"Uh… this…" Prince Henry lowered his head, explaining sheepishly, "The light was too dim at night. Besides, one's appearance is different with and without makeup."
"Sigh." The King was used to Henry's unreliable ideas.
He asked Prince Henry again if he needed Rhine's help with divination. But Prince Henry refused, reasoning that "personally finding that girl would be the most fulfilling."
Ultimately, the King accepted the Prince's absurd idea. However, at everyone's suggestion, a restriction was also put in place—
Prince Henry could not force every girl out of their homes to cooperate with him; he could only go to various places in the Kingdom in sequence, staying for a few days in each place. He would leave the shoe there and let willing girls come out to try on the shoe, without forcing them.
…
So Prince Henry began to implement his plan.
The Prince's luxurious carriage and guards traveled to one region after another across the country.
Upon arriving at each place, the Soldiers would post notices and shout everywhere, explaining their intentions, asking the girls of that region to come out and see if they could wear the glass slipper.
They said that whichever girl could perfectly wear this glass slipper would become Prince Henry's wife.
Many girls wanted to become the Prince's wife, but after trying, they found that their feet were either too big or too small, too long or too short; none were a perfect match.
After Cinderella heard about this absurd matter, the noble image of the Prince in her heart was completely shattered:
"Oh my goodness, Momo's magician friend was indeed right. Prince Henry is truly too strange!
"He actually caused such a disturbance nationwide just to find someone, unsettling every household.
"And the standard for determining whether one can become his bride is also very strange—it's whether one can wear a shoe.
"Is Prince Henry looking for a specific person? One wouldn't use this method to find someone. He must just be looking for a girl with a particular foot shape, right?
"I can only say, fortunately, the Crown Prince of the Summer Kingdom is not him, but the First Prince Eric! I can't imagine what would happen if such a Prince became King?
"Sigh, Princes in the world are indeed not all as perfect as they are in books."
Cinderella sighed silently.
At this moment, a strange thought suddenly popped into her head:
"I also lost a glass slipper. Could Prince Henry be looking for me?"
But immediately, Cinderella dismissed this possibility.
"Are you kidding? If he wanted to find me, wouldn't he recognize my face? Why use this method?"
"Most importantly, I don't even have a glass slipper! There were many girls wearing glass slippers at that ball. But the pair I wore at the ball was only temporarily transformed by magic; they must have long since reverted!"
The shoes on Cinderella's feet had already reverted to their original appearance after midnight. She believed the lost shoe must have as well.
Cinderella subconsciously believed the magic had long ended and was completely unaware that Fairy Leila's magic had actually gone a bit wrong, causing that glass slipper to last longer than it should have.
However, no matter what, Cinderella had no more thoughts about Prince Henry—
After the ball, Cinderella sold the pearls Momo gave her and exchanged them for a large sum of money.
She changed into clothes convenient for travel, followed the birds to the seaside, and met her "pen pal" Momo for the first time.
Over many years, they had become close friends, sharing everything through birds, with matching hobbies and interests.
Now, the two friends finally saw each other's appearance—
Cinderella was wearing neither her dirty, dust- and sweat-stained smelly clothes, nor the magnificent and beautiful dark blue gown that amazed people, but simply the most ordinary and comfortable clothes for activity.
Momo floated in the deep blue, almost black, seawater, with stars and the moon reflecting in the water, illuminating and outlining the figure of the merman youth.
The handsome merman youth shyly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Cinderella, fearing that Cinderella would discriminate against him because he was a merman.
However, Cinderella said that it was completely fine.
"Momo, so you're a merman. No wonder you know so much about things in the sea! Thank you for the pearls you sent, thank you for the friends you invited, you changed my destiny!"
"There's no need to hide it. Now, the entire Kingdom knows that merpeople are not evil creatures. Prince Eric's newlywed wife, Ariel, is a mermaid!"
"I heard that your kin have already cooperated with the Summer Kingdom's merchant ships; they will direct ships at sea, allowing them to avoid storms and reefs. They also drive schools of fish in the sea, allowing fishermen to obtain a day's catch comparable to a month's past harvest."
Late that night, the two talked for a long time. From matters on land to matters at sea.
Afterward, Cinderella rented a house by the sea and came to the beach every day to chat with the merman youth Momo.
This reminded Cinderella of the days when they communicated through birds.
—Only in the past, they conveyed their thoughts through singing birds, while now, they communicated face-to-face.
In the past, Cinderella had to bear heavy housework and endure the cold stares of her stepmother and two sisters.
But now, with Momo's help, everything had changed.
This day, Cinderella came to the beach again.
"Momo, I heard that in your Sea Kingdom's court, there is a wise and knowledgeable Sea Witch who is skilled at concocting magical potions—ones that can give merpeople human feet, or give humans mermaid tails.
"Since the Summer Kingdom and your Sea Kingdom became friends, the latter kind of magic potion is also sold on land.
"Any human on land who wants to go into the sea can apply at a designated place, spend some money, and receive a bottle.
"In a while, I'm considering drinking that magic potion, going into the sea, and being with you. Anyway, my parents have both passed away, and I have no more attachment to this land.
"You've told me so much about things in the sea; I can finally go see them with my own eyes!"
Saying this, Cinderella looked towards the deep blue sea, her gaze seeming to penetrate through countless waves directly to the deep-sea palace, her gem-bright eyes filled with longing.
In the seawater, the shy and handsome merman youth was astonished, hardly believing his ears!
Cinderella wanted to become a mermaid and be with him?
Momo looked at the girl on the shore, who was smiling gently, and finally spoke the words he had held back for so long:
"To be honest, when I knew you were going to the Prince's ball, I thought the Prince would be taken with you.
"You are different from those pampered noble girls and daughters of rich merchants; you have a unique and extraordinary temperament. I even thought you might become the Prince's beloved, and eventually, his wife.
"I never dared to hope to truly be with you!"
Cinderella, however, laughed:
"I only met that Prince once. It was only under incredibly dim lighting, at a noisy ball.
"We had no conversation, said nothing, and we didn't know each other's interests or hobbies; we just danced mechanically.
"But you are different, Momo; we have been friends for five years already.
"Long before Prince Eric and his beloved wife Ariel met, we were already sharing stories with each other through those talking birds.
"Every morning, after sweeping the floor and making breakfast, the thing I looked forward to most was waiting for the birds to fly in and tell your stories—mostly about things in the sea.
"And soon, I can go see those beautiful fish in the sea with my own eyes, and see the stars and moon from the sea…"
Cinderella sat on the beach, chatting with the merman youth Momo about the future, a scene reflected in the crystal ball.
Both Rhine and Ariel saw it.
"Thank you, Magician Rhine!" Ariel said excitedly, "Now Momo can also find love."
"Speaking of which, Prince Henry's nationwide shoe-fitting saga isn't over yet. I wonder what will happen to Cinderella's two sisters and stepmother?" Rhine thought.
…
At the same time.
Cinderella's two sisters and stepmother were extremely excited when they heard that Prince Henry was looking for a girl who could wear the glass slipper to be his wife.
"My two foolish daughters, listen up, as long as you can wear that one glass slipper, you can become the Prince's wife and enjoy an incredibly noble status!" The stepmother was overjoyed, "Whichever of you it is, you must become the Prince's wife, so I can also enjoy that wealth and glory."
Both sisters nodded repeatedly.
"Speaking of which, Cinderella hasn't returned since that ball," the elder sister said, "Is she lost?"
"Idiot!" The stepmother scolded her daughter, then sighed, "Cinderella has an intimidating background. She must be enjoying wealth and glory now!"
The stepmother found it unbearable to think that Cinderella, whom she had oppressed and used as a free nanny in the past, must now be living in a palace, enjoying a life of luxury; to think that Cinderella might now be wearing priceless jewel necklaces, expensive silk clothing, and crystal-carved shoes, being served by servants every day.
"Cinderella must now have endless wealth and glory, why can't I live such a life?"
Thinking of this, Cinderella's stepmother ordered her two biological daughters:
"Go quickly and try to see if you can put on that one glass slipper."
The two daughters then went out and tried to wear the Prince's glass slipper, but their feet simply did not match the glass slipper; one's big toe was too large, and the other's heel was too large.
"What should we do? Our feet simply can't wear the shoe." Both sisters panicked.
The stepmother seemed to have thought of something and walked out the door.
After some time, she returned, holding a bottle of magic potion that looked like clear water.
"This is a magic potion I went to great lengths to buy.
"It is said to come from the Sea Kingdom of the merpeople, brewed by the Sea Witch—you should have heard that the Sea Kingdom is now an ally of the Summer Kingdom, which is why such a magic potion has made its way to land.
"This magic potion is truly amazing; if merpeople in the sea drink it, they can grow human feet!"
The elder daughter looked bewildered:
"Mother, what does this have to do with us? We're not merpeople."
The second daughter was equally confused:
"Yes, my sister and I already have feet."
"My foolish daughters!" The stepmother reprimanded sharply.
"This potion comes in different types, each capable of growing different foot shapes. I deliberately found the one that most closely resembles the foot shape of the glass slipper. Whichever of you drinks this magic potion will grow feet that can perfectly wear that one glass slipper!"