Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Uh... well, to Leona, these seven days felt like an eternity.
Setting aside having to eat plastic-like, completely tasteless hardtack and drink that bitter, viscous liquid every day, just the issue of using the bathroom made her insanely uncomfortable.
Number one wasn't so bad; she could resolve it with the wooden cup used for Root Seep Water and then dump it into the Tomb, but number two was much harder to deal with.
Leona could only choose the most unpretentious solution.
Holding it in.
However, holding it for seven whole days was out of the question. Halfway through, she found some dead person's clothing to wrap things up and resolved it once. As of now, she had already been holding it in for two days.
"Leona, long time no see." Just as Aria arrived at the lower floor to look for Leona, she spotted her sitting dazed outside her doorway, looking utterly despondent.
"It hasn't been long at all. You were just here four days ago, Aria," Leona said, looking up at Aria.
"Four days is long enough. How does that Hua Country saying go again? 'A day apart...'" Aria racked her brain for a while without recalling the rest, so Leona finished it for her.
"'A day apart feels like three months.'"
"Right, that's it! You're so knowledgeable, Leona," Aria laughed.
Leona stood up slowly. "So, what brings you here? I'm about to enter an instance. Did you come to say goodbye out of fear that I'll die inside?"
"My intuition tells me you won't die that easily," Aria said, squinting her eyes slightly. "I came to give you a friendly tip."
"Then I'm all ears," Leona replied. Who knew if these few brief words might save her life?
"There are two ways to enter an instance. First, if there's no corresponding role for you in the story—like you as Little Red Riding Hood, since there likely won't be a role matching you in any future instance. Sometimes, the Main God will use strange methods to insert you into the story, such as making you a visiting traveler, or the long-lost daughter of an insignificant couple.
Most of the time, though, the Main God will send you straight in, and more often than not, you'll be an unregistered stranger."
"The second way is when the story contains a class matching your identity. For instance, many soldiers appear in Snow White. If someone with the soldier class enters this instance, they'll be directly assigned the role of a soldier. The Main God automatically generates a background for them, so not only will they avoid being an unregistered stranger, but the kingdom might even provide them with food."
"I would learn all of that after entering the instance anyway. I take it that wasn't what you really wanted to tell me," Leona said.
Aria nodded, her expression turning surprisingly serious.
"Invaders might disguise themselves as natives. I must warn you, invaders are often far more terrifying than the natives."
"Thank you, I understand," Leona responded politely.
Without realizing it, the people here had quietly accepted calling themselves invaders, even though they had been forced into this world against their will.
"What is entering an instance like?" Leona suddenly asked.
Aria thought for a moment and bit her lip. "How should I put it?"
"It's just... whoosh, and you're in." She gestured with open arms.
"What do you mean by—"
Before Leona could finish her sentence, she vanished from the spot in a flash of white light with a "whoosh—".
Aria spread her hands. "Just like that."
...
Her groggy mind gradually cleared up, and Leona slowly regained control of her body.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw several lines of black text floating in the air.
【You have entered the instance: Snow White】
【Main God Task: Protect Snow White until her successful marriage with the Prince. Duration: One month】
Soon, the black text vanished and was replaced by white text.
Detected that you have entered a new instance: Snow White
Now drawing an ability for you. Your ability in this instance is: Shapeshift.
Shapeshift: You can alter your appearance at will. Here, you can be Little Red Riding Hood or take on another identity. As long as you don't slip up, you might even take control of the entire kingdom.
Slowly, the white text disappeared as well.
Leona could clearly see the magnificent chandelier embedded with gems on the ceiling.
She pressed down with her right hand, which quickly bounced back. Her whole body felt incredibly plush and soft, as if she were lying on a massive, comfortable bed.
She sat up abruptly and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Looking down at her body, she found that her cloak had been removed by someone and replaced with a pair of ornate pajamas.
"For once, did the Main God assign me the role of a princess?" Leona murmured, her excitement palpable.
Just then, a soft voice drifted over.
"You're awake."
She turned her head and realized a girl was sitting beside her.
The girl wore an elegant, simple long dress. Her skin was as white as November's first snow, her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were clear and bright. Right now, she was holding a diary in her hands, looking at her with a soft smile.
What a gentle girl.
Leona couldn't help but murmur inwardly.
Clearly, the girl before her was the true master of this room.
"Who are you?" Leona asked in confusion, her eyes drifting down to the diary in the girl's hands—that was her own personal diary.
The girl seemed to notice Leona's gaze and handed the diary back to her.
"My name is Anna. May I ask if you were sent by God to grant my wish? This morning, while I was wishing at the wishing well, you suddenly appeared beside it. I believe my devotion must have moved God to send you to my side."
"Anna." Leona repeated the familiar yet unfamiliar name.
At first, she thought Anna belonged to God's faction, but then she realized late that most characters in fairy tales naturally worshipped God.
"So, you changed my clothes... and even gave me a bath?" Leona sniffed the floral scent on herself.
Before this, she hadn't bathed in seven days, so it was impossible not to notice this sudden fragrance.
"Of course. The Queen doesn't allow outsiders in the royal palace. To prevent the servants from discovering you, I had to do it all myself." Anna spoke earnestly, seemingly seeing nothing improper about it.
While the two were talking, a knock sounded on the door, followed by a crisp female voice.
"Your Highness Princess, His Majesty the King summons you to the main hall to discuss important matters."
Anna stood up and called out to the door, "Understood. Report to my royal father that I will be there shortly."
"Yes, Princess."
She looked anxiously at Leona. "Father has a bad temper, so I must hurry. Wait for me here, and remember not to let anyone discover you, or the Queen will kill you."
Leona nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. Seeing that Anna was about to leave, she quickly grabbed her hand and asked:
"Is there a place to relieve myself here?"
Anna looked at Leona in silence for a moment, then pointed to a curtain a short distance away.
"My chamber pot is behind there. You can use it for now." She pulled out a prepared piece of linen cloth, handed it to Leona, reminded her once more not to be discovered, and left in a hurry.
It seemed the King's temper really was terrible.
Leona also realized that the girl named Anna was the Snow White of this story.
Her appearance was only one clue.
The main clue was how the maid outside addressed her—Your Highness Princess—and that Anna called the King her royal father, while calling the Queen simply "the Queen."
Calling her that in front of outsiders suggested their relationship wasn't very good.
If following the plot, this Queen was presumably the Princess's stepmother.
After getting out of bed, she took her diary, ran behind the curtain, and found the chamber pot Anna had mentioned.
While using the bathroom, she began contemplating her current situation. The Main God hadn't provided much information, so she had to find a way to gather intelligence using unconventional means.
She opened the diary, and sure enough, several pieces of information appeared inside:
One: The King became abnormally violent after his wife's passing. When he is enraged, never let the Princess stay alone with him, or he will kill her.
Two: The Queen has a Magic Mirror that speaks only the truth to her. Perhaps you can extract useful information from its mouth.
Three: A group of outsiders has arrived in this world. They could take on any identity, such as soldiers or maids, and their goal is to kill the Princess. If you are not taking the third clear path, you must protect the Princess at all costs.
Four: The food given to you by the Princess is guaranteed to be non-toxic. Please enjoy it to your heart's content.
Five: At night, you do not need to worry about the Princess's safety. Any outsider who wishes to harm her will be watched by Them, including you.
Six: Remember to check the diary every ten days.
Warning: Do not remain separated from your cloak for too long, or the darkness will erode your will.
Rate on N.U.
