Ah, she’d finally managed to raise this daughter right. Ophelia had no idea how much effort it had taken.
She remembered back when she first bathed with Merlin—that wary blue-haired elf had bristled all over, curled up in the corner, hissing at her and shouting, “No, no!” resisting like she was heading to the execution ground.
Now she was so well-behaved.
At this moment, Merlin sat obediently on a specially made little wooden stool. Her hands were properly placed on her closed knees, her fair skin flushed a faint pink from the steam.
Her eyes were closed, letting Ophelia’s magic-like hands gently work up a lather on her head.
She seemed to be in a good mood, her dangling little feet occasionally swinging back and forth lightly, her toes tapping.
Ophelia watched her daughter like this, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
If only she’d been like this from the start…
So adorable after all…
When it came to Merlin, Ophelia felt the same whether it was her gradually becoming more girlish in her mannerisms or their mother-daughter bond growing closer—bathing together, sleeping together.
The words Ophelia wanted to say were always kept hidden in her heart, because she knew Merlin was very shy. As long as she was willing to do it, that was enough; teasing her wouldn’t do. Even a playful remark would make her little face flush red and cause her to glare in anger.
Ophelia squeezed out some shampoo.
Merlin’s long, gradient blue hair, cascading like a waterfall, was gradually wrapped in a thick, snowy white foam under Ophelia’s fingertips. Ophelia spread her slender ten fingers, pressing her pads against the scalp, slowly combing from the hairline backward, massaging gently and rhythmically. The originally silky long hair became sticky and heavy under the shampoo’s moisture, like a blue cloud kneaded into cream.
Merlin let out a satisfied sigh. “Hah…”
She was like a cat that had been scratched in its favorite spot. Her usually straight spine instantly softened, and she squinted her eyes in bliss. Her whole body seemed on the verge of melting into Ophelia’s palm.
Seeing Merlin’s defenseless, happy expression, Ophelia’s smile deepened.
She continued massaging Merlin’s scalp with just the right amount of pressure, not too hard, not too soft.
“Merlin, does Mommy’s hair-washing feel good?”
Merlin answered dreamily, her voice soft and tender: “Mm… very good.”
“Are you willing to bathe with Mommy?”
“Yes, thank you, Mommy.”
“You’re such a good baby.”
Merlin swayed her little head drowsily.
“Mm-hmm… I’ve always been a good girl, you know.”
“Mm… it would be even better if you didn’t say ‘awwooo.’”
That was enough.
She just wanted to see her daughter smile.
Of course, if this daughter would say “thank you, Mommy” like today, Ophelia would be even happier.
Taking care of her daughter was something Ophelia was good at—after all, this was her second time raising one.
Having Orino around was beneficial after all.
Things like tidying up the dishes, running errands, cleaning—she could handle it all meticulously.
As expected of the maid Feili had chosen, her work ability was unquestionable, even perfect.
Mm… the only flaw was…
Though she came quickly when called, sometimes she was nowhere to be seen. If she was called from a distance, she wouldn’t show up, and when she returned, she’d say she had something to do.
What kind of business could a newly arrived Great Fairy in the Human Living Area possibly have to keep her busy?
As for her behavior, Ophelia turned a blind eye. After all, she always came home on time to clean, make dinner, and tidy up.
But occasionally, there were emergencies where Ophelia wanted to find her but couldn’t… Well, she let it slide.
Was it that orange ice cream again?
Could she be planning to promote her orange ice cream in the Capital?
Forget it, Ophelia decided not to worry about her. Having lived outside the Elven Forest for so long, her years of traveling had made her forget the Royal Family’s airs. If a maid were always strictly by her side, Ophelia would actually feel uncomfortable.
Nights like this, when mother and daughter bathed together, it was just as well that Orino wasn’t around.
After all, taking care of her own daughter had to be done personally.
Merlin’s hair washing was almost always handled by Ophelia herself. Unless absolutely necessary, Ophelia preferred to do it herself.
Besides, it was a chance to interact with her daughter.
After gently rubbing Merlin’s hair from root to tip, Ophelia patted her daughter’s back lightly, interrupting her blissful expression.
“Alright, time to rinse. Don’t get that silly look on your face.”
“Okay~”
Merlin was still humming a little tune. It seemed Ophelia had truly raised her daughter well, making her so reliant on her.
Thanks to that phase with Little Merlin too… Adult Merlin, who had retained those memories, had gotten used to being taken care of by Ophelia and no longer talked back.
Ophelia picked up the small wooden dipper, scooped up warm water, and slowly poured it over Merlin’s forehead.
The water flowed away, carrying the foam along the strands. As she rinsed, she ran her slender white fingers through her daughter’s hair, smoothing it like silk.
After rinsing off the foam, Ophelia saw her daughter still sitting motionless on the stool. She couldn’t resist being a bit mischievous, reaching out a finger to gently poke Merlin’s round, plump, and bouncy bottom.
“Stand up, okay? Otherwise, the ends of your hair won’t rinse clean.”
“Got it.”
Merlin obediently stood up from the little wooden stool, letting her mother clean the foam from her hair tips.
After rinsing, Ophelia continued to reach into Merlin’s hair to check for any lingering foam.
Then, Ophelia’s hand suddenly stopped.
Merlin, sensing Ophelia’s sudden pause, turned around to look at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Ophelia’s expression didn’t seem like Merlin had gotten into trouble, but she was pursing her lips, sizing Merlin up.
“What is it… I just lay in bed all day today, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ophelia placed her hand on Merlin’s head and gently squeezed it like pressing cotton.
“I know. My baby slept so soundly today.”
“Good, at least you know.”
“It’s nothing, I just think…” Ophelia’s gaze swept over Merlin’s already developing body, which had begun to show some subtle curves, her tone softening. “My Merlin has really grown up. Get into the bathtub first and soak, don’t catch a chill. Your first period just came, didn’t it? Tonight, I specially added some things to the bathwater that are good for young girls during their first period.”
Merlin blushed with shame, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Enough! Stop going on about first period, first period, first period! Is that all you ever talk about?!”