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

Chapter 383: The Sound of the Mysterious Trumpet

"Margaret?" Merlin was startled.

He glanced at Lyserra, who immediately understood what he meant. The little dragon grabbed the remaining food and disappeared from view.

Once Lyserra was gone, Merlin got out of bed and walked toward the door.

When he opened it, he came face to face with Margaret, who was wearing a black cloak.

"Huh?" Merlin was dumbfounded. "Why are you wearing that?"

Margaret didn’t answer. She hurried into Merlin’s room and locked the door.

"Phew..." She let out a long sigh and looked at Merlin eagerly. "I’m here to fulfill a promise I made earlier."

"Promise?" Merlin blinked in confusion. "Which promise?"

Seeing his clueless expression, Margaret rolled her eyes and opened her cloak.

Instantly, a maid’s outfit came into view. It was black, with a white apron that reached down to her knees.

Margaret’s hair was braided into two plaits. She pulled a headband from her pocket and put it on.

"Ta-da! Am I cute?"

She tugged at both ends of her skirt and twirled around.

Merlin was mesmerized by the sight. At that moment, he remembered the bet he had made with Margaret on the ship earlier.

He had asked her to wear a maid’s outfit and serve him for one night.

Who would have thought she would actually go through with it?

Even Merlin himself had forgotten about it.

"Ahem!" Merlin coughed awkwardly, gazing at the girl from head to toe with admiration. "You’re incredibly beautiful. Even in a maid’s outfit, you still look unique—with that refined young lady’s aura."

He raised his right hand and gently stroked her cheek.

Margaret closed her eyes, savoring his touch.

"[Ding! Heroine Margaret’s affection has increased by 100 points! Affection now: 100+]"

"[Ding! Congratulations to the master for earning 15,000 system points!]"

Merlin paid no attention to the notifications. His gaze was completely fixed on the beautiful girl in front of him.

"By the way, I’ll serve you as promised. So..." Margaret gave a faint smile and bowed her head slightly. "Please wait at your seat, Your Majesty."

She gave him a small wink, instantly making Merlin’s heart race.

"Ahem!" Merlin cleared his throat and gave a small nod. "Of course. Please serve me, my maid."

The two looked at each other and exchanged smiles.

***

"Ugh..."

Inside the room, Monica tried to sleep, but she couldn’t.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the dark ceiling above.

"I can’t sleep," she muttered as she slowly sat up.

It wasn’t that her bed was uncomfortable—it was because she was afraid.

The scary story Margaret had told her was still haunting her. She was terrified that the moment she opened her eyes, ghosts would appear right in front of her.

"Huff..." She let out a long sigh, got out of bed, grabbed a glass of water, and took a sip.

Once she felt a little better, she sat back down on the bed and gazed at the night sky outside through the thin curtains by the window to her left.

"It’s freezing out there," she whispered.

In the elf forest, the weather was also cold, but not as biting as it was here. Even with the magical barrier that weakened the sea breeze, the chill still seeped through.

Thoop!

Suddenly, a faint sound rang out. Monica froze in shock. She furrowed her brow and focused on listening.

There was nothing—only the rustling of the wind.

"Did I hear it wrong?" she wondered.

She pushed the thought aside and lay back down. Just as she was about to close her eyes, the sound came again.

Thoop!

Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly sat up. She stared warily toward the window.

’That sound... it wasn’t my imagination!’ she exclaimed inwardly.

Thoop!

The sound came again, clearer this time. Monica didn’t know what it was, but it resembled the call of a trumpet.

"C-Could it be..." Her eyes widened as she recalled Margaret’s story from earlier. "Is that a ghost ship?"

Her heart pounded, and her breathing grew heavy. If that were true, it was dangerous.

She was terrified of ghosts!

Without hesitation, she jumped to her feet and rushed out of her room.

***

"Hmmm... This book is really good. I never get tired of reading it."

Inside her room, Liora leaned against the headboard as she read the book in her hands.

It was a novel about a hero’s journey to defeat a demon king. In her opinion, the story was filled with unique elements.

She couldn’t understand how the author’s imagination could be so vivid—able to create a story like this.

While she was engrossed in reading and sipping her tea, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

Knock!

Knock!

"Hmmm?" Liora raised an eyebrow slightly. She looked toward the door and asked hesitantly, "Who is it?"

"L-Liora, it’s me, Monica! Can you open the door?"

"Monica?" Liora was surprised. "What happened?"

Though confused, Liora didn’t hesitate. She quickly got out of bed and walked to the door.

When she opened it, Monica came into view, her face pale and filled with panic.

Cold sweat drenched her nightgown, making her look pitiful.

The moment she saw Liora, Monica seemed to calm down slightly. She hurried into the room and shut the door tightly.

"Hah... hah... hah..." Monica gasped, patting her chest. "Thank goodness you’re still awake. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to do just now."

Liora was confused by her behavior and asked, "What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so scared?"

Monica didn’t answer right away. She grabbed Liora’s hand and pulled her onto the bed.

Once they were seated, Monica finally spoke.

"Do you know what? Earlier, I heard a mysterious sound coming from outside my room!"

"A mysterious sound?" Liora blinked in surprise. "What kind of sound?"

Monica swallowed hard. She glanced warily to the left and right, then whispered, "It sounded like a trumpet!"

"A trumpet?" Liora was stunned.

"That’s right!" Monica nodded repeatedly and continued, "Remember the ghost ship story Margaret told? She said that on certain nights, the ghost ship would appear and make a strange sound like a trumpet! And I heard it just now. I’m sure it was the ghost ship she was talking about!"

Gulp!

Liora swallowed. Her body trembled slightly. Although she was skeptical, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She was afraid of ghosts too—especially sea ghosts. After all, the ocean was an unfamiliar place to her.

However, Liora quickly forced herself to calm down and said, "Maybe you just imagined it, Monica."

"No, I didn’t imagine it! I’m absolutely sure!" Monica insisted.

Liora was left speechless. She took a deep breath and patted Monica on the shoulder.

"Alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. How about we sleep together tonight? You’re scared, right? If we stay together, you’ll feel safer," she suggested.

Of course, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared after hearing that story. In fact, she suggested it because she was scared too.

If Monica stayed with her, at least she wouldn’t be alone in the room.

"I understand. Let’s sleep together," Monica agreed without hesitation.

They exchanged smiles and climbed onto the bed.

Liora set aside the book she had been reading and lay down on her back.

She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. Monica’s words still lingered in her mind, leaving her thoughts in chaos.

Suddenly...

Thoop!

That mysterious sound echoed from the distance. Liora’s face instantly turned pale.

She turned to Monica, who was staring at her as well.

"Did you hear that?" Liora asked, her voice trembling.

Monica nodded stiffly. "I-I heard it."

Thoop!

The sound rang out again. In that very moment, both of them jumped off the bed and rushed out of the room.

***

"Hmmm..."

Inside her room, Nivis sat in a recliner on the balcony, enjoying the evening breeze.

"Spending the night in such a luxurious place—especially on a private island—is truly an extraordinary experience," she murmured with a long sigh.

Because her family was poor, she had never dared to imagine living in such luxury.

However, everything changed when she met Merlin. The boy not only saved her from her illness but also helped her mother pay off her debts.

Even more amazingly, he never once demanded anything in return from her or her mother. It was as if he had already forgotten the kindness he had shown them.

Although Nivis was still young, she had already come to understand the basic nature of humanity.

There was a famous saying: "There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

But after meeting Merlin, she finally understood what true kindness really meant.

"I have to repay his kindness," she whispered.

Despite Merlin’s refusal to accept any repayment, Nivis still considered his kindness a debt that must be repaid someday.

As for how, she hadn’t thought it through yet. But she was certain that one day, Merlin would need her help.

When that time came, she would help him—even if it meant sacrificing herself.

As she relaxed, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the sea in the distance. Since her room directly faced the ocean, she could see it clearly from where she sat.

"Hmm?" Her eyes widened as she spotted a green silhouette far away. "What is that? Could it be a merchant ship?"

However, she quickly recalled Margaret’s words—no ships were allowed to pass within five kilometers of this private island.

So it was impossible for a ship to be sailing nearby unless they wanted to commit suicide.

Just as she was puzzling over it, sharp, repeated knocks suddenly came from her bedroom door.

"N-Nivis! Hurry up and open the door! Nivis!"