Machina decided to live her life properly. This morning, she braided her hair and applied her makeup all by herself; such tasks were no longer difficult for her.
Like a leading lady in a story, imagining the hairstyles Merlin liked, her face unconsciously gave way to the tenderness of a young girl in love. Machina murmured softly to the mirror, her fingers dancing nimbly through her locks.
“Even if she has temporarily turned into a child, her preferences shouldn’t have changed, right? It might be nice to act as a pure and gentle older sister in front of Merlin for a while.”
She pulled the black hair from both sides back, weaving them into two delicate small braids that met at the back of her head, acting like an exquisite band to lightly secure her waterfall of long hair. For her forehead, she left a few strands of meticulously trimmed “air bangs,” which shed the solemnity of a noble lady and added a touch of the approachable charm of a girl-next-door.
She had the confidence to conclude that Merlin liked this kind of hairstyle. She had to have at least this much confidence if she wanted to stand by Merlin’s side.
Machina’s gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on her own slender legs, her fingertips lightly tracing the delicate texture. Furthermore, Machina had a certain intuition—an intuition that had been confirmed when the two were trapped in the sea caves.
Merlin liked hosiery. No… it should be said she had something bordering on a fetish for them, even though she herself never wore them at the academy. Aside from the girls Merlin knew, even when surrounded by other girls or passing strangers, Merlin would subconsciously look at those wearing tights first, and her gaze would linger on them much longer.
So, that day in the cave, she had gained confirmation. Mm… even though they were clean tights, and even though they were both girls, she looked so flustered, her little face turning as red as a peach. As expected, she liked them—that sense of lines being wrapped.
Thinking of this, a thin layer of crimson flushed onto Machina’s cheeks. However, Machina didn’t think this was much of a problem; it wasn’t anything shameful. In fact, she felt joy at having confirmed Merlin’s preferences.
Moreover, back when she wore her uniform at the academy, she had always paired it with tights. The reason… wasn’t anything special; it was just that with her black hair and black-and-white uniform, black hosiery fit her “persona” better. But since Merlin liked them, from now on, whether it was her school uniform or her private clothes… she would always wear them. She wanted to dress herself in the way Merlin loved most, carving this preference into her very style.
Tucking away her thoughts, Machina walked down from the dormitory building. Ruby was already there waiting for her. The morning breeze stirred Ruby’s short red hair; she looked a bit restless, her toes unconsciously kicking a small pebble by the roadside.
“Good morning.” “Morning.”
Machina had already pulled herself together; she had an appointment to meet little Merlin today. Though she was worried about how to get along with her—since the little Merlin who retained her memories hated her, and getting too close might make her cry, which would be counterproductive—Machina simply couldn’t bring herself to give up.
Seeing Machina looking a bit somber, Ruby thought to herself that it must be about Merlin again. As a fellow accomplice who had hurt Merlin during their academy life, she had no right to say anything, so she could only try to bring up a more cheerful topic.
“Um… Machina, what does the second-year Magic Department plan to do for this year’s Star-Moon Festival?” “Star-Moon Festival?”
Machina was so lost in thought about Merlin that she didn’t understand Ruby’s topic for a moment.
“Aren’t you a second-year student? Did you forget? The Star-Moon Festival lasts for a week right after the grand exams at the start of the term.” “Ah… that’s right.”
Machina only remembered now. The Star-Moon Festival preparations usually began for every department and grade almost immediately after the exams. Students would spend a month preparing for the week-long festival, which served as both a celebration and a reward for students after the grueling exams.
In previous years, as the center of attention, she would have been so busy her feet wouldn’t touch the ground, surrounded by countless people while deciding on plans. Back then, she was already a member of the Student Council and a representative for the first-year Magic Department, surrounded by classmates during preparations.
But after the grand exams ended, Machina had been hit by a series of events. The guilt of being protected by Merlin at the cost of her life, the soul-crushing remorse after learning the truth, and the late, nauseating regret had acted like a black swamp, constantly eroding her sanity.
During these weeks, Machina’s emotional world had been filled by Merlin, completely consumed by guilt and regret, leaving her no room to consider anything else. Additionally, after the truth was made public, Machina fell heavily from the pedestal where she had been worshipped by thousands. Her reputation plummeted to the rock bottom. The flattery and fawning that once surrounded her instantly turned into a cold indifference that people avoided like the plague.
No Student Council members took the initiative to find her; no classmates came to ask for her opinion. During the time she was sinking into this low point, the Magic Department’s exhibition and the Student Council’s coordination continued to move forward in an orderly fashion, regardless of her.
Machina felt both relieved and saddened. But on second thought, she had no right to be sad. How could someone who threw everything to the back of her mind for Merlin’s sake be entitled to sadness now? It truly was a relief that things hadn’t turned into a mess because of her absence.
“I’m not really sure…” In the end, Machina could only squeeze out those few words.
“As expected?” Even though she was a year older than Machina, Ruby, also being in the Magic Department, realized something.
Public opinion in the academy had flipped in an instant; would the students really still care about Machina’s opinion? Because Machina had also been pushing Ruby away during that time, Ruby didn’t know what Machina had been doing. But the Magic Department was still operating in an orderly manner, and the Student Council was still preparing for the festival. If it were the former Duke’s daughter Machina, perhaps the students would have hesitated, caring about whether they should ignore her to make decisions. But things were different now.
Machina shook her head and smiled with a sense of release. On the contrary, she felt happy because she could set down all those heavy burdens and focus entirely on Merlin. She could even just maintain the status quo and be an ordinary Magic student. If no one asked her anything anymore, it would be fine to just quietly leave the Student Council like this.
Those superficial things, just like the halo that once attached itself to her, would fade away sooner or later. In that case, it was better to hold tightly onto the thing she cherished most. Regardless of what the second-year Magic Department was planning for this year’s festival, Machina intended to just be an ordinary student. As for the Student Council… let it stay in this hollowed-out state. Resigning suddenly might trigger new storms; it was better to just keep things as they were.
A voice interrupted the two girls’ thoughts.
“Good morning.”
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