Chapter 107: Past (2)

“Hey, what are you doing!”

Little Merlin struggled to push away Li, who was trying to get close to her.

“Don’t be like that. You’ve become so cute.”

“You’re always teasing me, and now it’s even worse! I hate it!”

John sighed. “Let Little Merlin down.”

Li set the flailing Little Merlin down, and the girl, having been teased enough, immediately ran back to her mother’s side.

“Waaaah!”

Seeing her daughter piteously reaching out to her, Ophelia stopped teasing her and firmly grasped the girl’s small hand. Little Merlin was always one for compromises. If being hugged and cuddled by her mother was too much, she would try to escape. But then again, if the alternative was being held and toyed with by Li, Little Merlin would definitely choose to play with her mother.

Ophelia led her daughter into the small cottage and began preparing tea for the guests. John followed obediently to help. The cottage was not spacious, but it was arranged in a warm and exquisite manner, with every single decoration reflecting the essence of daily life.

Li did not enter immediately. Instead, she sat down on the grass near the rocking chair. She looked at Mahina. “Why don’t you sit?”

From inside the house, John looked at Li outside the door. “What is it?”

“Um… I just want to wait a bit before going in. Just wait for me!”

“Fine… suit yourself.”

Mahina sat on the rocking chair with some constraint, watching as John closed the door. She didn’t know what to say. As a former perfect honors student who had been loved by everyone, she certainly knew how to start a conversation or ease an awkward atmosphere. However, it felt futile. She didn’t want to use any of those skills anymore; now, she was just an ordinary person.

She could not be as cold as she was toward ordinary classmates, nor could she be as fervent as she was toward Merlin. In front of those who knew her past, maintaining excessive etiquette seemed affected, especially since she was no longer the Duke’s Daughter of the Talane Estate.

Mahina could not find an answer. She could only lift her head blankly, quietly watching as the orange-red sky was covered by deep blue.

“Come to our wedding.”

Li finally broke the silence. The invitation, which went straight to the point, left Mahina somewhat at a loss. She only answered faintly, “I don’t think anyone would welcome me. The story of me and Merlin must have reached far beyond the Academy by now.”

Seeing that Mahina did not deny it, Li simply lay down on the grass. Li turned her head to look at the girl curled up in the rocking chair. She offered neither denial nor comfort.

“Is it true that Merlin sacrificed her Magic Talent to save you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s terrible. No one will ever forgive you.”

As for how Mahina had abandoned the Merlin who had lost her talent all those years ago to go to the bustling Imperial Capital… everyone in the Slums naturally knew about those things. Mahina closed her eyes, waiting for the expected insults and accusations.

“Have you been doing well these past few years? From the rumors, it sounds like you’ve done alright. An Imperial genius, a Duke’s Daughter, and things like that.”

Mahina shook her head in pain, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. “Those are just empty titles.”

Perhaps in the past, Mahina would have been proud of her Magic Talent and her hard work, but things had changed. That was a talent given to her by Merlin—a talent where rewards were easily gained as long as one put in the effort. Moreover… in a few days… she might not be able to use much Magic at all.

Furthermore, even if she truly possessed talent, the time she spent apart from Merlin was still empty. No one loved her as purely as Merlin did. Living such a life was nothing more than being in a cold cage.

Li plucked a single blade of grass and wrapped it around her fingertip, her tone remaining flat. She was no longer acting playful as she did when she was with Adult Merlin or Little Merlin.

“Why did you leave Merlin back then? Do you know how sad she was?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You clearly didn’t think much of that kind of life, yet you still chose to leave her?”

“I’m sorry. I was the one who hurt Merlin.” Mahina did not want to make excuses, nor could she.

“Merlin was truly depressed back then, to the point where she couldn’t even eat or sleep. Do you understand? She sincerely believed you would always be by her side. No matter what she planned to do, she thought of you first. Truly.”

Li’s tone was calm, yet it was more devastating than John’s earlier rage. Every word pierced Mahina’s heart.

“Even when you weren’t by her side, she would think of you. Almost all our conversations were about you. Merlin was a boy at the time and would always ask us girls for our opinions, fearing he wouldn’t take good enough care of you.”

Mahina felt both comforted and pained. She was comforted that Merlin had shared the same thoughts as her back then; they had been so perfectly in sync. She was pained because this deep love only served to highlight how hideous and cruel her betrayal had been.

“Merlin… she wrote to you every single day. She was an idiot. She spent almost all the money she secretly saved just to send letters to you, sometimes going without food herself.”

Mahina was on the verge of a breakdown. These were the facts she had to face. She had seen those letters with her own eyes, and she still hadn’t finished reading them all. It was too painful, yet she hadn’t believed in Merlin until the end.

“So, why did you leave back then? Seeing you now, it’s not like you’re someone who covets fame and fortune.”

Li had roughly understood the situation when she saw Ophelia and Mahina appear together. As Merlin’s adoptive mother and a family member connected by blood, that lady would never have allowed Mahina to get close to Merlin if Mahina had truly committed an unforgivable sin.

“At that time… I didn’t receive Merlin’s letters. I also saw a fake Merlin in the Capital… and I mistakenly thought she had betrayed me.”

Li simply gave a flat reply. “I see.”

Mahina recounted the mistakes she had made, word by word. Although the situation seemed full of holes in hindsight, Mahina had still taken the bait.

‘It would be better if I abandoned Merlin first… That way, I can protect myself from being hurt. As long as I’m the one to turn away first, I won’t be the pathetic one left behind…’

Without realizing it, Mahina had voiced the darkest, most selfish thoughts in her heart.

Li and Mahina were neither close nor distant. In the past, when everyone moved in groups, the girls would naturally cluster together to chat. As a child who had lived in the outside world before, Mahina was often asked about the world beyond, naturally becoming someone the other girls confided in.

But a few years later, the roles of the two, who had grown distant, were reversed. Li just listened quietly, occasionally letting out a small hum while lying on the grass to show she was still listening, letting Mahina continue.

Perhaps it was precisely this distance—neither too close nor too far—that allowed Mahina to speak her heart. Though Ruby was someone who had always stayed by her side, and Mahina knew Ruby would never tell anyone, it was sometimes harder to speak precisely because they were so close. Li, however, knew her past with Merlin, and their current relationship meant Mahina wouldn’t feel embarrassed even if she spoke out.

Mahina sat there with her arms wrapped around her knees. She sighed and continued.

“Actually… not long after we separated, I regretted it.”

“Then you… got what you deserved.”