With the weather as terrible as it was outside at the moment it was hard to believe that there was still one more week before winter officially began. The seasons however never adhered to a strict schedule such as the human calendar. Horribly frigid winds swirled around the city, rushing between the buildings of the capital Norlov like angry banshees. Then there was the icy rain that spattered down upon the streets and created a variable slush of miserable puddles.

Thankfully for the goddess, that being me, and my escort of the day this horrible weather wasn't a problem. Like many of the rich and powerful we had a very sturdy and warm castle to protect us from the elements. If only everyone in the kingdom could be so lucky. Regardless I was here on an important social visit. The king had invited me to dinner with his family and I had invited my champion Jagger along so he could get used to such events.

Sadly the price I actually liked wasn't the one to invite me, though I figure he was involved with the invitation somehow. Probably he had suggested it and his father did the actual inviting due to his position as king. Made sense and all. The other family members to be attending were the king himself and his wife Sashui. I didn't like that woman and I couldn't quite pin down why.

At the moment we were all sitting in the rather fancy dining room of the castle. While it wasn't the great hall it was still grand, perhaps taking up the breadth and width of a typical basketball court. There were plenty of pleasant tapestries on the walls and a couple suits of armor set up for decoration purposes. The table and chairs were ornate, made from the highest quality wood and carved with pleasant curves in their design. There was also a large fireplace in the room that was currently alive with a blaze of glorious flame.

For victuals we had quite the verity, all arranged in an organized chaos along the length of the table which itself was the size of the largest bed you might see in the king's chambers. First were the meats which were typical for the hunting in the area. Namely venison, quail, and even a pinch of fish. I liked my proteins smoked but these were roasted which was also fine. Then for the vegetables we had things such as baked potatoes, celery, and beets among other staple crops.

Food fit for a king would not be complete without sweet things as well. Thus we had a small selection of fruits as well, mostly baked into pies and tarts of course. This is how the people in this tech level could enjoy such delicate things as fruits out of season, a feat normally impossible without refrigeration. Even your cellar under the house isn't going to keep fruit fresh, thus the pickling and baking of it. Jams were also a big deal which we had a couple berryations of for our bread.

Oh and who could forget dessert? The before mentioned tarts of fruit were certainly the mainstays of such treats, though we did also have preserved fruits that had been soaked in a brine of sugar water or slathered in so much honey they just couldn't go bad. Honey was a big aspect of dessert in this world due to its almost inability to go bad ever. I mean seriously honey was basically immune to decomposition, at least as far as they were concerned.

All this tasty food would be nothing without drinks to wash it down however. There was water available of course though few would consider that a beverage. Milk was something you could get in small quantities and there was plenty of wine to drown yourself in as well. Children were totally allowed to drink wine due to it being safer than water, something that stemmed from the lack of proper water filtration, though I decided against it personally.

As a goddess I'm immune to poison which meant I couldn't get drunk. Though still I felt a goddess shouldn't be partaking in drink for appearances sake. I got by fine with water which some might feel made me appear to mock the rich as I was lowering myself to the level of the poorest commoner. This perception was merely a bonus for me at this point, as I was the goddess of the common man just the same as the rich.

There was one other royal family member in attendance that had caught me by surprise. Their only daughter and princess was here, the child that I had never seen due to her being away on educational reasons until now. Her name was Olivia and she was quite the beauty. She was a young woman of seventeen who had long black hair that reached the nape of her back, light green eyes like her father, and fair skin as with the rest of her family. There was a certain look in her eyes that reminded me of her mother, a look I didn't like, and although she wasn't one of my worshipers I could tell she wasn't entirely morally bankrupt.

Jagger and I were sitting on one side of the huge table with the king and queen at one of the ends. Then on the other side across from me sat the two children. As usual Turshok seemed quite comfortable being around me and was his usual pleasant self. His sister and parents however were quite ill at ease, the daughter especially so as she had never met me before. I was sure she had heard all kinds of horror stories from her parents regarding me and I doubt her brother's input would sway her in the other direction easily.

I took a drink of the water I had magically purified and handed a leg of quail to Jagger beside me. It was absolutely covered in salt, something I had done with the requested salt shaker.

“Here take a bite.” I said in encouragement.

Jagger looked at the poultry and took it from me with curiosity. He then took a bite and almost choked on it. Quickly he swallowed and grabbed his wine to take a strong swig. Once he had recovered he turned to me with wide eyes.

“How can you eat something such as that goddess?” He asked in amazement. “It was like tipping a handful of salt into one's mouth! You actually enjoy that?”

I took the leg back and took another bite, chewing it while looking up at him.

“Could actually use a bit more salt actually.” I said with my mouth full. “I mean its not like my body can get cardio vascular disease.” I then shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a salty girl!”

Jagger merely shook his head in disbelief. He had since knowing me grown accustomed to my strange ways and was not one to judge me for what I liked.

“If you say so goddess.” He replied with a tone of acceptance.

The royal family who had been watching this all unfold were expressing a mixture between fear and disgust at me and my champion's table etiquette. To be honest though we were trying to be proper. Though the latter of us had no real upbringing in high society and the former was enjoying themselves too much to really notice how she was behaving.

Olivia took another sip of her wine and gave a rather furious look to her brother next to her. Once she had finished her sip she placed her goblet down again and addressed her father.

“So father. I must ask to ensure this truly is the goddess sitting before us. You've said as much when we first sat down I recall but-”

Alphonse cut her off with a fearful look on his face. While he was smiling quite happily it was quite obvious how fake it was, the look in his eyes giving away the actual fear he was feeling.

“She is indeed Goddess Jenna.” He said firmly. “We are honored to have her here, blessing us with her presence as she is.”

Sitting next to him the still silent queen Sashui gave her daughter a glance that confirmed her own feelings on the matter. It seemed to say “please for all our sakes play along with this little girl's desires lest she flatten the entire castle underfoot.” Or something like that.

Hearing this caused me to focus my attention on the princess which made her jump in surprise. I was still holding the bird leg in my hand and quickly put it down on my plate again. Then I picked up my fork, which had a slice of potato on it, and pointed it in her direction in a gross violation of table manners.

“You're quite the prim and proper princess aren't you?” I more stated than asked. “So you've been off studying somewhere? Hopefully you're learning a lot.” I took the bite of food into my mouth and spoke while chewing. “Knowing things is sorta a big deal for me. I'm a big fan of education.”

Olivia straightened herself up in her chair and nervously tried to put on the air of importance.

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“Yes I have.” She replied curtly. “I've been in my studies for most of my life and shall someday become a queen to rival my mother in both wisdom and power.”

I nodded and swallowed the food I had in my mouth.

“Good good. Good to hear.” I then stuck my fork in another bite of potato. “Say which way do you like to eat your eggs? Small end up or big end up?”

Everyone around the table looked quite confused by my question, though it was directed at Olivia. She looked quite nervous and even started sweating a bit. This was obviously some question of great importance otherwise the goddess wouldn't have asked it, though she had no idea what answer I was looking for.

Olivia finally answered. “W-What does that have to do with anything?”

At this point Turshok involved himself. He could probably tell from the slight smile on my lips that this was one of my troll questions meant to harry unfortunate victims. Of course he was right and it was a testament to how much he was getting to know me that he was able to tell.

“Now my dear goddess.” He said in quite the polite tone. “I'm sure not all questions require answers?”

My eyes rolled in my head and I sat back in my chair almost pouting as I lifted my next bite of dinner to my mouth.

“Yeah yeah.” I replied with annoyance. “Thanks for ruining my fun prince-o.”

Jagger couldn't stop himself from letting out a hearty laugh as he watched this unfold, the sheer joviality of the sound doing wonders to ease the tension in the room. He was also used to my pranks at this point and although one never knew what I would get up to next he was assured it wouldn't be harmful.

“Oh goddess you mustn't torment these people so readily!” He said after his laugh. “Think of your image!”

I chewed on the bite of food and grumbled to myself while sitting back in my chair.

“My image is fine.” I mumbled.

Everyone around the table in the royal family let out a collective sigh of relief, the mood of the room simmering down to a more reasonable tension. Even though I was a kind goddess the unpredictable nature of my behavior kept those around me on edge, at least those that saw themselves as my enemies. The only other person in the room was the butler standing by, he being one of my worshipers and therefore not as afraid of me as the royals.

Deciding to change the topic Jagger motioned to me as I lifted my cup of water up for a drink.

“I've noticed you're only drinking water my goddess.” He said curiously. “Honestly it seems ill fitting of the divine to drink such simple drink, though I know you have your reason for it. Might I ask what that is?”

After taking the sip and gulping it down I help up the cup and looked at it.

“Oh well I'm just not a wine person.” I answered putting the cup down again. “I've actually added some citrus flavor to it using magic as well so its not straight water.” I then shrugged. “If only there was some ice in it. Oh well.”

Jagger turned in his seat to better look down at me, his adult body towering over my child one.

“If plain water is good enough for a goddess its good enough for me!” He exclaimed. “Say. May I try your cup goddess?” He blushed slightly. “That is if its alright. I just wanted to see this flavored water as you said.”

I let out a little giggle and slid the cup along the table towards him.

“Sure! Just don't drink all of it!”

With my permission Jagger picked up the little cup of orange flavored water and brought it to his lips. He took one quick sip and placed the cup down on the table while he swished it around in his mouth. While he did this the queen was giving him a rather peculiar look that seemed almost afraid.

After only a moment of tasting Jagger swallowed the water and pounded his right hand as a fist into his other open palm. There was a grin of delight on his face as he loudly proclaimed his delight.

“Gracious!” He cried. “That was delightful goddess! Like fresh snow mixed with the bite of an orange!”

I let out a little laugh and punched him lightly in the arm.

“Well I'm glad you liked it you big oaf!”

Seeing such jovial behavior brought a smile to the prince's face as well and even the princess couldn't help but crack a smile at the joy on display. However it would be within the next few seconds that all our expressions would drastically change.

A sudden and drastic change suddenly came upon Jagger's face, its coloration changing from a fair pink to a hideous blue. He lifted his hands and grasped at his throat as he began making an unsettling croaking sound, his esophagus clearly swelling up. With a gasp he fell over onto the table knocking his plate and everything else to scatter on the floor as he himself soon followed, his body collapsing like a sack of bricks to sprawl on the stone.

I immediately leapt into action, leaping from my chair and sending it clattering against the wall as I fell down on my knees next to Jagger, a look of true fear on my face as my mind was sent spiraling into a panic. The sheer shock of the situation made it difficult for me to figure out what to do.

The others at the table jumped from their chairs as well, looks of shock on their faces as they watched on in horror.

Olivia shrieked. “Poison! He's been poisoned!”

Turshok ran around the table towards the dying Jagger, true concern on his expression.

My heightened thought speed had allowed me to work through the onset panic in a matter of seconds when normally I would have been locked up much longer. I was a goddess! My whole shtick was mastery over magic! I'd cure this poison obviously! I needed focus however and the culprit would surely be fleeing or fled by now. Someone had to seek them out while I focused on this.

I pointed to the door and shouted with great urgency and rising fury.

“Go find the culprit!” I demanded. “Now!”

Turshok nodded. “Yes goddess!”

He turned on his heels and dashed from the room, calling to his father to keep the butler who was standing in the room from leaving. Once that order was given he was gone in a flash, his legs carrying him down the hallway with vanishing footsteps as he shouted out to the guards posted.

I however had more pressing matters to attend to. This poison had taken effect instantaneously and so had to be very powerful. It had already been several seconds and surely Jagger had barely several more. Either his heart of lungs were being attacked besides his throat and it was clear the swelling was aiming to suffocate him, if not stop his heart from shock.

With a delicate touch I peeled Jagger's hands away from his throat and placed my own left hand there, my right going to press into his chest. He was already losing consciousness and so his increasingly limp body gave no resistance as his skin continued changing color. My mana however was soon sent rushing into his body as I forced its pure energy throughout every fiber of his being.

“Purification!” I shouted.

All in a single second Jagger's body began to glow with blinding brightness, a final flash of light dissipating into the air around him. Once it was gone he was revealed to once again to be his normal coloration, the swelling in his throat and chest banished along with the poison that had wracked his body. Thanks to my mana he was revitalized and all bodily functions normal agaiin.

Jagger let out a groan and opened his eyes, looking up at me with somewhat still blurred vision due to tears.

“G-Goddess?” He said in a raspy voice. “Is that you?”

I let out a great sigh of relief, my left hand lifting from his throat to be placed on my chest. Then I smiled down at him.

“Yes it is.” I replied.

With a short grunt the burly man pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around the room. There was a mess from his fall and the others were looking at him with mostly fear, likely due to what might have happened should he have died in front of me.

“W-What happened?” Jagger asked holding his head. “I drank the water and... It all went wrong.”

Now that the danger had passed I stood up next to him and put my hands on my hips, my face dominated by a frown.

“The water was poisoned.” I stated in an angry tone. “Clearly it had been this whole time and was meant for me. However due to my immunity I just never noticed until you took a drink.” I then placed my hand on Jagger's head and sighed. “I'm sorry I didn't notice.”

Jagger smiled and shifted himself to be kneeling before me, his two huge hands taking mine between them. Even on his knees he had to look down at me.

“You don't need forgiveness goddess!” He exclaimed. “It was my fault for being mortal. Tis you who deserves thanks for saving my life!” He then bowed his head. “Thank you goddess!”

I smiled back at him and even blushed a little. Then I turned around to face the king with my angry expression returning. My left hand lifted up and my finger pointed accusingly at him.

“This failed assassination plot shall not go unanswered!” I snapped. “I expect you to find out who tried to poison me and bring them to justice! Do you understand?”

Alphonse dropped to one knee and bowed his head, his entire body shaking his fear.

“Y-Yes goddess!” He sputtered. “Consider i-it done!”

I huffed and turned back to my champion, reaching down to help lift him to his feet with my great strength. The king was definitely not behind this poisoning plot but whoever was needed to be dealt with quickly. Surely as common as such attempts were done on the royal family they would be able to find who it was sooner rather than later.

“Come on Jagger.” I said as he finished standing. “We're heading home.” I then looked over my shoulder at the still quaking royals. “Dinner was nice up until that. I suggest you screen your kitchen staff better.” Without so much as another look at the royal family I started walking out the door of the room with a wave over my shoulder. “Give the prince my regards.”

Jagger followed after me like an obedient puppy, his voice still recovering from his ordeal and him being too nervous to speak besides. All of this while shocking to me was certainly much more of a shock to him. The fact that anyone would try to poison a goddess was certainly beyond madness to anyone with a functioning brain. So his tongue was held as we both walked from the room and into the hallway.

Once outside the room I opened a glowing golden portal in front of us and stepped aside, gesturing with my arms into it.

“After you.” I more ordered than suggested.

Jagger nodded and walked through the portal, his body vanishing into the light. He would find himself standing outside the castle district in the middle of the street, his head kept from the rain by the large overhead hanging from the building above.

I followed after him at which point the portal closed behind us. Then I looked up at him and crossed my arms over my chest. This attempt on my life was unacceptable and proved that there were those crazy enough to follow through on such an insane plot. I would have to send Jagger out on his investigation as soon as possible. But for now I'd send him to the temple to supply himself while I think about what happened today.