NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Beautiful Eyes
'I hope Catrine is still awake. If she's already asleep, it'll be harder to persuade her tomorrow,' Merlin muttered, rubbing his cold palms together.
He walked down the hallway until he reached her door.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his right hand, ready to knock—when suddenly, a system notification rang in his mind.
"[Ding! Congratulations, heroine Catrine's favorability has increased by thirty points! Current favorability is now zero! Keep working hard!]"
Merlin froze, rubbing both ears as if he'd misheard.
"System, what are you talking about? How could Catrine's favorability suddenly jump by thirty points?" he asked, swallowing hard.
Until now, he had only managed to raise it by twenty points over the past two days. That meant her favorability remained negative—at minus thirty.
The reason he'd come to see her tonight was to bring that favorability up to at least zero. That way, when she awakened her Guardian Spirit later, it wouldn't target him.
After all, he was still too weak. If he had to face her Guardian Spirit, he'd be completely outmatched—maybe even killed.
He couldn't let that happen. That was why he needed to settle this before tomorrow.
But unexpectedly, Catrine's favorability had already risen by thirty points on its own. It made no sense at all.
"[Hehehe! Master, you're really lucky. Over the past two days, your change in attitude toward people has made your sister even more curious. She kept watching you from a distance, trying to confirm whether you'd truly changed,]" the system explained in a playful tone.
Merlin's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected something like that to happen without his knowledge.
But then a question crossed his mind—why did the increase only happen now, and not this afternoon or this morning?
As if sensing his confusion, the system continued, "[It's because she's still not fully convinced, Master. Even though she hates you, she still loves you very much. She's just afraid to accept you again. That's why she's always caught in hesitation. Perhaps just now she finally made up her mind, so her favorability toward you returned to zero.]"
The explanation snapped Merlin back to his senses. He took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart.
"I see," he murmured with a small nod. "That makes sense."
A satisfied smile spread across his handsome face. His efforts over the past two days hadn't been in vain, and the thought filled him with relief.
"[By the way, are you still planning to see her?]"
The system's curious voice pulled Merlin out of his thoughts.
"Of course I have to go," he replied firmly. "If my previous goal was just to bring her favorability up to zero, then now I need to raise it to twenty points. Only then can I feel safe and secure."
Aside from his fear of Catrine's Guardian Spirit, he also wanted to rid himself of the curse inside him as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would never be able to truly relax.
Having made up his mind, Merlin knocked lightly on Catrine's bedroom door and called out, "Catrine, are you still awake? Can we talk for a moment?"
He stepped back and waited quietly. But even after two minutes, there was still no response. He began to think Catrine might already be asleep.
Letting out a small sigh, Merlin turned to leave. But just then, the soft creak of a door opening came from behind him.
Startled, Merlin quickly turned around. From the crack of the door, Catrine peeked out, her face half hidden. Her eyes were lowered, as if too shy—or too afraid—to meet his.
"Do you… need something from me?" she asked softly.
Her gentle voice, sweet and soothing like warm milk, made Merlin's heart nearly melt.
Ahem! Of course, he wasn't a lolicon. But he couldn't deny his fondness for the heroine named Catrine in the novel.
She was described as a gentle, kind, and obedient girl—at least in front of the main character. Behind the scenes, however, she was cruel and ruthless.
No matter who her enemy was, she would eliminate them without hesitation. And her love for Abel was extreme—borderline possessive.
She was even known as one of the three yandere heroines who loved Abel the most.
And now, Merlin was looking at the pure and innocent figure of the girl who, in the novel, was described as cunning and cruel. The contrast only made his determination burn even hotter.
Controlling his emotions, he stayed calm and wore a gentle smile.
"Yes, I have something important to discuss with you. May I come in?"
Catrine hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod and slowly opening the door.
Merlin felt a wave of relief as he stepped inside. The sight of the little girl's room immediately unfolded before him.
The walls were adorned with simple blue decorations. At the far end stood a pink desk, while a king-size bed occupied the center.
Two windows on the right let in the moonlight, softly illuminating the entire room.
"So, what do you need from me?"
Catrine's cautious voice came from behind. Merlin turned and saw her with her head lowered, stealing timid glances at him.
He let out a quiet sigh, then spoke gently. "Can you lift your head and look at me?"
The request caught Catrine off guard. The little girl looked panicked and uncertain, unsure whether she should obey or not.
For the past two years of being bullied by Merlin, she had never once dared to meet his violet eyes. And yet, those eyes were beautiful—like shining sapphires.
But the coldness and indifference hidden within them had always been terrifying. She could never bear to look for long, always lowering her head in fear.
Then, memories from the past two days surfaced. She remembered how Merlin had changed—from ignorant, cold, and mischievous to gentle and considerate.
She had even seen him spending time in the library, quietly reading. It was proof enough that he was no longer the same.
Suppressing her fear and anxiety, she slowly lifted her small head and met his gaze.
In that instant, her fear scattered—like leaves carried away by the wind.
Merlin's eyes, once filled with hatred and coldness, now shone with warmth and tenderness.
"So… beautiful..."