"A… what now?"
"A divergence," Maya repeated, sounding far too excited for my comfort. "It means the story is changing, Miss! Your re-entry into this world may have triggered a new sequence of events. Which means…"
"Which means what?" I asked cautiously.
"Which means," she said with a dramatic pause, "you might actually have a chance to survive this time!"
I blinked at the glowing rectangle, deadpan. "Great. I always dreamed of surviving my own murder."
Maya cheerfully ignored the sarcasm. "But be careful! The timeline has already begun to shift. The choices you make from now on will determine whether you live… or die tragically again in chapter fifteen."
I groaned, dragging a hand over my face. "Perfect. If I'm the adopted daughter, what am I doing in this small room?"
There was a brief pause before Maya replied, her tone turning hesitant. "According to the records… you ran away."
My hand dropped. "I ran away?"
"You left the mansion three weeks before the engagement," Maya explained softly. "Because your adoptive parents hadn't fulfilled their promise. They were supposed to pay for your grandmother's hospital bills, but… they didn't."
I felt a pang of something tight in my chest. "Figures. Even in fiction, people can't be trusted."
"After that," Maya continued, "you disappeared from the Vale residence. The story skipped directly to the engagement scene, where Lucian Drake learned the substitution and ordered your—"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," I cut her off, waving a hand. "Death by dragon glare. Chapter fifteen. We've been over that part." I couldn't stop sighing, "So, since I am merely a cannon fodder, they don't even bother to tell the story about how I arrived at the engagement place?"
Maya made a thoughtful humming noise. "Technically, no. The author summarized it in one line… something like 'Seraphina appeared at the ceremony, trembling but obedient.'"
I stared at the glowing rectangle in disbelief. "That's it? Who's the writer again?"
"The author's name…" Maya paused, as if scrolling through invisible files. "Pen name: L.D. Real name: Unknown."
I squinted. "L.D.? Ahh…" I gasped in recalling, "That top writer who's book is always topping the chart… hmm… aish…" I straightened my legs, "The next chapter?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Yes," Maya replied brightly. "The engagement party scene. It's scheduled to happen… tomorrow night."
I blinked. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow night!" Maya chirped. "You, Seraphina Vale, the adopted daughter of the Vale family, will attend the grand engagement party as the stand-in fiancée for the Ice Dragon CEO, Lucian Drake. Oh, how exciting!"
"Exciting?!" I practically shrieked. "He literally hates phoenixes! I barely survived his death glare earlier… how am I supposed to survive an engagement party with him?"
"Technically," Maya said in that unhelpfully cheerful tone, "you will survive, nothing will happen before chapter fifteen…"
I nodded in annoyance. "Yes, before I died, right? What now?"
"You can now rest, Miss Seraphina," Maya said sweetly. "The system will handle the transition."
"Transition? What trans—"
Before I could finish, the world tilted. The walls of my tiny rented room flickered like a broken screen, colors bleeding into light. My stomach lurched as everything dissolved into white.
When I blinked again, I was standing—no, materialized in front of two unfamiliar faces.
A woman in her forties, elegant in a silk dress, stared at me with thinly veiled irritation. Beside her, a man with a calculating gaze and an aura that screamed "corporate shark" adjusted his glasses, his frown deepening.
"Seraphina Blaze," the woman said sharply, "where have you been?"
I blinked. 'So these are the Blazes? My 'loving' adoptive parents?'
"Uh…" I managed, my brain still buffering. "Somewhere quiet?"
The man's eyes narrowed. "You disappeared for a week. The engagement ceremony is tomorrow, and you dare to vanish now?"
I resisted the urge to point out that I hadn't exactly scheduled my interdimensional travel.
Maya's voice buzzed cheerfully in my ear. "They seem upset, Miss Seraphina! Try apologizing. Cannon fodders always start their scenes with regret… it helps the readers sympathize."
I gave a stiff smile. "I'm… sorry. I just needed time to think."
The woman sighed, her tone turning cold. "Think all you want after the ceremony. Just remember, you owe us. Your grandmother's hospital bills aren't going to pay themselves."
My breath hitched. 'So that deal is still in place.'
Maya hummed softly. "Oh, yes. That part was quite tragic in the original version. You agreed to the substitution because they promised to cover her treatment… but they never did."
I clenched my fists, a bitter taste in my mouth. Of course they didn't.
"Understood," I said flatly. "I'll be there."
The woman smiled faintly, satisfied. "Good. Don't embarrass us, Seraphina."
As they turned away, Maya whispered, "Congratulations, Miss! You've officially re-entered the cannon fodder timeline."
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a glittering ballroom.
Chandeliers sparkled like constellations above, the air thick with perfume, polite laughter, and the faint hum of gossip. My reflection in one of the tall mirrored columns nearly made me choke, a flowing silver gown, jeweled pins in my hair, and makeup so perfect I looked like a princess.
Maya must've auto-dressed me.
"Lady Celeste Blaze," a voice announced grandly, and suddenly, hundreds of curious eyes turned toward me.
My heart pounded so loudly I was sure someone could hear it. I stepped forward, trying not to trip over my own nerves—or the hem of this ridiculous gown—when a sudden chill brushed against my skin.
A cold hand reached for mine.
I froze.
Lucian Drake.
He stood there in an impeccably tailored black suit, his presence like ice carved into human form. His eyes, glacial and unyielding, met mine with polite detachment, as if this entire engagement were just another business transaction.
"Miss Blaze," he said coolly, his voice smooth but utterly devoid of warmth. "You're late."
My throat went dry. "S-sorry," I managed weakly, forcing a small smile. "Traffic."
To my absolute horror, he smiled, freaking smiled and murmured, "Make sure to tell me next time."
For a brief second, I thought maybe… just maybe… he wasn't that bad.
Then, suddenly above his head, a floating monitor charm flickered to life, glowing bright pink.
[Affection Level: –100]
I stared at it in disbelief. "Oh, come on," I muttered under my breath.
And that was how my engagement to the Ice Dragon CEO officially began, with a smile that could freeze hell and an affection score that already hated me to death.