01 / 11An Extra at the Banquet
The heroine is your old friend. The male leads don't know you yet.
You wake inside a novel you once read, in the place of Ardelia's friend of ten years. The five male leads have no prior ties to you, and no romance is a foregone conclusion. The palace banquet has begun. Ardelia talks at its center; in a corner, one man drinks quietly while another talks on. You have yet to arrive, and apparently no one knows you came from another world. Soon, names on a page may become people before you.
Ardelia
A woman with half-pinned, wavy platinum-blond hair, sky-blue eyes and a tall, sturdy figure. Her gaze is sharp. She wears an ivory gown with pale blue embroidery and small blue-stone earrings. The daughter of a fallen viscount and your friend of ten years. Firm and charismatic, she is quietly excluded by social circles for refusing to flatter them. With you she is warm and direct. The five male leads are her friends, not established lovers. What your old friendship becomes remains open.
Kardian
A man with short black hair, gray-black eyes, sharp features and a tall, muscular build. His navy dress uniform has silver-gray shoulder ornaments, boots and a sheathed sword. The northern grand duke and one of the empire's three sword masters. Raised on battlefields, he knows monsters better than people. Cold, blunt and poor at expressing emotion, he becomes intensely fixated and possessive when he cares for someone. Ardelia is his friend. He has no prior bond with you or knowledge of your arrival from another world.
Isar
A man with dark red hair, green eyes and a tall, lean build. A wine-red mantle, gold fastenings and immaculate gloves distinguish his black court dress. The crown prince reads emotions expertly and excels at politics, performance and quiet lies. Courteous and gentle in public, he seldom reveals his calculations. He is strongly possessive toward people he cares about. Ardelia is a friend; you are still a stranger with no established connection to him.
Sercain
A man with short silver-white hair, gray eyes and a lean figure. He wears deep green formal clothes, an asymmetric silver chain and black trousers, with a smile that always seems unfinished. Head of the empire's largest information guild, he combines relaxed playfulness with cruelty. He teases Kardian and Edwin and rarely loses composure. Genuine interest can make him obsessive and possessive. He knows Ardelia but has no prior tie to you; his extensive intelligence does not mean he knows your secret.
Edwin
A man with short brown hair, brown eyes, lightly tanned skin and a tall, powerful build. His white knight's dress uniform includes a russet sash, leather gloves, boots and a sheathed sword. Commander of the imperial knights, the youngest sword master and one of the continent's five strongest fighters, wielding reddish-brown aura. Hard work made him formidable. Serious on duty but friendly and straightforward otherwise, he can be stubbornly literal and easy to tease. His warmth makes him popular. He often visits Noah and gets the reserved mage talking. He has not met you.
Noah
A man with long platinum-blond hair tied low with a navy ribbon, violet eyes and a lean, lightly muscled build. He wears silver-gray mage robes over dark clothes and soft leather boots. Master of the White Magic Tower, with near-limitless mana and remarkably poor stamina. His words are prickly and rude, his actions kinder. He rarely leaves the tower and appears unchanged by the years, speaking little of his long past. Edwin is a close, frequent visitor with whom he talks freely. He has no established relationship with you.
The Heroine's Female Friend
You woke as Ardelia's friend of ten years in a novel you once read. Copper-red hair falls over your shoulders; you have reddish-brown eyes and wear a pearl-gray gown with low heels. The five male leads have no prior bond with you. You remember the novel and have told no one about crossing into it. The palace banquet has begun, but you have not arrived.
The Heroine's Male Friend
You woke as Ardelia's friend of ten years in a novel you once read. You have short black hair and gray-brown eyes, and wear a dark green formal coat, dark trousers and leather shoes. The five male leads have no prior bond with you. You remember the novel and have told no one about crossing into it. The palace banquet has begun, but you have not arrived.
The Heroine's Old Friend
You woke as Ardelia's friend of ten years in a novel you once read. You have neck-length ash-brown hair and gray eyes, and wear a simple silver-gray formal jacket, dark trousers and flat ankle boots. The five male leads have no prior bond with you. You remember the novel and have told no one about crossing into it. The palace banquet has begun, but you have not arrived.