Merlin, who had been drowsy just a moment ago, instantly snapped awake and let out a scream.
Ophelia merely offered a faint smile.
“Is it really that surprising? While rare, there have been instances where the fruit from the canopy of the World Tree has attracted souls from other worlds.”
“Um…”
Merlin had never expected this secret to be exposed by Ophelia so soon. She had thought about telling Ophelia eventually, but certainly not now.
“Are you trying to say that a soul from another world isn’t my child? That she isn’t the Princess of the Elves?”
Merlin reflexively protested, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
“No… that’s not it… Mother is Mother.”
“I think I’ve guessed why you were being so stubborn. As I thought, did you have the appearance of a boy in your previous life?”
“Appearance?”
Ophelia let out a soft hum.
“Of course, baby. Didn’t I tell you? I saw through your soul from the very beginning. Your soul has been female from start to finish. Even if you were drawn here by the fruit of the World Tree’s canopy, your soul would only be protected, not damaged.”
“But I really was a man over there!”
“I don’t understand that world, so who knows what happened? I can only tell you that your soul has been female since the beginning. Your mother doesn’t know anything about the rest.”
Now it was Merlin’s turn to be shocked.
But she knew very well that Ophelia would never lie to her; she would remain silent before ever uttering a falsehood.
If her soul in her past life was also a girl, then why did she have the appearance of a boy? Was she really born into the wrong body back then?
Ophelia didn’t give Merlin much time to contemplate her existence. Her tone suddenly grew heavy, and the hand that had been stroking Merlin’s back abruptly tightened.
“Alright, let’s continue with our mother-daughter education time. Since you’re being stubborn, Mother will have to play rough.”
Before the words even finished hanging in the air, Ophelia’s body surged forward.
“Look closely, Merlin—”
Ophelia trailed off her words as her hand passed through Merlin’s damp blue hair once more.
This time, it wasn’t a gentle caress, but a movement filled with overbearing, domineering force.
She pressed down hard on Merlin’s head, forcing her to look down and expose her vulnerable nape, pushing her head beneath the water.
“You are a girl. One hand is enough to capture you, while the other can only helplessly watch as your head is held down…”
Her vision underwater was a blur. The rippling waves refracted the warm yellow light of the bathroom into grotesque, bizarre shapes.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—
The once warm and comfortable hot water now felt like a suffocating net, heavily pressing against every inch of her skin.
She couldn’t breathe.
The air in her lungs was being squeezed out bit by bit. Her chest heaved violently due to the lack of oxygen, but she could only suck in more damp, heavy water.
Her limbs were completely immobilized.
Through the hazy mist of water and tears, Ophelia’s familiar, beautiful face now looked so strange, carrying a trembling sense of pressure.
The pride she once held as a man was washed away and shattered by Ophelia’s mixture of violence and tenderness.
“Are you scared, Merlin?”
Ophelia’s voice was cold and heartless.
“You are a fragile girl right now. You can’t use magic yet, and you don’t know swordsmanship. In this world, adult men are much stronger than even a woman like me. If you encounter bad people, they could easily hold you down and lock you in place, just like I am doing now.”
“So, you must have enough of a sense of caution!!!”
“Waaaah, ugh…”
“Why are you crying? If you were really captured by bad people, they would look at you with much filthier eyes. They would scold you with harsher words and suppress you with cruder strength. They would hit you and curse at you! It’s better for you to get a taste of this now so you can be on guard against those villains in the future.”
“Do you think I’m just trying to scare you? You are a girl. You are cute and very beautiful, but this world is filthier than you imagine, yet you don’t have a shred of caution. It’s high time I used this opportunity to properly educate you and correct your mindset.”
Merlin was frightened into tears. Her tears mixed with the splashing water and flowed into her mouth, tasting incredibly salty and bitter.
Ophelia did not soften her heart. The hand gripping Merlin’s wrist tightened, leaving glaring red marks on Merlin’s skin, which was as delicate as tofu after soaking in the water.
“Like this! Pinning your hands tightly, weighing you down… no matter how much you cry or struggle, your little bit of strength is useless for resistance! The other person can do whatever they want to you… Do you know how dangerous and desperate this is for a girl?”
She released the hand holding the top of Merlin’s head and instead cupped her daughter’s small face, forcing her to look into her stern eyes.
“Sob… huff… waaaaah…”
“Goodness, you really were scared into crying.”
Ophelia took a deep breath, looking at her daughter.
“You are a delicate girl. You are the Elven Princess who cannot afford any mishaps. You must have enough vigilance; otherwise, fear will become reality. You aren’t a boy anymore, do you understand? Right now, you aren’t even as strong as I am.”
“Nn… huff… I… I see…”
“That’s why, Merlin, you are a girl. You are a small and cute girl. A weak girl with very little strength and no magic who needs to rely on others. Do you understand?”
“I… I understand. I am a girl.”
“That’s right, you are a girl. An Elven Princess who needs careful nurturing. A delicate girl who even needs others to carry heavy objects for her.”
“Yes… mm…”
“If only you had magic… maybe I wouldn’t have to worry so much…”
Merlin never expected Ophelia to suppress her so forcefully tonight. It was also the first time she had tasted that kind of helpless panic.
It was terrifying—so terrifying that it would be difficult to forget.
Ophelia let out a sigh.
“I can tolerate you acting spoiled, throwing tantrums, or even refusing to see me, but I cannot budge on this. I must ensure your gender education is complete and that you develop a proper sense of caution. You will live as a girl for the next hundreds or thousands of years. I will never allow you to keep acting so nonchalant.”
Ophelia looked into her daughter’s eyes, which had not yet recovered from the fear.
“If something really happened, it would all be over. Do you know that?”
Merlin lowered her head daintily and answered tremulously.
“I… I know.”
“You are a girl, a cute girl.”
“Yes, I am a girl.”
“From start to finish, you are a delicate, cute, and beautiful girl. You should have some self-awareness, shouldn’t you?”
“Yes, I am a beautiful and cute girl. I can tell from the reactions of those around me.”
“Even though you don’t have magic, it wouldn’t be bad to learn some swordsmanship for self-defense, right?”
“Mhm.”
Ophelia gently patted Merlin’s back.
“I didn’t want to be this mean to you, but this issue is truly important, you know? If you don’t want a fear worse than tonight’s to happen, stay alert in the future.”
“I understand…”
“Waaaahhh…”
“There, there. I won’t scare you like that again, alright? But you have to be sensible.”
“Sob… I hate you.”
Did I push too hard?
I’ll have to coax her well tonight.
Ophelia didn’t want to do this either, but the education had to be done.
“Alright, alright. I’ll keep holding you while we sleep tonight, okay?”
“…”
There was no response.
It looked like she would have to spend a lot of time coaxing her tonight, likely having to pull out all the stops.