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

Nighttime...

"Hmmm..." In her room, Catrine hummed softly as she lay down, a book open in front of her.

The book told the story of a hero who had lost his memory. Fortunately, a princess always accompanied him, helping him regain it.

Although the princess was beaten by the hero every day, she never gave up and stayed by his side until he recovered.

Honestly, Catrine felt the story was very similar to her own situation.

Her brother had also lost his memory and become a completely different person, while she had become the patient princess, enduring his harsh behavior.

Thinking about it, Catrine's round face turned as red as an apple.

"How could I think such things about my brother?" She whispered in shame. Her already red face deepened in color. "He is my brother... it's not appropriate to think like that."

But in the next moment, she remembered that they weren't actually related by blood. Even her mother had once said that one day she and her brother might become husband and wife.

"Ufft!" White smoke seemed to billow from her face as she buried it into the pillow beside her.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, a light knock came at the door, followed by Merlin's voice.

"Catrine, are you asleep? If not, may I come in?"

Startled, Catrine sat up.

"Brother Merlin?" She blinked several times. Without thinking, she got out of bed—but then remembered the book she had been reading and quickly hid it.

She ran to the door and opened it, revealing Merlin in his night robe.

"Good evening, Catrine. Did I disturb you?" Merlin greeted softly, gently rubbing her slightly chubby cheek.

Catrine felt embarrassed by his touch but didn't pull away.

"Good evening, big brother. It's okay, I haven't slept yet. By the way, do you need anything? Why don't you come in first?"

"No need." Merlin shook his head. "I want to take you somewhere. Do you want to come?"

"Somewhere?" Catrine tilted her head, three question marks appearing above it. "Where?"

Merlin didn't answer. Instead, he intertwined his fingers with her left hand and said, "It's a secret. Come with me."

Without waiting for her response, he gently led her out of her room. Catrine didn't resist, letting him guide her.

As they walked through the hallway, her curiosity grew stronger, wondering what her brother had planned.

They passed the kitchen and living room, then exited through the back of the mansion, finally arriving at the garden. The space was vast, filled with a variety of beautiful flowers.

Moonlight bathed the garden in a soft glow, and a gentle night breeze rustled through the blooms, making them sway gracefully. The scenery was so enchanting that Catrine momentarily felt dazed.

Before she realized it, they had reached the center of the garden, where two white chairs and a round table were set.

But what truly caught her attention wasn't the furniture—it was a birthday cake and two neatly arranged glasses of orange juice on the table.

"Big brother Merlin, these…" Catrine was about to speak, but Merlin cut her off, gently pulling her closer.

"Yes, I prepared everything myself. Well, Maya helped a little too," he said with a chuckle, seating Catrine on the right side before moving to light the candles on the cake.

"Happy seventh birthday, Catrine. May you live a long life and find the happiness you desire. Forgive me for being late in doing this," Merlin said softly.

His warm smile left Catrine, already surprised, completely dazed.

She stared at the cake, unable to find words. She had never imagined her brother would do something like this.

Yet here it was—the thing she least expected—and she was entirely speechless.

"Why are you so quiet? Didn't you like the celebration I prepared?" Merlin asked, smiling awkwardly.

The truth was, this was his first time doing something like this. As he had said before, he had no family except his grandmother and no girlfriend, so he had no idea how to prepare a birthday party—except what he had read in novels or seen in comics.

Catrine blinked, shaking off her reverie, and shook her head repeatedly.

"No, big brother, you're wrong! I… I love it!" she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

But Merlin noticed tears welling in the corners of her beautiful eyes, which made him panic.

He reached out to gently wipe them away and asked anxiously, "If you're happy, why are you crying?"

"Whoaah!" Catrine's tears flowed even harder as she threw herself into his arms. "Thank you, big brother! Thank you! I never thought you'd do this for me! I thought it was all a dream! Whoaaa!"

Her brother was the person she cared for and loved the most. Clearly, this celebration held a different meaning than any her mother or father had ever prepared.

Thinking back on the two difficult years she had endured at his hands, it almost felt like a dream that he was doing this—but she knew it was real.

Merlin felt helpless at her cries, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he hugged her gently and rubbed her back with affection.

"All right, don't cry like this. If the maids hear, I'm afraid they'll report it to Mother and Father, and I'll definitely be blamed," he joked with a small chuckle.

Catrine nodded slowly, wiping away her tears. Then, she leaned up and placed a soft peck on Merlin's cheek.

"Thank you, big brother," she whispered.

"[Ding! The heroine Catrine's affection increased by 5 points! Affection now: 94 points!]"

"[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for completing the mission 'Raising the Affection of Your Little Sister to 90 Points.' Reward: 1x S-level Healing Potion has been sent. Would you like to receive it now? Yes/No?]"

Seeing the two consecutive notifications, Merlin couldn't help but smile.

'Finally, mission accomplished,' he chuckled. 'No, system—keep the reward for now.'

"[Ding! The reward has been stored in system storage. Master may retrieve it at any time!]"

Merlin nodded in satisfaction and then looked back at his little sister.

"By the way, I also prepared a gift for you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, exquisite black box.

Slowly opening it, he revealed a blue necklace that immediately caught Catrine's eye.

"Do you remember when I went to the capital?" Merlin asked with a smile as he held up the necklace. "I promised to get you a gift, and this is it."

Catrine gazed at the Twilight Tears necklace, her eyes sparkling. "It's so beautiful…"

Merlin felt a wave of relief. He had never bought a gift for anyone before and worried whether his taste would suit his sister.

Carefully, he fastened the necklace around Catrine's neck and asked, "How is it? Do you like it?"

Tears welled up in Catrine's round eyes as she touched the necklace, nodding repeatedly in delight.

"I love it! Thank you, big brother!"

"[Ding! The heroine Catrine's affection increased by 6 points! Congratulations, Master has completely won over Catrine Clay! The rewards have been sent. Would you like to open them now? Yes/No?]"