Ophelia interrupted Merlin’s wild thoughts.
She carefully parted Merlin’s thick hair into two sections at the back of her head.
The teeth of the wooden comb gently scraped across the scalp, dividing a straight line.
Ophelia’s technique was skilled. She gathered the long hair on both sides behind Merlin’s ears, low and close to her slender neck.
“After all, Merlin is a princess. Even though double ponytails look better with this dress, low double ponytails suit you better, right?”
As she spoke, Ophelia took out two hair ties made from the same black ribbon as the skirt from before.
“It can shape the face while keeping a demure look… Mm, perfect.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Merlin didn’t dare act up anymore. She had just been scolded and felt that Ophelia would really hit her.
With a soft snap of the elastic, two fluffy strands of blue hair obediently fell onto Merlin’s shoulders.
Ophelia then pinned two delicate black lace bow clips at the roots of her hair. The black lace complemented the blue gradient hair color.
“Next, close your eyes.”
“Do I still need makeup? Haven’t I already—”
“Shh—don’t move. You finally turned back into adult Merlin to go out, so indulge me this once, okay? You’re so cute but you don’t like to dress up… Mm.”
Ophelia lightly pressed her index finger against Merlin’s lips and lifted her daughter’s chin with the other hand.
Merlin could only obediently close her eyes.
Soon, Merlin felt the soft touch of a powder puff on her cheeks, fluffy and carrying a faint jasmine fragrance.
Because Merlin’s skin was already good, Ophelia only used a foundation closest to her complexion to gently even out her skin tone, giving her naturally fair skin a porcelain-like translucent glow.
Next came the rustling sound of an eyebrow pencil lightly shaping her brows.
Finally, a cool sensation touched Merlin’s lips. A light cherry blossom lipstick coated her lips, full of gloss.
“Alright, open your eyes and take a look.”
Merlin slowly opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror, momentarily stunned.
In the mirror, the young girl wore a gorgeous short skirt interwoven with black and white lace, her legs wrapped in slightly shimmering black stockings. The low double ponytails hung gently over her chest. With the two black bows, Merlin’s large, watery eyes looked even more charming and pitiable. Her pale pink lips were slightly pursed.
“So cute…”
Ophelia stood behind her, hands gently resting on Merlin’s shoulders, looking at her daughter through the mirror.
Merlin looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar self in the mirror. Her cheeks flushed slightly, whether from blush or shyness. Merlin fidgeted with the ponytails hanging over her chest, but the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her good mood.
“It’s… okay, I guess.”
This was her first time wearing such a cute dress. Could she really go out in this? It felt so embarrassing.
Although Merlin liked it, it was a bit too conspicuous.
Merlin started dawdling in front of the door, her legs turned inward, shyly playing with her fingers.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“But—”
Ophelia took Merlin’s arm.
“What ‘but’? It suits you perfectly.”
Before Merlin could explain, Ophelia forcefully dragged her daughter out.
Merlin looked at the ground shyly. Maybe because she was wearing clothes different from her usual style, even after leaving the house, she still felt uncomfortable.
“Alright, don’t be shy.”
Plans couldn’t keep up with changes.
Ophelia had known long ago that there would be a banquet on the last day of the Star Moon Festival. She had ordered dresses early, but she didn’t expect Merlin to suddenly revert back.
Starting from scratch was impossible. She could only modify existing clothes. Luckily, there were decent styles.
Ophelia held her daughter’s hand. Even though Merlin no longer complained, the fatigue on her face was obvious.
Because she had been trapped in the dungeon for two days, returning to the Academy was already the fourth day of the Star Moon Festival, so they had to hurry.
Merlin, tired from trying on clothes, didn’t speak anymore. She didn’t even have the strength to be shy, just walking silently.
Suddenly, rapid footsteps broke the silence.
Not far ahead, a reckless little girl running too fast tripped over her feet. The whole person rolled like a little ball on the rough ground nine times before stopping.
“Waaah!”
A heart-wrenching cry rang out. On the little girl’s knee, the tender skin was scraped off a large piece, bright red flesh directly exposed to the air. The wound alone made people gasp just looking at it.
Passersby stopped one after another, some crouching down to comfort her, others anxiously searching for handkerchiefs.
Merlin quietly watched the child crying with tears streaming down her face, then continued walking forward.
Seeing Merlin like this, Ophelia stopped, gripping her palm tightly.
Her voice was a bit dry, staring intently into those eyes that were both clear and devoid of warmth.
“Merlin, what do you think of that little girl? Does it hurt?”
Merlin followed Ophelia’s gaze to look at the bloody knee again, then nodded slowly.
“Mm…”
Seeing Merlin’s expression, Ophelia felt a deep sadness in her breath.
She raised her hand and gently brushed through Merlin’s windblown hair.
“Merlin, I still think it’s better for you to find your ‘love’ as soon as possible.”
Merlin tilted her head slightly, the ponytails swaying with the movement.
She blinked her eyes. That naive and innocent look would normally be endearing, but at this moment, it only sent a chill.
“Why?”
Ophelia looked into Merlin’s eyes and sighed.
Where there once was filled with liveliness, there was sometimes emptiness.
Actually, Merlin wasn’t like this all the time. After all, when she acted spoiled, when she was hit this morning…
But still, there was a piece missing somewhere, and every now and then, it would trigger a reaction similar to a short circuit.
This wouldn’t do. That was why Ophelia had been angry and scared back then.
Ophelia sighed helplessly, crouched down to meet Merlin’s eyes.
“Human emotions are very complicated, I told you. If we compare emotions to a building, ‘love’ can be considered the load-bearing wall. You’ve now removed love. Even if it doesn’t collapse, can you guarantee that the other rooms won’t be damaged?”
“Mm… but…”
Merlin responded with a half-understanding, her gaze still wandering.
“If you really hate her, you should recover your emotions and reject her properly.”
Ophelia bit her lower lip and pulled Merlin’s hand, walking back toward home.
“In the past, when you saw someone fall so badly, you would have gasped due to empathy. But now you can’t perceive it anymore. Of course… having too strong empathy isn’t good either.”
Merlin stumbled a couple of steps as she was pulled. She looked up at Ophelia’s profile, which mixed anxiety and sadness.
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