The second male lead's saviour (1)

When Kai and Rachel had finished choosing the person they wanted to save, they disappeared from the platform.

When Kai opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark room full of books. The tall walls were actually shelves, stacked with all kinds of books, ranging from small to large, old and new. Each and every one looked rather ancient and somewhat mystical, placed behind glass slides.

The only breaks in the shelves were a window and a beautifully patterned wooden door on the opposite wall, directly in view of the window.

There was a beautifully polished long table in one corner of the room, adorned with various peculiar equipment, mysterious liquid substances stored in elegant bottles resembling potions, unique plants, a massive, rough open book, scattered papers, and old writing tools such as a feather pen. Many colours of ink, each in beautiful containers, adorned the table.

There was even a strange-looking skull, almost resembling that of a lizard, placed on one end of the table.

"Am I a witch now? Hey Rachel? Where are you?"

[Rachel: Don't worry. Your beautiful, reliable system is always beside you, just never visible to you in a mission world. You can communicate with me telepathically, and I will provide you with any assistance necessary to complete a mission.]

"So, like, I don't need to be the crazy person talking to myself out loud?"

[Rachel: Obviously, silly~ Speak to me in your mind. I will catch your thoughts when you want me to.]

"Oh."

[Kai: Can you hear me?]

[Rachel: Indeed I can. I can even peek at the world through your eyes. Only when you decide you want privacy will I be unable to.]

[Kai: Isn't that a bit risky? What if I shut off your access to my vision and end up doing something idiotic without your interference?]

[Rachel: Do you want to fail the mission?]

[Kai: No?]

[Rachel: Neither do I. This feature is only for when you need your personal space, like going to the bathroom or getting down and dirty in the bedroom. Of course, if you're an exhibitionist, my cupcake, then I'm shameless and won't judge you!]

Kai laughed in a dull, sarcastic tone.

[Kai: In reality, I do have some shame with people I just met. And actually, I'm quite grateful for this function!]

[Rachel: Ayy, good to know, good to know. Wouldn't want to be accused of cheating by my dear wife.]

[Kai: Can't you just, like, close your own eyes in situations like that? Do you have to keep watching unless I explicitly tell you not to?]

[Rachel: I have the power to avert my virtual gaze anytime I fancy. But you know me – committed, honest, and dedicated. It's like a virtual work ethic. Observing every second of the mission is my jam.]

[Kai: …]

Kai decided to momentarily ignore Rachel and resumed observing his surroundings. He found himself comfortably situated on a large sofa adorned with a few beautiful but mismatched cushions, placed at one end of the room, right beside the giant window.

The light from the full moon outside beamed directly on him. A beautiful and expensive-looking thin blanket was carelessly draped over the corner of the sofa, also mismatched in colours and style with the sofa itself.

Finally, opposite the long table, at one corner of the room, a full-body mirror stood next to a small table on which a photo frame was placed.

Kai stood up from the sofa and walked over to pick up the photo frame. Inside was a picture of a beautiful family of three – a silver-haired, gentle, and gorgeous father; an equally stunning blonde-haired mother; and their toddler, with lovely silver hair inherited from his father and pretty green eyes from his mother. It was truly a charming and picturesque family.

Kai finally looked into the mirror beside him. He realized he was no longer in his original body but had assumed a different one. His once short chocolate-brown hair had transformed into long silver strands, his slightly sharp and gorgeous features replaced by gentle, mystical, and alluring characteristics.

His previously blue, cat-like eyes were now slanted silver eyes, and his lips were neither too thin nor too plump—just the perfect heart-shaped ones. He found himself in the body of the father from the picture, slightly taller than his real body. A first-grade beauty.

Kai whistled at his reflection, shamelessly checking himself out in the mirror and appreciating every bit of it. 

[Rachel: Oh la la~ My, what a beauty. What a beauty indeed. Kai, my dear, you can probably pull all the guys and the girls with those eyebrows. Slay me with them sword brows, I won't complain~!]

[Kai: Rachel… Aren't you married?]

[Rachel: Happily and committedly so. But there's no harm in appreciating a beautiful person when you see one.]

[Kai: Aish, whatever. So? What now?]

[Rachel: Now, my friend, you gotta take a seat and brace yourself for the grand reveal – the world plot and the memories of this body are about to hit you like a freight train. It can be a bit overwhelming for newbies, might make you feel a tad uncomfortable.]

Kai listened to Rachel and obediently settled down on the sofa.

[Rachel: Alright, sweetheart, now close those pretty eyes of yours.]

Once Kai closed his eyes, he was bombarded with information. It was so overwhelming that he felt dizzy and nauseous, his brain struggling to process the influx of data.

When it was finally over, Kai opened his eyes but felt bile rising to his throat, his vision briefly fading to black. He unconsciously brought a hand to his mouth.

[Rachel: Feeling the urge to puke?]

[Kai: Yeah…]

[Rachel: Well then, do us both a favour and cut off my connection to your vision. I'd rather not witness such a sight.]

[Kai: So, you're okay with everything else but draw the line at someone barfing.]

[Rachel: Correction. A pretty person barfing. I've got an image to maintain in my mind. I don't want it tarnished by the less glamorous moments.]

[Kai: …]

[Kai: How on earth did you manage to get married?]

After Kai's condition stabilized, he could finally think more clearly about the situation. Currently, he found himself in a D-grade world titled, 'I became the daughter of the Villainous Duke of the North.'

He occupied the body of a character that couldn't even be considered a side character, such was the insignificance of his role. In this world, he went by the name Emeric Darrow, the father of Adrian Darrow. Adrian, in turn, played the second lead role in this fantasy setting.

The storyline followed the typical fantasy manhwa pattern where the female lead, an orphan unaware of her origin, is adopted into the Duke's family. A family highly acclaimed but feared, branded as a villainous clan that the Empire trembles before.

In this world, the female lead, Seraphina Ravenshroud, followed the classic trope of having reincarnated into the world of a book she had previously read. Originally a typical Korean woman labouring in a challenging office job, she found herself transmigrated into the pages of a book after an unfortunate encounter with a truck. In this new world, she took on the role of a young orphan girl.

Adopted into the house of Ravenshroud, the villains from the book she had read, Seraphina became the only daughter of the family among many sons. Demonstrating her capabilities, she carved out a name for herself, battled the villains, and found love. Eventually, the story unveiled that she was the real child of the family, lost to them since birth—a familiar narrative.

[Kai: So, my mission target is my son in this world?]

Jae-hyun was the person they had chosen to save. The information provided indicated that he was stuck in a D-grade world, playing the role of a second male lead. Tragically, he had committed suicide after experiencing failure in love.

There were actually many contenders for the female lead's attention in this world, each vying for her affection. However, it was only Adrian Darrow who had committed suicide out of love, making Kai aware that this was the person he was supposed to save.

[Rachel: Yep. Also, you need to know that these mission takers have lost their memories and believe they truly are the roles they are playing. So, Adrian Darrow, or should we say mission taker Jae-hyun, just thinks that he has always been a resident of this world.]

[Kai: I see… One question... This world doesn't seem very difficult, even for me. Why wasn't it placed in E grade?]

Kai heard Rachel laugh.