The Road Not Taken

Within the mirror's image, a prince clad in splendid robes appeared.

He had a tall, upright build, but his face was washed out by the lighting, his features blurred beyond recognition. Still, judging by his outline, he was probably a handsome prince.

When the prince reached the hedge, all he saw were bushes blooming with beautiful flowers.

He passed through the hedge with ease.

As he walked onward, the hedge behind him densely closed up again, as though welcoming the prince's arrival.

Seeing this scene in the mirror, Aurora was baffled. "Why were all the other princes entangled by Thorns, Tribulus, and brambles, dying miserable deaths in this cursed land?

"But when he came, all those obstacles vanished. Even the hedge moved aside on its own to make way for him? Could he be one of the Black Witch's subordinates? That's why the cursed plants not only didn't attack him, but instead cleared a path for him."

Princess Aurora, you really were taught by me. That was exactly the question that came to my mind. But Aurora, that guess of yours was really... far too unromantic. Why did you have no sense of poetry at all...

Rhine's expression remained composed, yet he could not stop himself from laughing inwardly.

According to the original story, Rhine believed this was a poetic adaptation, an exaggerated interpretation of fated love.

After all, in the older version of the tale, "Sun, Moon, and Talia," the one who awakened Sleeping Beauty was the king of a neighboring country—after seeing the sleeping beauty slumbering there, the monarch was overcome by lust and had relations with her. Throughout the entire process, Sleeping Beauty remained unconscious and asleep.

Yet afterward, Sleeping Beauty gave birth to two children, "Sun" and "Moon." The two infants unconsciously suckled at their mother, awakening Sleeping Beauty.

Afterward, Sleeping Beauty married the king of the neighboring country who had indirectly awakened her.

By comparison, the adapted versions by Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers were far more beautiful.

Compared to the original, having a chosen prince awaken the princess in place of a rapist king undoubtedly better suited people's beautiful expectations for stories of princes and princesses.

The brambles and hedges moved aside, the Thorns receded, flowers bloomed across the trees—every beautiful wonder existed to portray this perfect moment.

However, in a fantasy world that truly existed, Rhine also found it difficult to explain the cause of this marvelous phenomenon.

The young mage merely shook his head.

"I don't know either.

"Perhaps after a hundred years, the Black Witch Curse had weakened enough that it could no longer pose an obstacle. Or perhaps he is your fated lover. When he stepped onto this cursed land, even the world itself gave him its blessing."

Huh? Her fated lover? Aurora's eyes widened, filled with boundless confusion.

"But I don't even know him!"

The image in the mirror continued to change.

The prince crossed through the bushes that moved aside for him, weaving through a crimson sea of flowers as he continued deeper inside.

Everything was eerily quiet.

At last, he arrived at the ancient palace tower and pushed open the door to the little room where Princess Aurora slept.

Lying in the room was unmistakably Princess Aurora herself!

She was sleeping soundly.

The image immediately gave the sleeping Princess Aurora a close-up.

Compared to the blonde girl she was now, the Aurora in the image was older, closer to the traditional image of a beauty, because she had already turned fifteen when she fell into her slumber.

The Sleeping Beauty in the mirror was as lovely and captivating as the real girl before him.

Her features seemed to possess a magic capable of drawing one's soul into ruin, yet she lacked that sharp, indescribable air. She was more like a delicate flower, making others unable to resist cherishing her.

The instant the prince saw Aurora, his eyes widened, and he could not bear to blink even once.

As he watched, the prince could not help bending down and gently kissing Princess Aurora.

The blessing came true, and the curse was broken.

In the mirror, Aurora suddenly woke up!

She opened her eyes and smiled, gazing deeply and lovingly at the prince who had saved her.

The prince embraced her and walked out of the palace tower with her.

Not long afterward, the sleeping curse blanketing the kingdom gradually ended as well, and people awoke one after another.

However, after a hundred years had passed, the kingdom no longer resembled its former self. Fallen trees and weeds covered the land, and every house was overgrown with plants.

New words scrolled across the mirror.

"Before long, the prince and Aurora held a grand wedding ceremony. They lived together in happiness and joy until they grew old."

The colorful image in the Silver Mirror gradually dimmed, then finally vanished into darkness.

"Huh? That's it?" Only then did Aurora react, looking quite surprised.

"Out of all the possible futures, was the best, most perfect ending only this?"

Somewhat disappointed, Aurora murmured, "So in the end, Black Witch Maleficent, the true culprit, received no punishment at all? She is such a powerful witch. She had long since transformed herself into a true dragon, so she would surely live for a very, very long time.

"What if she rises again and wants to destroy our kingdom once more? Who would stop her this time? And at the end, that prince—I don't know him, do I? He's someone from a future a hundred years from now. Right now, his father probably hasn't even been born yet!

"And then... then we just got together like that? What kind of strange development is that? Didn't the blessing say that only a kiss from someone who deeply loved me could break the curse? But it was his first time seeing me, and I was asleep. He couldn't even say a single word to me.

"Doesn't love need time to grow?"

Princess, your way of thinking was already far ahead of your time. Wait, was all of this taught by me? How was I supposed to explain this to His Majesty the King and the Queen... Rhine chuckled.

"Who knows? Perhaps love at first sight counts too."

Rhine's tone became ethereal and distant once more.

"Princess, you have now seen the road not taken.

"Ten years ago, on that disastrous night, two roads lay before you. One was strewn with flowers and poetry, while the other was covered in Thorns and storms.

"At that time, you were still too young, nothing more than an infant in swaddling clothes. I could not ask for your opinion and could only make the choice for you. I chose the road you walk now, burdening you with such a heavy fate.

"Over these past years, in order to turn you into the warrior of prophecy, the witches and I made you endure harsh training. And soon, we will embark upon an unknown journey across the continent, where there may be dangers beyond prediction. You have given up too much to fulfill your destiny. You have worked hard, my Princess.

"For the choice I made without your consent, I apologize to you."

After saying that, Rhine gave the Little Princess before him a deep bow.

But Aurora shook her head hard and hurriedly helped Rhine up. "No, it isn't like that. Teacher, I should be thanking you! And thanking Father, Mother, and all the witch aunties and grandmothers too! Thank you all.

"If I had followed my original path in life, I would have been locked inside a palace tower cast from brass, knowing nothing of the world, understanding nothing, foolish and helpless. The tutor who taught me literature once taught me that a great man said that among all misfortunes in the world, the greatest was to know nothing of one's own misfortune.

"Before long, Engeland will reveal the truth of the curse to the public, and the country will descend into chaos. Yet I could only remain deep within the palace, listening as maids informed me of disasters everywhere, unable to do anything but cry—though more likely, I would not even understand what those so-called disasters were, because I would never have stepped outside the palace gates.

"It was you, Teacher, who gave me the chance to change everything with my own hands! Thank you! Once matters within the kingdom are settled, we will set out together to travel the continent and seek the Black Witch's whereabouts. Even if the final outcome is imperfect, I will at least have tried. There will be nothing to regret..."

Aurora and Rhine's concerns were absolutely not unfounded.

Some time before Aurora's birthday, a terrifying rumor had already planted its seeds throughout the Rose Kingdom.

No one knew where this dreadful prophecy had begun.

Perhaps it started as tavern gossip, perhaps from the wild claims of an astrologer, or perhaps from a speech by one of the guests who had attended the Princess's Baptism Ceremony.

In a very short time, the claim that "the kingdom has been cursed by the Black Witch and will be destroyed in five years" spread rapidly.

Every day, the Old King was overwhelmed by bad news from across the land. Farmers in the fields no longer worked diligently; bakeries and breweries ceased operating; wealthy people with property fled the kingdom overnight with their families; even the once-disciplined army began to mutiny.

People in every street and alley said that the King of the Rose Kingdom was an utterly incompetent tyrant.

They blamed the King for offending the terrifying Black Witch and bringing the nation to the brink of destruction.

Faced with an ever-increasing flood of bad news, the white-haired Old King had no choice but to deliver a public speech. He declared that even fleeing the kingdom would not allow anyone to escape the curse. He also promised that there was a way to end the curse before the disaster truly arrived—the Kingdom Sage, who had mysteriously departed ten years ago, was in fact working to dispel the curse and would succeed before long.

But now, people no longer believed the King's words.

The Rose Kingdom of today was no longer the beautiful, peaceful land it had once been.

From the Royal Capital to small towns and rural villages, there was not a single place in the entire nation that was not in chaos.

Even when walking the streets in broad daylight, one could encounter bandits blocking the road to rob people—if the kingdom would be destroyed in five years anyway, why bother obeying order?

And that was not even the worst of it.

At the kingdom's most chaotic moment, bandits from neighboring countries came to take a share as well—they had clearly been planning this for a long time.

Engeland's army launched a surprise attack on the Rose Kingdom. They invaded towns, plundered on a massive scale, raped women, and set fires everywhere.

"Up ahead lies the Rose Kingdom. You may take whatever you want, as much as you want. Gold and silver coins from wealthy households, statues in city-center squares, beautiful members of the opposite sex—they all belong to you! Their soldiers have long since lost their will to fight. They are no longer the proud army they once were and cannot possibly stop our iron cavalry!"

Before setting out, Engeland's officers promised their soldiers exactly that.

And in truth, that was exactly what they did. What the soldiers actually did was even ten times worse and more horrifying than what their officers had promised.

"No... why did it turn out like this?"

Within the palace, the King was in anguish and despair.

The Old King had become even more aged now. Not a single black hair remained on his head. He was not even sure how much longer he could endure in the face of so much terrible news.

"It must have been those bastards from Engeland who deliberately spread word of the curse! It had to be them! Their nobles attended the grand ceremony for the Princess's Baptism Ceremony. They witnessed Black Witch Maleficent pronounce the curse with their own eyes and knew every secret."