The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!

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

Merlin nodded slightly. "I know, Your Majesty. It's to go to the offering hall, isn't it?"

Vargan gave a faint smile. "Yes. You will go to the offering hall to meet the Dragon of Light. Once you're there, you will also receive its blessing. However, I must remind you that everything depends on your luck. If you manage to obtain it, it will be yours. But if not, you must be prepared to accept it. Do you understand?"

When the princes heard this, a flash of envy appeared in their eyes.

The offering hall was only opened a few times a year.

Usually, all members of the royal family would enter the hall and make their offering to the Dragon of Light.

If they were lucky, they could communicate with the dragon and receive its guidance.

Right now, Merlin had the chance to enter alone.

With his status as the child of prophecy, it was unlikely for the Dragon of Light to ignore his presence.

It would surely bestow its blessing.

"I understand, Your Majesty. Leave it to me." Merlin's expression turned determined.

Of course, he would make sure to receive the blessing of the Dragon of Light. It would definitely help him greatly in the future.

If the dragon refused to grant its blessing, Merlin would use the system and Lyserra to pressure it.

It sounded cruel and rude, but Merlin didn't care.

Politeness only applied to parents and teachers.

For everyone else, power decided whether he needed to be polite or not.

"Good. I'm glad you understand quickly." Vargan nodded in satisfaction. "Before that, I will introduce my family to you. The one on my right is Leonard Solayne. He is the first prince and crown prince. I hope you can get along with him."

Leonard stepped forward and smiled at Merlin.

"Nice to meet you, Merlin Clay. I've heard your name for a long time. It's said that you saved the daughter of the Beethoven family, isn't that right? I admire you greatly," he greeted softly and politely.

Merlin looked Leonard up and down. Of course, he knew the person in front of him very well—Leonard Solayne.

In the novel, he had a close relationship with the main character. Leonard's personality could be described as kind and responsible.

Unfortunately, he had one flaw—he was naive and idealistic. That trait might be loved by the people, but in a monarchy, it could be very dangerous.

The novel itself was not yet finished, so Merlin did not know Leonard's ultimate fate.

Even so, he remembered that in the sixth volume, Leonard fell into a coma after being poisoned by someone else—Lucas Solayne, his second brother.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Merlin smiled and replied, "It's nice to meet you too, Prince. I didn't expect you to have heard about that. It's truly an honor to have your attention."

Leonard was a good man, so Merlin didn't mind being friends with him.

After a brief conversation with Leonard, Vargan introduced the next prince.

"The one next to Leonard is my second son, Lucas Solayne."

Lucas stepped forward and looked at Merlin with a cold, slightly condescending gaze.

Unlike Leonard, who was calm, gentle, and handsome, Lucas had short blond hair and sharp, cynical eyes.

His slightly extended winged eyeliner added to his arrogant and stubborn appearance.

"My name is Lucas Solayne. Nice to meet you, Merlin Clay," he said in a flat voice, showing no interest at all.

"Introduce yourself properly, Lucas," Vargan scolded.

"Tch!" Lucas clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

Vargan let out a small sigh, turned to Merlin, and apologized.

"Forgive my second son, Merlin. That's just how he is."

Vivian, who was standing beside Elizabeth, looked embarrassed and cast a displeased glance at her son.

She felt ashamed seeing Lucas's behavior toward Merlin, the child of prophecy.

Merlin remained calm, not showing even the slightest sign of offense.

He knew Lucas better than anyone. After all, he had memorized every trait of every character in the novel.

"My name is Merlin Clay. I'm sure you already know that," Merlin replied casually and indifferently.

Lucas felt offended, but he didn't dare cause trouble in front of his father.

In the end, he held back his anger and returned to his place.

"I have one more son and two daughters. However, my son is at the border, and the other two are still young and asleep. I hope you can understand," Vargan said.

"It's okay, Your Majesty. I don't mind." Merlin patted his chest, as if reassuring him.

As for the third prince, he knew him well too. He was Vivian's son, which meant he was Lucas's brother from the same mother.

The relationship between the siblings was terrible, since the third prince disliked Lucas's arrogant and stubborn nature.

Even so, he also disliked Leonard for obtaining the throne so easily.

'Hah… the royal family is indeed complicated. Fortunately, I was born as Merlin Clay—the sole heir. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live comfortably under the watchful eyes of siblings who covet my position as heir,' Merlin muttered.

Leonard's coma in the novel showed how terrifying the ambition for power could be.

After that, Vargan introduced his three wives to Merlin. Thanks to Merlin's polite and handsome appearance, Elizabeth and Vivian liked him very much and quickly grew close to him.

However, only Lilia remained aloof and cold, as if she didn't want to get involved with Merlin.

Still, her gaze occasionally fell on him, as if there was a hidden meaning she couldn't express.

"All right, Merlin. I'll take you to the offering hall," Vargan said as he stood up.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Merlin did not refuse.

With that, he and Charlotte accompanied Merlin to the offering hall.

***

The offering hall was located in a special, fairly secret area. Only those with the king's permission were allowed to enter.

Even the servants who passed through the palace every day were forbidden to enter. The same applied to the guards, who were only allowed to stand in front of the door.

When Vargan, Merlin, and Luna arrived at the gate of the offering hall, the guards quickly greeted them and stepped aside.

"So, this is the offering hall, huh?" Merlin muttered as he stared at the five-meter-high gates.

Ancient carvings covered the entire surface, making Merlin feel as if he had returned to a bygone era.

"Are you surprised?" Charlotte blinked and smiled slightly.

"Yes, I'm very surprised and also… impressed," Merlin admitted.

"Pfft!" Charlotte giggled, unable to hold back her smile.

Beside them, Vargan simply smiled without saying anything.

The closer Charlotte became to Merlin, the faster his plan could unfold.

After all, he wanted to bind Merlin to the royal family, and the safest way to do that was through marriage.

Vargan placed his hand on the gates. In an instant, the once-silent gates emitted a bright red light.

Moments later, the gates slowly opened on their own.

Merlin looked into the hall's interior and muttered, 'Is this the offering hall? It's truly amazing!'

The hall was very spacious—almost the size of a throne room. No, it might even be half again as large.

Towering golden pillars supported the ceiling.

A long red carpet stretched from the entrance to the far end of the hall, where a four-meter-high altar stood.

The altar was shaped like a small pyramid, but its top was flat and wide, as if it had been made for worship rituals.

On one side, a staircase led up to the altar.

Without delay, Vargan brought Merlin and Charlotte inside. Instantly, the gates behind them closed.

The room turned dark—only a few torches hung from the pillars.

Vargan snapped his fingers, and the remaining torches lit up all at once.

The once-dark hall became brightly illuminated.

"Follow me," Vargan said as he stepped forward.

Merlin and Charlotte followed behind him. Charlotte had visited the offering hall several times, so she wasn't particularly impressed.

But Merlin was different. This was his first time entering this place.

Naturally, he wanted to remember every detail of the room.

After a moment, they reached the stairs leading to the altar, and Vargan immediately began to climb them. Merlin and Charlotte followed right behind him.

When they reached the top, Merlin saw a giant statue—about two meters tall—mounted on the wall.

Because of the altar's position, he hadn't noticed such a large dragon statue earlier.

"Is that the Dragon of Light?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Yes, that is the Dragon of Light," Charlotte replied before continuing, "However, it's only symbolic. In truth, neither my father nor I have ever seen the real Dragon of Light. Maybe you will be able to see it later. After all, you are the child in the prophecy."

Charlotte's voice carried a faint trace of envy that she could hardly hide.

She desperately wanted to meet the dragon, but she knew it was impossible.

In history, only two kings had ever been recorded as meeting and being acknowledged by the dragon—her first ancestor, Arthur Solayne, and her third ancestor, Gabriel Solayne.

If she could also receive that recognition, it would be extraordinary.

Noticing Charlotte's envy, Merlin simply smiled faintly and shook his head.

He himself didn't know whether the Dragon of Light would appear before him or not. Well, he could only hope so.

If not… hehehe…