own reputation and political needs.
This amnesiac girl, who possessed the most beautiful singing voice in the world, was merely another tool.
Prince Eric was only 15 years old this year; he disliked those 'adult' and 'practical' things.
He enjoyed hunting, sailing, and reading romantic novels, epic poems, and magnificent fairy tales, yearning for free adventures and romantic love.
However, the Prince also had to admit that the cornerstone of the world was these 'adult' and 'practical' things, not the romantic fantasies of teenagers.
And as the Prince of the summer Kingdom, he would sooner or later become like his father, forgetting what he held dear today—just as his father today was once another version of himself.
For example, the Prince knew that his father was seeking the protection of Ender and wanted to form an alliance with this powerful northern nation.
This was because Ender possessed a rumoured outstanding naval military power among the Western nations, capable of protecting the Summer Kingdom's fishing and maritime trade from pirate incursions—though most of the pirates in these waters were themselves royal pirates of Ender, holding privateering licenses granted by the royal family.
People in the market said that Ender was a rogue nation, that they only bullied the weak and feared the strong, stirring up conflicts everywhere. A few months ago, Ender invaded the Rose Kingdom, which had fallen into chaos due to a certain rumor, but later encountered an obstacle for some unknown reason.
Nevertheless, the alliance had to proceed. Politics should not be mixed with personal preferences and emotions.
"Quick, my child. Next, we must use every means to find out the origin of this amnesiac girl and how she acquired this beautiful voice!" the King said excitedly. "A girl who can sing such a heavenly sound cannot possibly have an ordinary background!"
The King envisioned various scenarios in front of his bewildered child:
"If this girl belongs to the court of some powerful king or emperor, then we will send her back as a testament to the friendship and goodwill between our two nations.
"This will be an important bargaining chip at the negotiation table!
"If the girl's identity is a bit more conventional, that means she can serve our court for a long time! That would be even better.
"We also need to know how this girl's beautiful singing voice came to be—such extraordinary and beautiful melodies far exceed human limits; they absolutely cannot be innate!
"Perhaps, somewhere in this world, there is a magical spring, and anyone who drinks from it can sing as beautifully as her! If our kingdom is the first to find this precious place, that would be wonderful; many kingdoms around the world will offer us gold in exchange!"
Prince Eric lowered his head.
He felt that, no matter the scenario, it seemed to deviate from his initial intention.
Initially, he had also wanted to help this girl find her past.
Prince Eric couldn't help but think:
If the amnesiac girl's singing voice hadn't been so moving, if it had just been ordinary, would the direction of fate have changed?
However, the King's will was unassailable, and his father had already begun issuing commands.
The King ordered capable subordinates to use all means to uncover the amnesiac girl's background.
One clever minister suggested:
"This amnesiac girl seems to have fallen unconscious on the shore due to a shipwreck, likely from a very distant land. This continent is too vast; there are hundreds of nations in the west of the continent, each similar in size to our Summer Kingdom. Searching for her background using conventional methods would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!
"We can certainly resort to magic.
"For example, in the north of the Kingdom, there is the Rose Kingdom, whose former court advisor was a magician who once protected the King's life with powerful magic. Legend has it that a few months ago, Ender failed to occupy the Rose Kingdom partly due to this magician.
"Even if we cannot hire such a skilled magician, we can recruit capable diviners. Let them use methods like divination and astrology to find out the origin of this amnesiac girl!"
Upon hearing this, the King beamed with joy, then a look of worry appeared on his face:
"But how do we screen out capable diviners to avoid hiring fraudsters?"
The clever minister suggested:
"We can hold an examination, recruiting diviners from across the country and even abroad, and select the one with the most accurate divination results to perform a divination for this amnesiac girl.
"If this divination proves effective, we can also consider recruiting him as a court advisor."
The King accepted the clever minister's suggestion.
He offered a large sum of money to find the best diviners.
Whether they were citizens of the Summer Kingdom or extraordinary individuals from other kingdoms, all could sign up!
...
The Prince, with a touch of sadness, held Ariel's hand and walked as usual in the brilliant sunset, watching the crimson sun descend at the horizon.
"My father will recruit diviners nationwide, wanting to clarify your origin and the source of your beautiful singing voice," the Prince sighed. "Also, soon, a delegation from Ender will visit our country, and my father requires you to sing a song for them. My father is pursuing an alliance with Ender and wants to please them in various ways."
The Prince knew that the girl had now become his father's tool.
Ariel, however, realised. She mustered her courage and asked:
"Do you love me?
"I don't care who I sing for, as long as I can be with you forever!
"If your father, because he cares about my singing, wishes me to stay in the paltravellinger and allows me to be with you always, then that would be even better!"
Travelled did the princess understand that she must become the Prince's wife; otherwise, she would not gain an immortal soul, and the curse would crush her heart, melting her into sea foam.
The Prince took the mermaid princess's hand, his dark eyes fixed onrealises sea-blue eyes. He realized that everything had to be made clear today:
"Do you know?
"You are so much like the girl who saved me back then! But not entirely. You and she are still different in many ways.
"That was not long ago. I was traveling by ship but encountered an incredibly terrifying storm.
"Sailors who have traveled the seas for years say that only evil mermaids can summon such storms, or lure unsuspecting ships into dangerous waters where storms are about to appear."
No, that's not how it was! the mermaid princess roared in her heart.
Only then did she realize how the people on land depicted her and her kind.
"If the Prince knew I was a mermaid, would he discriminate against me? Would he fear me? Would he hate me? Would he blame me for deceiving him?" Ariel thought.
The Prince continued:
"I fell into the sea, but luckily, the huge waves pushed me to the shore.
"There, a young woman saved me. In that half-dreaming, half-waking state, I vaguely remembered the young woman's appearance.
"Of all the people I've seen, you are the most like her. That's why, among all the beautiful women in this palace, I like you so much.
"But I am also certain that you are not her! Your voices are not the same; your voice is much more beautiful than hers."
Ariel's heart felt as if it had shattered.
She remembered that shipwreck.
The Prince was not swept to shore by huge waves; it was she who rescued him from the sea and brought his unconscious body to the shore.
Ariel hid in the sea and watched for a while longer, seeing from afar that a young human woman awakened the Prince.
The Prince truly remembered only the human woman who finally awakened him.
"Oh, heavens. Prince Eric doesn't even know that I saved him!" Ariel thought.
"Could it be that I am very similar to that human woman? This is simply a trick of fate! Why would heaven make us so alike?"
Ariel asked unwillingly:
"So, in reality, I am just a substitute, a replacement for the girl you truly miss? Because I share many similarities with her appearance in your memory?"
The Prince remained silent.
...
The scene of the Prince's silence appeared in the mirror, witnessed by Rhine, Aurora, the Sea King wearing his crown, the Great-grandmother, and the other mermaid princesses, all inside the palace.
"Now it's my turn to appear," Rhine said. "I will act as a diviner, respond to the Summer Kingdom King's recruitment, and reveal Ariel's true identity!"