Interlude

In this interlude, Princess Chandra meets with Princess Donut aboard a Naga warship to present a series of legal documents. Chandra has maneuvered to become Donut's attorney and Carl's wife through exploiting Naga law, positioning herself to control their earnings and build wealth to escape her home system. The meeting takes a dramatic turn when Donut reveals her awareness of Chandra's schemes and threatens her with the power of the Princess Posse fanbase.

Princess Chandra, a Naga lawyer aboard the Ventilator warship, meets with Princess Donut in a containment chamber following Donut's survival of the previous floor. Chandra has orchestrated a complex legal scheme during the recent Naga coup that installed her uncle as Sultan. Through Widow's Rights law, she claimed Carl as her new husband and positioned herself as Donut's attorney and conservator, giving her control over both their financial assets. She has already begun collecting royalties from fan merchandise like the Donut Holes' Princess Palette makeup line and filed suits to claim additional profits. Chandra's motivation is purely financial—she wants to accumulate enough wealth to pay visa fees and escape to the center system, away from what she views as the shame of her people. During the meeting, Chandra presents Donut with the legal filings establishing the conservatorship, the marriage, seizure of funds, and pending lawsuits. Donut initially appears defeated but then pivots, comparing Chandra's actions to Carl's father's predatory legal schemes on Earth—documents now rendered invalid. Donut reveals that the Princess Posse is a widespread phenomenon beyond just her and Carl, and publicly offers a massive bounty to anyone who would eliminate Chandra "by any means necessary." This threat terrifies Chandra, especially when she simultaneously receives a message from her hired Taurin assassins asking for her location. Chandra loses her composure, and Donut, standing on the table, intimidates her into submission with a growl and a whispered threat about maintaining decorum.