The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 4: The Witch and the 12 Golden Platters

Rhine was slightly stunned.

I’m the one to name Sleeping Beauty?

To personally participate in a tale as familiar as this, giving a name to the heroine who hasn’t even been born yet, felt surreal to Rhine.

The Queen nodded gently. The King smiled knowingly, gesturing for the slightly astonished Rhine to proceed boldly.

"As the ancient sages have said, a name marks the beginning of a newborn’s destiny, setting the direction of their life.

“It is a tradition in our kingdom for learned sages to name the newborn.

“In my kingdom, no one is more suited to name our daughter than you, Lord Rhine!”

The young mage lowered his head in thought, ideas flickering in his bright eyes.

The heroine’s name isn’t consistent across them. In some versions, she’s even simply referred to as “the princess.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Rhine came to a decision.

“Let’s call her Aurora, the Little Princess.”

Rhine spread his arms, his voice rising:

“The name means dawn, the light of a new day.

“No matter how deep or dark the night, dawn will always come!

“May hope and light illuminate the Little Princess’s future.”

This wasn’t a name Rhine chose lightly.

Aurora had been the name of Sleeping Beauty’s daughter in one version of the tale.

Tchaikovsky adapted it into the name of the princess herself in his ballet, which Disney’s Sleeping Beauty later popularized.

Since then, whether translated as "Ailuo," "Aurore," or other variations, Aurora had become the most recognized name for Sleeping Beauty across the world.

Rhine simply went along with the flow of destiny and chose this beautiful name.

“Aurora, what a lovely name,” the Queen exclaimed, clapping softly in delight.

The King was also pleased.

“Lord Rhine, after Princess Aurora is born, I plan to hold a grand banquet.

“At that time, I will invite 12 witches from across the kingdom to bless the newborn princess!

“And I must also ask you, Lord Rhine, our learned mage, to offer your blessings to the princess as well!”

Placing a hand over his chest, Rhine responded with a smile:

“It would be my honor.”

But after speaking, his expression grew more serious.

He knew what lay ahead: the well-known story of Sleeping Beauty.

At Aurora’s baptismal celebration, the kingdom’s 13th witch—the infamous Black Witch, Maleficent—would intrude, furious at being excluded.

She would curse the newborn princess, dooming her to die at the age of 15 by pricking her finger on a spindle!

In some versions of the story, the King excluded the 13th witch simply because there were only 12 golden platters for the guests—a blood feud sparked by something so trivial.

But that wasn’t the whole story. The greater reason was that the King himself disliked the Black Witch.

Contemplating this impending curse, Rhine’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Was this a fate he could change?

Raising his head, his expression solemn under his hood, Rhine addressed the King as a kingdom’s sage:

“Your Majesty, if there are 13 powerful witches in the kingdom,

“Wouldn’t excluding one of them cause resentment?

“Especially considering Maleficent’s temperament. She is not one to forgive easily…

“Deliberately ignoring her—could that invite disaster?”

Maleficent—that was the name Rhine had recently learned belonged to the Black Witch.

Hearing Rhine’s words, the King’s eyes froze.

A chill ran down his spine, and dread seeped into his bones.

He had overlooked such a critical issue!

Thanks to Rhine’s reminder, he realized just how reckless his decision had been and the dangers it entailed.

Maleficent was the strongest and most vengeful of the 13 witches.

A baptismal ceremony as grand as this would be known throughout the kingdom.

If Maleficent weren’t invited, she would undoubtedly take offense.

The mere thought of the potential disaster made the King break out in a cold sweat.

As a mere mortal king, he couldn’t afford to provoke such a powerful witch. Legendary mages had lifespans that stretched to near eternity, enough to witness the rise and fall of kingdoms. To them, mortal kings and their power were insignificant.

If they wished, they could curse or destroy an entire kingdom at will. Even the items they created, should they fall into the wrong hands, could spell doom for an entire realm.

History told many tales of a poor peasant stumbling upon an ancient mage’s artifact, easily toppling the noble who oppressed him, and ascending as the new ruler of a kingdom.

Although the King couldn’t be certain whether Maleficent possessed such terrifying power, he dared not take the risk.

Fortunately, Rhine had warned him in time.

“Lord Rhine, thank you for the reminder. If we don’t invite Maleficent, she will certainly bear a grudge! In that case, I will treat all the witches equally and invite every one of them in the kingdom!”

Under normal circumstances, the King wouldn’t dare allow the Black Witch into his palace.

But on the day of the princess’s baptism, with 12 other witches and Lord Rhine present, Maleficent would have no opportunity to cause trouble—or so the King believed.

Seeing the King accept his advice, Rhine nodded slightly and said no more.

He had already plucked the strings of fate.

The original cause of Maleficent’s curse on Sleeping Beauty was no longer present.

Would the story’s direction change?

…

Time flew by, and several days passed since Rhine had given his counsel.

The King, keeping Rhine’s advice in mind, planned to invite all 13 witches to the palace after the Little Princess’s birth. Together with Rhine, now the court mage, they would bless Princess Aurora.

The King was busy preparing for this grand celebration.

But soon, he encountered a problem.

The palace’s tableware for the highest-ranking guests consisted of exquisite golden platters adorned with intricate, luxurious patterns.

There were exactly 12 of them—no more, no less.

If all 13 witches were invited, there wouldn’t be enough golden platters.

And it wasn’t as if they could use golden platters for the 12 witches while giving the Black Witch, Maleficent, a silver platter instead.

She would undoubtedly fly into a rage and curse the entire kingdom!

In that case, it might be better not to invite her at all.

As for Sage Rhine, being part of the court, he would use tableware just as ornate but distinct in design from those prepared for the guests, so no special arrangements were necessary for him.

Thus, the King summoned the kingdom’s veteran craftsman, who had served faithfully all his life, and gave him an order:

“You and your craftsmen are to create a golden platter identical in style to those prepared for the other honored guests. Use this gold for the task.

“Make sure the new platter matches the existing ones perfectly!”

…

The old craftsman returned home after receiving the order and happened to meet his younger brother, Oz, who had come back that day.

Unlike his older brother, Oz was a prodigious magician.

Oz had always detested their family’s destiny of serving as royal craftsmen for generations. From a young age, he had idolized the legendary mages in the tales, those who wielded miraculous powers.

He dreamed of becoming one of those witches or wizards who could summon storms and command the elements.

However, as he grew older, Oz came to realize that, like most people, he was just an ordinary mortal with no chance of wielding real magic.

Still, he couldn’t abandon his childhood dream entirely.

Instead, he took up the art of illusion, learning how to deceive the eyes of his audience with gestures, props, and performances—achieving feats that were almost like real magic.

Oz became an exceptional magician. Unlike his traditionalist brother, Oz was a creative genius, constantly brimming with fresh ideas.

Using chemical reactions, stage lighting effects, and advanced performance techniques, he invented hundreds of novel tricks, gradually earning recognition as the greatest magician of his era.

Oz’s fame grew as he toured several kingdoms, performing to audiences from all walks of life. People praised him, cheering wildly for his breathtaking shows.

Basking in the flowers and applause, Oz sometimes felt like he truly was a mage of extraordinary power.

Today, now a middle-aged man, Oz teased his brother after hearing about the new task:

“The King must really trust you all, just handing over that gold to you and your craftsmen.

“If it were me, I might be tempted to keep a little for myself!

“Haha, after all, I make a living fooling people. Look at me—I deceive everyone on stage, and they gladly pay me for it.”

Oz spoke casually, not giving his words much thought, and soon went off to bed.

But his offhand remarks lingered in the old craftsman’s mind.

Yes, why hadn’t I ever thought of keeping a little for myself?

The court jesters, those fools with their flattery and jokes, were handsomely rewarded.

And here I am, having served the King diligently my entire life, with less wealth and status than those clowns.

I deserve better!

Creating a golden platter was an effortless task for a master craftsman of his caliber.

Over the years, his skill had reached the peak of perfection.

He knew every step of the process, every inspection method, and every tiny vulnerability in the system.

The old craftsman was confident that he could mix in a bit of cheaper metal and keep some gold for himself without anyone ever noticing.

…

Meanwhile, as the King prepared for the Little Princess’s baptism, Rhine was adjusting to his new role as the royal advisor, court mage, and sage of the kingdom.

Now, his authority was second only to the King.

Of course, Rhine wasn’t particularly impressed by this.

This small kingdom, with its limited population and territory, was hardly worth boasting about.

Becoming its sage? Even becoming its king wouldn’t mean much.

In this fantastical world of extraordinary power, Rhine was far more interested in two things: the mysteries of magic and the world itself.

Upon assuming his position as court mage, Rhine immediately issued two orders.

The first was to have a servant retrieve the kingdom’s spellbook, a tome passed down for centuries.

It was the key to becoming a truly powerful mage.

The second was to obtain the most detailed map of the world available in the kingdom, along with a stack of books and records about foreign lands and global affairs from the royal archives.

What kind of world have I ended up in?

What lies beyond the Kingdom of Sleeping Beauty?

Rhine burned with curiosity, eager for answers.

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