"The Grail of Time? I didn't expect you to be interested in that, Young Master."

"Hmm?" Merlin looked up in surprise and saw Tina standing before him, her eyes fixed on the page of the book he was reading.

"Do you know about the Grail of Time, Tina?" Merlin asked curiously.

Tina took a step back, then placed a cup of hot chocolate along with a plate of biscuits and freshly baked sponge cake on the table.

"Yes, I know. It's the treasure of the Tharot family, but it disappeared from history a long time ago. I often hear the head of the family talking about it with Lady Iris," she replied with a small smile.

Merlin picked up his cup and took a sip of the hot chocolate. The sweet yet slightly bitter taste immediately touched his tongue.

He then took a biscuit from the plate, ate it, and asked again, "Do you have any clue where it disappeared?"

As far as he remembered, in the novel, Luna had found it in an underground chamber. However, it wasn't mentioned which underground chamber it was.

Over the past four days he'd been staying here, he had asked several servants about the underground rooms in this mansion and gathered a few clues from them.

However, when he entered one of them with Iris two days ago, he found nothing resembling the Golden Grail that Luna had discovered.

Well, that actually made sense. The Tharot family had been searching for it for hundreds of years and still hadn't found it.

Wouldn't it be funny if they simply never thought to look in their own underground chambers?

"I don't really know myself, Young Master," Tina replied with a shy expression. "But according to some books I've read, the Grail of Time is said to be in this mansion. It doesn't specify whether it's inside this building or buried in the yard, but that's the only clue."

She sighed softly before continuing, "The head of the family has tried hard to find it, but to no avail. So, the clue might no longer be valid—perhaps a previous head of the family found the Grail, but it was never made public and is now hidden somewhere."

That was her own suspicion, of course—something she would never dare to say aloud to Frederin or Iris.

Even so, she was certain both of them must have considered that possibility.

Merlin stayed silent as he took another sip of his hot chocolate. If someone asked whether he agreed with her guess, he would have firmly said no.

After all, in the novel, Luna had found it and taken Abel into the past—a time when the Tharot family's kingdom was still flourishing.

"All right, Tina. Thank you for the information," Merlin said softly, setting down his cup.

"You're welcome, Young Master. In that case, I won't disturb your reading any longer."

Seeing that it was getting late, she quickly left to fetch the cleaning supplies.

Watching her disappear from view, Merlin chuckled quietly.

"System, are you there?" he called.

"[Ding! The greatest system is here, Master! Do you need anything from me?]"

Merlin rested his chin on his right palm, staring at the image of the Golden Grail on the book's page.

"Do you think I can activate the grail like the main character?" he asked.

Abel was the chosen one, so it was only natural for him to have that privilege.

Meanwhile, Merlin was just a minor villain without plot armor or anything of the sort. It seemed impossible for him to activate the Grail of Time like Abel did.

"[Don't worry about it, Master. You're not Abel, and you don't have his privileges. But don't forget—you have me,]" the system said proudly.

"Oh?" Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You mean you can help me activate the Golden Grail like Abel?"

"[Hehehe! Of course, Master!]" the system replied enthusiastically. "[But, well… there's a small price to pay for that. I'm sure you know what I mean.]"

Merlin: "…"

***

Five days passed like an arrow in flight. During that time, Merlin went about his usual routine—sleeping, reading in the library, training, and eating three meals a day.

As for taking care of Luna, well… that was no longer necessary. By the sixth day of his stay, the girl had recovered and was able to look after herself.

Still, thanks to the care he had given her while she was sick, her attitude toward him had improved a little—even if only slightly.

At the dining table, Frederin, Iris, James, Merlin, and Luna were enjoying dinner together.

"Oh, right, you two," Frederin said, glancing at Merlin and Luna seated across from him. "Ardhis and I have discussed the party. It will start in a month, but there'll be a ten-day delay since the Dragon God Festival will begin in twenty days. Is that all right?"

"The Dragon God Festival?" Merlin and Luna looked a bit surprised.

The Dragon God Festival was a special celebration held throughout the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, honoring the spirit of the Golden Dragon—the first ruler before the kingdom's founding.

'The Dragon God Festival…' Merlin smiled faintly. 'It reminds me of a memory from the novel's side story.'

The Dragon God Festival was held once every five years. If the storyline hadn't deviated like it had now, the original Merlin should have invited Luna to enjoy it with him.

Unfortunately, Luna had rejected his invitation, and Merlin Clay was left with no choice but to use her parents to pressure her.

Under Frederin and Iris's persuasion, Luna eventually agreed.

But the date Merlin had hoped would be enjoyable turned out to be a disaster.

No matter how much effort Merlin Clay put into pleasing her or preparing various festival foods, Luna remained completely indifferent—even throwing everything away in the end.

As a reader, Merlin used to find that part amusing.

After all, Luna was the heroine, and it was only natural for her to stay composed around any man other than the protagonist.

But after entering Merlin Clay's body, his view changed. Now, he felt that Luna's behavior back then was excessive and… disgusting.

"Oh, and one more thing," Frederin continued. "Iris, James, and I will be going to the next city for three days to check on something. So, I hope you two can take care of the house. Understood?"

Both of them were stunned at the announcement. Merlin turned to James, who gave him a small nod.

"Duke Tharot asked me to protect them. Don't worry, it's only for a few days," he said reassuringly. "You'll be safe here, Young Master."

Merlin stayed silent. He knew the place was safe—but that wasn't the issue.

Being alone with Luna made him feel uneasy.

Still, he understood there was no point in refusing; it would only make him look childish.

Meanwhile, Luna glanced at him with a frown.

'Alone with him? Hmph! How annoying…'

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