Ophelia’s palm pressed down a little harder, pushing her restless daughter back onto her lap.
“Scolding is scolding, but behave! Don’t blame me if you get a scar.”
Merlin stopped arguing. She obediently lay across Ophelia’s thigh, her cheek pressed against the soft fabric, feeling her mother’s fingertips gently circle the ointment into her skin.
The numb, tingling sensation crawled up her spine, making Merlin’s face burn red.
Ophelia’s voice turned a bit more serious, but her hands didn’t stop, still gently soothing the swollen area.
Merlin let out a muffled nasal sound.
“Merlin, let me make this clear first.”
“Mm-hmm…”
“I’ve already forbidden you from manipulating souls. It’s too dangerous.”
“What?!”
“You, this half-baked Elf Princess, don’t even know how to use your abilities properly—you’re just misusing them! Until you understand your own importance, until you comprehend this power, I will absolutely not release the lock.”
Faced with her mother’s unquestionable authority, Merlin instantly deflated like a punctured ball and flopped back down.
While speaking, Ophelia gently patted Merlin’s lower back, her tone filled with frustration at her daughter’s failure to live up to expectations.
“You… really have been in human society too long, your thinking is infinitely close to a human’s. Long-lived races cherish their lives, but you always act recklessly, your way of thinking isn’t elven at all. If this continues, I’ll really be worried sick.”
“I’m really considering whether to throw you back, your current king’s term—consider whether to throw you back, your…”
Hearing her mother say she was worried, what else could Merlin do?
“I’m sorry.”
Merlin immediately bristled.
“Also… I’ve added a soul positioning to you.”
“What are you doing! Treating me like a criminal?!”
Ophelia irritably pinched the soft spot where she had just applied the ointment.
“Ouch!”
“What do you mean ‘what’! Think about what you did! I’ll beat you!”
Merlin, lying over her mother’s lap, could only reply meekly.
“Relax, I’m not checking all the time. It’s just that you worry me too much. You have to endure it whether you like it or not—consider it punishment.”
Ophelia continued applying the ointment, listening to her daughter’s whimpers with a mix of pity and anger.
“Since you turned back into Adult Merlin, you’ve become quite clingy.”
Merlin buried her face in the pillow, her earlobes red as blood.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Actually, as much as it pains me, you’ve endured much worse pain than this. For example… in the underground cave, when you took that hit for Mahina.”
“Ah…”
Merlin had wanted to hide that from Ophelia… before, when she was in her Little Merlin form, Ophelia had never pressed the matter.
But that was because she was Little Merlin. Now that she was back to Adult Merlin, of course she had to settle accounts.
“Do you know why I’m so angry?”
Ophelia gently straightened Merlin’s body, turning her onto her side, then ran her fingers through Merlin’s blue hair that shimmered like a starry sky, softly combing it.
“Because I made you worry, Mom. I took the attack for Mahina.”
“And do you know where you were reckless?”
“I always do reckless things.”
“Hmm…”
“I told you, you could have traded your hair instead. Elven souls are fragile, aren’t they? If you traded your long hair, you’d have short hair for a while.”
“Hair… that works too?”
“Hmm… it counts, but it’s really your soul’s exchange, as I said. If you trade your long hair, you’ll have short hair for a long time.”
Seeing her daughter’s dazed expression, Ophelia couldn’t help but flick her finger on her smooth forehead.
“Of course. I said an elf’s body depends on the soul’s expression, right? The next day, the hair you cut off will turn into magic power and dissipate, then grow back.”
“What?!”
Ophelia twirled a strand of blue hair around her finger.
“But… don’t think about selling your hair. I said elves only have two parts of flesh, right? The next day, the hair you cut off will turn into magic power and dissipate. Besides, selling hair gets you little money. Can our princess change this mindset?”
Ophelia looked at the two swollen buns.
“Hmm… let it dry. If I cover it now, it’ll dirty my skirt.”
“Merlinlia.”
Ophelia sighed, studying Merlin’s face.
“Don’t make excuses. If I hadn’t rewound time, would your soul have scattered?”
“I’m here.”
“This time, it was really dangerous, mainly because of what you traded. Love is a very, very important thing.”
“Your soul and core were already damaged, your body barely maintaining balance. And you, of all things, traded away important ‘romantic love’—of course the balance of your soul became precarious.”
Ophelia sighed.
“Love really is a very important thing, even if you didn’t completely abandon it, only abandoned ‘romantic love.’ But ‘love’ itself is something hard to distinguish.”
Ophelia gently and sympathetically rubbed her daughter’s ears.
“Who can guarantee that there is absolutely no friendship between lovers? After marriage and having children, do couples who live together for years have absolutely no familial affection? Emotions are inherently complicated.”
Whether Merlin couldn’t argue or didn’t understand, she only responded quietly, indicating she was still listening.
“Hmm…”
“Do you think that by cutting off ‘romantic love,’ the other ‘loves’ won’t be damaged? How naive you are. Moreover, romantic love is a crucial part of the soul—can you just cut it off like that?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ophelia’s tone became more intense.
“Before you turned into Little Merlin and woke up, do you know how anxious I was? I couldn’t sleep at night, terrified that while I slept, your body and soul would scatter together. Even though I tried to reinforce you every day, I was still scared.”
Ophelia turned away, not wanting Merlin to see her face.
“That’s right… but why did you trade ‘romantic love’? In the past, when you were sent back to the Elven Forest, you still messed with your soul. Until now, I don’t know why Cecilia would rather let your soul be damaged than send you back to the Elven Forest.”
“There was no other choice at the time.”
“Really, your soul was already in tatters, and power was overflowing, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ophelia sighed.
“Anyway, there won’t be a next time. I’ve locked your soul manipulation. Unless you become stronger than me—if you really surpass me, I’ll actually feel relieved.”
“Got it.”
“The positioning too. If anything happens, Orino and I can get there right away. I hope you won’t make me worry.”
Merlin didn’t like being disciplined, but thinking of her own actions, she had no choice but to obediently accept.
“Oww.”
“I really need to make you change that pathetic sound!”
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