Chapter 33: Education Lesson (2)

“Ugh—!”

Merlin was so ashamed she felt like she was about to explode.

“Mom, I was wrong! Don’t do this…”

“No. I’ve decided today that I need to be a bit firmer with your gender education. I’m not letting you off the hook.”

Merlin knew her face must be as red as a ripe tomato, but she wasn’t willing to give in just like that.

So, Merlin puffed out her small cheeks until they were round, her cherry-colored lips pouting high.

“You’re just doing this to torture me, aren’t you!”

“I’m not torturing you! I’m teaching you!”

Merlin’s large eyes filled with tears of shame as she tried her best to glare.

“Hmph!”

But in her current state—flushed, teary-eyed, and trembling slightly—Merlin didn’t have an ounce of intimidation.

“Oh my, pouting so much. Let me tell you, Merlinia, fat chance! Acting spoiled won’t work either!”

Ophelia was amused by Merlin’s adorable display and couldn’t help but reach out to playfully poke Merlin’s puffed-up cheek with her index finger.

“Mean! I hate you!”

Merlin turned her head away.

“Hmph, and what can you do about it? Then go ahead and keep hating me. Seeing how stubborn you’re being makes me want to double my efforts and give you a proper education!”

Ophelia placed both hands against Merlin’s smooth back and applied a bit of pressure, pushing the sulking girl toward the bathroom.

“You—you, waah—”

“Let’s go! Get in there with me!”

Before Merlin could finish her protest, Ophelia had already pulled open the bathroom door.

“Nooo~~”

“Get in!”

***

The bathroom was thick with steam as warm water flowed over their bodies.

However, Merlin was tense all over, sitting stiffly beside Ophelia.

The sound of splashing water came from behind Merlin. A soft sponge, soaked in warm water and covered in fragrant lather, slowly moved across her spine.

“Mmh… no…”

Merlin instinctively hunched her shoulders, trying to evade Ophelia’s wandering hand while whimpering for mercy.

“I mean… I’m a boy after all. No, no… that’s not right… even for a mother and daughter, shouldn’t we bathe separately at this age? So, I don’t want to…”

“That’s impossible.”

Ophelia let out a soft chuckle.

She didn’t stop. Instead, she intensified her efforts, wrapping her lather-slicked arms under Merlin’s armpits and pulling her back into a firm embrace.

“Merlin is such a small and cute girl.”

“Mom…?”

Merlin’s back was pressed tight against Ophelia, the sensation making her mind go blank.

“Is that not so? Look, Merlinia is a child small enough to be easily and completely held in my arms.”

Ophelia’s voice drifted down from above Merlin’s head, her moist, warm breath trickling into Merlin’s ears and mind.

“You are a girl, Merlinia. You are a girl.”

Ophelia gently set the sponge down on a small side table and ran her fingertips down Merlin’s slender arms. Then, she suddenly tightened her grip, effortlessly pinning Merlin’s wrists together with just one hand.

“Like this, I can pin both of Merlinia’s wrists with one hand, and you can’t break free at all, right? If you were really a boy, you would have shaken me off easily by now.”

Merlin bit her lip and tried to struggle.

“That’s not true…”

The restraint on her arms felt like iron pincers. No matter how hard Merlin tried, her slender, white wrists remained motionless in the other woman’s palm.

“Right? Go ahead and try to struggle. Even though you could beat me in an arm-wrestle six months ago when I wasn’t using magic, now I can subdue you with one hand! Now that you’ve become a girl, your strength and height are on a completely different level than before.”

A deep sense of helplessness surged in Merlin’s heart. She had never experienced this feeling of being suppressed by sheer, brute force.

Ignoring Merlin’s protests, Ophelia’s hand traced the lines of her ribs, passed over her flat, soft belly, and finally came to rest at her waist.

“Your hips will slowly become rounder and more pert, your pelvis will widen, and your lower abdomen will swell slightly as your womb develops… Just like that, you’ll slowly turn into a body capable of bearing children. That’s the kind of girl Merlin is.”

“I’m not! I’m not!”

“Let me tell you a bit of Elven common sense. Since the Elven royal family is entirely female, of course we can be with the same gender. Otherwise, the royal line would die out, wouldn’t it?”

“No! I don’t want to know that kind of weird trivia right now! Mom, I was wrong!”

Merlin tried desperately to shake her head in denial, tears at the corners of her eyes mixing with the steam as they fell.

Further down.

“I hate you!”

“Hate me? Look, you’re clearly nothing like a boy, so why are you being so stubborn? Everything you’re experiencing right now is completely that of a girl. Even when you use the bathroom, you have to squat, don’t you?”

But Ophelia didn’t give her any chance to escape.

“Merlin, do you understand? You are that kind of girl.”

Ophelia leaned into her ear, her voice gentle yet carrying a majesty that made Merlin tremble.

“Our Merlin is just too young to understand, but you are that kind of girl. You’ll wear light and beautiful dresses, comfortable stockings, and pretty high heels, and then shyly wait for the person you love… their gender can be whatever you like, as long as the line doesn’t end.”

“…Ugh… please stop talking…”

Merlin’s sanity teetered on the brink amidst the high temperature and the shame.

“I can’t do that, Merlin. You must know yourself. You also need to understand the difference between boys and girls.”

Under the water, Ophelia tightened her legs, firmly trapping Merlin’s attempts to thrash about and locking her in place.

“Merlin, you are a small and cute girl.”

Again and again.

“You are a girl.”

The voice resonated like an echo in the small bathroom.

“You are a petite, cute, fragrant, and soft girl.”

“I’m not…”

I—

Her body was enveloped by the warm water, and her consciousness was being eroded by Ophelia’s words.

Her vision blurred because of the steam, and in this white world, Merlin began to feel lightheaded.

I am…

I…

Merlin opened her mouth, her original stubbornness now shattered into pieces.

“But I… but I was a boy before.”

“But from now on, you are a girl. You are a cute girl.”

“But I…”

Merlin’s eyes gradually lost focus, and her body slumped softly into Ophelia’s embrace.

“Are you trying to say your previous life was as a boy, too?”

“What!?!?”