After a series of twists and turns, Mahina returned to her ordinary student life.
The cloying whispers from those around her and the frequency of people approaching her had significantly decreased. Mahina exhaled a long breath, straightened her back, and walked through the crowd without looking left or right. She had nothing to say to these annoying people; she only wanted to live her own life.
There was no longer a need to please anyone. Whether it was the enviable title of Student Council President or the position of Subject Representative that required maintaining perfection, they all seemed as light as a feather after experiencing the weight of life, death, and reunions.
Mahina thought idly while twirling a strand of hair. It was a bit of a hassle to always occupy the first-place spot and fulfill the duties of a Subject Representative. She didn’t mind losing such meaningless vanity.
These quiet days of being isolated from the crowd were like a dose of medicine, strangely comforting Mahina’s riddled heart. She even had the thought that it wouldn’t be bad to spend the rest of her time at the Academy as a ghost.
Mahina Harriet.
She had been given a new surname and was included as a member of the Elf Race. Her Magic Power had also been temporarily sealed for the most part, leaving only enough for her to graduate. As for the specifics of how to handle it — perhaps she would have to wait until she returned to the Elven Forest. This was already the greatest concession Ophelia had made.
Regarding the truth about the Crystal Core, the news from the outside world had been polished. The final version presented in official reports stated that Princess Merlinlia had initially surrendered a portion of her Crystal Core to save Mahina. Of course… nothing that had harmed Merlin was glossed over. Such reports left Mahina’s reputation filled with nothing but contempt and curses.
Mahina didn’t say anything; after all, it was the truth. Even if it was slightly exaggerated or polished, would the things she had done change?
Mahina had joined the Elf Race as a special case. To protect the mystery of the Elf Race and to prevent greedy individuals from harboring ill intentions, the specific fusion process was naturally hidden. Finally, the Elf Race still issued a stern warning to the world: any unauthorized action touching an Elven Crystal Core would lead to destruction. This was a non-reproducible miracle, a unique exception.
Amidst rumors that were half-true and half-false, no matter how those with ulterior motives probed or maliciously speculated, Mahina maintained a perfect silence. She was like a sealed iceberg, refusing to speak a word to all prying eyes. She knew how much she had benefited, so at the very least, she had to keep her mouth shut.
As for how to restore Merlin’s Magic Power, Ophelia only said they would first return to the Elven Forest to hear the Empress’s opinion. Ophelia simply felt that if she killed Mahina brutally, wouldn’t Merlin have saved her for nothing? After all, Mahina didn’t harbor any malice like the previous case, and Mahina had agreed to whatever demands Ophelia made.
Mahina thought to herself, ‘Little Merlin… she will recover eventually.’ Thinking of that small figure, a trace of warmth finally emerged in Mahina’s cold gaze.
During lunch break, Mahina had grown accustomed to running off to the library on the south side to avoid the wind. This red-brick building covered in ivy was neither as grand and well-equipped as the main library, nor as specialized as the subject-specific libraries. It was more like a warehouse forgotten by time, storing various eccentric remedies, folklore, and even ancient texts denied by modern magical theory. It only held sedimented culture, mottled history, and some old novels that had long since fallen out of fashion.
Because of this, almost no students visited the library during the day. It was so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of dust hitting the ground, making it the perfect haven for Mahina’s midday solitude.
She found a corner and sat down. The air was filled with the scent of decaying wood, the unique musty smell of old books, and a faint fragrance of ink. Mahina took a deep breath, finding the scent not bad at all — it was actually quite reassuring. She sat elegantly on a wooden chair by the window, putting a simple sandwich into her mouth with one hand while flipping through a book she had brought with the other.
She enjoyed the tranquility of the afternoon. After a long time, looking at the sunlight mixed with dust through the slanted angle of the window, she realized it was almost time for class.
“…Time goes by so fast,” Mahina muttered as she closed the book and let out a sigh. Although she still had to go to class, the thought of seeing Little Merlin after school caused ripples of anticipation to rise in her heart.
‘I’ll kill some more time,’ Mahina thought. She stood up, her black loafers making a crisp *creak, creak* sound on the ancient wooden floor, echoing through the empty library. She slowly wove through the bookshelves, her eyes carelessly scanning the spines and her fingertips lightly brushing over the rough covers, feeling the texture of time.
Most were books on culture and customs. Occasionally, if she saw something related to Elves, Mahina might flip through it, but she skipped the rest.
*100 Points Every Young Woman Must Know Before Marriage*.
Mahina raised an eyebrow; what a tacky title. The pink cover and gaudy font were completely out of place compared to the heavy brown ancient books surrounding it. Judging by the placement and the brand-new condition of the cover, it had probably been tucked away by a librarian recently. This also meant that someone was still quietly tending to this seemingly forgotten library.
‘It was probably a student,’ she thought. But as tacky as it was, it was useful. This was also a form of culture. ‘If it were before, I surely would have walked together with Merlin, wouldn’t I? It’s just that I couldn’t hold on until the end.’
Bitterness spread across her tongue. However, if she had such a book back then, perhaps the wedding preparations would have been more lively.
Mahina flipped through it quickly, the rustling of pages sounding exceptionally clear in the silence. Some of the knowledge was things she had heard through hearsay, while some were completely different from her subconscious understanding.
Hmm… as she read on, her hand stopped. ‘What use is looking at this now? Even if the ceremony was perfect and the preparations were sufficient, as long as I couldn’t give Merlin the most basic trust, things would still end in collapse.’
The book was open to the last few pages, which recorded the wedding vows. However, they seemed different from the vows in Mahina’s memory. That was right; they weren’t the same as the covenant she had made with Merlin back then.
The vows in the book had all their sharp edges smoothed out. The original “suspicion” was replaced by a gentle “question.” It avoided all consequences and removed all darkness. Although the meaning was roughly the same, it no longer had that curse-like atmosphere.
Just as Mahina was staring at the text in deep thought, a pleasant voice sounded in her ear.
“Is there something wrong with these vows?”
“!?”
Mahina was startled, her heart skipping a beat. She hadn’t noticed any presence approaching at all. She turned her head quickly, only to see a girl with long, green-white hair standing quietly by her side, barely half a step away.