How Can a Homebody Defeat The Demon King? Chapter 15

“Of course, the dress should be pink.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone thinks that, which is why we should be one step ahead and go with sky blue.”

From under the covers, with only my eyes peeking out, I blankly watched the maids bicker over dress colors.

It was obvious they were pretending to have a natural conversation, but they kept glancing my way the whole time.

“The first party calls for pink! That’s just common sense. Well… unless the young lady tries on the sky blue and ends up liking it more, of course…”

“Sky blue suits the young lady’s hair far better! But if she tries on the pink and prefers it, then… I suppose that would be fine…”

I let out a deep sigh beneath the blanket.

‘Just pick one quickly and go already…’

I shot up from bed and shoved the two maids out of my room.

“Sky blue.”

At least that one looked like it had more fabric.

“There. Done. Bye now~”

“Miss~!”

I might’ve seemed cold, but this wasn’t my fault.

These people were the ones who made me like this.

I did announce my plan to stay in, and I was enjoying my cozy alone time in bed without being disturbed.

Nobody came looking for me. I had blissful, uninterrupted hours under my blanket.

And with all the extra time, I even started indulging in my long-postponed fandom hobbies…

‘I should’ve ignored it back then…’

It all went downhill the moment I opened the door to investigate a noise outside.

Just a few days ago…

“What should I do…?”

When I opened the door, I saw a young maid standing there looking troubled.

I carefully spoke to her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah! Miss Selene!”

“Yeah. What is it?”

She stood there holding a kettle in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other, her expression uncertain.

“The head maid told me to place these in the vase outside your room, but…”

There were two vases on the tall side table near my door—one white porcelain, the other clear glass.

“You’re not sure which one to put them in?”

“Yes… I didn’t want to put them in the wrong one.”

I glanced at the flowers in her hand and then at the vases.

“They’re yellow, so they’ll look better in the white vase. Give me the glass one—I don’t want you to drop it.”

The maid beamed and gave me a deep bow.

“Thank you so much, Miss.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

When I patted her head with a smile, her eyes sparkled with delight.

Ever since I picked out that vase for her, the servants had started murmuring outside my door more and more.

One day, I was called out urgently to the garden—only to be asked whether they should plant white roses or pink ones in the flower bed.

Another time, I was summoned to the kitchen—only to be asked whether dinner should be made with chicken or pork.

At first, it wasn’t that hard. Even if it was a little annoying, I put up with it because they looked so happy whenever I helped them choose.

But then…

How am I supposed to know what shape horseshoes should be?!

And why are they asking me to choose Christmas ornaments when it’s not even winter yet?

Whenever I said I wasn’t sure, they’d look so heartbroken that I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

And as if they’d all planned it together, every single one of them would say:

“We really need you, Miss…”

How was I supposed to say no to that?

‘That’s it.’

Today, no matter how much anyone begs, I’m not leaving this bed—I’m wrapped up like a burrito in my blanket.

Of course, by now I was fully awake, so with a sigh, I reached over to the stack of letters on the table.

One lucky thing about this world was that I could read and write the language here without any trouble.

‘Who’s Baroness Armon…?’

I opened a letter scented with perfume and decorated with cute designs, sent by someone I’d never met.

‘The weather’s been so nice lately that the flowers in the rear garden are blooming beautifully. Everyone says the view from our estate is simply stunning!’

Oh. I see. Well… our garden view is nice too. Not that I’ve seen it myself.

I opened another one.

‘The fabric we ordered from the east has finally arrived. Before making dresses with it, we’re hosting a small tea party to admire the material together!’

Oh. Okay. Well… I already picked my dress, so good luck with that.

Most of the letters were like that—little snippets of people bragging about something.

I still had no idea why they were bragging to me.

Since there’s no xxstagram in this world, I guess this is the only way they can show off.

They say you have to reply to every letter you get, so I’ve been sending quick responses with generic “congratulations” messages… but honestly, it’s getting kind of annoying. I hope they stop soon.

I tossed the opened letters back onto the table and picked up the last unopened one.

Lately, I’d been receiving anonymous letters that seemed to come from Elle.

Somehow, she always included information about people I had met or about this world in general.

Things like: “Elloe, who lived as a commoner, turned out to be the long-lost daughter of a baron’s family,” or “Viviana invested in a diamond mine and made a fortune,” and so on…

Interesting, sure, but none of it was exactly helpful for my possessed-life survival strategy.

As I was about to put the letter away, I noticed there was something else inside the envelope.

‘Huh?’

There was a postcard-sized piece of paper tucked inside. I pulled it out, took one look, and jumped to my feet with a scream.

“Oh my goodness!”

It was a beautifully drawn, high-quality portrait of Sirinü printed on a small card.

Oh my world, the quality of this is insane!

‘Oh, Miss Elle… what an amazing friend you are.’

I hurriedly wiped my hands on the blanket before picking it up again, treating it like a sacred relic.

Even though it was small, it captured every detail—his cold, condescending gaze, his sharply chiseled jawline, that perfectly pointed nose. All of it, rendered with stunning precision.

I sat down on my knees and gently stroked the picture.

“Thank you… thank you so much…”

As I was staring at the portrait like I was trying to absorb it into my very soul, a sudden thought flashed through my mind.

‘Could it be… Sirinü might come to the party too?’

Without a second thought, I burst out of my room.

“Girls! We need to pick a new dress!”

 

 

And so, the day of the party arrived.

I sat in front of the mirror while the maids busily moved around me, helping me get ready.

“Your face looks even more radiant today.”

“She’s been cooped up in her room for so long, and now…”

“Huh?”

I turned to the mirror to catch Yurieth giving Lurie a warning look. Lurie quickly changed the subject.

“You look absolutely beautiful, Miss.”

“That’s right. Like a water fairy.”

“Really…? Haha…”

The embarrassing compliments kept coming.

The flurry of compliments felt embarrassing at first, but as they continued, I couldn’t help but admit that the girl in the mirror did look pretty.

The sky-blue chiffon dress matched perfectly with my soft, sand-colored hair.

The neckline was lower than anything I’d ever worn before—at first, I felt exposed, but the elegant line of my neck matched it so well.

I tried to focus, looking into the mirror seriously, but the way the maids were smiling at me made it hard not to grin back.

I examined my hair carefully, now adorned with a delicate jeweled hairband.

A soft puff of blush brought color to my cheeks, and a touch of sparkling gloss completed the look, making me look at least five times prettier than usual.

As soon as I stepped out the door, Arcas was there waiting for me.

“Selie… You look absolutely stunning…”

He couldn’t keep his mouth shut as he offered his arm to escort me.

“Everyone at the party’s going to be staring at you. This might be a serious problem.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not that big of a deal.”

He says this even though he knows what the other female characters look like.

Shaking my head, I walked down the stairs.

But once I reached the entrance hall, I realized Arcas’s overreaction wasn’t even the worst of it.

The entire household’s workers had lined up in two rows, watching me with expressions like parents sending off their child on their first big trip.

“Miss, you look so beautiful.”

“Ah! So it really was you, Miss! I thought a goddess had descended from the heavens!”

I had to shake hands with nearly everyone, like I was running for president, before I could finally get out of the hall.

“Alright, alright. I’ll be back soon.”

Outside, two carriages were waiting.

One was for me and Arcas, while the smaller one behind it was for Lurie and the butler.

When told I could bring a maid to assist me, Lurie had eagerly raised her hand first. I promised Yurieth I’d take her next time.

Lurie, dressed in the mint-green gown I picked out for her, looked positively giddy with excitement.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With Arcas’s hand supporting me, I stepped gracefully into the carriage.

 

 

The carriage rolled into the palace grounds.

This time, it seemed to enter from a different direction and came to a stop in a far larger, plaza-like space.

Warm sunlight and fresh air greeted me.

A grand statue of the goddess poured water from a vase into a fountain, while manicured hedges twisted into maze-like patterns. The fragrant scent of blooming flowers tickled my nose from every corner of the garden.

Arcas and I walked down a beautifully maintained path and arrived in front of a grand building.

In front of what appeared to be the entrance to the party hall, a long line of people was waiting.

‘Feels like I’m waiting for a table at a popular restaurant…’

The moment I saw the line, I already wanted to go home.

No one’s going to pay attention to me anyway. I’ll just sneak into a corner, spot Sirinyu, and quietly leave.

That was my plan. But just as I was thinking that, all the people chatting in line turned to look in my direction at the exact same time.