"I'm also a guest of your parents, just like my big brother earlier." Artoria noticed that Princess Shirahoshi had slightly relaxed her guard, so she seized the opportunity and gently moved closer.
"Are you really not a bad person?" Although Princess Shirahoshi had eased her wariness a bit, doubt still lingered in her large, innocent eyes.
"Yes, don't be afraid. Sister will show you a magic trick." Artoria smiled softly, planning to lift the mood and delight the young mermaid princess.
"Uh-huh! Shirahoshi loves magic the most!" The moment she heard the word 'magic,' Princess Shirahoshi's face lit up with excitement.
"Alright." Artoria gathered energy into her palm. Multicolored lights began to swirl and shimmer, illuminating her elegant features with a mystic glow that added to her noble charm.
In the next instant, Artoria released the light, launching it toward the domed ceiling of the Coral Palace chamber. The orb burst into a dazzling display, scattering into 31 radiant points of energy, each resembling a glowing star. The floating specks gently descended across the enormous room like fireflies in the ocean.
"This Artoria... I'm only now realizing how good she is at making little girls smile." Rin watched the scene quietly. The cold and distant mask Artoria had worn for so long had finally cracked, revealing a warmth she usually kept hidden deep inside.
"How's that? Isn't it beautiful?" Artoria asked, her voice calm and tender as she turned to the wide-eyed princess.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Shirahoshi was spellbound. In all her life confined to the palace, she had never seen anything so vibrant, so magical.
"If you'd like, I can show you magic like this every day." Artoria smiled warmly. Her delicate features, always noble, now carried a rare sense of gentleness.
"Really?" Young Shirahoshi climbed out of bed. Even as a child, her body was already massive roughly the size of a full-grown human floor but to Artoria, that just made her more endearing.
"Really." Artoria nodded sincerely.
"Can you tell me about the outside world?" Though Shirahoshi wasn't yet locked away in the Hard-Shell Tower by her father, King Neptune, she was still mostly grounded due to her size and royal status. She had never stepped beyond the boundaries of the castle, and her heart yearned for stories of the sea and the surface.
"Of course." Artoria was more than willing to share stories of the lands she had roamed over the past hundred years of sunlit islands, turbulent skies, and open oceans.
"Yay! I'm going to ask Mama to let you stay!" Princess Shirahoshi clapped her hands in delight. Because of her size and shyness, the other mermaid children often avoided her. She had grown up isolated, prone to tears, and terrified of strangers so having someone like Artoria stay meant the world to her.
"The outside world has flowers, trees, mountains, and even floating islands above the clouds. There's more beauty than you can ever imagine." Artoria painted a vivid picture, filling Shirahoshi's heart with wonder and longing.
"That sounds amazing…" Shirahoshi's eyes shimmered as she pictured the places Artoria described. Her heart, once full of fear, now swelled with a quiet dream.
"One day, you should really leave the palace and see it all for yourself." Artoria's voice grew soft. She truly pitied Shirahoshi this kind and gentle girl who would one day carry the burden of Poseidon, yet had never even walked freely in her own kingdom.
Nearby, Rin watched as the two bonded, feeling grateful that Artoria was helping the princess shed her fear of strangers.
"You care about her a lot, don't you?" At some point, Princess Otohime had walked up beside Rin, her presence quiet and graceful.
"Yes. From the moment I awakened her... I knew that in this life, she would belong to me alone." Rin's eyes remained fixed on Artoria, now laughing softly with Shirahoshi.
"But… there's another woman in your heart, isn't there?" Otohime's gentle gaze was piercing. Her ability to read emotions was akin to Observation Haki, allowing her to sense even the faintest flickers in a person's soul.
"She was someone just as important. I once swore to protect them both." Guina's face flashed through Rin's mind. Since leaving Isshin Dojo, he hadn't seen the girl he'd thought of day and night.
"I can tell... she has feelings for you too." Otohime's tone was kind but certain. She was speaking of Artoria whose heart, though hidden beneath steel and ice, was already bound to Rin.
"Otohime-san, why do you say that?" Rin asked, brought back to the present.
"Because I've made up my mind. I'll attend the public speech that day." Otohime's voice was resolute, her decision firm despite the danger.
"There'll be over 150 people present. If someone tries to assassinate you, the square will erupt into chaos." Rin warned her seriously, remembering how in the original history, Otohime was tragically assassinated after such a speech.
"I know… but for the sake of my people, I must go." Despite her fear, Otohime chose to follow the same path. Her dream of uniting fish-men and humans was worth the risk.
"If you're set on this path, then I won't stop you but for Shirahoshi's sake, I hope you'll reconsider." Rin turned toward the young princess, still playing with Artoria. In the original timeline, Shirahoshi had seen her mother slain before her eyes. Rin didn't want that pain to repeat.
"Shirahoshi… would want me to go through with it too." Otohime said softly. Her eyes grew misty, but her voice remained firm.
"Don't worry, Otohime. When the day comes, our Pandora Pirates will guard the square. I'll bring Casa and the others we'll ensure no one can lay a finger on you." Rin's promise was sincere and absolute. If he had chosen to intervene in fate, he would follow through to the end with steel and fire, if needed.
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