Before long, the box and oilcloth I’d thrown into the water floated to the surface of the lake. I was sleepy then, so I lay on a seashell and took a nap. Not long afterward, several people woke me up. They turned out to be my father’s guards, so I swam over and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said, “Go back to sleep. We’re looking for the Second Princess!”
I burst out laughing. “Hehe! That’s me! What are you rummaging around for?”
One of them scratched his head. “Strange! We can hear the Second Princess’s voice, but we can’t see her.”
I picked up a sea urchin and threw it. It hit him right on the head. He looked back and said, “Stop fooling around! We’re busy!”
When he still ignored me, I picked up a six- or seven-meter-long fish whisker, went over, and wrapped it around his neck. He started blowing bubbles. I saw my reflection in one of them and cried out in surprise, letting go! I realized I’d turned into an adult. I shouted to them, “Stop looking! I really am the Second Princess.” Then I casually lifted a sea rock weighing several thousand pounds. They turned around in shock. “That voice sounds like the Second Princess, but how did she look so different?”
I said, “I secretly ate the herb the High Priest had offered to my father and mother, and I turned into this.”
One of them said, “It really is her! Look, grass is growing on her head. No, wait! It’s the Second Princess!”
I returned to the lakeside with everyone. The guards said, “Your Majesty! We found her!”
My father took one look at me and staggered back three steps. I ran to my mother and said, “Mom! You don’t recognize me?”
