Beyond the lands of the Rose Kingdom, in a hidden corner no diviner could ever find, stood a gloomy, shadowy Gothic Castle steeped in an air of terror.
Inside the castle, Black Witch Maleficent sat upon the Obsidian Throne, stretched lazily, and recalled her recent experiences in the Royal City.
"I merely destroyed a kingdom on a whim and cursed a few people I disliked. It was no big deal. There was no need to dwell on it."
For a legendary master of magic like her, the fate of a mortal kingdom rested on a single thought.
Yet her supernatural instincts faintly sensed a trace of unease.
"Wait, did I forget something?"
"Right. That night, there was still one final chance to bestow a blessing. That little Court Magician, Rhine, had yet to offer Princess Aurora his blessing. How did I fail to account for that?"
"Those mediocrities' magic could never undo the curse I cast. But if they used that blessing opportunity, that would be another matter entirely!"
Maleficent believed in one principle: whatever she did, she had to do perfectly.
She would not allow her curse to fail! The Black Witch closed her eyes and carefully sensed the curse she had cast.
After a long while, the Black Witch opened her eyes.
"Something's wrong?"
"The curse hasn't been weakened at all?"
She could clearly sense that the curse's power had not diminished in the slightest.
The prophecy that "the Little Princess would prick her finger on a Spinning Wheel and die at the age of fifteen" still stood firm in the river of fate, unchanged.
Now it was the Black Witch's turn to be baffled.
They still had one final chance to bestow a blessing. Were they not going to use it? "Could it be that they completely ignored my curse and merely gave the Princess an ordinary blessing? That would be truly foolish." The Black Witch sneered.
Still uneasy, she took out a Crystal Ball and began chanting a spell.
Within the kingdom, hundreds and thousands of crows became the Black Witch's eyes and ears.
The crows flew through streets and alleys, entered and left taverns, and gathered the information the Black Witch needed.
"Have you heard? For some reason, His Majesty the King has imprisoned the Princess deep within the royal palace and forbidden anyone from entering or leaving that palace tower."
"Really? Has His Majesty gone mad?"
"Yeah. Lately, the King's soldiers have been going door to door confiscating Spinning Wheels. Heaven knows what His Majesty is thinking!"
"Shh, keep it down! What nonsense are you all talking about? (covers mouth)"
"What a pity. (sighs) They say the Little Princess received the Witches' blessings and is the most beautiful child in the world. I really want to see for myself what that little beauty looks like!"
"What are you thinking, you fool? How could you possibly see the Princess whenever you pleased?"
"..."
Finding that everything matched her expectations, Black Witch Maleficent ended her magic in satisfaction, a mocking smile curling across her lips. "Hahahaha! They think that if they keep Princess Aurora away from Spinning Wheels, the curse will not come to pass? Just as I expected, that is exactly the sort of thing that foolish king would do."
The Black Witch descended the stone steps one by one and left the pitch-black castle. In an instant, she transformed into a giant dragon, beat her wings, and flew toward the dark heavens. "Come to think of it, I stayed in that wretched Rose Kingdom for more than ten years. It has been so long since I visited my dear sisters and friends. Hehehe..."
Aurora's main storyline would seamlessly transition into "The Tinderbox" tomorrow.
Also, I might inevitably miss some typos when proofreading, so I would appreciate it if readers could use Qidian's error-reporting feature.
Before you continue