Chapter 80: The Future of the Sea Kingdom
Ever since coming to land, Ariel had not seen her family again. Neither her silver-crowned, stern yet deeply loving Grand Matron, nor the dignified yet kind-hearted Sea King, nor her beautiful sisters.
Rhine smiled,
"From the very beginning, everyone in the Sea Kingdom—including your sisters, your Grand Matron, and your father—has been closely watching over you and Prince Eric, ready to help you at any moment.
"I’ve been using magic to broadcast everything happening on land to them.
"They’ve witnessed firsthand how your relationship with the prince has changed, and they’re all giving you their blessings!"
Ariel’s eyes stung, her voice choked with emotion.
"So... they’ve always cared about me.
"And yet, this was my selfish decision all along. I abandoned them cruelly, selfishly, just to chase my curiosity about human society, to pursue an Immortal Soul and love. And now, they have to do so much for me!"
Rhine shook his head."No, never think that way, Mermaid Princess.
"Your marriage to Prince Eric isn’t just about you.
"I know—just as Prince Eric said before—your perfect ending looks something like this:
"The King of the Western Asia Kingdom agrees to your marriage. You walk down the aisle in your wedding gown, hand in hand with the prince. The priest blesses you, and the kingdom celebrates with song and laughter.
"The entire kingdom rejoices, calling you and the prince one of the most loving king-and-queen couples in history.
"But as the prince said, in this future, you will forever be separated from your family, never able to return to the deep blue sea.
"And a hundred years later, you and Eric will be buried in the same grave—just like countless other kings and queens before you.
"The history books will only record that a certain king once found a girl on the shore, fell in love with her, and made her his queen. They lived happily ever after.
"But no one will know where you truly came from. No one will ever learn about the kingdom beneath the waves.
"Nothing will have changed.
"And perhaps, centuries from now, another mermaid—maybe another princess, maybe a prince, but more likely just an ordinary mermaid—will fall in love with a human from the land. ɌÅƝο₿ÈṤ
"They, too, will dream of life above the waves, of the vibrant human world. They might even stumble upon the secret of the Immortal Soul and long for one, just like you did.
"And when they confess their naïve fantasy to their elders, they will be doused with cold reality.
"Perhaps that mermaid will give up. Or perhaps, like you, they will seek out the Sea Hag or some other magician, paying a terrible price to step onto land.
"But unlike you, they will not have the status of a princess. They will not possess your extraordinary singing voice. Their price will be far heavier. And that cost will only make their journey to love even harder.
"They will endure everything you endured. Suffer every sorrow you suffered. Struggle against the same obstacles you and Prince Eric faced.
"Perhaps they will succeed, or perhaps they will fail—failure being the far more likely outcome. And in the end, their hearts will shatter, dissolving into nameless foam upon the waves.
"And even if they do succeed, that’s all it will ever be.
"The priests and guests blessing the newlyweds will never know that one of them came from a vast, mysterious kingdom beneath the sea.
"And when the ceremony ends and the guests return to their ships, they will continue to tell old stories of how mermaids bring disaster.
"They will still fear mermaid songs, believing them to lure ships into deadly storms.
"They will still fire poisoned arrows at mermaids resting on the rocks, celebrating when they kill these so-called monstrous bringers of misfortune—never realizing they might have just murdered the parents of the bride or groom they blessed moments ago.
"And then, another century will pass.
"More foam will dissolve upon the waves. More couples will stand in temples exchanging vows.
"And nothing will have changed."
Rhine’s voice wavered slightly.
He glanced at the golden-haired girl listening intently beside him.
The last time he had spoken so much, his heart trembling with emotion, was ten years ago—at Aurora’s baptism—when he had stood before the King and Queen, painting a vision of another path for destiny.
"If I exist in this world, then I must change something," Rhine thought.
Ariel’s vision blurred. The world around her seemed veiled in mist.
"So tell me—what must I do?" she cried out.
"How can I make sure this cycle never repeats? How can I ensure that future mermaids will not have to endure my pain and struggles? How can I make the humans above understand us, so they no longer see my people as monsters of disaster? My magician friend, please tell me!"
Rhine looked her in the eye and answered firmly,
"You only need to marry Prince Eric—but not in the way you originally imagined.
"Do not hide your identity. Do not become his bride as a human.
"Let the entire world know that you are a mermaid from the Sea Kingdom!
"If you do, both the humans above and the mermaids below will bless your union.
"This will be a miracle never before seen in the history of the Sea Kingdom!"
He continued,
"As for everything else—your sisters, your Grand Matron, and your father will take care of it. That is why they are here today, involved in all of this.
"The people of the Sea Kingdom are not just gathered here at the harbor.
"Right now, in the waters between Enderland and the Western Asia Kingdom, your father is making his move.
"This is what I need you to understand—the most important truth:
"Do not feel guilty for accepting your family’s help.
"They are not just doing this for you.
"They are doing it for the future of the entire Sea Kingdom!"
Rhine finished his incantation.
In a swirl of white mist, the three of them transformed into birds and soared toward the temple where the wedding was taking place.
Behind them, at the port, yet another warship sank amidst the chaos and cries of terror.
Crash!
Wood splintered, masts toppled, and waves surged. A regal flag of intertwined purple and gold plunged into the sea.
The banner of the Enderland Royal Navy sank beneath the waves—right beside the mermaids.
"The twelfth Enderland warship has been taken down, as per Magician Rhine’s orders!"
"That was almost too easy. Human warships are designed to battle enemies on the surface or bombard port defenses. But they have no way to defend against attacks from below."
"The harbor is in total chaos!"
The children of the sea swam swiftly, relaying messages to one another.
Among them, five elegantly adorned mermaid princesses—draped in pearls, shells, and coral—gazed upward at the shifting shadows on the surface.
They knew.
Their youngest sister was there.
"Ariel, you must succeed."
"You carry the future of the Sea Kingdom on your shoulders."
All around them, mermaids worked tirelessly.
Some guided massive fish and sea beasts.
Others wielded sharp knives and drills, cutting and piercing beneath the surface.
The deep blue sea churned with their efforts.
Beneath the waves, the ocean pulsed.
Mermaids weaved through the waters, dodging icy undercurrents as they passed along updates.
"Great Sea King, there is no doubt—a storm is coming. A terrible storm, one that only strikes these seas once in a century!"
"The human king’s grand ship will surely be swallowed by the waves."
"It may be enormous and lavishly decorated, but it is nothing more than an ornament of vanity. It lacks the strength to withstand the raging storm ahead!"
The mermaids delivered their reports to the ruler of the deep.
The crowned Sea King, golden trident in hand, smiled.
"Good. Let’s follow them!"
Above the waves, aboard the grand ship of the Western Asia Kingdom,
the human king remained unaware that an unprecedented storm was on the horizon.
In fact, compared to the strong winds at departure, the sea had become eerily calm.
The bright moonlight reflected off the rippling waves, silver and shimmering, like scattered shards of light.
"What fine weather!" The king raised his golden goblet and drank deeply.
"When we first set sail, the winds were fierce. But now, everything is peaceful."
And then—
Whoooosh!
A fierce wind suddenly howled through the night.
"What’s happening? The wind—!"
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