Mahina and Ruby seemed to have returned to their former lives as master and servant.
*Swish—!*
With the sound of rollers gliding, the heavy curtains were heartlessly pulled open by Ruby.
The violent midday sun instantly flooded into the dark nest like a deluge.
Mahina instinctively let out a whimper, like a mole suddenly exposed to the scorching sun. She frantically raised her arm to shield her eyes, and physiological tears welled up at the corners of her eyes from the stimulation of the intense light.
“Don’t! I really can’t handle this right now.”
The light left the dust floating in the air with nowhere to hide, and it also illuminated Mahina’s bloodless face.
Ruby looked at her, then pointed to the food on the table. Although she originally wanted Mahina to eat somewhere else, or at least clean the room before serving her—after all, the room was filled with dust and a musty smell—the current conditions were limited, and this was all she could do.
“Don’t stop. Finish your meal properly.”
Mahina looked at the nutritionally balanced and easily digestible food on the table, sensing Ruby’s care.
“I know.”
She chewed the food one mouthful at a time.
As the food slid down her esophagus, a long-lost warmth slowly spread through her stomach, awakening her near-dead shell.
However, the current Ruby was much stricter than before. She felt angry at Mahina’s self-abandoning lifestyle, and the more she cleaned the room, the angrier she became.
‘How could she ruin herself like this? How unsightly.’
She opened the window for ventilation, allowing a slightly chilly breeze to pour into the room. Because she had taken care of Mahina for a long time, cleaning her room was already a familiar task for Ruby.
Only—
Puddles of shocking marks shimmered with a dismal white light under the reflection of the sun.
Looking at the tear stains all over the floor, even Ruby’s heart began to ache. Despite having eaten nothing and not resting well, she had managed to cry so hard; it was a mystery how this body was even holding up.
By the time the dust and trash in the room were mostly cleaned, Mahina had finished every bit of the food Ruby brought—she was clearly starving.
Ruby led Mahina toward the bathroom like she was leading a child, and Mahina followed obediently as if she were a puppet.
Inside the bathroom, steam rose in the air.
Mahina submissively allowed her to make the arrangements, obediently soaking herself in the hot water.
Ruby began to clean her just as she had in the past.
Mahina’s dull, ash-like eyes finally flickered slightly.
“Ruby.”
Ruby was checking the cleaning supplies and did not look back.
“I’m here.”
“Did something happen to Merlin?”
“Didn’t I say? It’s good news.”
“But… I’ll do as you say. Please, tell me first.”
Mahina was humble to the extreme, her voice trembling slightly.
Ruby’s movements paused. She straightened up and looked at the girl before her, who had once been pampered by thousands but was now speaking in such a lowly manner for Merlin’s sake.
The defensive line in her heart finally softened.
“Merlin is awake.”
The face that had been devoid of emotion just moments ago instantly gained color because of the name “Merlin.” Mahina’s expression lit up all at once.
“Really!”
She almost bolted upright.
Ruby immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of the mirror.
“Where do you think you’re going? Take a look at yourself first.”
“What…”
Mahina froze.
The mirror reflected a haggard woman who looked as though she had been tortured beyond recognition.
“Look at the way you look right now. Is this acceptable?”
“You’re sallow and thin, your skin is incredibly rough, and your hair has lost its luster, looking like a mess. You haven’t bathed or changed your clothes for days, and there’s a faint odor coming off your body.”
Ruby’s words were like knives, drawing blood with every strike, accurately stabbing into Mahina’s most vulnerable nerves.
“Where do you want to go? What would the current Merlin think seeing you like this? The things you did were already enough to make her loathe you. Do you want your appearance to be unappealing now, too? Do you want to go see her looking this pathetic?”
“You don’t even have the appearance that is a young girl’s greatest pride anymore. What else do you have that’s worth her liking? You can’t even love yourself, yet you expect someone like this to be liked by her? Your inner self is already hated; do you want your outer self to be hated as well?”
Mahina’s body trembled violently.
She bit her lip hard until she tasted blood.
The “monster” in the mirror stared back at her in despair.
‘It’s too ugly. It’s too filthy.’
If it were the Merlin from before, perhaps she would have felt sorry for me.
But the current Merlin… seeing me so ugly, filthy, and smelling like this, she would only feel disgust.
“You’re right.”
Ruby took off her dirty clothes and began to clean her body.
The warm stream of water washed over her body, and the dense foam carried away the grime and sweat accumulated over five days.
Using a soft towel, Ruby wiped her thin back bit by bit, then meticulously applied shampoo and conditioner to her hair.
‘That’s right.’
Who would like someone as self-abandoning and ugly as me, who even hates myself?
Even if my personality is unlikable, at least my meticulously dressed appearance was the type Merlin liked. Mahina knew Merlin’s preferences very well.
Even if it was just to look pretty, it would be worth it if Merlin stayed focused on her for just one more second.
Merlin definitely wouldn’t like her current ugly appearance.
She shouldn’t continue to wallow in self-destruction like this.
Even if it was a false decoration, even if it was a disguised refinement.
If the inside was already hated, she should at least use the outside to attract her once more.
If she maintained herself well, Mahina still had confidence in her appearance.
If her heart had rotted, and if her soul had become ugly beyond repair, then at least… at least she had to dress this shell up to perfection.
Ruby patted Mahina, signaling for her to stand.
After drying her body, she skillfully took out a comfortable, pure white nightgown from the cabinet and helped Mahina put it on.
“Alright, go get some sleep.”
When they returned to the bedroom, the air in the room was much fresher. Ruby left the window halfway open and pulled the curtains shut again.
Mahina understood what she needed to do now, so she obediently climbed into bed and tucked herself under the covers.
Ruby sat by the bed to watch over her.
“By the way, drink this. It’s a supplement to speed up your body’s recovery.”
Hearing that it could speed up her recovery, Mahina drank it without hesitation.
Ruby looked at Mahina and smiled with relief.
“You really do love Merlin.”
“Yes.”
“Did you really receive her letters?”
“Yes… 700 letters.”
“After you wake up from your sleep, go see Merlin. When the time comes to apologize, I’ll go with you.”
Mahina was a bit confused.
“What do you mean? Isn’t Merlin already awake?”
“She’s awake, but she’s turned into a child now, about five years old. It’s a bit difficult to communicate such complex things with a five-year-old child.”
“So that’s how it is…”
“Alright, it’s time to sleep.”
Before Ruby could finish her sentence, Mahina had already fallen into a deep sleep.
It was likely that her nerves, which had been tight this whole time, had finally completely relaxed at this moment.