The next morning...

Merlin was relaxing in his room, reading a history book he hadn't finished yet.

Reading alone in the library made him a little uneasy. It was very quiet, and for some reason, he felt like someone was watching him.

Of course, he didn't believe in ghosts. Most likely, it was just his imagination.

As he was immersed in his reading, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock!

Merlin flinched slightly and glanced indifferently at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me, Luna. May I come in?"

"Luna?" Merlin's eyebrows lifted slightly. He hadn't expected her to come here. Still, he didn't think much of it and replied, "Of course. The door isn't locked."

Clack!

The doorknob turned slowly, and the door creaked open. Luna, dressed in a blue gown, appeared.

"What do you want?" Merlin asked calmly, not even looking at her.

Luna felt annoyed by his indifference. She stepped inside and stared at Merlin, who lay lazily with the book in both hands.

His casual attitude seemed careless and hardly fitting for a noble child.

"Am I disturbing you?"

"You can figure that out for yourself," Merlin replied, still indifferent.

"You…" Luna's face flushed with anger.

For the past ten days, she had been constantly frustrated by Merlin's infuriating indifference.

She had been the one to oppose this engagement, and she should have been the one acting indifferent.

But for some reason, in this case, it was Merlin who behaved that way. Truthfully, it made her uncomfortable—annoyed, even.

Moreover, many noble children adored her—and only Merlin dared to act like this toward her.

For the first time, Luna began to doubt her own charm.

Holding back her anger, she sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I came to ask for your help. It's very important."

Her tone sounded serious, piquing Merlin's curiosity. He closed his book and glanced at her.

"What is it?"

Luna hesitated for a moment, as if unsure whether to speak.

Merlin, growing impatient, slowly sat up and said in a cold, threatening tone, "If you don't want to tell me, forget it. Don't bother me."

His expression was so icy that Luna felt a flicker of fear.

Merlin had no intention of persuading her or being gentle just to get her to talk.

As he had said before, he would not follow the same path as Merlin Clay in the novel.

It was impossible for him to flatter or be nice to a girl like Luna—the type who, when treated well, would become arrogant and ungrateful.

Luna pursed her lips and pouted, then said in a weak voice, "It's… I found a very big secret, and I need you to check it out."

"A very big secret?" Merlin furrowed his brow. "What is it? And why are you telling me?"

Considering his attitude toward her all this time, he had assumed Luna would hate him. But he was wrong. She actually seemed to trust him more.

The secret she mentioned had to be important, yet strangely, she had come to him for help.

"There's no one else I can ask. Besides, you're the only one I trust."

Her last sentence was so quiet that Merlin almost didn't hear it.

He studied her carefully before asking, "Tell me—what secret are you talking about?"

"It's…" Luna bit her lower lip. "I found a Golden Grail in the underground room of the library."

Merlin's eyes widened in shock.

"A Golden Grail, you say? What does it look like?"

He stepped closer and stared at her intently, instantly frightening Luna.

"Your expression is terrifying! Can you calm down?" She protested, clearly annoyed.

Merlin realized his overreaction and quickly composed himself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Now, tell me what it looks like and how you found it."

If his guess was correct, the Golden Grail she mentioned should be the Grail of Time.

"Well, actually, earlier I…"

Luna began to explain everything. In short, she had visited the library to look for something to read.

She hadn't been there in a long time, but for some reason, she felt drawn to it—especially since Merlin had been visiting the library frequently lately.

While searching for books, she discovered an old volume on the farthest shelf.

Out of curiosity, she pulled it—and suddenly, a hidden door opened behind the shelf.

It turned out the "book" was actually a lever that revealed a secret room.

She stepped inside cautiously and, at the deepest part of the room, found a golden grail.

Not daring to explore further, she hurried back upstairs and closed the hidden door behind her.

Merlin listened intently to her story, his heart racing.

He picked up the book he had been reading and flipped to the seventh page.

"Does it look like this?"

He showed her the illustration, and Luna examined it closely.

Her eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly.

"Yes, that's exactly it! But wait…"

Suspicion flickered across her face as she looked at Merlin.

"Why is the Golden Grail in that book? Don't tell me…"

Before she could finish, Merlin gave a slight smile and nodded slowly.

"Yes. It's the Grail of Time—an artifact left behind by your family."

Thump!

Luna's heart raced, and her face drained of color.

"How is that possible…? Why would the Grail of Time be there?" she muttered, dazed.

She knew about the Grail, of course. Her father often talked about it with her and her mother.

He said the Grail was connected to the royal scepter once owned by the Tharot family.

If the scepter could be found, they would be able to regain their former glory.

It was just a rumor, a legend—but her father believed it. That was why he had been searching for it for years, but to no avail.

"Do you plan to tell your father about this?" Merlin asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Luna looked at him and nodded firmly.

"Of course! I have to tell him."

Merlin chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I suggest you don't. It's better if we check the grail first. You might be mistaken, and it could turn out to be fake. If you tell your father and it turns out to be wrong, wouldn't that make him sad?"

Luna hesitated at his words. She couldn't be sure whether the grail was real or not.

After all, people had searched for it for hundreds of years, yet it had never been found. It was entirely possible the one she discovered was just a fake.

"You're right, Merlin. But I don't dare to check it alone. Would you… come with me?" she asked shyly.

"Sure. Let's check it out."

Luna sighed in relief and nodded slightly.

Unbeknownst to her, a faint, meaningful smile formed on Merlin's lips.

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