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Anna's bedroom had become her war room.

She sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by stolen paper, borrowed ink, and a determination born from seven years of academic survival instincts. The system interface glowed softly in her peripheral vision, a constant reminder that she was playing a game designed for her to lose.

The numbers were brutal. Forty-five active death flags. Three hundred sixty-five days until Jennifer de Valois returned home, triggering the main storyline that ended with Emily's execution. A family that ranged from hostile to indifferent. No money of her own. No allies. No power.

But she had something the original Emily never possessed: knowledge.

Anna had played Rose of the Empire for exactly forty-seven hours before her death. Not enough to unlock every route, but enough to absorb the game's intricate lore, the hidden side quests, the design patterns that governed the world. Dating simulators followed rules. They had to, or players could not win.

If she could identify the rules, she could break them.

She began writing, organizing everything she remembered into categories. The first list was simple: immediate threats.

Death Flags (Confirmed)

• Flag #3: The poisoned horse at the Imperial Hunt (14 days)
• Flag #7: Accused of stealing the Duchess's necklace (unknown trigger)
• Flag #12: Jennifer's return triggers automatic execution (365 days)

The second list made her hands cramp: the five male leads, each one a potential savior or executioner depending on dialogue choices she could no longer predict.

Crown Prince Richard Rodriguez

• Current Interest: 5% (Intrigued)
• Route Type: Dark/Obsessive
• Win Condition: Unknown (original Emily never survived long enough)
• Risk Assessment: EXTREME

Dorian de Valois

• Current Interest: -8% (Suspicious)
• Route Type: Slow Burn/Tsundere
• Win Condition: Prove intellectual worth
• Risk Assessment: HIGH (investigation likely)

Robert de Valois

• Current Interest: -12% (Confused)
• Route Type: Bully-to-Lover
• Win Condition: Break his pride
• Risk Assessment: MEDIUM (more bark than bite)

Michael Davies (Head of the Mage's Tower)

• Current Interest: 0% (Unmet)
• Route Type: Information Broker/Neutral Ally
• Win Condition: Become useful
• Risk Assessment: UNKNOWN

Rhys (Fallen Knight)

• Current Interest: 0% (Unmet)
• Route Type: Trauma/Healing
• Win Condition: Break his chains
• Risk Assessment: MEDIUM (death flag if mishandled)

The third list was the most important: resources she could acquire.

In the obscure lore files she had unlocked during her playthrough, there was a mention of Duke Arden's secret ledger. The game had never explained what it contained, presenting it only as a mysterious background detail. But Anna's academic instincts screamed that unexplained details were always significant.

If the ledger existed, if it contained evidence of illegal activity, it would be leverage. The kind of leverage that could buy independence.

She needed three things to survive the year: money, information, and a loyal protector. The ledger could provide the first. Michael Davies, if she could intrigue him, might provide the second. And Rhys, the gladiator knight programmed to kill Emily in his route, could become the third if she changed his fate.

It was insane. It was desperate. It was the only plan she had.

Anna stood and moved to the window. Beyond the glass, the de Valois estate sprawled across manicured grounds, beautiful and suffocating. Somewhere in the main house, the Duke kept his private study. Somewhere in that study was the library. And somewhere in that library, if the game's lore was accurate, was a hidden compartment behind The Imperial Charter, Third Edition.

The system chimed, responding to her crystallizing intent.

NEW QUEST AVAILABLE 

Objective: Acquire the Duke's Ledger 

Difficulty: HIGH 

Failure Consequence: Potential Death Flag Trigger 

Accept? 

Y/N

Anna touched the "Y" with fingers that barely trembled. The interface updated immediately.

QUEST ACCEPTED 

Infiltration Window: Midnight, when the Duke attends his monthly council meeting 

Time Until Opportunity: 47 hours 

Recommended Stats: Stealth 15+, Intelligence 20+ Current Stats: Stealth 8, Intelligence 23

She was smart enough to find it but clumsy enough to get caught. She would need to be very, very careful.

A soft knock interrupted her planning. Anna's pulse spiked, but she forced her voice steady. "Enter."

A maid slipped inside, young and nervous. She curtsied quickly, eyes downcast. "Begging your pardon, my lady. The Duke requests your presence in his study. He said to come immediately."

Anna's blood turned to ice. The study. Now. Before she had even attempted the theft, before she had done anything actionable.

Had Dorian already reported his suspicions? Had Richard mentioned their conversation? Or had the Duke simply decided that a changed Emily was more dangerous than a predictable one?

The system offered no warnings, no death flag alerts. Whatever this was, the game had not scripted it.

She smoothed her skirts and followed the maid into the corridor, her mind racing through possibilities and contingencies. The study was in the west wing, past the portrait gallery where generations of de Valois ancestors stared down with cold judgment.

The Duke was waiting behind his desk, fingers steepled, expression unreadable.

"Sit," he commanded.

Anna sat.

The Duke studied her in silence for ten seconds that felt like hours. When he finally spoke, his words cut through the careful calm she had constructed.

"Crown Prince Richard sent a letter this morning. He has requested your presence at the Imperial Hunt in two weeks." The Duke's eyes were winter itself. "Explain to me why the Mad Dog Prince has suddenly taken an interest in a daughter I have gone to great lengths to keep invisible."