"Ugh..." Merlin groaned in pain as he slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

What greeted him was the familiar ceiling of his own room.

"My room, huh? Does this mean I'm back home?" he murmured.

He sat up and leaned his back against the headboard.

"System, are you there?" he called softly.

"[Ding! The most powerful system is here, Master! Are you still in pain?]"

Merlin smiled faintly and shook his head. "No, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern. By the way, what happened after I passed out, System?"

He couldn't remember anything after losing consciousness, so he had no idea how he ended up in his room.

"[After you fainted, James came with a woman named Lisa and also Margaret. James killed the blond man who attacked you, and Lisa healed your wounds,]" the system explained in detail.

"So that's how it was..." Merlin nodded slightly. "Good thing everything went as expected. But that was one exhausting battle."

He let out a quiet sigh as he looked up. If he wanted, he could have easily killed the blond man with the system's help. But that would have been meaningless.

Moreover, he could now see how much he had progressed over the past twelve days, and he had to admit—the results were quite satisfying.

"By the way, I'm curious about something," Merlin said as he straightened up. "What happened to Margaret? Did she return to Lisa?"

"By the way, I'm curious about something," Merlin said as he straightened up. "What happened to Margaret? Did she go back with Lisa?"

"[Yes, she's back with Lisa. But don't worry, they shouldn't be returning anytime soon,]" the system replied in a soothing tone.

Merlin let out a small sigh of relief and nodded. He couldn't afford to lose Margaret just like that. Their relationship had reached a critical stage, and he had to make her his—no matter what.

It might sound selfish, but he didn't care. Aside from Linda, Margaret was one of the heroines he liked. And it wasn't about her wealth but her strong and decisive nature.

She hadn't been swayed by Abel's advances and had always kept her distance. It was only after Abel created a potion to heal her face that she finally let her guard down.

For a girl who was immune to Abel's charms, Margaret was truly special—and she left a strong impression on the readers, including him, the editor.

"Oh, right!" Merlin's eyes lit up. "System, don't forget my mission reward."

A playful smile tugged at his lips, making the system roll its eyes.

"[Ding! The mission to save the heroine Margaret was perfectly successful! Reward: 1x Scarlet Blight Cure Cream and 15,000 SP have been awarded! Would you like to claim them now? Yes/No]"

Without hesitation, Merlin chose "Yes," and a white light appeared before him.

"Is this the Scarlet Blight Cure Cream?" he muttered, picking up the small jar that materialized.

The cream was contained in a round white jar adorned with faint golden engravings.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary cream from his previous world—but its effectiveness was clearly different.

"Can this really cure Margaret's curse, System? How long does she have to use it? Just once, or several times?"

"[Margaret only needs to use it five times, Master. After that, the curse that damaged her face will naturally disappear. Don't worry, it has no side effects,]" the system replied proudly.

Merlin chuckled softly. "I see. Thank you, System."

"[You're welcome, Master!]"

After that, Merlin continued chatting with the system about various topics. He also browsed through the system shop, hoping to find something new worth buying.

He currently had 27,000 system points and was looking for something useful and interesting—but also affordable. Unfortunately, nothing caught his eye.

The discounted items hadn't been updated, and most prices ranged from 50,000 to 70,000 system points—well beyond his current budget.

Just as Merlin was absorbed in his search, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from outside.

He was startled and looked up, only to see his door slowly opening—and an unexpected figure stepping inside: Catrine.

"Catrine?" he said, taken aback. Still, he didn't overthink it and quickly lay back on the bed, pretending to be asleep.

Catrine, dressed in a pink nightgown, gently closed the bedroom door. She then stepped carefully toward the seemingly sleeping Merlin.

"Huh..." She let out a soft sigh. "Big brother Merlin still isn't awake. Looks like I won't get to sleep next to him tonight."

Her lips pressed together sadly. She had hoped Merlin would be awake and ask her to sleep with him as a playful gift. But that wish wouldn't come true.

With her head lowered, she turned to leave—when a playful voice called from behind her.

"Why the long face? What's wrong?"

Startled, Catrine turned around and saw her brother already awake, watching her with a teasing smile.

"Brother?" she exclaimed in surprise. "How… how are you awake?"

She had just seen him unconscious, so how was he suddenly alert? Could he have been pretending all along?

Merlin chuckled, leaning back against the headboard.

"I've been awake for a while. I just pretended to be asleep when you came in," he admitted.

"M-mm!" Catrine puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "You're so bad! Humph!"

Her chubby arms were folded as she snorted coldly, yet her adorable demeanor made Merlin almost want to pinch her cheeks.

"Pfft!" He giggled softly, shifted to the side, and patted the empty space beside him. "Sit here. What do you need?"

Catrine eagerly climbed onto the bed, sat beside him, and buried her face in his arms.

"Big brother, I'm so glad you're okay," she sobbed into his chest. "Do you know how scared I was? I thought I'd never see you again, and it terrified me."

At first, she had hoped the news of her brother's disappearance was a lie. But when she realized it was true, fear had drained her appetite, leaving her unable to touch the delicious meal her mother had prepared.

Merlin gasped for a moment, then composed himself. He realized how far things had gone—his carelessness had caused the people who loved him so much to worry.

Quickly, he hugged her back and whispered, "I'm sorry, Catrine. I promise it won't happen again. Do you forgive me?"

"Yes… I forgive you," Catrine replied hoarsely.

Merlin smiled and savored the closeness for a few moments before letting go.

"By the way, what is it that you want from me?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

Catrine's face, already flushed from crying, grew even redder. She lowered her head shyly and whispered, "Can I sleep with you, Big Brother?"

Merlin didn't answer immediately, pretending to ponder. Seeing this, Catrine grew anxious. Then, suddenly, Merlin smiled and gently pinched her cheek.

"Alright… Let's sleep together."

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