Heena immediately closed and barred the door from the inside—a simple wooden bar that she'd never bothered to use before, but which suddenly seemed very necessary.
She relit the oil lamp with shaking hands.
Now that the immediate danger was over, the adrenaline started to fade, and she realized she was trembling slightly.
The System appeared immediately, looking frantic.
"HOST! Are you alright?! I wanted to help but I couldn't physically interact with him and—"
"I'm fine," Heena said, cutting him off. She sat down heavily on her sleeping mat, her mind already working through the implications and next steps.
"But this changes things. Maya isn't just trying to marry me off anymore. She's actively trying to destroy me. And that means I'm running out of time to implement my original plan."
She looked at the System seriously.
