Today was a leisurely holiday, sunny with a gentle breeze. It should have been a time for the girls to gather shyly, chatting about everyday things in a relaxed moment.
But the thing sitting on the table… really wasn’t appropriate, was it?
Merlin had brought her childhood friends (female only) together in a luxurious private room at a dessert shop. On a round table covered with a lace cloth sat a three-tiered dessert tower, as exquisite as a work of art.
In everyone’s shared memory, this was definitely the first time Merlin had spent so generously.
After all, this was the most famous dessert shop in the heart of the royal capital! Not only had she booked a VIP room with excellent privacy, but she’d heard that to reserve a room of this level, just having money wasn’t enough—you had to book well in advance.
Half of the mousse and macarons had already been eaten, and the air was thick with the sweet aroma of cream. Yet the girls had lost all interest in the desserts, their faces showing discomfort.
“Boss! Since when did you turn into this kind of girl!”
“I told you, nothing good comes from sudden kindness! I thought you actually missed us! But instead… you’re making us look at this?!”
“What a messed-up hobby, Boss!!”
“If you keep this up, I’m telling Ophelia!”
Merlin placed her hands on her hips, watching the girls who were insulting her while gobbling down the sweets.
“Don’t make me sound so bad! I’m just considering everyone’s needs!”
Right…
Ever since that girl’s period ended.
Merlin had awakened!
That strange feeling… hmm. It had probably come without any warning, right? At least whenever night fell and her heart started to stir for no reason, Merlin helplessly felt that this tormenting restlessness was almost exactly like her adolescent life in her previous life as a boy.
It felt as if tiny ants were crawling under her skin, making her mind wander so much that she couldn’t even focus on her usual favorite books. Her concentration was completely shot.
This… was this the legendary late-blooming adolescence?
Yes, yes. A few days earlier, after her first period finally ended, the intense ache in Merlin’s lower back—as if it had been crushed—persisted for several more days before completely fading.
Of course… even in that weak state, Merlin gritted her teeth and went to school.
Luckily, the people around her were very considerate. Even during lunch break, classmates would kindly carry her tray to her seat.
Merlin felt warm inside.
During that time, the physical torment was truly awful.
But… after her body recovered, a new problem appeared!
What was this feeling of ants crawling in her heart, craving some kind of release?
Ever since Merlin learned of her origins, she had maintained dignity and elegance, never once indulging herself in anything out of line.
But with her rich experience from her previous life, she instantly understood what her current state meant.
Even so, even if she understood, what could she do about it?
No… Merlin was a princess who valued her image, and she was shy… so at first, she chose to stubbornly endure it.
She’d heard that intense exercise could burn off excess energy and also help strengthen her delicate body.
So, under her mother Ophelia’s gentle yet slightly puzzled gaze, Merlin started practicing swordsmanship frantically in the backyard.
In the courtyard of the cottage, Merlin swung the heavy wooden sword with all her might. Sweat dripped continuously along her delicate jawline, quickly soaking the collar of her training clothes.
“Hah!”
Her movements were sharp and urgent; each swing seemed to vent some deep inner craving.
But this way of distracting herself was like trying to block a gushing spring with a tiny pebble.
It only worked for a short while. The moment she stopped, the feeling surged back like a tide.
It was exactly like that classic math problem she hated most in her previous life: a pool with both an inlet and an outlet, asking when it would fill up.
But Merlin still didn’t want to give in. She was shy!
If only she had even half this perseverance in her previous life!
Really… Merlin didn’t want to break that line.
Once there was a first, there would be a second.
Zero and one were fundamentally different!
Tsk, tough.
But now… she was shy. Really… she felt she shouldn’t.
So what if she was a girl?
Girls should even more so have some reserve, right?
Until one day, she couldn’t hold it anymore.
It just… happened naturally…
The reservoir of Merlin’s endurance… burst…
※※※※※
Ever since turning back into the teenage version of Adult Merlin, Merlin seemed to have become more fond of beauty, or maybe it was just an unconscious preference from her previous life.
Anyway, she had started to enjoy wearing all kinds of over-the-knee socks.
It was another relaxing day.
Merlin had no classes, so she lay lazily on her bed reading a novel. Sunlight streamed through the window, warm and comfortable, very peaceful.
Ophelia had bought Merlin another huge pile of cute, beautiful new clothes at some point. It seemed that as Merlin’s mother, thinking about what her daughter could wear and how to dress her had become Ophelia’s joy and habit.
At this rate, she’d need to buy a new wardrobe.
But that was Ophelia’s problem.
Nowadays, Merlin obediently tried on the pretty clothes her mother bought for her.
Because Ophelia had good taste.
Although Ophelia herself wore mature styles, even a little adult-flavored, Merlin had thought Ophelia only knew that kind of matching.
If it were Ophelia’s style, Merlin wouldn’t want to wear it—she couldn’t pull it off.
But the clothes Ophelia bought for her were always things that suited Merlin’s taste and her own vibe, so of course Merlin would try them on.
Nothing to be shy about.
So that day, Merlin started slowly trying on new clothes…
“Fine, just this once.”
Merlin sighed helplessly, put down the novel, but still obediently got up.
In front of the huge full-body mirror, Merlin stood barefoot on the soft carpet.
She extended her fingertips and gently hooked the pair of white stockings that glistened with a supple sheen.
Carefully, inch by inch, she slipped the stockings over her slender, well-proportioned feet, then slowly pulled them up, covering her calves.
What was wrong with her!
Not only was desire crawling like ants, but her legs were also…
And… just when she was halfway through changing, Ophelia happened to be called away for something.
“Merlin, just try these on yourself. The sizes should be right. Let me know if there’s a problem. Leave the ones you want to wear soon on the bed, and put the rest in the wardrobe first.”
“Got it.”