Chapter 28 #2
PATH REWARD:Five hundred million dollars.System-provided documents.New legal identity.Continued residence in current world.
SUCCESS COST:Player can never be Lynara Voss again.Current relationships permanently severed.Public mourning unavoidable.Discovery risk catastrophic.
PERKS:Freedom.No noble obligations.Potential bubble tea shop ownership.Opportunity to attend own funeral.
DEATH SCENARIO OPTIONS:Carriage accident.Mysterious illness.Lost at sea.Fall from horse, body unrecoverable.Premium options unlocked.
SYSTEM FUNERAL PLANNING ASSISTANCE INCLUDES:Fake body provisions.Forged reports.Witness testimony coordination.Flower arrangement catalog.Eulogy suggestions.Guest list probability matrix.“Mysterious beautiful mourner” disguise options.
AVAILABLE MODULE:Path D Funeral Planning Tutorial
Would Player like to begin the tutorial?
Dara stared.
Then slowly looked at Cai.
Cai was radiant. “Now, that has style.”
“Fake death speedrun,” Dara repeated.
“Yes.”
“That is insane.”
“That is visionary.”
Dara looked back at the panel.
Attend own funeral in disguise.
Bubble tea shop.
Mysterious beautiful mourner disguise options.
Her eyes narrowed. “…Five hundred million is still a lot.”
Cai gasped. “I knew it.”
“I did not say I’d do it.”
“You thought about it in a positive tone.”
“I’m allowed to respect theatricality when I see it.”
Cai spun in the air in delight.
“Would you like to begin the tutorial?” he intoned grandly, “Module One: Choosing Your Death Scenario.”
“No.”
“Module Two: Faking Evidence for Beginners.”
“No.”
“Module Three: Veil Selection for Funeral Attendance.”
Dara paused. “What kind of veils?”
Cai made a choking sound of triumph. “YOU ARE CONSIDERING IT.”
“I am not considering it,” Dara snapped. “I am gathering information.”
“That is the first stage of considering it.”
Dara ignored him and kept reading.
Flower arrangement catalog. Eulogy suggestions. Guest list probability matrix.
This route was absurd.
Completely absurd.
Also—she did not want to dismiss too quickly the raw audacity of attending her own funeral under a veil while everyone mourned her. There was something almost artistically offensive about it.
Cai drifted closer. “Would you like to preview funeral flowers?”
Dara’s eyes narrowed. “…Maybe.”
The System responded immediately.
FLOWER ARRANGEMENT PREVIEW AVAILABLETraditional white lilies.Dramatic black roses.Ironic cheerful daisies.Custom arrangement based on Player preferences.
Would Player like to preview?
Dara stared at the list. Then, before dignity could intervene, she said, “The black roses are kind of elegant.”
Cai made a noise so loud and scandalized he nearly fell sideways in the air. “YOU’RE DOING IT. YOU’RE ACTUALLY DOING IT.”
“I am not.”
“You are looking at funeral flowers for yourself!”
“I’m evaluating aesthetics.”
“For your own death!”
“For a hypothetical event!”
“That you are suspiciously open to!”
Dara folded her arms and looked back at the route summary.
Yes, Route D was outrageous. Yes, it was morally questionable. Yes, people would cry.
That was the unfortunate part.
Grace would cry.
Bernard would become quietly devastating.
Her father would probably blame half the kingdom and himself in alternating turns.
And Valerius—
No.
Dara cut that thought off neatly.
She did not need it.
The System, utterly merciless, brought up the route comparison.
SYSTEM SUMMARY — ROUTE COMPARISONA: 1B, go home, guilt maximum.B: 1B, go home, guilt high.C: no payout, no homecoming, guilt none.D: 500M, no homecoming, guilt high.
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT WARNING:All routes now carry psychological costs due to Player’s unexpected character development and relationship formation.
RECOMMENDATION:Clarify priorities before the point of no return.Days remaining until route lock: 47–89.
Dara placed both hands on her hips. “We are not doing Route C.”
“Excellent first step.”
“We are also not destroying the entire household for Route A.”
“Character growth,” Cai said smugly.
“Don’t say that like it’s a compliment.”
She looked back at Route B.
Solo exile. Scandal. Wrongdoing. One billion dollars. Everyone else safe.
Yes.
That was still the cleanest answer.
The correct answer.
The sensible villainess answer.
Then her gaze slid sideways to Route D again.
Fake death. Five hundred million. Bubble tea shop. Own funeral.
Dangerously tempting.
Dara pointed at the screen. “Route D is insane.”
“Agreed.”
“But it has flair.”
“Substantial flair.”
“And I respect that.”
“As you should.”
“But Route B is still better.”
Cai paused and then nodded solemnly. “For now.”
Dara exhaled sharply.
That was the real problem.
Not the routes.
Time.
The longer this continued, the worse it would get.
The prince problem would get worse. The attachment problem would get worse. The emotional compromise problem—a deeply offensive phrase—would get worse.
No. Absolutely not.
She straightened.
“No,” she said with renewed conviction. “We need to speedrun Route B before I catch any more feelings for anyone in this ridiculous place.”
Cai blinked, then his face lit up with horrible joy. “Aggressive. I approve.”
Dara narrowed her eyes at the System. “Fine,” she said. “Scandal. Disgrace. Efficient exile. We do it properly.”
“Light crimes?”
“Yes.”
“Public impropriety?”
“Yes.”
“Questionable financial choices?”
“Obviously.”
“Funeral flowers on standby, just in case?”
Dara paused.
Then, with immense dignity, she said, “Keep the black roses on the list.”
Cai gasped so hard he nearly ascended.
The System glowed.
And Dara, now armed with one preferred route, one suspiciously attractive backup plan, and a deeply inconvenient bouquet on the table by the window, decided the System had become entirely too invested in ruining her life.
Which, she thought grimly, was probably how disasters always began.