The boss, seasoned by countless storms, quickly stepped in to steady the room.

"Calm down. There are thirty-five of us. With that many minds working together, are we really unable to come up with a strategy? Don't lose your composure."

The manager nodded, a sharp glint flashing behind his lenses.

"Exactly. This is a high-risk game, but the prize is substantial.

"Yesterday there were thirty-six of us, and the total bonus was 1 million. Today there are thirty-five, and it's risen to 1.5 million. Sacrifice has its rewards.

"Of course, I'd rather see everyone leave here alive. If we can make tens of thousands in just a few days and go home, that's not bad at all."

"So what do we do now?" a quiet, frail-looking young man asked.

The manager adjusted his glasses. "Based on the secretary's experience, getting close to the queen does increase your health points.

"We can pool our points, exchange them for jewelry from the marketplace, and use it to curry favor. That should help us secure better positions.

"No matter how heartless the queen may be, she's still human. If we work diligently, perform our duties well, and greet her respectfully whenever we meet, there shouldn't be any problems."

The others nodded in agreement.

The HR representative chimed in, "The queen's personality is extremely strong. The secretary must have offended her somehow to meet such a fate. We're not like him. If we keep our heads down and behave ourselves, we'll be fine. Don't worry."

Soon, the manager and the boss gathered everyone's health points, exchanged them for jewels, and went to meet the old matron in charge of palace affairs.

For some reason, I couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.

I didn't believe the boss and the manager could suddenly become so kindhearted. When they were still our superiors at the company, they had never cared whether we lived or died. Now, in this palace where survival was uncertain from one moment to the next, could they truly have a change of heart and lead us all to safety?

Sure enough, when they returned, their expressions were tinged with guilt.

The manager cleared his throat. "Although we've secured thirty-five positions, some are better than others. To be fair, we'll decide by drawing lots."

Everyone tensed as they lined up to draw.

I glanced at the slip in my hand.

"Lantern bearer to the queen."

It was an excellent post—one that allowed close proximity to her.

Looking up, I saw some colleagues beaming with excitement while others wore expressions of disappointment and worry.

The HR representative turned to me with curiosity.

"Adrian, what did you get?"

I answered honestly.

He stared thoughtfully at the slip in my hand, then smiled. "Adrian, no one in the company likes you, but I do. I hope we can both earn the bonus and make it back to the real world alive."

A few minutes later, the manager began matching each position to its holder.

Originally, there had been only one lantern bearer. After the comparison, there were suddenly two.

The manager frowned. "At a time like this, there's no point in lying. Positions may differ, but those who do well won't forget to help those who don't."

No one spoke.

Left with no choice, he started checking one by one. The moment I finished stating my position, the HR representative suddenly burst into tears.

"Earlier, when Adrian asked what I drew, I told him I got lantern bearer. I never imagined he'd lie just to compete with me for the position!"

A chill ran down my spine.

In a panic, I pulled out my slip. The words had changed. What once read Lantern Bearer now said Kitchen Menial.

Someone had switched my lot.

The others immediately looked at me with disdain and contempt.

"Adrian's always scheming, but he's unbelievably stupid. Does he really think people will believe him just because he says so?"

"Didn't he steal from someone at the company before? Even after he was caught, he insisted he'd bought it himself. Shameless as ever."

The HR representative stepped in as peacemaker. "All right, all right. That's enough. Adrian just wants to survive. I can understand that."

He wore a gentle, understanding smile, but I didn't miss the provocation lurking in his eyes.

I grabbed his arm. "We've never had any grudges at the company. Why are you scheming against me like this?"

The HR representative couldn't shake me off and flared with anger.

"Are you insane? You're the one who never tells the truth. I know you don't want to do hard labor in the kitchen, but look at the situation we're in. This is a desperate fight for survival, and you still can't give up your petty thieving habits. It's disgusting."

The manager stepped in on his behalf and seized my wrist.

"If you cause any more trouble, I'll kill you. One less person means our bonus increases by half a million."

The instant he gripped my arm, a sharp wave of pain shot through me. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead.

I bit my lip and looked at everyone present. "I didn't lie. My position was switched."

They only watched me coldly. No one stepped forward to help or even to intervene. No one believed me.

I gave up and spoke in a low, steady voice. "Let go. You're hurting me."

The manager flung me aside without hesitation. I was tossed like a scrawny chick, crashing hard onto the ground.

The HR representative smoothed his hair and looked down at me with smug satisfaction. "No one believes you. Stop pestering me and accept your fate."

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

Everyone dispersed to their assigned palaces to begin their duties. A few who had drawn especially poor positions remained behind, trembling where they stood.

"I don't want to scrub toilets. If I'm stuck doing that, I'll never have the chance to see the queen. Once my health points run out, I'll die."

"I don't want to do laundry either. With so many clothes to wash every day, how will I ever get ahead?"

Anxiety hung heavy in the air; everyone was drowning in the fear of never seeing the queen.

Slowly, I pushed myself up from the ground. The earlier look of humiliation vanished, replaced by the faint curl of a smile at my lips.

The kitchen. What a perfect destination. Exactly the position I had wanted all along.

Now that everyone had left, I no longer had to pretend.

After straightening my clothes, I was about to report to the steward in charge of the kitchen when a colleague, Nick Wendell, suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Adrian, are you really going to the kitchen to do hard labor? All of us who got these lowest-tier jobs have no future there.

"How about this—after we finish our daily tasks, let's gather here and figure out a way to see the queen. All right?

"There's strength in numbers. At least we can watch out for each other."

At his words, the others showed clear expressions of disgust and impatience.

"Nick, why are you worrying about Adrian? He's a thief with sticky fingers and a crooked heart. You're planning strategies with him? Aren't you afraid he'll sell you out one day?"

Nick hesitated, then finally let go of my hand.

I made no attempt to persuade him otherwise. Turning around, I left the servants' quarters.

Along the way, I observed everything in the palace with quiet curiosity.

Every maid and attendant who hurried down the corridors wore the same look—urgency laced with fear, as if this palace were a bloodless demon, devouring lives without a trace.

When I passed through the royal garden, I slowed my steps and looked toward the blooming peach trees.

From the very first moment I met Queen Rara, I had suspected she suffered from chronic headaches.

Last night, I had secretly slipped out and seen her repeatedly pressing her temples.

That only confirmed my suspicion.

From the start, I had never wanted the lantern bearer position. Claiming it had been deliberate.

No matter who had sabotaged me, my goal remained clear: I would cure the queen's headaches.

I exchanged my own health points for a comprehensive medical compendium.

The system spoke.

[Host, since you previously used health points to exchange for jewels and secure a position, you now have only five points remaining. If you spend another two points to obtain the medical text, you will have just three days left to live. Do you wish to proceed?]

I smiled with absolute confidence. "Yes."

Three days were more than enough.

In this game, I would be the last one standing.