A Chance Encounter with the Mermaid Princess!

The merfolk abruptly changed from their previous cheerful demeanor, frantically advising their two adorable human friends against visiting the Sea Hag.

Aurora was quite surprised by the merfolk's reaction and asked, "Why are you all suddenly so afraid? Is there something special about this Sea Hag?"

The merfolk chimed in one after another, "The Sea Hag is a witch who is proficient in Black Magic, and she's ugly and terrifying."

"She lives behind a whirlpool, in a sea forest made entirely of coral. Everything there is frightening; just one glance can give you nightmares for days!"

"No matter what you seek from the Sea Hag, even if it's just a small question, you must pay a price. And it's definitely a huge price, one you can't afford!"

"I've heard that few who receive her help end up well—because she only knows dark magic, which is better at bringing disaster than happiness; better at making people pay the price and sacrifice than fulfilling wishes."

"Yes, only the most desperate merfolk and other intelligent sea creatures, when they're at their wit's end, might consider seeking her help!"

Sounds alright to me, at most she's a greedy merchant who asks for a high price, not a villain without principles, Rhine thought.

He remembered the deal between the protagonist, the Little Mermaid, and the Sea Hag in the original story.

After saving the prince, the Little Mermaid fell in love with the handsome human. To be with the prince forever and gain an immortal soul, the Little Mermaid asked the Sea Hag to turn her fishtail into human legs.

The Sea Hag demanded the Little Mermaid's voice as payment—the most beautiful singing voice in the sea, which was definitely expensive.

Admittedly, it was a terrible deal.

But throughout the deal, the Sea Hag had disclosed the risks in advance, with no concealment or fraud.

After listening to the merfolk's dissuasion, he said firmly, "It's okay. We just want to ask her a question, a very simple question. We'll see what price the Sea Hag asks us to pay."

"Even if the Sea Hag really asks for a high price that we can't afford, we'll weigh the pros and cons and reject the deal. No one will lose anything."

"Where we come from, in the human world, some unscrupulous merchants always boast about the benefits of their goods but don't tell people the price they have to pay."

Seeing that they couldn't persuade the two humans, the merfolk stopped trying.

Just then, Aurora noticed that one of the merfolk—seemingly the most beautiful and elaborately dressed of the little mermaids, almost like a Princess—had suddenly fallen silent and turned away after the Sea Hag was mentioned.

Aurora was puzzled: This little mermaid was clearly the most curious, having asked Rhine several questions earlier. Why did she fall silent at the mention of the Sea Hag? "What's wrong? Did something about the Sea Hag touch a nerve?"

Aurora asked the most elaborately dressed mermaid—who didn't seem much older than her and had been very polite when questioning Rhine, giving Aurora a sense of closeness.

"I..." The little mermaid stammered, finally giving an answer, "I... I've been considering going to see the Sea Hag myself recently."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the surrounding merfolk exploded: "Why? The noble Sixth Princess! How could you have such a thought?"

"Princess Ariel, you are the princess of this Mermaid Kingdom, the Sea King's most beloved little daughter, and you have the most beautiful singing voice in this sea! Is there anything in this Mermaid Kingdom that you want but can't get?"

The merfolk were all frightened and began to dissuade their Princess from going to the Coral Forest where the Sea Hag lived!

Their efforts to dissuade her were even greater than when they had tried to dissuade the two humans.

Humans might not know how terrible the Sea Hag was, but how could the Mermaid Princess, the daughter of the sea, not know? Moreover, what need did a noble Princess have to seek out witches and magic to fulfill her wishes? "Sixth Princess? The Sea King's youngest daughter?"

"Is it her?"

Rhine's heart stirred, slightly astonished.

To actually encounter the Mermaid Princess here? The protagonist of 'The Little Mermaid'.

Judging from the timeline, this should be shortly after the Mermaid Princess saved the prince, just after learning the secret of the immortal soul from her Old Grandmother, and about to seek the Sea Hag's help!