In front of the offering hall, Vargan stood with a calm expression.

Yet the anxiety lurking in his eyes was hard to hide.

Elizabeth, Vivian, and Lilia, along with Leonard and Lucas, stood beside him. All of them looked serious, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

"Father, did my sister succeed?" Leonard asked, his voice tinged with worry.

Vargan turned to him and patted his shoulder.

"I don't know. But earlier, Merlin said your sister would succeed. Besides, the Dragon of Light, Calystron, would never harm Charlotte. Our family has worshipped him for hundreds of years, so I'm certain she'll be fine," he reassured him.

Leonard exhaled deeply and nodded.

"I trust you."

Beside them, Lucas watched the exchange with a cold, jealous glare.

'Damn… Leonard really is cunning. He's using this moment to gain his father's favor,' he muttered, frustration simmering in his voice.

But there was nothing he could do, so he swallowed his resentment.

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed behind them.

They turned and saw Merlin approaching, his expression calm as ever.

"Merlin!" Vargan's eyes lit up. He stepped forward eagerly. "Where have you been? Why couldn't I find you?"

He had already sent the guards searching. After all, only Merlin could confirm Charlotte's condition.

However, Merlin was nowhere to be seen, which made Vargan anxious for a moment.

"I've been in the library, Your Majesty. My apologies," Merlin said, cupping his hands and bowing slightly.

Vargan smiled and waved him off. "It's all right. By the way…"

He glanced toward the hall gate. "My daughter is fine, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's fine. She should be out shortly," Merlin replied casually.

Vargan exhaled in relief and fell silent.

They waited quietly. Leonard, however, didn't waste the opportunity. He used the time to ask Merlin all sorts of questions.

Merlin didn't mind in the slightest, answering each one and occasionally posing questions of his own.

Over the past seven days, Leonard had often visited him, inviting conversation as if trying to build a closer bond.

Merlin knew it was likely on Vargan's orders, and he didn't mind.

It wasn't just Leonard who gained from their closeness—Merlin benefited too. Perhaps someday, he could call on Leonard for help with problems beyond his own reach.

'They're so close…' Lucas ground his teeth.

To be honest, he had wanted to approach Merlin a few days ago and make him his ally.

But Merlin always seemed to avoid him, as if he were a plague.

Frustration and hurt finally boiled over, and he snapped, leading to a fierce confrontation between them.

His father had to step in to separate them, and now, the relationship between him and Merlin had turned into open hostility.

Watching her son, Vivian sighed softly.

'This child never changes,' she whispered.

She couldn't understand what had made Lucas act this way. She remembered clearly how kind and obedient he used to be.

Next to her, Lilia gazed at Merlin with a deep, unreadable expression, as if lost in thought.

Merlin noticed the stare but pretended not to.

It should be noted that for the past seven days, Lilia had often watched him from afar.

Though she thought she was subtle, in front of Merlin—with the system and Lyserra at his side—there was no way she could go unnoticed.

Still, Merlin was too shy to approach her, so he continued to act as if he hadn't seen her.

Suddenly, the gate shook violently. Everyone's attention snapped to it.

Moments later, a beautiful girl stepped out. Her golden hair flowed down her back like sunlight.

A dragon-scale-shaped ribbon adorned the right side of her head, delicate and perfectly suited to her.

She wore a golden dress crafted from fine, luxurious fabric.

The most striking feature, however, was the two short horns on her forehead.

They gave her the appearance of a dragon maiden, as if she had stepped straight out of a painting.

"Charlotte!" Vargan exclaimed, rushing toward her. He scanned her from head to toe and let out a relieved sigh. "How are you, my dear? Are you all right?"

As he looked her over, he noticed how drastically she had changed.

If Charlotte had once radiated innocence and charm, she now carried the presence of a dignified queen.

The transformation left Vargan visibly stunned, as if he still couldn't fully comprehend it.

Elizabeth and Leonard stepped forward, their eyes fixed on her with worry.

Charlotte glanced at her father, mother, and brother, then gave a small, confident smile.

"It's all right, Father. I'm fine. The Dragon of Light, Calystron, has granted me his power. I'm no longer a useless princess!" she said, her voice bright with enthusiasm.

Her words left everyone speechless.

"The Dragon of Light, Calystron, gave you his power?" Vargan's eyes widened. "Are you telling the truth?"

Merlin had only mentioned that Charlotte might receive something akin to the dragon's blessing—but she had actually obtained the power of the Dragon of Light itself!

For Vargan, this was far from trivial.

"Yes, Father. I'm telling the truth," Charlotte said with a slight nod.

She opened her palm, and a brilliant ball of light appeared, floating above it.

The sight made everyone, including Vargan, swallow hard.

"You truly received it…" Vargan breathed, a mixture of awe and disbelief in his voice.

At long last, after hundreds of years, someone from the Solayne bloodline had been entrusted with the power of the Dragon of Light, Calystron.

Though he didn't know the full reason behind it, he realized it had to be thanks to Merlin.

"By the way, can you return to your original appearance?" Elizabeth asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"Of course."

Charlotte closed her eyes, and in an instant, golden light enveloped her, returning her to her original form.

Vargan, Leonard, and Elizabeth all exhaled in relief. It wasn't that they disliked her previous appearance, but they felt more comfortable and closer to her current self.

"By the way, where's Merlin?" Charlotte asked, glancing around eagerly.

Vargan turned to answer, only to realize Merlin was nowhere in sight.

"Where is that kid?"

He recalled Merlin being right behind him moments ago.

Vivian stepped forward and pointed to the hallway on the right.

"Merlin just went that way," she explained.

"Did he leave a message or something?" Vargan asked.

Vivian nodded. "He said he would wait for Charlotte in the garden."

Vargan let out a small sigh and glanced at his daughter.

"Go on. He's waiting for you."

He didn't understand why Merlin needed to speak to Charlotte alone in the garden, but he was certain it had to be about something important concerning the Dragon of Light.

It would be a lie to say Vargan wasn't curious about what they were going to discuss. But he was too shy to eavesdrop.

Charlotte nodded eagerly and immediately dashed down the hallway.

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