Four days passed quickly. During that time, Merlin had taken care of Luna with attentiveness.
Of course, "attentive" here didn't mean what most people might imagine. He simply looked after her, fed her, and changed the fever patch on her forehead.
Other than that, he did nothing—just returned to his room to rest or read.
Since arriving at the Tharot family mansion, Merlin hadn't done much besides occasional training or reading books.
The weather outside wasn't pleasant. For some reason, ever since he arrived in the city of Dralmor, the sky had remained cloudy, and it had rained nonstop until the fourth day.
Although such weather was common in cold western regions, it still made him a little uneasy about what might come next.
"Are you feeling better?" Merlin asked as he fed her the last spoonful.
Luna ate it, chewed slowly, and swallowed.
"Yes, I'm better," she replied weakly. "Actually, I can feed myself, you know?"
She glanced at him with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
For the past few days, Merlin had been taking care of her with unexpected patience.
At first, Luna had thought this boy was terrifying—but it turned out he could also be kind, and that made her feel somewhat relieved.
"I don't care whether you can eat by yourself or not," Merlin said casually as he set the bowl on the nightstand. "I'm just following your mother's orders. Besides, this can serve as a good impression in front of your parents and James."
Luna fell silent at that. Normally, she might have agreed with him, but now, for some reason, those words made her feel a little uneasy.
Shaking off her thoughts, she picked up the glass from the nightstand and took a sip of the warm water.
Merlin stood up, grabbed a plate of sliced apples, and handed it to her.
"By the way, can I go to the library?" he asked.
"Library?" Luna raised her eyebrows slightly. "Of course. If you want to go, just go ahead. You don't need my permission."
Merlin was already regarded as part of the family by her parents, so he had access to most rooms in the mansion.
"Good," Merlin nodded with satisfaction. Without another word, he turned around and left Luna's room.
Watching him disappear from view, Luna let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"What an ignorant boy," she murmured.
***
"[Ding! The affection of heroine Luna Tharot increased by 5 points! Current affection: 25 points (20)]"
Merlin glanced at the panel and ignored it.
"The Tharot family library must be hiding many secrets," he muttered excitedly.
His face, which usually appeared indifferent and emotionless, showed a glimmer of happiness. He had been eyeing the Tharot family library since he first arrived.
However, Luna fell ill, and he had to take care of her in her room. In the end, his visit to the library was delayed.
Along the way, Merlin met several servants, all of whom immediately bowed their heads to him.
Merlin naturally returned their greetings with a nod and a smile. Four days were enough for him to memorize both the layout of the mansion and the servants who worked there.
They, too, had grown used to his presence.
After a few minutes of walking, Merlin finally reached the door of the Tharot family library.
He opened it, and what greeted him was the sight of neatly arranged bookshelves. The collection was so vast that it made Merlin's blood boil with excitement.
Just as he was about to step inside, a curious voice called out from behind him.
"Young Master Merlin? Are you going to read in the library?"
Surprised, Merlin turned around and saw a beautiful brown-haired maid with a short bob smiling at him.
"Tina?"
The woman was Luna's personal maid, Tina.
"Good afternoon, Young Master Merlin," she greeted respectfully as she approached.
"Good afternoon to you too, Tina," Merlin replied softly. "Yes, I'd like to read in the library. Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing at all." Tina giggled and shook her head lightly. "The library hasn't been cleaned yet, and today happens to be my turn. How about I accompany you while you read? Let's say it's to ease the boredom of reading alone."
Merlin didn't refuse her offer.
"Of course."
Together, they stepped into the library. The room was spacious and spotless. From the nearly dust-free floor, it was clear that the place was always well maintained.
"What book would you like to read?" Tina asked as she switched on the light near the reading table.
"I want to read about history. Are there any books like that here?"
"There are. Let me get them for you."
Without waiting for Merlin's reply, Tina walked to the shelves on the left and selected three or four books she thought were good.
A moment later, she returned and placed them on the reading table.
"I recommend these ones. They're really good—especially the ones about the kingdom's history," she said with excitement.
"Oh?" Merlin was a little surprised. He picked up one of the thick blue-bound books and asked, "Do you like reading?"
"Yes, I really do!" Tina's eyes lit up. But then she realized how childish she sounded and coughed in embarrassment. "Ahem! I mean… yes, I do. I often come here to read during my spare time."
"That's very good! Reading is a way to see the world. I didn't realize you had such a hobby," Merlin said with a small chuckle.
Tina felt embarrassed, yet deeply pleased by his praise.
"Well, I won't bother you any longer. I'll prepare some chocolate milk and biscuits for you to snack on."
With that, she turned and left the library.
Merlin only smiled and shook his head lightly. Then he turned his attention to the book before him, opened it, and began to read.
The book was quite thick—probably around two to three hundred pages.
It was about the history of the Tharot family. From its yellowed pages, it was clear that the book dated back to a very old era.
The language used was also ancient and a bit difficult to understand. Fortunately, Merlin could still read and grasp its contents.
As he was engrossed in reading, something on the seventh page caught his eye.
"The Golden Grail?" he muttered in surprise.
A picture of a golden grail was shown on the page. Naturally, Merlin immediately connected it to the grail discovered by Luna in the novel's plot.
Without hesitation, he read the passage carefully. It stated that the grail had a name—the Grail of Time.
It was said to be an extremely rare, high-level mythical artifact that once belonged to the Tharot family.
However, after their kingdom's collapse, it vanished and had remained lost for hundreds of years.
"The Grail of Time, huh…" he murmured under his breath.
As he was lost in thought, the sound of approaching footsteps reached him, followed by Tina's surprised voice.
"The Grail of Time? I didn't expect you to be interested in that, Young Master."
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