Load custom font in patch (not standalone)?

Is there a way to load a custom font file that is not installed on the user’s system in a Max patch that is not a standalone or a packaged app?

I found this topic detailing how to add custom fonts to a standalone, but what if it isn’t a standalone?

I was hoping for a way to add font files to a search path, or load them explicitly into an object like you would do with a wav or text file.