Chapter 93: Sunbathing (2)

*Smack!*

Mary’s hand shot out with lightning speed, ruthlessly slapping the back of little Merlin’s hand away.

Little Merlin’s movements froze, and she let out an aggrieved sound.

“Ugh… what was that for?”

As a maid who had long served that hot-tempered Princess Lucia, Mary naturally knew how to exercise restraint. Her strength was controlled perfectly—enough to teach little Merlin a lesson, but not so painful that she would cry.

Little Merlin quickly pulled her hand back and pouted. While tears didn’t well up in her eyes, her large eyes glared at Mary angrily, as if protesting this “atrocity.”

Mary remained unfazed, her tone flat but carrying an air of authority.

“Staring at me won’t help. As a princess, you cannot engage in such unbecoming behavior. I have already promised Lady Ophelia to assist in correcting your conduct.”

Merlin looked up at the maid, who was now much taller than her, stuck out her tongue, and muttered in a low voice.

“I can’t just keep enduring it. It’s very uncomfortable.”

“You can go somewhere private or find a hidden spot. Even quietly scratching through your clothes would be better. How can a girl reach directly inside her clothes outdoors? It’s completely improper.”

Little Merlin snorted and rolled two times in the opposite direction out of spite, putting distance between herself and the strict maid. However, Mary did not stop her—it was normal for a child to throw a bit of a tantrum; she would be fine in a moment.

Several students who had no classes and were wandering around, as well as those passing by, looked curiously at little Merlin as she sunbathed on the grass.

Everyone had already heard the news that Merlin had woken up and that she had temporarily become small. But seeing her in person felt completely different.

Pointy little ears and a tiny Elf Princess.

She was as delicate as a porcelain doll, with large eyes and a round face.

Who had ever seen such a sight?

However, under the pressure of Ophelia and Mary, the students didn’t dare get too close to little Merlin. After all, if everyone rushed forward and surrounded her, it would likely frighten the child.

Three girls seemed to be encouraging one another and finally mustered the courage to move toward little Merlin as a group, stepping cautiously.

Ophelia glanced at them but did not stop them.

As long as there weren’t too many people, it was allowed. Letting little Merlin interact with a few students wasn’t a bad thing.

She couldn’t let little Merlin hide by her side forever and never see anyone. It was better for her to communicate with others.

The girls walked up to little Merlin and knelt down to greet her.

“Hello there.”

Little Merlin, who had been spacing out, snapped back to reality. She blinked, held the hem of her pure white dress with both hands, and wobblily stood up from the grass.

She performed a clumsy yet elegant curtsy.

“Hello.”

The girls immediately let out low cries of adoration, covering their mouths with blushing faces.

Little Merlin clearly didn’t understand this reaction. She simply tilted her head in confusion, her blue hair sliding over her shoulders.

“Can we shake your hand?”

Little Merlin nodded.

The girls excitedly took her hand, feeling Merlin’s soft touch.

“So soft…”

“Like a marshmallow…”

Little Merlin pouted.

“It feels no different from when I was in school before. People always want to touch me.”

As they were leaving, they stuffed a few pieces of candy from their pockets into little Merlin’s hands. They looked back every three steps, leaving with satisfied expressions.

When more students wanted to approach little Merlin, Mahina stepped forward. This caused a portion of the crowd to quietly disperse, while another part stayed at a distance to watch.

Mahina’s gaze lingered for a moment on little Merlin, who was looking down and studying the candy.

That was the figure she thought of day and night.

But she forced down the urge to rush over and instead walked toward the giant oak tree.

Coming under the shade of the tree, she greeted Ophelia.

“Lady Ophelia, hello.”

Mahina’s voice was somewhat dry.

Ophelia closed her book and looked at her.

“Long time no see. You’ve lost a lot of weight. It seems these past few days haven’t been kind to you.”

Mahina thought of her muddled days huddled in the dormitory and could only reply with a bitter smile.

“I suppose it’s been alright.”

“You received the letter, didn’t you?”

As expected, Mahina still couldn’t lift her head in front of Ophelia. After all, she was the one who had hurt Merlin.

“Yes…”

Ophelia’s tone remained calm. She paused, her gaze sweeping toward the carefree little figure in the distance.

“I also received the letters you sent every month, which included your salary. However, given Merlin’s current state, I haven’t given them to her yet. I’m just keeping them for her for now.”

“Thank you.”

Ophelia waved her hand, signaling her not to worry about it, and then patted the grass beside her, indicating for her to sit down.

Although Ophelia was gentle, she was also very protective. Mahina, having hurt Merlin, was somewhat afraid of her.

Even so, she sat down because she didn’t want to lower Ophelia’s opinion of her any further.

Like a prisoner awaiting judgment, Mahina cautiously sat down beside Ophelia.

The distance between them was neither too close nor too far, just enough to hear each other’s breathing.

They sat side by side, looking at the lawn not far away.

Under the sunlight, little Merlin was acting spoiled with Mary because she couldn’t peel the candy wrapper. Mary helplessly peeled it for her, and little Merlin immediately broke into a brilliant smile.

“Mahina, the matter I discussed with you should be settled soon.”

Mahina turned her head sharply, a flicker of light finally appearing in her eyes.

“Really?”

“Yes. The Elf Empress has already agreed, though it will take some time for the formal contract to arrive.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Since you are willing to cooperate, then that is for the best.”

Looking at the trembling Mahina beside her, Ophelia sighed and gently reached out an arm, pulling Mahina toward her shoulder.

When Mahina’s head touched Ophelia’s shoulder, her body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed as she carefully adjusted her posture to be more comfortable.

“Mahina, to be honest, I really dislike you.”

Mahina lowered her head.

“Yes, I know.”

Ophelia’s gaze grew distant. She looked at the clouds in the distance and sighed softly again.

“My heart truly broke because of what you did to her. I originally wanted to say that I would never let you two meet again. I wanted to criticize you with the harshest words and tell you—no matter how far you and Merlin develop, don’t even think about passing this ‘mother’ hurdle.”

“Yes…”

Mahina’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito. She couldn’t argue.

Hearing those words, her heart felt like it was sinking to the bottom of an abyss.

Ophelia looked at her thin face and remained silent for a moment.

“I know Merlin was secretly crying before school started. The fatigue and swelling the next day couldn’t be hidden. As a mother, I was very sad, and I didn’t want to let you off easily… but…”

Ophelia sighed.

“It’s the same question. What are you two going to do? Although my own love life hasn’t been smooth and I shouldn’t say much, even after severing things in such a violent manner, marks remained in Merlin’s heart. Besides the extreme method of discarding ‘love,’ which damages the soul, I didn’t know what else to do.”

Mahina trembled and asked carefully.

“Is Merlin… still like that now?”

Ophelia was silent for a while.

“Now… it’s hard to say. Didn’t Merlin cry very hard at the end? The best-case scenario is that even if her capacity for love is restored, she will no longer like you. In fact, it would be best if she hated you.”

“You really have been watching all along.”

“Yes. So I am telling you in advance—it’s not impossible for her heart to have been wounded to the point where she instinctively begins to reject the source of her pain.”

If it were the Mahina of the past, hearing these words might have caused her to shrink back out of fear of being hurt again, or she might have felt she was no longer worthy of approaching.

But—

“Even so!”

Mahina’s voice suddenly rose, breaking the silence under the shade.

Realizing her loss of composure, she quickly lowered her head and waved her hands, but she did not take back the words.

Mahina’s hands gripped the grass beneath her tightly, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. The sharp blades of grass stung her skin, but that sensation of pain kept her clear-headed.

“Even so… I don’t want to give up… I’ve already tasted the bitterness of giving up once, and I cannot give up again.”