Strange "Prescription"

In many versions of Sleeping Beauty, the story begins directly after the birth of the princess, when 12 Witches are invited to bestow their blessings upon her.

However, in other versions, the story begins much earlier.

The beginning of the story is exactly what Rhine sees before him now—the Old King and the Queen have longed for a child for many years, yet they have been unable to fulfill their wish.

If he truly found himself in the story of Sleeping Beauty, then the Old King and the Queen, as the parents of the protagonist, were important figures in the tale and belonged to the "protagonists of fate," which made perfect sense!

Rhine knew clearly that, despite the Old King and the Queen looking helpless and heartbroken right now, he shouldn't be fooled.

Since this was the kingdom of Sleeping Beauty, the predicament they faced was absolutely not an unsolvable problem!

After all, they were destined to give birth to a Little Princess in the future.

That was the protagonist of the story—Sleeping Beauty! At this moment, the youth felt both amazed and excited: did I actually arrive at such an early era?

An era before the story had even begun! He composed his surprise and bowed gently: "Respected King and Queen, do not worry, I have a way to fulfill your wishes."

Hearing Rhine's promise, the Old King trembled and immediately sat up straight.

He was not sure if the young mage before him was just boasting or if he truly had a plan.

The Queen, who had not spoken until now, was equally shocked and looked at Rhine with skepticism.

Over the years, because they had not been able to conceive a child, her relationship with the Old King had grown distant, and she had been neglected repeatedly in recent years.

The Queen had always suspected that not having a child was not her fault, but she could never bring herself to say it aloud.

After seeing that 12 powerful Witches were helpless, the Queen had long since lost hope of "having her own child."

Therefore, when summoning Rhine, the Queen had not expected any turnaround at all.

However, the determined attitude shown by this overly young mage made the Queen regain a bit of confidence.

Perhaps, this child could really create a miracle? "Your Majesties, allow me to perform the Healing Art for you both."

Rhine lifted his hand gently and chanted a spell. A soft, pure white light bloomed from his palm, bathing the Old King and the Queen in its warmth.

Healing Art!

A magic obtained after fulfilling the wish of a thousand people to be "healed as before."

Feeling the warm radiance bathing their bodies, the Old King and the Queen felt instantly refreshed, as if they had suddenly grown several years younger, and their old injuries and hidden ailments were washed away.

The rumors were true; although this young mage looked very young, his abilities were truly extraordinary!

The Old King and the Queen were secretly amazed.

After the light faded, the Old King asked eagerly: "Rhine, has it been completed?"

"Not yet, Your Majesty. To complete the treatment, it must be paired with medicine."

Rhine asked for paper and a pen and wrote down a prescription.

"Your Majesty, follow the prescription I have written. Before long, you and the Queen will surely be able to conceive an heir."

After finishing, Rhine revealed a worried expression: "However, there is one ingredient that is extremely rare, and I do not know if it can be found in your kingdom."

The Old King beckoned for an attendant to bring the prescription to him and examined it with a smile.

He was not worried at all about any difficult-to-obtain medicine.

He was a monarch who ruled a kingdom; what did it matter if an herb was rare? Was there any herb he could not acquire?

"These are all common medicines..."

The Old King scanned from one ingredient name to the next.

Just as the Old King thought Rhine was exaggerating the rarity of the medicine, his gaze fell upon the final item.

The monarch's eyes froze instantly.

"What is the meaning of this last item?"

Medicine name: A blessing spoken in human language by a creature from the water.

Method of administration: Have a fish or a frog from the water offer a blessing to the Queen in human language. Bless the Queen to have her own child.

The Old King's expression turned ugly.

Even though this was a fantasy continent, animals that could speak human language usually only appeared in legends.

At the very least, the Old King himself had never seen one!

The Old King suppressed his anger and put down the prescription: "Rhine, please point out where one might find a fish that can speak human language?"

Rhine remained calm and replied slowly: "Let us follow the arrangements of fate.

"Fate will guide us all."

As a visitor from outside the world, Rhine knew that compared to other mages in this world, he possessed an unknown advantage!

He knew how fate and the future would unfold.

In this fairy tale world, he was the most brilliant prophet and seer! According to what Rhine knew, at the beginning of the Sleeping Beauty story, the Queen, who had been childless for years, was the one who received a blessing from a fish (or a frog in some versions) and subsequently gave birth to an heir! Therefore, as long as the plot followed its normal course, the Old King and the Queen would inevitably receive the fish's blessing and eventually give birth to an heir.

He was merely pushing the process along, which would incidentally fulfill the wishes of the Old King and the Queen.

The Old King naturally could not know what the young mage beneath the throne steps was thinking, assuming only that this mage was spouting some meaningless nonsense.

The monarch's expression suddenly darkened.

His chaotic eyes returned to a dim state.

Was there... really no hope after all?

The King sighed a long, mournful sigh.

As a monarch who had ruled the kingdom for decades, the King understood:

When mages and learned sages felt a goal was too difficult to achieve, they would deliberately propose impossible conditions or uncollectible materials to give both parties a way out.

The young mage before him clearly felt that his request was simply too difficult.

Even 12 powerful Witches had failed to achieve it! Therefore, the young mage had no confidence in whether the medicine would work and had deliberately written an impossible-to-collect ingredient at the end of the prescription.

Even if there was no curative effect in the end, it would not be too embarrassing.

Fine, so be it.

Asking a fledgling, novice mage to solve a problem that had stumped 12 powerful Witches was indeed asking too much...

The aged monarch waved his hand helplessly, signaling for Rhine to leave.

"Very well, Forest Sage, thank you for the prescription.

"I will reward you with Gold and Silver."

Regardless, Rhine had at least done his best to provide the prescription and had used magic to make him feel healthier than before, so he was certainly worthy of a reward.

Rhine thanked the Old King and turned to leave.

"Wait a moment, Mage!"

Just as Rhine was about to step out of the Palace Gate, the Queen suddenly called out to him:

"May I ask, will our child be a boy or a girl, and what will she be like?"

The Old King looked at his wife's excitement, feeling slightly amused, but he did not want to burst her bubble in front of others.

Under the Old King's surprised gaze, the young mage in his hood and robes turned, bowed gently, spread his arms, and said with the certainty of stating a fact: "Your child will be a beautiful and clever Little Princess.

"She carries a legendary fate and will surely step onto the stage of destiny to become the protagonist of a Legendary Chapter!"

Three months had passed since Rhine left the palace.

During these three months, the Old King had completely given up on the idea of having children and had accepted reality.

He knew that even if he, in his old age, took another concubine, it would be difficult to produce an heir.

The vast kingdom would inevitably fall into the hands of his brothers.

He also took the medicine on the prescription on time.

But he only held a sliver of hope for a miracle, not truly believing the medicine could bring about any change.

What surprised the monarch was that Rhine's medicine was truly effective!

The Old King could feel that ever since he took the medicine on the prescription, his body had indeed improved day by day, and he felt more energetic and spirited every day.

But even so, the Queen showed no signs of pregnancy.

Unlike the Old King, who had long since given up hope, the Queen still dwelled on Rhine's words.

The words the young mage spoke before leaving echoed repeatedly in the Queen's mind, both when she was awake and in her dreams.

"He spoke with such certainty."

"He even explicitly said I would have a beautiful and cute Little Princess."

"Is he a prophet or a seer?"

"He must be; I have heard that many mages can foresee the future!"

"As long as I receive the blessing of a fish, I can have a child of my own!"

"Should I... take the initiative to go to the river and look for a chance at a blessing?"