Excuse me, am I a princess?

Aurora's gaze solidified:

"Us? Can we really defeat the Black Witch with just us? Surely there are many warriors in the kingdom more valiant than I, and many magicians as outstanding as teacher?"

She had heard the legends of the Black Witch Maleficent before, legends that painted Maleficent's terror in the broadest strokes, a Witch so terrifying that she was almost impossible to fight.

To date, due to a lack of comparison, Aurora still lacked a sufficient concept of her own power, instinctively doubtful.

Rhine smiled and said, "Aurora, you may not know it, but you are already the most battle-hardened Warrior in the kingdom. And I am, in fact, the most outstanding Magician in the kingdom."

If, back then, when facing Maleficent, Rhine's magical level was only about the same as the Witches' most outstanding Violet Fairy, then in the years that Aurora had grown up, after fulfilling the wishes of countless people in the kingdom, Rhine had now gone further on the path of magic.

Rhine paused and added, "Of course, Maleficent is a legendary Witch who can shroud the entire kingdom in magic, and you are far from being able to defeat her in her Dragon form.

"But your talent is superb, and you will grow many times over on your future journey!"

Light appeared in Aurora's eyes, and she nodded excitedly.

In that instant, Rhine felt an unprecedented, sun-like, burning power of wishes.

It came from Aurora's wish.

"Okay, teacher. 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 an explanation that he had not mentioned earlier:

"By the way, I made a prophecy that the Black Witch Maleficent's Curse cannot be avoided even if you escape the kingdom. Unfortunately, even if I say so, people may not believe it.

"So it's not a bad thing that the King is covering up the truth of the Curse. If the people knew about the Curse, the kingdom would fall into great panic and chaos."

Aurora suddenly understood, only then realizing that her judgment just now had been too hasty and impulsive.

The Violet Fairy smiled and said, "It seems that you are about to take Aurora away from the kingdom to find the Black Witch Maleficent, and train Aurora into a hero capable of fighting Maleficent on the journey. Good luck!"

This was planned long ago, so the Violet Fairy was not surprised.

It seemed that everything had been discussed, and in a few days, everyone could embark on a journey abroad.

Just when the Witches thought everything had been discussed, Aurora suddenly spoke:

"Wait, teacher, we can't leave so soon! Before leaving the kingdom, I have one last thing to accomplish."

"That Soldier said that Engeland is preparing to inform our people of the truth about the Curse in the near future. The kingdom will soon be in a mess.

"At that time, the Engeland Army—we should call them robbers—will be able to drive straight in and plunder our wealth, our treasures, our cattle and sheep.

"Since teacher said that I am already the number one Warrior in the kingdom, then I should lead the Army and drive away the invaders before setting off!"

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 put on armor? Or are you already guessing... Rhine's thoughts churned.

"Teacher! Aunt Violet, Grandma Rosa, everyone. I have a very, very important question, please be sure to honestly answer my question. Please!"

Aurora's eyes suddenly became serious, and she politely bowed to Rhine and the Witches.

"Oh, little Aurora, what else do you want to ask? Just ask." Grandma Rosa showed a kind smile.

Aurora swallowed, raised her chin, and asked seriously, word by word:

"Please, am I the Princess of the kingdom?

"Am I the Princess who, according to rumors, should have been imprisoned in the depths of the palace? And you, my teacher, are you the Sage of the kingdom's legends, who once served as an advisor to the King for half a year, and then mysteriously disappeared, the great Magician Rhine?"

Silence.

Deathly silence.

"Yes. Yes."

Rhine nodded lightly, his expression unchanged.

This was something that had to be told to Aurora sooner or later.

Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, a gratified smile on her face: "That's great. Otherwise, I would have thought that I was a magical weapon created by you for combat.

"No wonder I have such amazing talent by birth. No wonder I have the same name as the Princess who was imprisoned in the legends—although people with the same name are everywhere in today's kingdom."

When did you realize your identity?

Rhine wanted to ask, but felt it was unnecessary.

There were too many signs.

The clever Aurora would have found out sooner or later.

"I heard people in the tavern say, I heard the children I play ball with say, that the King's daughter is trapped in the Bronze Palace deep within the palace complex, never 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 was a lie. She was never imprisoned at all."

Aurora said to herself, her words filled with endless emotion.

The blonde girl raised her slender but unusually strong hands, and looked at Rhine and the Witches: "Teacher, Grandma Witch and Aunties, my talent comes from your Blessings, right? Thank you.

"Now, Aurora is grown up, can you tell me, what exactly happened when I was born?

"Why is there a legend of a Princess being imprisoned in the Bronze Palace, and what Blessings was I given?"

Rhine sat down, and he and the Witches took turns telling the story of that thrilling night 10 years ago.

It was an interesting story.

It included a grand banquet, delicacies and fine wines, Witches, Magicians, a Dragon breathing fire and unstoppable, a terrible Curse, and sacred Blessings, a beginning so beautiful it could be the start of an epic poem, a sudden fall from light into darkness, and an unexpected ending.

What attracted Aurora the most in the story was the prophecy made by the Sage—the Sage back then was her teacher now, and the prophecy back then was her unchosen future.

Aurora listened to the story quietly.

She listened intently.

"So that's how it is, I am the source of the Kingdom's terrible Curse.

"Everyone saw the scene in the Silver Mirror, saw the misfortune of the future, so in the end you didn't choose the originally intended Blessing—changing [Death] to [Sleep], and instead chose the other path you have now."

Aurora was thoughtful.

Grandma Rosa saw the blonde girl's serious expression, and an uncontrollable feeling of love welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Yes, in that situation, the Kingdom's Sage chose an unusual path that amazed everyone, but it did seem to be the best choice. The King, the Queen, and the Witches supported this decision, step by step cultivating the Princess into a Warrior capable of slaying Dragons.

However, all of this was just wishful thinking on the part of the adults (Rhine can be considered an adult here). What did Princess Aurora herself think? She was also a living person.

Aurora, who was just a baby, didn't know what she was carrying on her shoulders, but now Aurora knew everything.

Bearing a mission from birth, undergoing years of arduous training day after day, until today, undertaking a mission far beyond her age.

Would the Princess willingly accept the choice that everyone made for her back then? ...

Aurora's birthday party was over.

The Witches left one after another.

Aurora had proven to them that she had become an independent hero and no longer needed their care.

The room suddenly became much quieter, and the living room was empty.

The little Princess propped her chin in her hands and stared at the stars, but suddenly remembered something and turned her head sharply to ask Rhine:

"So, what happened later?

"Teacher, your prophecy only went as far as 50 years after I fell asleep and the Kingdom was covered in Thorns, right?

"So, what is the future beyond that? "In the end, was the Curse lifted?"

The night was extremely quiet, and even the chirping of birds in the distance could be heard clearly.

After a long time, Rhine nodded lightly and said in a deep voice: "I'm sorry, I couldn't ask for your opinion back then and made a choice for you without permission.

"In that case, I think it is necessary for you to know your future—even if it is not accurate."

Aurora's eyes lit up all of a sudden.

Rhine said slowly: "The river of fate has too many forks and possibilities. "Although I cannot accurately predict the distant future, I can still see some of the branches of fate. Although most of the endings are not perfect, the Curse is indeed lifted.

"Aurora, since you are interested in the path that was not chosen, I can now show you the best, most perfect, and most impeccable ending among them.

"This is a right you deserve!"

Rhine took out a Silver Mirror again, the same one he used to show the future 10 years ago.

Aurora stared intently at the smooth mirror surface, almost holding her breath.

This was an unchosen path.

Ripples spread out in the mirror, and the scene reappeared in the Silver Mirror:

It was the kingdom's wasteland covered in Thorns and Tribulus after Aurora was pricked by the Spinning Wheel and the Curse took effect.

Ten years later, the prophetic image played again.

Strings of text appeared around the screen, serving as annotations for the scene.

"About this kingdom, such a legend spread: the legend of a beautiful sleeping Princess. Since then, many princes have come to explore, hacking through Thorns, wanting to get to the royal palace. But none have succeeded."

In the scene, one prince after another appeared, hacking through Thorns, trying to break through the barrier of the hedge wall and enter the royal palace sealed by layers of plants.

The Tribulus seemed to come to life, surrounding them, and the bushes also changed position, tripping the princes.

The Thorns, Tribulus, and bushes seemed to transform into countless demonic hands, firmly grasping them, preventing them from escaping.

The princes struggled and wailed, eventually dying in agony.

Another circle of water rippled in the Silver Mirror, the picture briefly plunged into darkness, and new annotation text appeared.

"Many, many years have passed again. On this day, exactly 100 years have passed, and another prince has set foot on this cursed land."