[Congratulations, Host. You had committed the impossible and successfully broken the fourth wall! As a reward to your prestigious achievement, you will now be bound to the Self-Saving System!]
Riley blinked and blinked, unable to keep up with the sudden shift of genre.
Breaking the Fourth Wall? Self-Saving System?
"W-Wait, give me a moment." She hurriedly tried to stop the screen for an explanation, but to no avail.
[From recognizing death flags from miles away to turning misfortunes into unmissable opportunities, the Self-Saving System will be there to assist the Host whenever necessary.]
[The Creator of the Universe then wishes the Host good luck in surviving the vicious world of the novel << Bloody Triangle in a Fantasy Romance >> *blinking eyes]
"..."
So, were things as what she had thought?
They were truly in the universe of the dog-blooded book and she, the cannon fodder that would soon be dead under the second male lead's unreasonable display of authority?
Well, that's bad.
Riley may not be the brightest bulb there, but she was very good at adapting.
With a turn of her thought, she addressed the system with fluidness that even caught herself off guard.
"System, I have a question."
Riley voiced out, mentally making a quick review of the only scene where her character had appeared before her death.
The book hadn't bothered to waste much words to elaborate the cause of her enmity with the second male lead, so she could only make some random guesses and bitterly settle with it.
Fortunately, her head was exceptionally clear today.
"I may not know why the second male lead was so bent on killing me however, to escape from this ending, wouldn't it be enough for me to simply not meet that psycho and avoid him like the plague?"
The system carefully processed her words and gave out a response.
[The Host is brilliant! As expected of the Host! The system will now submit the host's idea for examination. The test is done. The tactic is applicable!]
Oh yeah!
Riley cheered in her heart, her face visibly blooming like flowers.
The system was also happy for her, flashing out numerous joyful emoticons to congratulate her before continuing.
[The system will now scan the surroundings for the death flag, Francis Ravenmore's, whereabouts….]
'You can even do that? Amazing!'
Riley gave the system a hearty thumbs up for the efficiency of its work.
A great assistance indeed! She was sure that she could never be any prouder of someone else as this!
Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last for long.
[Good news, the target has been found.]
[Bad news, the target is on the ship. To make it clearer, IN THIS SHIP.]
Riley finally experienced herself what it felt like to drop from the highest stair of Heaven to the lowest pit of Hell in the count of seconds.
"Seriously, how can that happen?" Riley lashed out in frustration.
Knowing how damned she would be once she mistakenly offended the psycho second male lead, she quickly rang the bell that was connected to her assistant Lily's room, literally screaming for the girl's immediate presence.
"Lily, Lily!"
"Yes, Milady. I-I mean, Boss! I'm coming!"
Half a minute later, a young lady with two cute little braids dangling in front of each side of her chest barged into the room, her palm-sized face red and sweating.
"B-Boss, is there anything that you need me to do?" Lily said in between her hurried breaths.
"Lily! Have you noticed anyone suspicious in our boat? Well, someone other than our crew?"
Reminded that there were times she brought some strangers into her ship, Riley thought that she hadn't been specific enough and sensibly added.
"It's a man! He's tall, unreasonably handsome, has a hot figure – well, someone that girls will definitely fall over knees for in one glance, you know, that kind of man…"
Riley struggled to describe the man with her inadequate words when she noticed the panic overwhelming her trembling assistant. Her confusion intensified when Lily suddenly fell into her knees, shouting for forgiveness.
"Please forgive me, Milady! I have sinned!"
Having served her master for years, Lily knew all too well that her master was never happy to be called with the term 'Milady', but the poor girl was now simply too disoriented to think straight.
"What do you mean? What have you done, Lily?!!!"
It was only then did Riley recognize the severity of the matter.
"Don't tell me… It's you! You're the one who brought him into this ship!" Riley gave out her conclusion, using her two hands to cover her mouth in shock. "Oh Lily, you will soon be the death of me!"
Death?
Lily nearly fainted from the fright. "Please forgive me…" she repeatedly begged in tears, "I-I promise, I will not sneak into the dark and peek at him ever again."
Lily seriously said as she made her vow, nearly causing Riley to vomit out blood.
What she meant by 'peeking'...
Riley was quick to pick on the girl's words, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"You… You actually dared to molest the second male lead??"
"M-Molest?" Lily was equally shocked by her master's atrocious accusation. "I swear, not even with a thousand courage would I dare!"
"M-Milady, I did nothing more than what you have assigned me! To tie up his four limbs, pick out one dark room, strip him of his top, and lock him up to face the cold for one night! I merely did all that and nothing more! Well, except for the peeking part–"
Lily incessantly rambled, not wanting her master to misunderstand her any further more. Afterall, although she wasn't entirely innocent, it wasn't entirely her fault either ah!
"So, It wasn't you but me? I am the abominable pervert all along?"
"That's right!"
Lily heartlessly gave out a furious nod.