As I so wonderfully deduced, Merlin was indeed the knight sent by the Dubannes family to protect Ophelia. I honestly expected someone older or with more experience to become Ophelia's knight but apparently Merlin had gained quite the reputation back home.
I hadn't heard much about him after out training sessions ended, but after Ophelia and I left for the academy he began exhibiting extreme physical strength and magical prowess. Lerone was so proud that he couldn't stop boasting. He was also called a handsome gentleman. I sure hope so. My lessons weren't for naught. They started calling him some kind of stupid name. 'Merlin the Gentleman' or something stupid.
Apparently I also had a reputation back home. At first I was just the youngest servant who everyone treated as their own daughter, then the servant who had the best chance of marrying into nobility due to my beauty, and then the most loyal servant due to me protecting Ophelia from Earl Millstone. I suppose I'm quite well respected. Or something.
When I asked Ophelia about her thoughts on Merlin before I officially met him again, this is all she had to say.
"He's a threat."
I don't know what she meant by that but I'm quite worried. Ophie always overreacted when it came to new people and often judged them harshly for it. It's a habit I've been trying to get rid of but it still seems to persist.
I'll have to work harder.
I've finally been introduced to Merlin again after all these years. I had finally been released from the hospital ward with the request that I take it easy. I was going to ignore them but it seems that Ophelia had already prepared for my reaction. I was strictly prohibited from doing any heavy lifting. It was too bad my definition of heavy and her definition of heavy were two different things.
But I digress. Coincidentally, I met Merlin during lunch. It was a lovely day for an outside picnic, so Ophelia and I found a nice shady spot under a willow tree and I began to set up. Merlin had come with us as he was tasked with following Ophelia around and ensuring her safety.
As I expected, he was still a pretty boy. He had grown into his features quite well. His dark blue hair had grown out a bit and now had a nice shine to it, his skin was still tanned but seemed a bit darker than the last time I remembered, and his charcoal eyes held a maturity they once didn't. Merlin now had defined facial features and even though he was wearing light armor, I could tell he was toned. He still hasn't looked me in the eyes yet, which is a bit annoying.
In conclusion, he still wasn't as attractive as Ophelia, but he didn't look half bad.
"Ava, did you bring them? Did you?" Ophelia was bouncing on the picnic blanket in excitement. It was always when she acted like a little kid that I wanted to tease her a bit.
"Did I bring what? I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know what I'm talking about!"
"I do? But I don't remember anything. Perhaps I'm getting old..."
"Ava~"
Ophelia had the most adorable pout on her face and I couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. I brought them."
Her eyes instantly lit up as I pulled the anticipated food out of the picnic basket. Ophelia's very favorite scratch made lemon madeleine cookies. The scent of lemon and sugar quickly filled the air, causing the black-haired girl's mouth to water.
However, before she could grab one of her beloved snacks I put it back into the basket.
"You can have cookies after you've eaten real food."
Ophelia looked like she had never been so wronged in her face. She could only sulk as I took out a salad and prepared her a small bowl to eat. She poked at the vegetables for awhile before peering up at me pitifully. When she realized that wasn't going to get her any cookies she swallowed her pride and began to munch on the salad.
She actually liked salad. Ophelia just liked my cookies more. It went against protocol for a maid to eat with or before her master, so I only watched her eat.
Ophelia finished her salad and set the bowl aside. "Ava, I finished."
"Good. Now you can eat the main course."
Ophelia whined while I went through the picnic basket. "Stop that. Now, do you want an vegetable sandwich or an egg sandwich?"
"I want cookies."
"Not an option yet."
"But-"
"If you ask again before it's time I'll feed your precious cookies to Merlin."
Ophelia gasped and turned her head to glare at Merlin as if he had betrayed her and left her for dead in the middle of nowhere. The poor boy shivered and avoided any eye contact with her.
Was Ophie really that intimidating? Maybe I was just desensitized.
"Now then, what sandwich do you want?"
"... Egg."
"I thought so."
Ophelia suffered through two more foods before finally getting what she wanted. Forgetting any and all manners she had learned, she scarfed down the cookies like a man who had been starved for a week. I could only sigh and shake my head.
I had really nurtured this sweet tooth of hers, hadn't I?
The picnic ended peacefully and Ophelia returned to her classes with pep in her step. Unlike me, who could go around and do chores, Merlin had to follow Ophelia around and wait outside her classrooms while she learned. It sounded quite boring.
Which actually brought us to our current situation. I stood before Merlin, simply looking at him as he avoided any and all eye contact with me. He had grown taller than me, which I found a bit annoying. His face seemed to be gaining color the longer I looked at him.
"Merlin?"
"Yes?"
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No-"
I interrupted him by shoving a vegetable sandwich into his mouth and taking a step back as he tried to process the situation.
"You should eat more. While you've grown a lot, you're still as thin as the little boy I met all those years ago. Put some meat on those poor bones of yours." I could only sigh as I placed the leftovers of the picnic in his arms and shook my head. Before he could reply I had already walked away.
No matter what, it seemed I could only treat people the same age as me or younger than me like children. Especially if they wouldn't feed themselves.
--------
"Ava, you're from the Dubannes house right?"
I was washing laundry when this question was posed by Petra, one of my roommates. She along with Tiffany were also doing laundry. The room was a lot less lively with Rachael and I could only hope that nothing severe was happening to her at the Millstone estate. However, I knew that was probably only wishful thinking.
"I am. Why do you ask?" I replied, putting a little more elbow grease into my scrubbing when I got to a particularly tough stain. God, how I missed washing machines.
"Do you know that knight at Lady Ophelia's side?" She asked, face a bit pink. Was she catching a cold? Probably not. It was quite warm out.
Petra was catching feelings.
"You mean Merlin?"
"So that's his name." Tiffany cut in, hanging up one of her cleaned bedsheets. "All the other girls were just calling him Hottie. Especially the young ones."
I couldn't help but gag. "Seriously?"
Tiffany nodded. "Of course. Even Petra, our resident stick in the mud is feeling some type of way."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are! Ava, you should've seen the way she was looking at him earlier. She was smitten I tell you, smitten."
"Tiffany, shut up!" Petra's face had gone bright pink as she flicked the soapy water in her wash bin at Tiffany, the other girl giggling. The two were already great friends which was nice. Our room was harmonious most of the time.
In fiction, it's often depicted that the noble house's servants are all friendly and on the same footing. Sometimes there's a slight hierarchy, but usually not a strict one. That was a lie. There was a very strong and enforced hierarchy of servants in the servant's quarters, both at home and at the academy. While I had been at the top of both hierarchies, one due to my mother's position as Lady Ysabelle's closest maid, and here due to Ophelia's status. I had seen a few bullying incidents in this place and let me just say.
Maids are some brutal women.
"Anyway, how do you know Sir Merlin?"
It sounded so weird to have that little boy I remembered be called Sir. It made him sound like an adult. "I know Merlin because I saved his ass when we were kids and taught him some fighting."
Both girls were silent for a bit before looking at each other and then bursting into giggles.
"What? What's so funny?" I asked, pursing my lips.
"That so sounds like something Ava would do!"
"It really does!"
I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed the more they both laughed before sighing. Whatever. What I said was the full truth.
I continued my washing as Tiffany laughed so hard that she fell into her wash bin.
That was the only time I let a snicker escape my mouth.
--------
"Ah, Miss Ava-"
"Don't call me that. Just Ava is fine."
"... Ava. Thanks for lunch earlier."
"It was no problem. I just couldn't bear to look at your skinny figure. Even I have more body mass than you."
That was a bit of an exaggeration, but Merlin really was quite thin despite his profession. It was currently night time and I had finally put Ophelia to sleep for the day, having snuck out of the room quietly. Merlin was waiting outside as it would be scandalous for him to stand inside.
Merlin's ears were actually a bit red as we conversed together. Was everyone at this school catching a cold from me? It wasn't even winter.
"I'm not that thin, am I?" Merlin asked, scratching the back of his head.
I looked at him for a bit before placing my hands around his waist and squeezing. Merlin went ramrod straight as I squeezed his waist a couple more times. Now his face was fully flushed pink. Oh, he was embarrassed. He was quite slim, but I could also feel the muscle under my hands and nodded.
"You might be a bit less thin."
"D-did you really have to prove it by grabbing me?"
"No, but it got the funniest reaction out of you. If you're that upset you can return the favor."
Merlin's face went from pink to scarlet red at my proposition. "T-that's okay. You don't have to do that."
As I thought. Teasing people is quite fun.
"Eh? Why not? I won't be embarrassed. You can really do it."
"I'd rather not."
"Really?~"
"Really."
I clicked my tongue. "You're no fun. I'm going to go rest."
Merlin let out a sigh of relief at my retreat, body visibly relaxing. He let his guard down. Terrible choice.
"Just kidding."
"Huh?"
Before the blue-haired boy could react properly, I grabbed both of his hands and put them on my waist. Merlin's mind still hadn't caught up with what was happening, so he ended up lightly squeezing my waist. His hands actually have quite a few callouses, much more than mine. I wonder if they hurt.
Merlin let out a quiet shriek and retracted his hands, taking large steps away from me. Now his entire body was just a tomato with a blue mop on his head.
"W-w-w-what, why would you-"
"Cuz it's fun to tease you. Good night, Merlin." I returned to my proper maid persona and walked away with measured but quick steps, leaving Merlin alone in the hallway to stutter through whatever he was going to say.
Yes, teasing the young kids was fun. I'll apologize tomorrow when I stop giggling.
--------
Merlin slowly came back to himself and couldn't help but go from standing to crouching, his head in his hands to hide his bright red face. He took deep breaths.
In, out. In, out. In, out.
And then he looked at his hands and squeezed lightly.
The poor boy was back at square one again.
[ 👀]
[ Ava is such a tease, isn't she? Let's hope this doesn't backfire! Or should we??? ]