"Oh?" Merlin was surprised and turned toward his bedroom door. "I'm awake, Charlotte. Come in. The door isn't locked."

No sooner had he said that than the door slowly opened, and Charlotte appeared in a pink dress.

Her bright, smiling face was so beautiful, like a saint descending to earth.

Merlin even gave her a thumbs up for her stunning beauty.

"Good morning, Charlotte. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Charlotte remembered that she hadn't greeted him and had instead walked straight into his room, making her face redden slightly.

"Good morning, Merlin. I've already had breakfast," she replied shyly as she walked closer. "Did I interrupt your breakfast?"

"Not at all. Sit down and tell me what happened."

Charlotte nodded and sat beside him. She glanced at Merlin and noticed he was wearing a bathrobe, with water droplets still on his neck and hair.

Subconsciously, she swallowed. Although Merlin was three years younger, Charlotte didn't see him as a child.

Instead, she considered him her equal. Because of that, she couldn't help feeling nervous around him, especially seeing him freshly bathed.

"[Ding! The affection of heroine Charlotte Solayne has increased by two points. Current affection: 80 points.]"

'Hmm? Her affection increased? What happened?' Merlin was surprised.

He looked at Charlotte and found her staring at his neck and slightly exposed chest.

Since Merlin never slacked off on his physical training, his body naturally had well-defined muscles.

When Charlotte realized Merlin's gaze was on her, she quickly turned her face away and said frantically, "D-Don't get the wrong idea! I wasn't looking at your chest; I was just surprised because you look more handsome—no, what am I saying? Ugh…"

Her face turned as red as an apple, and she squirmed in embarrassment, as if white smoke were rising from her head.

"Pfft!" Merlin chuckled softly. "Did I ask that? I don't think so, did I?"

Charlotte's blush deepened as she bit her lower lip.

Realizing that teasing her further would be dangerous, Merlin decided to change the subject.

"So, what brought you to my room? And what did you mean when you said your father called me?"

Charlotte snapped out of it and hurriedly explained, "My father wants to introduce you to my mother and siblings. And also, later, there will be a ritual to meet the Dragon of Light."

Merlin wasn't too surprised by the first sentence, but the moment he heard the second, his body froze.

"A ritual to meet the Dragon of Light? What is that?"

Charlotte glanced at the teapot and the clean cup on the table, then filled it.

After taking a sip, she began to explain, "Simply put, it is a special ceremony to help you become stronger. You may already know this, but I'll explain it again. The royal family worships the Dragon of Light. It's no exaggeration to say that we consider it a god."

Her gaze lowered slightly as she continued in a weak voice, "Whenever there is a big event, we make offerings to the Dragon of Light in the offering hall. Later, you will be left alone to pray to the dragon. If the dragon answers your prayers, you will receive its blessing."

"The dragon's blessing?" Merlin's eyes widened slightly.

Then he remembered a scene in the novel—the moment when Abel received the blessing of the Dragon of Light.

It should be noted that the Dragon of Light had only ever acknowledged two people—Arthus Solayne, the founder of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, and Gabriel Solayne, the third king he killed when entering the Grail of Time.

With that blessing, Abel could use a small portion of the Dragon of Light's power.

It might not sound like much, but in reality, that power was terrifying.

He could even suppress the dragon race using only that blessing and make the queen submit to him.

So one could imagine how terrifying the Dragon of Light's true blessing was.

Suppressing his excitement, Merlin stood up and said, "Let's go now!"

Charlotte blushed and quickly turned her face away.

"D-Don't show me your body!"

Merlin was startled and looked down, only to find that his bathrobe had slipped off his clothes.

"Ahem! I'm sorry, Charlotte. Can you step out first?"

Without a second thought, Charlotte stood up and quickly ran out of Merlin's room.

Merlin hurriedly put his bathrobe back on and muttered weakly, 'Hey… That was really unintentional, you know?'

***

"Are you still angry?" Merlin glanced at Charlotte, who had been silent with her head bowed.

"I'm not angry," she replied briefly.

She wasn't angry, but the incident had left a mark she would never forget in her life.

It was the first time she had seen the body of the opposite sex—especially someone her own age.

And it had to be admitted, Merlin had an incredibly beautiful physique. Even at ten, his muscles were already well-defined and toned.

For the innocent Charlotte, it felt like a deadly blow that froze her brain and left her unable to think clearly.

Even now, the image of Merlin's body was still etched in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off.

Merlin let out a small sigh and patted his chest in relief. There was no decrease in affection, which meant Charlotte wasn't angry at all.

The two continued walking until they finally arrived in front of the throne room.

At the end of the room, Vargan sat on the throne with three beautiful women on his right.

The woman closest to Vargan was particularly striking.

She wore a golden dress, and her long golden-brown hair flowed down her back.

A silver crown hung above her head, adding to her enchanting appearance.

She was Elizabeth Solayne, Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria.

The woman beside her was no less attractive. Her long green hair was tied in a crown braid.

Her face was soft and beautiful, resembling the favorite mommies of Japanese otaku.

That woman was the first concubine, Vivian Solayne.

The last one had a slightly thin face with milky white skin. Her black hair fell long down her back.

Her blue eyes were sharp like swords—one glance was enough to make anyone bow their head.

She was Lilia Solayne, the second concubine.

'So, they're Vargan's wives, huh? No wonder otaku adore them—they really are beautiful,' Merlin muttered.

To be honest, he was one of them too. His favorite was Lilia Solayne.

She had unique characteristics: firm and cold on the outside but soft on the inside.

By the way, Lilia was the only one of Vargan's wives who had not given him a child.

The databook didn't explain the reason, but as far as Merlin remembered, Michiku-sensei had once told him that Lilia had a special and unique identity.

Since he had been reincarnated into this world, Merlin would surely find out about it later.

He and Charlotte stopped in front of them, and both quickly greeted Vargan on the throne.

"Good morning, Father."

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Vargan looked at them gently. "Good morning to you too."

His gaze then turned to Merlin, and he asked, "How did you sleep last night, Merlin? Were you comfortable?"

Merlin straightened up and replied, "Very comfortable, Your Majesty. Thank you for the room."

Vargan smiled and nodded slightly. After that, he went straight to the main topic.

"You must already know why I called you, right?"

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