Merlin was standing in front of the full-length wooden carved mirror in her dorm room, carefully inspecting her face in great detail.
Finally, after adjusting her outfit one last time in front of the mirror, Merlin set off again.
Today she really needed to pay attention to her appearance.
Her destination was the visitor reception area of Zelion Royal Academy.
The area near the school gate was open to the public — a zone where people other than students and faculty could come and go freely. It functioned half as a tourist attraction.
There were introduction boards, souvenirs, the academy’s signature architecture — everything a sightseeing spot should have. At the same time, this area also served as a checkpoint for daily supplies entering the academy and as a place where students could talk with outsiders.
The path leading to the reception area was paved with neat bluestone slabs.
Merlin walked in the still-not-fully-broken-in Mary Jane high heels, taking each step with extraordinary caution.
She kept her back straight, slightly drew in her abdomen, and tried hard to recall the key points Ophelia had taught her.
Hips subtly engaged to drive the thighs forward; steps should be light, springy, and elastic.
Although her ankles felt a faint, unfamiliar soreness, she had to force herself to maintain a feminine, graceful gait.
After all, she was a princess now — no matter what, Merlin didn’t want to become a laughingstock.
However, her eager desire to see her old friends was clashing a little with the still-unfamiliar steps beneath her feet.
Although Merlin mostly managed to maintain feminine poise, whenever she stepped on an uneven crack between the stones, her body would sway slightly and she would stumble just a bit.
Sometimes she looked like a fawn that had only just learned to walk.
Finally, she spotted John and Li in the open-air seating area of the visitor zone.
Seeing the two of them, Merlin slowed her pace.
The now-engaged couple was gazing at each other with honey-sweet, affectionate eyes, completely unaware of Merlin’s approach.
…Well, this was actually good for Merlin. It gave the girl who had half-jogged her way here a chance to tidy herself up.
Because Merlin wanted to do her very best to maintain a proper, ladylike image in front of her childhood friends.
She carefully took out a lace-trimmed handkerchief from her skirt pocket and gently pressed it against her forehead and the tip of her nose, blotting away the fine beads of sweat that had formed from hurrying over.
Then she pulled out the small round mirror she always carried and checked herself from both sides.
Her bangs were a little messy.
Merlin extended her slender fingertips and patiently smoothed the few rebellious strands of blue hair, tucking them behind her ear and revealing the fair, graceful line of her neck.
Looking at the bright-eyed girl in the mirror, Merlin pursed her lips.
She herself would absolutely deny it — and if anyone dared say it out loud, she’d probably blush furiously and stubbornly insist it wasn’t true.
But in reality, over these past few days, Merlin Liya had gradually begun to exude a more girlish charm.
Because the people around her always praised her sincerely.
“Merlin is so cute, so adorable,” “Your Highness is truly beautiful,” things like that.
Hearing it over and over, and looking at the flawless face in the mirror, even she had started to develop a faint, strange awareness of it.
So little by little, Merlin had begun to care about her appearance.
Because I’m cute, I should take care of how I look. I don’t want this cuteness to be ruined.
Because everyone praises me for being cute, I don’t want to destroy the image they have of me.
Even a slight breeze would make her take out her little mirror to check whether her hairstyle had been disturbed.
Though these were tiny details, they were filled with girlish heart — sometimes even more meticulous than most girls.
The more she felt she was cute, the more she wanted to preserve that cuteness.
The more her cheeks flushed red from everyone’s compliments, the more her toes curled in embarrassment, yet deep inside she wanted to dress up even more beautifully and harvest even more praise.
Merlin Liya had fallen into this cycle. No matter how stubbornly she denied it, it was the truth.
After fixing her makeup and outfit, she began walking toward her childhood friends with the demeanor of a proper princess.
She adjusted her expression, put on an elegant, princely smile, and then stepped forward — walking with perfect poise, like a real princess, toward her old playmates.
Tap, tap, tap.
Each step produced a crisp sound as the slender heels of her Mary Janes struck the academy’s stone slabs.
Merlin Liya was the kind of child who would work hard whenever someone praised her.
Last time, a student had complimented how elegantly she walked in heels.
Merlin silently remembered it and secretly practiced countless times in front of the mirror.
Now she no longer needed Ophelia to guide her hand by hand — she would voluntarily imitate those refined postures.
She arrived at the empty seat beside John and Li. Instead of sitting immediately, she first lightly smoothed the pleats of her skirt with the back of her hand, then pressed her legs together and gracefully sat down sideways.
Her movements were smooth and flowing, meticulously guarding against any possibility of exposure.
Only after completing this whole sequence did Merlin raise her head. Her sapphire-blue eyes curved into two lovely crescent moons as she smiled at the two childhood friends who still hadn’t snapped out of their daze.
“Looks like an engaged couple really is extra sweet. You didn’t even notice me coming over?”
Merlin’s clear, ethereal voice instantly shattered the pink bubble surrounding the two of them.
John and Li hurriedly pulled their intertwined gazes apart as if jolted by electricity, and turned somewhat flustered toward the source of the voice.
Li looked at Merlin and sighed in admiration.
“Wow, boss! It’s only been a while, but you really look like an actual princess now.”
“Haha, no way, it’s just normal daily life. You’re exaggerating so much. I’m always like this, haha.”
Merlin waved her hand with feigned calm, but her fingers unconsciously twirled the stray locks at her temples. Who doesn’t like being told they’re cute and beautiful?
Li clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily.
She scooted her chair closer, practically leaning in front of Merlin, as if determined to study every single change on her thoroughly.
“Wow, boss is seriously so pretty…”
Li reached out, her fingertips gently gliding over Merlin’s satin-smooth blue gradient hair, then poked her seemingly fragile, porcelain cheeks.
“You were already quite good-looking before, but now — this gorgeous hair, this flawless jade-like little face, those mysterious elven ears… the current boss is a super beautiful girl.”
Being touched by warm fingertips, Merlin felt her face grow slightly hot. The tips of her ears trembled uncontrollably and took on a faint layer of pink.
“Alright, alright, save that sweet mouth for coaxing John. Stop staring at me all the time.”
But Li completely ignored Merlin’s powerless attempt to shoo her away. Instead, like someone who had discovered a new continent, she boldly grabbed Merlin’s hand that was resting on her lap without asking permission first.
“Wow, your hands are so small and white and soft… they feel cool and comfortable to touch.”