Within the mirror's reflection, a prince clad in luxurious robes appeared.
He was tall and well-built, but his face was highlighted and indistinct. However, judging from his silhouette, he was likely a handsome prince.
When the prince arrived at the hedge, all he saw were bushes blooming with beautiful flowers.
He passed through the hedge with ease.
As he walked forward, the hedge closed tightly behind him, as if welcoming the prince's arrival.
...
Upon seeing such a scene in the mirror, Aurora was perplexed:
"Why is it that other princes who came were entangled by thorns, thistles, and bushes, and died tragically in this cursed land?
"But when he came, all these obstacles disappeared, and the hedge even made way for him?
"Could it be that he is a subordinate of the Black Witch? That's why the cursed plants not only didn't attack him but even opened a path for him."
Princess Aurora, you truly are my student; you came up with the same question as I did. But Aurora, your guess is truly too much of a mood killer, why do you have no poetic sense at all…
Rhine's expression was calm, but he couldn't stop the smile in his heart.
According to the original story, Rhine believed this was a poetic adaptation, a somewhat exaggerated interpretation of fated love.
After all, in an older version of the story, "Sun, Moon, and Talia," Sleeping Beauty was awakened by the King of a neighboring country—this monarch, upon seeing the long-sleeping Sleeping Beauty, was overcome by lust and had relations with her, during which Sleeping Beauty remained in an unconscious, deep sleep.
But later, Sleeping Beauty gave birth to two children, "Sun" and "Moon." The unconscious sucking motions of these two infants awakened Sleeping Beauty.
Afterward, Sleeping Beauty married this King of the neighboring country who had indirectly awakened her.
In comparison, the adapted versions by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm are much more beautiful.
Compared to the original, having a chosen Prince awaken the Princess instead of a rapist King undoubtedly aligns better with people's beautiful expectations of a Prince and Princess story.
The bush fence opening, the thorns receding, and the trees blooming with flowers—all these beautiful phenomena were meant to illustrate this wonderful moment.
However, in a truly existing fantasy world, Rhine also found it difficult to clearly explain the reason for this miraculous phenomenon.
The young mage merely shook his head faintly:
"I don't know either.
"Perhaps it's because, after a hundred years, the Black Witch's curse has weakened enough to no longer pose an obstacle. Or perhaps it's because he is your fated lover, and when he steps onto this cursed land, even the world will grant its blessing."
"Huh? Fated lover?" Aurora's eyes widened, filled with infinite confusion:
"But, I don't even know him!"
...
The scene in the mirror continued to change.
The Prince stepped through the automatically parting bushes, traversing a sea of crimson flowers, continuing his search deeper inside.
Everything was eerily quiet.
Finally, he arrived at the ancient palace building and pushed open the door to the small room where Princess Aurora was sleeping.
Lying in the room was none other than Princess Aurora!
She was sleeping soundly.
The camera immediately zoomed in for a close-up of the sleeping Princess Aurora.
Compared to the blonde girl of today, the Aurora in the image was older, closer to a traditional beauty, as she was already 15 years old when she fell into slumber.
The Sleeping Beauty in the mirror was as beautiful and enchanting as the real girl before them.
Her face seemed to possess a magic that could enthrall one's soul, yet it lacked that sharp, ineffable quality, appearing more like a soft flower, making one unable to help but feel pity.
The Prince's eyes widened the moment he saw Aurora, and he couldn't bear to blink.
As he watched, the Prince couldn't help but lean down and gently kiss Princess Aurora.
The blessing was fulfilled, the curse lifted.
In the mirror, Aurora suddenly woke up!
She opened her eyes and smiled, gazing with deep affection at the Prince who had saved her.
The Prince carried her out of the palace building.
Soon after, the sleeping curse that enveloped the Kingdom gradually ended, and people began to wake up.
However, after a hundred years, the Kingdom was no longer its original self; everywhere were haphazard trees and weeds, and every house was covered by plants.
New text scrolled across the mirror:
"Soon, the Prince and Aurora held a grand wedding ceremony, and they lived happily and joyfully together, growing old side by side."
The colorful image in the silver mirror gradually dimmed, eventually disappearing into darkness.
"Ah? It's over already?" Aurora only then reacted, very surprised.
"Among the many possibilities for the future, is the best, most perfect ending just like this?"
Aurora murmured with a hint of disappointment:
"So in the end, Black Witch Maleficent, the culprit, received no punishment at all?—She is such a powerful Witch, having long transformed herself into a true Dragon, she will surely live for many, many years.
"What if she rises again and wants to destroy our Kingdom once more? This time, who can stop her?
"And finally, that Prince, I don't know him—he's a person from a hundred years in the future. Right now, his father probably hasn't even been born yet!
"Then, then we just get together like that? What kind of strange development is this?
"Didn't the blessing say that only a kiss from someone deeply in love could break the curse? But he saw me for the first time, and I was asleep. He couldn't even say a word to me.
"Doesn't love need time to develop?"
Princess, your way of thinking is already too advanced for this era. Wait, is it all my teaching? How am I going to explain this to the King and Queen… Rhine chuckled:
"Who knows. Perhaps love at first sight counts too."
Rhine's tone became ethereal and distant again:
"Princess, you have seen the unchosen path.
"Ten years ago, on that disastrous night, two paths lay before you: one paved with flowers and poetry, and one strewn with thorns and storms.
"At that time, you were too young, just an infant in swaddling clothes. I couldn't ask for your opinion and had to make the choice for you, choosing the path you are on now, burdening you with such a heavy destiny.
"In these past years, to enable you to become the warrior of prophecy, I and the Witches put you through rigorous training. Moreover, we are soon to embark on an unknown journey across the continent, and there may be unpredictable dangers along the way. To fulfill your destiny, you have sacrificed too much. You've worked hard, my Princess.
"For this, I apologize to you for the choice I made on my own."
Having said that, Rhine bowed deeply to the little Princess before him.
Aurora, however, shook her head vigorously and hastily helped Rhine up:
"No, that's not it. Teacher, I should be thanking you! And thank my King, Queen, and the Witch Aunts and Grandmothers! Thank you all.
"If I had followed my original life path, I would have been locked in a palace building made of brass, knowing nothing of the world, ignorant and incompetent. My literature tutor once taught me that a great man once said, of all misfortunes in the world, the most unfortunate is to be unaware of one's own misfortune.
"Before long, Ender would reveal the truth of the curse to the public, and the country would descend into chaos. And I would only be able to stay deep within the royal palace, hearing the maids report disasters from various places, unable to do anything but cry—of course, it's more likely that I wouldn't even understand what a disaster was, because I had never stepped out of the palace gates.
"It is you, Teacher, who gave me the opportunity to change everything with my own hands! Thank you!
"Once the matters in the Kingdom are resolved, we will embark on a journey across the continent together, searching for the whereabouts of the Black Witch. Even if the final outcome isn't perfect, I will have tried, and there will be nothing to regret…"
...
Aurora and Rhine's worries were by no means unfounded.
Even before Aurora's birthday, a terrifying rumor had already sown its seeds in the Rose Kingdom.
No one knew where this dreadful prophecy originated.
Perhaps gossip in taverns, perhaps the wild claims of some astrologer, or perhaps a direct speech by a guest who attended the Princess's baptism ceremony that year.
In a very short time, the saying that "the Kingdom is cursed by the Black Witch and will be destroyed in 5 years" spread rapidly.
Every day, the King was overwhelmed by bad news from various places:
Farmers in the fields no longer diligently cultivated; bakeries and breweries ceased operation; wealthy people with property fled the Kingdom overnight with their families; even the strictly disciplined army began to mutiny.
People in the streets and alleys all said that the King of the Rose Kingdom was a terribly incompetent monarch.
Everyone complained that the King had offended the terrifying Black Witch, bringing the country to the brink of disaster.
Facing more and more bad news, the white-haired King had no choice but to give a speech, stating that even fleeing the Kingdom would not escape the curse. He also promised that there was a way to end the curse before the disaster truly struck—the Kingdom's wise man, who mysteriously departed 10 years ago, was actually working hard to dispel the curse and would succeed soon.
However, people no longer believed the King's words.
The Rose Kingdom was no longer the beautiful, peaceful, and harmonious country it once was.
From the capital to small towns, and then to the countryside, there was no place in the entire country that was not in chaos.
Even walking on the street during the day, one would encounter robbers blocking the way—since the Kingdom was going to be destroyed in 5 years, why bother adhering to order?
This was not the worst part.
At the most chaotic moment in the Kingdom, robbers from neighboring countries also came to get a piece of the pie—they seemed to have been planning this for a long time.
Ender's army raided the Rose Kingdom; they invaded towns, plundered extensively, raped women, and set fires everywhere.
"Ahead is the Rose Kingdom; you can take whatever you want, as much as you want. The gold and silver coins in the wealthy homes, the sculptures in the city's central square, beautiful members of the opposite sex—all are yours! Their Soldiers have long lost their will to fight and are no longer the formidable force they once were; they cannot stop our iron cavalry!"
Before setting off, Ender's officers promised the Soldiers this.
In fact, they did just that, and what the Soldiers actually did was ten times worse and more terrifying than what the officers promised.
...
"No, why is this happening?"
In the royal palace, the King was both pained and despairing.
Now, the King was even older, with not a single black hair left on his head. He was even unsure how much longer he could endure facing so much bad news.
"It must be those bastards from Ender, deliberately releasing the news of the curse! It must be them! Their nobles once attended the grand ceremony of the Princess's baptism and personally witnessed Black Witch Maleficent placing the curse, knowing all the secrets."