The bells of noon rang. Although the students and Little Merlin had agreed that she would only participate in the activities on the first morning of the Star Moon Festival, perhaps because the festive atmosphere unique to the celebration had infected her, she was in no hurry to change out of her maid outfit or leave immediately.
‘The feeling of being liked… isn’t so bad after all,’ she thought silently to herself. Although the guests’ heated gazes made her a bit shy, most of them kept a polite distance, and even their handshakes were cautious.
As for the few individuals who tried to take the opportunity to pat her head or get too close, they were repelled by the ice scoop of Orino—the Great Fairy who seemed to be selling ice cream but was actually watching in all directions—before they could even approach.
Little Merlin decided to have lunch right there. She sat upright on a high chair, a deluxe version of omurice specially made for her by the students placed before her, along with a side of Orino’s special orange ice cream.
“Awoo.”
Little Merlin gripped the silver spoon that was slightly oversized for her with both hands, working hard to scoop up a large portion of fried rice covered in ketchup. She opened her tender pink mouth and stuffed it all in at once. Because she stuffed it so full, her slightly chubby baby-fat cheeks instantly bulged out, making her look like a little hamster hoarding food.
Her deep blue hair draped smoothly behind her, and with every chewing motion, the two strands hanging by her ears trembled slightly. Under the table, her calves, encased in semi-transparent white tights and wearing black Mary Jane shoes, swung gently to the rhythm of her chewing, shimmering in the sunlight.
“Mm…”
Watching Little Merlin’s serious expression as she struggled against the food, a wave of whispers broke out among the surrounding crowd. “Just watching her eat makes me feel full. Is this what they call spiritual food?”
“Shh! Be quiet! Don’t scare Little Merlin!”
Even the usually stern professors couldn’t help but reveal kind smiles, as if they were looking at their own granddaughters.
Just then, perhaps because she was eating too intently, a mischievous grain of rice stuck to the corner of Little Merlin’s mouth. Orino, who had been standing guard nearby, was quick to react. She leaned down and pulled out a clean white handkerchief with gentle movements. “Oh my, Little Merlin is such a little glutton. Orino is finally useful today! I didn’t have a chance to take care of you these past few days. Baby, we should go out to play more often.”
Little Merlin gave a muffled thanks and then scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She squinted her eyes from the cold and gave a happy smile.
The onlookers were sunk by this defenseless smile, and some students even clutched their hearts and fell into their companions’ arms.
Just then, two slightly hurried figures pushed through the crowd and burst into the shop, panting.
“Whew… whew… Glad we made it in time!”
Mahina straightened her bangs, which were messy from running. When her gaze landed on the blue figure, her eyes instantly lit up. “There were too many things to do this morning, I was running in circles… I thought I was going to miss Maid Little Merlin’s limited-time appearance.”
Beside her, Lucia, who had also rushed over, breathed a long sigh of relief. She rested her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist and wiped the sweat from her brow. “This girl runs too fast… but it looks like I’m not late either.”
However, before they could get close, an orange figure blocked their path. Orino crossed her arms over her chest in a large “X” shape. Even though she was wearing a maid outfit, her guardian aura hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She pointed at Little Merlin, who was currently buried in her food, and said righteously, “It’s already too late, Lady Mahina and Your Highness Lucia. Though it’s a pity, the morning business hours have ended. Little Merlin is no longer receiving guests; it is now Little Merlin’s lunch break!”
“Ah — ?”
Mahina and Lucia sighed simultaneously, their shoulders slumping visibly.
“How can this be…”
Mahina looked at Little Merlin, who was right there but “closed for business,” her eyes full of regret. She had worked desperately to finish her tasks just for this moment. The two had met by chance on the way here, rather than by appointment.
“Forget it…”
Mahina quickly adjusted her emotions. Although she had missed the service, being able to see Little Merlin eating could be considered a form of compensation. She took a deep breath, stepped a few paces closer, and tried to make her voice as gentle and persuasive as possible. “Um… Little Merlin?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Little Merlin stopped her spoon. With her cheeks bulging, she turned to look at Mahina. “Mm?”
“It’s like this. There’s a theatrical performance tomorrow night at the Grand Hall, and I wanted to… invite you to watch it with me.”
Seemingly afraid that Little Merlin would refuse, Mahina quickly added, “I’ve already asked Professor Ophelia, and she said as long as you’re willing, she has no objection.”
Little Merlin swallowed the food in her mouth and blinked her large, watery blue eyes. Her instinct was to refuse—after all, crowded places were a bit troublesome—but…
‘A play…’
She repeated the words quietly to herself. It was indeed a bit boring to stay home all the time reading books.
“Okay.”
She nodded gently and scooped up another spoonful of omurice. “Fine, I’ll go take a look.”
“Great!”
“I’m going too,” Lucia, who had been silent until now, suddenly chimed in.
Mahina turned her head and raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Didn’t you just say on the way here that ‘I have no interest in those boring plays’?”
Lucia’s face did not turn red, nor did her heart skip a beat as she crossed her arms. “That was then, this is now.”
She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the maid, Little Merlin, who looked blissful with a drop of sauce still on the corner of her mouth. Her throat bobbed slightly.
“Besides, as an Imperial Princess, inspecting the cultural activities of the Academy is also part of my duty. I don’t feel comfortable letting the two of you go alone. What if you run into bad people?”
“…This is inside the Academy. Where would bad people come from?”
“Enough talk. I’m going regardless. What’s the problem? There are going to be so many people anyway, so one more won’t matter, right?”
“I thought you would continue to handle recent matters?”
“That… has nothing to do with me anymore. I only acted out of a deal initially.”
Lucia had never meddled in the struggle for the throne from the very beginning. As the Third Imperial Princess, she had always lived a life of leisure with a poor reputation. As for the struggle between the First Prince and the Second Prince, that had nothing to do with her.
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