Aurora's eyes froze:
"Us? Can we really defeat the Black Witch by ourselves? In the kingdom, there should be many more valiant warriors than me, and many more excellent magicians like Master, right?"
She had heard the legend of Black Witch Maleficent before. The legend spent the most space on rendering Maleficent's terror; she was a witch so terrifying she was almost impossible to defeat.
Up until now, due to a lack of comparison, Aurora still lacked a sufficient concept of her own strength. She instinctively doubted.
Rhine smiled and said:
"Aurora, you might not know yet, but you are already the most skilled warrior in the kingdom. And I, in fact, am also the most outstanding magician in the kingdom."
If, when facing Maleficent back then, Rhine's magical level was only comparable to the Violet Fairy, the most outstanding among the witches, then in these years that Aurora has grown up, after fulfilling the wishes of countless people in the kingdom, Rhine has now gone much further on the path of magic.
Rhine paused, then added:
"Of course, Maleficent is a legendary witch whose magic can shroud the entire kingdom. The current you is still far from enough to defeat the giant dragon she transformed into."
"But your talent is exceptional, and you will grow many, many times more on your future journey!"
Light appeared in Aurora's eyes, and she nodded excitedly.
At that moment, Rhine felt an unprecedented, sun-like fervent power of wishes.
This wish came from Aurora.
"Okay, Master. Please take me away from the kingdom. I want to become a true hero, find the Black Witch, defeat her, and then return to this country!"
Seeing that the time was ripe, Rhine added the explanation he had not mentioned earlier:
"By the way, I made a prophecy. Black Witch Maleficent's curse cannot be avoided even if one escapes the kingdom. Unfortunately, even if I say so, people may not believe it."
"So it's not a bad thing that the King concealed the truth of the curse. If the common people knew about the curse, the kingdom would fall into great panic and chaos."
Aurora suddenly realized, understanding that her previous judgment had been too hasty and impulsive.
Violet Fairy smiled and said:
"It seems you are about to take Aurora away from the kingdom, seek news of Black Witch Maleficent, and train Aurora into a hero capable of confronting Maleficent on your journey. I wish you both success!"
This was something everyone had planned early on, so Violet Fairy was not surprised.
It seemed that everything had been discussed, and in a few days, everyone could embark on their journey abroad.
Just as the witches thought everything was settled, Aurora suddenly spoke:
"Wait, Master, we can't leave so soon!
"Before leaving the kingdom, I still have one last thing to do.
"That Soldier said that En De is preparing to inform our citizens of the truth about the curse soon. The kingdom will soon fall into chaos.
"At that time, En De's army—they should be called bandits—will be able to march straight in, plundering our wealth, our treasures, our cattle and sheep.
"Since Master said I am the kingdom's greatest warrior, I should lead the army, drive out the invaders, and then set off on our journey!"
Lead the army? How do you plan to become the commander of the army? How do you make the Soldiers obey your orders? From your appearance, you are just a 10-year-old girl. Who would let you wear armor? Or have you already guessed… Rhine's thoughts churned.
"Master! Aunt Violet, Granny Rosa, everyone. I have a very, very important question, please tell me the answer honestly. Please!"
Aurora's gaze suddenly became serious, and she politely bowed to Rhine and the witches.
"Oh, little Aurora, do you have any more questions? Feel free to ask." Granny Rosa showed a kind smile.
Aurora swallowed, raised her chin, and asked seriously, word by word:
"Excuse me, am I the princess of the kingdom?
"Am I the princess from the rumors, who was supposed to be imprisoned deep in the palace?
"And you, my Master, are you the kingdom's sage from the legends, Great Magician Rhine, who once served as an advisor to the King for half a year and then mysteriously disappeared?"
Silence.
A deathly silence.
"Yes. Yes."
Rhine nodded gently, his expression unwavering.
This was something that had to be told to Aurora sooner or later.
Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, a look of gratification on her face:
"That's great. Otherwise, I would have thought I was a magical weapon created by you for combat.
"No wonder I was born with such astonishing talent. No wonder I share the same name as the rumored imprisoned princess—although people with the same name are everywhere in the kingdom today."
When did you discover your identity?
Rhine wanted to ask this but felt it was unnecessary.
There were too many signs.
The clever Aurora would discover it sooner or later.
"I heard from people in the tavern, and from children I played ball with, that the King's daughter was trapped in the copper palace deep within the palace complex, forever unable to step out.
"I often thought how lonely she must be, trapped there, all alone, unable to see the outside world.
"Now I know that this was a lie. She was not imprisoned at all."
Aurora spoke to herself, her words filled with endless emotion.
The golden-haired girl raised her slender but unusually strong hands and looked at Rhine and the witches again:
"Master, Granny Witches and Aunts, my talent comes from your blessings, right? Thank you.
"Now, Aurora has grown up. Can you tell me what happened when I was born?
"Why is there a legend of a princess imprisoned in the copper palace, and what blessings was I given?"
Rhine sat down, and he and the witches took turns telling the thrilling story of that night 10 years ago.
It was an interesting story.
It had a grand banquet, delicious food and fine wine, witches, magicians, fire-breathing, unstoppable dragons, terrifying curses, and also sacred blessings, a beginning beautiful enough to be a poem, a sudden fall from light into darkness, and an unexpected ending.
What attracted Aurora most in the story was the prophecy made by the prophet—the prophet then was her current Master, and the prophecy then was the future she had not chosen.
Aurora listened to the story quietly.
She was completely engrossed.
"So that's how it is. I am the source of the kingdom's terrible curse.
"Everyone saw the scene in the mirror, saw the future misfortune, so you ultimately did not choose the initially conceived blessing—changing [Death] to [Sleep]—but chose this other path instead."
Aurora was deep in thought.
Granny Rosa looked at the golden-haired girl's serious expression and couldn't help but feel affection welling up from the bottom of her heart.
Yes, in that situation, the kingdom's sage chose an unusual path, which amazed everyone, but it indeed seemed to be the best choice. The King, Queen, and these witches also supported this decision, step by step cultivating the princess into a warrior capable of slaying dragons.
However, everything was just the adults' (Rhine can be considered an adult here for now) wishful thinking. What did Princess Aurora herself think? She was a living person too.
As an infant, Aurora did not know what responsibility rested on her shoulders, but the current Aurora knew everything.
She had been burdened with a mission since birth, endured years of diligent training, and now, she bore a mission far beyond her age.
Would Her Royal Highness willingly accept the choice everyone made for her back then?
…
Aurora's birthday banquet ended.
The witches left one after another.
Aurora had proven to them that she had become a self-reliant hero and no longer needed their care.
The room suddenly became much quieter, the living room empty.
The little princess rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the stars, but then suddenly remembered something and abruptly turned to ask Rhine:
"So, what happened later?
"Master, your prophecy back then only went up to 50 years after I fell into a deep sleep and the kingdom was covered in thorns, right?
"So, what is the future beyond that?
"Finally, was the curse lifted?"
The night was utterly silent, even the distant birdsong was clearly audible.
After a long time, Rhine nodded gently and said in a deep voice:
"I am very sorry that I could not ask for your opinion back then and made a choice for you without permission.
"Since that is the case, I believe it is necessary for me to let you know your future—even if it is not precise."
Aurora's eyes immediately lit up.
Rhine slowly said:
"The long river of fate has too many branches and possibilities.
"Although I cannot precisely predict the distant future, I can still see parts of the tributaries of fate. Most of their endings are not perfect, but the curse was indeed lifted.
"Aurora, since you are interested in the path not chosen, I can now show you the best, most perfect, and most impeccable ending among them.
"This is a right you are entitled to!"
Rhine took out a silver mirror again, the same one he had used 10 years ago to show the future.
Aurora stared intently at the smooth mirror surface, almost holding her breath.
This was a path not chosen.
Ripples spread in the mirror, and a scene appeared again in the silver mirror:
It was the desolate land of the kingdom, covered in thorns and thistles, after Aurora was pricked by the spindle and the curse occurred.
10 years later, the prophetic image played again.
Strings of text appeared around the image, serving as annotations.
"Regarding this kingdom, such a legend spread: a legend of a beautiful sleeping princess. From then on, many princes came to explore, hacking through thorns and brambles, trying to get into the palace. But none succeeded."
In the image, one prince after another appeared, hacking through thorns and brambles, struggling to break through the barrier of the hedge wall and enter the palace sealed by layers of plants.
The thistles seemed to come alive, closing in, and the bushes also changed position, tripping the princes.
These thorns, thistles, and bushes seemed to transform into countless magical hands, firmly gripping them, preventing them from escaping.
The princes struggled, wailed, and finally died in agony.
Again, ripples spread in the silver mirror, the image briefly plunged into darkness, and new annotated text appeared.
"Many, many years passed again. On this day, exactly 100 years had passed, and another prince stepped onto this cursed land."