HDK l CH 5

Chapter 5

I opened the guidebook and immediately jumped to my feet when I saw what was written inside.

“You must be surprised that your memory wasn’t erased, right?”

How… how did it know that?!

I shook my head and looked around, but there was no one. Then I stared back down at the guidebook.

“I want to express my gratitude to you. I’ll help you as much as my power allows.”

At the bottom of the note, a single letter was written: L.

I was honestly touched.
As someone who had just felt sorry for the poor employee earlier, I didn’t expect my sympathy to come back like this.
It really does pay to be kind to people.

Smiling with satisfaction, I flipped through the guidebook.

Actually, “guidebook” wasn’t really the right word for it — it was more like a memo pad.
Just a thin bundle of three or four sheets of paper, and beside the printed parts were scribbled notes written by hand.

“I wrote this in a hurry, so there might be a lot missing. If I find out more, I’ll send you a letter.”

I nodded and turned the page.

The next page contained information about me.

Name: Selene Wedon (Age 20) — noble family of a Count.
Lost both parents to the Demon King at a young age and now lives with her brother, who inherited the family title.

“Demon King?”

That word made me pause, but I decided to keep reading.

Still before her debutante ball, no arranged marriage yet, and no real pressure to marry either.

“Since the setting says you’ve stayed home ever since your parents died, if anyone gets suspicious, just say you don’t know much about the world because you never go out!”

Uh… excuse me?

I scratched my head and turned the page. The next section was labeled Character Introductions.

“I’ve added my personal opinions on each of them!”

Male Lead #1: Sirinus Lifrix (20) — Born with the bloodline capable of defeating the Demon King.
Has a painful past because of the Demon King, so he closed off his heart.
Black hair, purple eyes.

“He’s the male lead, so I’m sure he looks good, but other than that? Probably has a terrible personality. Not recommended.”

Male Lead #2: Noel Bradford (22) — Crown Prince of the Empire, often called the future of the Empire.
Bright and kind personality.
Blond hair, green eyes.

“Bright and kind just means he’s nice to everyone. Probably not great husband material. Good as a friend, though.
Still, since he’s the crown prince, that’s kind of intimidating. Not recommended.”

Original Heroine: Eloy Calat (21) — Cheerful and lively personality.
Has the power to defeat monsters, but doesn’t yet realize it.
Pink hair, pink eyes.

“If she’s cheerful and lively, she’s probably too lively. Might drain your energy.
If you become friends, you’ll probably have to go hunting monsters with her!”

Villainess: Viviana Erileon (19) — Youngest daughter of the Empire’s wealthiest family.
Arrogant, believes money can solve anything.
Red hair, blue eyes.

“She’ll probably show off how rich she is. Maybe she even slaps people with money…
If she does, just take the slap and collect the payout!”

What… what is this?!

I stared blankly at the absurd notes for a few seconds.

When I turned one more page, there was the plot summary.

Could it possibly be the same kind of nonsense?

“This plot summary is all that was in the database. I’ll let you know if I learn more.”

Somehow, that line made me feel relieved.
I quickly started reading through it.

Peaceful Empire. Then — the Demon King appeared.
He sought to turn the Empire into a land of monsters.
The people resisted fiercely, and countless lives were lost.

To seal the Demon King, two powers were needed:
the blood of the Lifrix family and the blessing of the prophesied one.

The prophesied person never appeared, so the Duke and Duchess of Lifrix sacrificed their lives to seal the Demon King.

Before being sealed, the Demon King cursed the world — saying he would one day return.
Perhaps because of that curse, the Empire fell into ruin.

Then, one day, a prophecy spread:
The Demon King’s resurrection was near.

“When the jewel from the moon begins to shine, his time will move again.”

Sirinus, with the blood capable of sealing the Demon King —
Noel, destined to protect the Empire —
and Eloy, with the power to fight monsters —
join forces to seal the Demon King once more…

That’s it?!

How do they “struggle together”?
Who falls in love with who?
Who’s the real male lead?!

Even movie summaries on TV are more detailed than this!

After reading up to that point, I was sure of one thing.

This is a scam.

It had to be some elaborate prank to mess with me.
But seriously — who would go through all this just to prank a normal person like me?

A Demon King? Didn’t they say this was a normal world?!

Even if they had mentioned demons, it’s not like I had anywhere else to go anyway…
But still, I could’ve at least mentally prepared myself!

I flipped through the guidebook again.
No matter how many times I reread it, there was no mention of Selene in the plot.

It was clear I was just some extra — a side character so minor that I barely existed.

With a groan, I tossed the guidebook aside and flopped back on the bed.

“Will I ever even meet the Demon King?”

Probably not. The protagonists will handle that.

I’m not even in the story — not even an extra with lines.
Honestly, the best way to help might be to just stay home.

In webtoon terms, I’d be one of those background characters drawn without eyes or a mouth.

“Well, if I’m that insignificant, then it doesn’t matter where I stay. I’ll just keep my head down.”

Not a bad plan.
I smiled in satisfaction.

Once my thoughts settled, I suddenly realized I was hungry.

“I wonder if the food here tastes good.”

I could eat almost anything anyway, so my stomach would manage.

The bigger problem? This world didn’t have smartphones.
Withdrawal symptoms were already kicking in.

But there was no way to invent one, so I’d have to endure it.
People do “digital detoxes” nowadays, right? Too much screen time is bad anyway.
Yeah… sure…

Pouting, I suddenly wondered if my reflection had changed again.

“Knowing how these people handle things, maybe they didn’t even change my face properly.”

I glared at the guidebook and rushed to the mirror.

The pretty, cute face I’d seen earlier stared back at me.

“That’s it!”

My heart fluttered.
Even though I’d already seen it, I wanted to look again.

“Wow… this is fun. No wonder beautiful people are obsessed with mirrors. This is addictive!”

As I touched my cheek and turned my face this way and that, my pajama sleeve slipped down my wrist.

There, the bracelet I’d picked up earlier gleamed faintly.
It wasn’t particularly fancy or colorful, but for some reason, I really liked it.

Looking closer, it was strung with gray stones that shimmered softly with a bluish tint.

“It’s like… moonlight blue.”

The word “moon” caught my attention for some reason… but I shook my head.
It’s nothing. Probably.

And the Demon King? Well… what can I even do about that?

“Instead of overthinking, I should just admire this face some more.”

Knock, knock.

Finally — the sound I’d been waiting for.

I jumped into bed and quickly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Milady, it’s time to wake up.”

I fought hard to stop the corners of my mouth from twitching upward.
I decided I’d open my eyes naturally when she called again.

“What kind of expression looks natural when you just wake up?”

As I was thinking that, the person calling me muttered in a worried tone,

“Oh my, why are her eyes twitching? Is she sick?”

…

“Should I call the doctor?”

“Ahhhh! Slept so well!”

I shot my eyes open.

A girl with orange hair, wearing a neat dress, was staring at me wide-eyed.

Ahhh! So embarrassing!!

“Good morning, milady. I’m Ruri, from the Baron Obirte household. I’ll be serving you starting today.
The bath has been prepared for you.”

“Ah, thank you…”

“Pardon?”

I quickly shut my mouth.
Even if she looked younger, I couldn’t just speak informally to a servant here.

Ruri tilted her head in confusion.

This was a strict class society — one weird move and they might suspect I wasn’t really “the lady.”

So I forced a smile.

“Haha… thank you very much?”

“It’s my pleasure, milady. This way, please.”

I followed her lead.

The room she brought me to was an immaculate, luxurious bathroom.
A claw-foot tub, a gilded mirror — everything gleamed beautifully.

It was even more gorgeous than the bathrooms I’d imagined in romance-fantasy novels.

The tub was filled with warm, bubbly water.

A full bath in the morning… this life was insane.

This must be the taste of reincarnation.

Trying to keep my grin in check, I dipped a hand into the water.

The soft bubbles wrapped around my skin in perfect warmth.

Normally, I preferred the “Ahhhh—so cold it burns!” kind of water temperature,
but when would I ever experience this kind of luxury again?

So this is what a luxury hotel stay must feel like…

If only I could take a photo!

All I had to do now was get in the tub—

“Um… why aren’t you leaving?”

Ruri, who had escorted me in, was still standing there silently.