Inside the Grand Hall, light shimmered and sparkled, as students in splendid formal attire spun across the dance floor. The invited Nobles stood around the periphery, wine glasses in hand, their reserved and contented smiles in place.
Amidst all this laughter and merriment, Mahina hid alone in the shadows.
Her hand was pressed to her chest, hiding a Deep Blue Ice Crystal rose, encased in layer upon layer of frost.
It was the Starlit Rose that Merlin had personally given her years ago, when they parted ways.
As the long years passed, this flower, under her Ice Magic, had long since fused with the ice—just as her belated regret and love had seeped deep into her very bones, impossible to remove.
She took a deep breath and adjusted her appearance in the ornate mirror by her side.
The girl reflected in the glass looked a little pale, but she forced her lips into a practiced smile.
“Don’t cry… Merlin always said she liked my smile best.”
“Smile… Even if I’m rejected, I have to face her with a smile. This is what I owe her, and it’s the only thing I can give her now.”
She turned, her gaze crossing the noisy crowd and settling at the center of the hall.
Merlinlia Hayliya, the Elf Princess who had only just regained her true form, was surrounded by people at the very center.
The girl’s hair was sky-blue like ice and snow, its tips shifting into a deep, oceanic gradient, cascading softly to her ankles. Those signature pointed ears, half-hidden among her hair, marked her noble bloodline.
Looking at that figure, Mahina’s eyes grew dazed.
Not long ago, little Merlin was still a soft bundle, waddling on chubby legs into her embrace, showing a sweet smile for a piece of chocolate—even if she pouted and said, “I don’t like you,” she’d still allow Mahina to hug her.
That soft, milky embrace had been Mahina’s only salvation in this time, even after losing love.
But now, the little Merlin she once wished to cradle the whole world for had disappeared.
In her place stood this cool, noble, breathtaking Elf Princess, whom people dared not look at directly.
At that moment, Merlinlia turned around.
Her lips curved into a distant yet perfect smile, and her deep sapphire eyes calmly swept across the hall.
The stark contrast struck Mahina’s heart like a hammer.
The little girl who used to cling to her had vanished. The gentle youth who would tell her bedtime stories was gone too.
All that was left was a beautiful iceberg.
Mahina didn’t rush forward like the others. She waited quietly in her corner.
One hour, two hours… until her legs went numb, until half the banquet had passed.
Finally, her chance came.
Merlinlia seemed tired of these hollow pleasantries. She leaned in and whispered something to her mother, Ophelia, then quietly slipped through the crowd and headed for the Outdoor Terrace at the side of the banquet hall.
Mahina’s heart thudded wildly. She straightened her dress, took a deep breath, and walked toward the terrace.
She pushed open the heavy French windows; the boisterous music was instantly cut off behind her.
The night breeze was cool, tinged with the fragrance of the garden.
Merlinlia stood with her back to her, both hands resting on the railing as she gazed up at the stars. That solitary and striking silhouette overlapped with the youth who had once watched the stars with her atop the Slum Rooftop.
“Merlin…”
Mahina called softly.
Merlin’s back stiffened slightly, then she slowly turned.
Moonlight washed over her delicate features, cloaking her in silver radiance. She looked at Mahina; there was no surprise, no anger in those icy blue eyes—only calm and distance.
“This area is for resting, Miss.”
Merlinlia’s voice was ethereal and pleasant, yet even colder than the night wind. She did not spare Mahina a glance, only politely stepping aside to maintain a perfect social distance.
“If you wish to get some air, the garden over there is perhaps more spacious.”
The distant tone hit Mahina’s heart like a heavy blow.
Does it hurt? Of course it hurts.
But Mahina did not back down. She had already prepared herself—this was what she deserved.
She stepped forward, her face blooming with the gentlest smile.
It was the smile she’d practiced countless times in the mirror, a smile belonging only to Merlin.
“It’s me, Merlin.”
Mahina carefully brought out the rose sealed in ice from her chest and offered it to the girl.
“Look… I’ve kept it all this time.”
“This is the Starlit Rose you gave me…”
Her voice trembled, yet she did her best to keep it warm and soft.
“All these years, I’ve preserved it with Magic.”
Merlinlia lowered her gaze, her eyes passing through the crystal-clear ice and falling upon the rose, still as vibrant as ever.
“A beautiful flower.”
Merlinlia commented coolly, her tone so polite it chilled the heart.
“But it’s no longer suitable for me now.”
With that, she extended a slender finger and gently tapped the ice that had guarded the rose all these years.
Crack—
The crisp sound of shattering echoed across the silent terrace.
That rose, frozen for so many years and fused with ice, had grown fragile. Beneath Merlinlia’s touch, it crumbled along with the ice, dissolving into sparkling shards and deep blue powder.
In the moonlight, it looked like a sorrowful snowfall.
Watching the blue ice dust slip from her fingers, Mahina’s smile froze, and her eyes instantly reddened.
That was their last link… Had it really shattered, just like that?
But she forced back her tears, making herself arch her eyes, even if that smile looked more heartbreaking than weeping.
“I know… I never expected you to forgive me right away.”
Mahina took a step forward.
“As long as I can stay by your side, that’s enough for me…”
Merlinlia did not waver. She simply stepped back, widening the distance between them.
“I think you’ve misunderstood something, Miss Mahina.”
Merlinlia’s voice remained calm.
She raised her pale, slender fingers, pressing lightly to her empty chest.
“The Merlin who could be moved by this flower, the Merlin whose heart would stir at your smile…”
The girl tilted her head ever so slightly, offering a courteous smile.
“She’s no longer here, nor is the heart that loved you.”
With that, Merlinlia lingered not a second longer.
She bowed slightly, gracefully bypassed Mahina.
“Excuse me.”
The French windows opened and closed, and the dazzling world swallowed the Elf Princess once more, leaving Mahina alone in the cold night.
The terrace returned to silence.
Mahina stared quietly at the blue ice shards twinkling on the floor.
The chill seeped through her dress and into her bones, but she did not move.
After a long while, she reached out, gently gathering the scattered shards together.
Her movements were as tender as caressing a lover’s cheek.
“It’s all right…”
“Even broken, it’s still something Merlin left for me…”
She cupped the icy fragments in both hands, letting a gentle, ice-blue Magic flow from her palms.
The chill condensed once more.
The shattered shards reformed under her Magic—not a perfect rose, but a single Deep Blue Ice Crystal.
Mahina pressed the ice crystal tightly to her heart.
Tears streaked her face, yet she stubbornly maintained that broken smile.
“It’s all right. I was prepared for this a long time ago.”