The next morning, Selene woke up groggily, still half-asleep, and stumbled toward the bathroom. Barely opening her eyes, she passed by a large mirror; however, there was something about her reflection that caught her attention. For a few silent moments, she stared into it, her mind slowly processing. Suddenly, the reality hit her like a ton of brickes.
Yesterday wasn't a dream!
She upset ran into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water, really waking herself up now. Coming out, she stretched, yawning lazily, then suddenly froze. The room she was in, she recognized it.
This is Damion's route!
Her memories of playing the game suddenly came back. In the game, after the second year at the magical academy, Damion had invited Eri-the protagonist of the otome game-to spend the summer at his family's ducal estate. The players were given an option to accept or decline the offer. Accepting it cost 20 diamonds, and if they chose to accept, Eri would be given this exact guest room to stay in for the summer vacation.
Selene's heart started to pound. She knew exactly what was to come, since in the same room, Damion and Eri shared a very passionate scene, and even more importantly, they had accidentally knocked a vase over and in doing so had found some sort of protective charm.
The hairpin!
She didn't waste a second lurching toward the vase that sat at the edge of the room. Her hands fumbled, shoving one of them into its narrow opening. Her fingers skimmed over something smooth and cold. With a quick gasp of air, she pulled out a slender hairpin with a blue stone nestled into its center. It glowed dimly in the morning sun.
Voil: the charm of protection!
In game, this charm had saved Eri from the kidnapping plot by some demon cult. It once belonged to Lady Melena Ravencroft, the second wife of Duke Augustine Ravencroft and the mother of the current Duke, Magnus Ravencroft. Melena was assassinated, and no one knew how this hairpin ended up inside the vase. But she didn't care about the mystery right now. What mattered was that she was holding a powerful item in her hands-one that would keep her safe.
Excitement bubbled inside of her. She grasped the hairpin tightly and began jumping around the room, as if she had just won some kind of lottery.
"I did it!" she exclaimed to herself in extreme excitement. "I have a protection charm! I can survive this crazy game!
In her eagerness, Selene had leaned in too close just as the door opened. The heavy oaken door swung inward, striking her right in the face. The impact sent her stumbling backward, reeling and seeing stars.
Maid Merly stepped into the room, finding it was peculiarly empty. She blinked, confused, glancing around. "Lady Selene?"
She whirled around the door and found Selene sitting on the floor, dazed, with the hairpin clutched in her hand, staring blankly upwards to the ceiling.
"What are you doing on the floor, My Lady?" Merly scolded, her hands on her hips. She bent down, picked Selene up, and dusted off her clothes. "Honestly, you should know better than to sit on the ground like that."
Selene groaned in response, her body still recovering from the door's attack.
Merly shook her head and gently pulled Selene up by the arms. "Come on, we have a lot to do today. You can't be lying around like this."
Once she had Selene on her feet, Merly walked over to the box on the chair that she had brought with her the night before.
Merly, wasting no more time, picked up the big box from the chair and dragged a sulking Selene out of the room.
"Come along now. We'll get you dressed and ready for the day."
As soon as they reached the hallway, Selene saw that all the maids seemed to be rushing to prepare things as if with a sense of urgency.
What's going on here? she wondered. She tried asking Merly about it, but the old woman seemed too busy barking orders to other maids who ran to and fro, carrying trays of flowers and other decorations.
They finally reached Selene's room, now clean, with new curtains and carpet; several maids were standing by, waiting to attend to her dressing. She tried again to ask, but Merly cut her off, ordering the maids to bathe her, dress her, and fix her hair.
It was all happening so fast. Selene barely had time to process everything before she was being whisked away to the bathroom, scrubbed clean, and dressed in an elaborate gown. Her hair was styled meticulously, and by the time they finished, she looked like a proper noble lady.
It felt like an eternity, but finally Merly dragged Selene from the room, frantically worried as ever. Together they went racing through the mansion until they finally reached the back garden; nicely decorated with flowers and fine furniture, set up as if for some large occasion.
Annoyed and completely baffled, Selene planted her feet firmly on the floor, forcing Merly to halt in her steps. "Enough!" she bellowed, tugging her hand from Merly's grasp. "What's happening?!"
Merly blinked, as if it had been a surprise to her that Selene would even ask. "Didn't I tell you, Milady?" she said panting. "The Queen and the Crown Prince are visiting us."
Selene's blood ran cold. The Queen? The Crown Prince?
Her heart jumped up as panic gripped her. I couldn't meet the Crown Prince, not yet.
First of all, she had barely made it through the night, and then she was supposed to present herself to one of the most powerful and evil male leads in the game?!
No. no, no, no, no, I'm not ready. NOT READY! Her legs quivered at the thought.