The King planned to devote all his energy to preparing for this matter as soon as he returned to the kingdom.
As for forming an alliance with Ender, that could be put aside for now!
Thinking of this, the King even felt a bit resentful:
Why did Prince Eric agree to marry the Ender Princess at this time?
It made delaying the alliance with Ender very difficult.
He should have given Eric marital freedom in the first place!
The Sea King then led the King and his attendants, riding a large fish, to visit other parts of the Sea Kingdom, and they also met five beautiful mermaid princesses.
—After the turmoil at the Ender imperial city port ended, the five princesses had returned to the Sea King's palace.
"Sea King, I have a question," the King asked, puzzled, "You seemed to say earlier that you have six daughters. Why are there only five princesses here?"
The Sea King explained:
"My youngest and most beloved daughter, the sixth princess of the Sea Kingdom, has always been curious about your human world. She obtained a magic potion from a sorcerer that can transform a mermaid's tail into human legs, and she went to the land."
"Oh my, so magic can turn mermaids into humans. Then it can probably turn humans into mermaids too. This means there isn't an insurmountable chasm between the Sea Kingdom and human nations after all."
The King's heart swelled with emotion, and at the same time, he keenly grasped:
This was an opportunity for him to show his attitude to the Sea King!
"Sea King, so your little daughter is currently on land?" The King's attitude was incredibly sincere, "What is her name on land, and what does she look like? I will definitely take good care of her."
"It is difficult for mermaids from the Sea Country to go to land to take care of this little princess. Isn't this exactly where we humans can help?"
"We will help you find that little princess, let her live in the most luxurious palace, eat the best delicacies, and wear the most precious and beautiful clothes."
"I swear, I will entertain and protect her in every way possible—otherwise, how dangerous it would be for a delicate little princess alone on land."
"I swear in the name of the King, after we find your little daughter, we will fulfill all of that little princess's reasonable wishes and never let her suffer even a bit of grievance."
The King was extremely agitated, speaking nonstop in a torrent, afraid that if he said one less word, the Sea King would refuse the alliance.
The Sea King nodded slightly:
"It's not impossible."
The King's suspended heart finally settled, and another thought popped into his mind:
"If my son could marry a mermaid princess, wouldn't the alliance between our two nations be set in stone?
"What a pity, what a trick of fate, how did I arrange for Prince Eric to marry the Ender Princess?
"Why wasn't he more rebellious, more excited, more stern in refusing me?
"Never mind, never mind, Prince Eric doesn't want others to arrange his marriage.
"Even if I told him to marry the little mermaid princess, he would probably refuse.
"I also have a younger son, Henry—however, he is currently traveling abroad and I don't know when he will return…"
Feeling that there was no opportunity for his own son to marry the mermaid princess, the King then racked his brains, going through all suitable sons among the important royal family members and nobles, to see who would be suitable to marry that little mermaid princess.
"Oh, by the way, Sea King. What was your little daughter's name again?" The King asked the crucial question.
"Ariel," the Sea King said, "Her name is Ariel."
At this point, the Sea King sighed with emotion:
"Although she has taken on a human form, Ariel still retains the beautiful singing voice of a mermaid. Even in the Sea Kingdom, you won't find a more beautiful singing voice. If you've heard her sing, you will absolutely never forget it."
Inside the transparent belly of the large fish, the King felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his legs buckling, and he fell to the ground.
He suddenly remembered why he had felt a strange sense of familiarity when he saw the beautiful scenery of the Sea Kingdom!
Wasn't this precisely the scene of the kingdom from which Ariel came, as described by the sorcerer of the Rose Kingdom?
"So that's it, the Ariel whom Prince Eric deeply loves is that little mermaid princess. This is simply like fate's arrangement!"
Countless chaotic thoughts flashed by, and the King's heart was filled with intense regret:
"How can there be such a foolish father in the world? Such a foolish King?"
"Why did I refuse Prince Eric and Ariel's marriage at that time?"
"I should have agreed to them! Eric would be happy, and I could also form a marriage alliance with the Sea Kingdom!"
"It's over, it's over, everything is completely ruined now! Prince Eric and the Ender Princess are married, and nothing can be changed."
"Why can't time flow backward? What foolish things have I done!"
…
Afterward, the King, accompanied by his attendants, returned to the Kingdom of Summer, riding the large fish and sea beasts.
Sitting on his familiar throne, the King was still dispirited, even inquiring of his subordinates whether there truly existed a magic potion called "regret medicine" in the world.
This monarch of the kingdom no longer possessed his former spirited demeanor and dignified nobility.
He was completely immersed in endless regret, wishing he could give his past self from a few days ago a good beating!
Suddenly, a Soldier reported to the King:
"Prince Eric has returned to the kingdom!"
"What? Eric is back already?"
The King was both surprised and doubtful, and he took his people to greet the returning Prince.
…
On the way back to the palace by carriage, Prince Eric was constantly uneasy.
He had sent Soldiers on fast horses ahead to report the situation he had encountered and Ender's conspiracy.
This included two pieces of evidence—
the mind-corroding magical spice that Rhine found on the Ender Princess, and Prince Eric's own true verbal account of his memory loss.
This indicated that this nominal marriage alliance between the two nations harbored a great darkness. If this conspiracy were allowed to succeed, Eric, who would inherit the throne in the future, would inevitably lose his self-will due to the scent, becoming a puppet of that Old Witch, and the entire Kingdom of Summer would fall into foreign hands.
Regardless of whether Ender's Emperor and court participated in this plan, this was a thorn in the hearts of both nations, and the so-called alliance plan between the two nations had to be put aside for now.
However, the truly most crucial matter, concerning Ariel's background, Prince Eric intended to tell his father only after seeing him in person.
"Will the King truly agree to my marriage with Ariel after he knows Ariel's true identity?"
The Prince was extremely worried.
In Prince Eric's perception, his father had always been stubborn and conservative.
Would he really agree to him marrying a non-human monster?
"Don't worry, my Eric, Rhine said it would definitely be fine!" Ariel comforted him from the side.
Prince Eric could only put his mind at ease for now, clasping his hands together and silently praying.