“Set up some tea in the Rose Room,” I told Remlend. “Oh–and bring out the Keemun Black Tea. Only the best for Lady Sedna Ozeryn.”

I smiled broadly and felt a bounce to my step.

I had not expected Lady Sedna Ozeryn to come by; I didn’t even know she knew I existed this early on. As for myself, I knew her very well from my first life. When Grandov and I visited the Ozeryn estate to request funding, Duchess Meriwa Ozeryn surprised us with an incredibly generous amount.

“Thank you,” Grandov bowed. "The Order will be forever indebted to your kindness. We will do our utmost to protect the borders using these funds."

“Don’t thank me,” Duchess Meriwa Ozeryn waved her hand. “Thank my daughter, Lady Sedna. She insisted that I supplement this ridiculous amount of funding. If not for her, you would have left here with but a fraction of what you requested.”

Lady Sedna Ozeryn had a heart of gold. Even though she was crippled and living her days out in difficulty, she cared so much about the kingdom’s future that she convinced her mother to provide such an incredible sum that it was double all the funding everyone else provided combined.

Of course, we still ended up losing to the Kobar Empire, so perhaps it wasn’t the best investment, but I had a special place in my heart for this young lady. She was the picture of noblesse oblige.

Ah, damn it.

I caught sight of myself in a mirror. I hadn’t paid much attention to my clothing and realized I was in no shape to meet someone as important as Lady Sedna of the Ozeryn Dukedom. I had flung on a mismatching tunic and set of trousers before we left the Town of Ascot, and a day of travel and a visit to the cellar did not do me well. I lifted one arm and sniffed.

Damn it. I need a quick rinse off too. I want to make a good impression for our first meeting after all.

“Remlend, I need to change,” I hurried to my chambers. “Please greet Lady Sedna Ozeryn on my behalf. I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Very well, young master Luca,” Remlend replied and headed in the opposite direction.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Sedna gazed up at the imposing Frey Manor that housed the sole remaining descendants of House of Arankagul. She stood in the courtyard, leaning on her crutches, each one carefully attached to her arms for support.

She had studied Adovoria's history extensively and knew more than most about the covert schemes of the Arankagul family in influencing the kingdom and the nations around them. In her original life, they had all perished long before the loops began. However, for the past couple of rounds, the eldest son of this ancient family, Micah Frey, remained alive and well.

And it’s all because of Luca Frey. I need to remain cautious.

Mixed feelings swirled within her as she pondered the strange young man. She had never even really known of his existence until recently. However, he had certainly captured her attention now.

To start, he had subverted Micah’s original death due to a back-stabbing servant. The timing of the new loop was too perfect. It allowed Luca just enough time to save his brother from death, and she couldn’t shake the suspicion that he had somehow gained control over the flow of time. If true, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Perhaps Chase even knew something about it and somehow angered Luca. In the previous round, Luca had killed Chase Daylan, an Awakened far older than Sedna, and a warlock powerful enough to destroy one of the tallest mountains on the continent. His death was surprising enough to Sedna, but even more shockingly, in this life round, that same Chase Daylan came to the Frey Manor and asked for Luca’s forgiveness in an elaborate show of remorse with a parade of his clergy and a cake that had the whole capital abuzz due to its ridiculous size.

Then there was Duncan Genuiver, who had made his first-ever public appearance in several years, and according to Sedna’s aunt, was currently undergoing an image change by the same Luca Frey. He spoke highly of Luca but obviously held his own reservations about the strange young man. However, knowing the future, Sedna knew that Duncan’s life was turning for the better with Luca’s appearance. Prior to these new loops, Duncan had passed away in some little-known village, while in this loop, it appeared that Luca had far grander plans for this man.

Perhaps even in my original life, there was more to Luca Frey than met the eye. He was, after all, the sole member of his family to live on. And even though he was adopted, he was still a member of that dangerous family.

“Come this way, Lady Sedna Ozeryn. I will take you to the Rose Room. Ah, and I’m afraid your guard must wait outside.”

Sedna blinked in surprise at the attendant who came out to greet her. She recognized him, but only because of a bracelet artifact her mother had provided her, making someone as unremarkable as the young man before her impossible to disappear into the background. It was an effective but extremely expensive guard against nefarious individuals that attempted to shapeshift into something they were not or hide their presence altogether.

No. It’s just a mere coincidence.

She shook the thought away.

There’s no way Luca sent him because he realized who he is himself.

"Please, take a seat here," Remlend gestured toward a table by the window. "Young master Luca is attending to some urgent matters but will join you shortly.”

Sedna followed Remlend's lead and stepped into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. From floor to ceiling, the walls were adorned with paintings of the Arankagul ancestors.

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"A maid will be with you shortly to serve tea." Remlend bowed and left Sedna on her own. She undid the clasped-on crutches and set them beside the table beside a large window.

She gazed at the imposing painted faces surrounding her, recognizing many from her lessons. Her eyes paused on one man with sharp, piercing green eyes, a blonde pencil mustache, and chiseled features.

That one is Kelian Arankagul. He had helped finance the armies of two neighboring countries at war with one another.

In the end, the two countries fought until there was nothing left of either army, and that was when the House of Arankagul swooped in, raking in on all the delinquent debts. Rumor had it that three centuries had passed, and the two countries were still paying out their debts to the House of Arankagul. Of course, nothing was for certain; even the so-called history that Sedna was taught was shrouded in mystery, and much of it wasn’t fully understood. That was what made those of House of Arankagul even more dangerous.

Her eyes swept over the other paintings, noting each one’s secret impact on Adovoria and their neighboring countries.

She looked out the window and was greeted by the sight of the "rose garden" at the Frey Manor. The sky was painted with hues of soft purples and oranges, and the fading sunlight cast long dark shadows across the flower beds. The rose garden appeared as a foreboding and somber collection of jagged blackthorns intertwined with poisonous-pink roses. The mere thought of someone getting entangled in those wicked-looking bushes sent a shiver down her spine.

Did Luca place me here to intimidate me?

With imposing Arankagul ancestors on one side and the evil-looking rose bushes on the other, she was certain that to be the case.

A maid entered the room with a tray of tea and cups.

“This is Keemun Black Tea from Zarez,” the maid said as she set down the tea.

Sedna inhaled the fruit and smoky fragrance and shivered. Sedna's suspicions grew as she realized that Luca had spared no expense to make his point.

He is certainly trying to intimidate me.

Keemun Black tea was extremely expensive, largely because the Frey Merchant Guild was the only organization that had trading access to the Zarez region and controlled the market. The demand for it was high despite the price tags, as it was extremely energizing. Some joked that it could awaken the dead from their slumber.

No wonder my mother had our best spy keep an eye on their activities, but even she had overlooked Luca Frey until now.

As she sipped the potent tea, she steeled herself for whatever lay ahead, determined to uncover Luca Frey’s true intentions.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

“Peep!”

Why are you bothering with how you look? You’ve never cared before.

Leona had reawoken and currently sat perched atop my dresser.

“Because I want to make a good impression,” I explained. “The Ozeryn Dukedom is one of the wealthiest regions. They’re literally a gold mine, with access to precious materials and gems that are sold across the continent.”

I inspected my seventh outfit in the mirror, before tossing off the jacket, upon realizing that the back of the jacket had a giant embroidered red fish.

“Peep!”

So, they’re rich? As far as I can tell, your family isn’t doing too shabby either. I don’t see your point.

“It’s for the war effort. In my original life, Lady Sedna of the Ozeryn Dukedom provided an incredible investment to protect Adovoria’s borders. It was what had allowed us to do as well as we did.”

But you still lost?

“Yes, but that was then, and this is now. We need that investment again if we hope to stand a chance against the Kobar Empire. I always planned to approach her myself regarding it, so her coming here instead speeds up the timeline.”

I gazed at my reflection, turning to make sure this jacket and pants didn’t have any surprising atrocious details as well. I moved in closer to the mirror and brushed down my black hair.

“Peep!”

You look fine. I suggest going down if you want to make a good impression. You’ve left her waiting long enough, don’t you think?

Damn it.

I glanced at a nearby decorative clock sitting on my desk. I had kept Lady Sedna waiting for half an hour now.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

“Sorry about that,” Luca Frey walked into the room with an apologetic smile. He lifted the tea pot’s top and called out for a maid to bring more tea.

“I didn’t mean to make you wait so long,” he said, settling into a chair opposite Sedna. His eyes sparkled with a glint of mischief, hinting at something beneath his seemingly harmless facade.

“It wasn’t that long.” Sedna smiled politely back, holding back her usual sharp tongue.

Her eyes scanned the young man. Luca looked quite different from what she saw in her original life, from the balcony of her estate when he and Grandov left the premises after requesting the investment. His rugged edges were softened, and his frame appeared slimmer. He projected an air of vulnerability and harmlessness.

Except for the eyes.

By his actions to date, Sedna did not doubt that he was also an Awakened. Seeing him now only confirmed her suspicions.

Her eyes moved down, and noted the Whispering Necklace around his neck. She recognized it immediately.

She frowned.

Why does he have that? And for what purpose? Is it because he knew I would have possessed it in the future? Is this a ploy of some sort as well?

A maid arrived and changed out the teapot. Luca took it upon himself to pour Sedna a new cup.

Sedna lifted the cup with both hands but did not bring it to her mouth. Her fingers felt jittery from having drunk all the black tea from prior, but the warmth felt nice against her skin.

“Ah, they didn’t bring any food alongside the tea,” Luca noted. However, before she could answer that she had eaten dinner, he called a maid again and requested some vegetables be brought over.

“I returned from the Town of Ascot today," he said with a smile. "As you might know, the farmlands there have rather rich soil. The vegetables are delicious and make for an excellent light evening snack, especially alongside Keemun Black Tea."

Sedna nearly dropped her teacup.

She had missed the subtleties, but his allusion to “farmlands,” “vegetables,” and the tea that could awaken even a corpse from its slumber made it crystal clear.

He knows.

After Chase Daylan’s untimely death by Luca’s hand, she sought to have the dangerous young man investigated and set her family’s most trusted man to get the job done. And yet, shortly after being informed that Luca was caught and to be questioned, she found herself restarting the loop.

He had managed to evade the capture and brought about a time loop restart. She understood why Chase Daylan, the formidable warlock, took to such extremities to apologize to Luca Frey after being killed by him.

If he knows, should I beg for forgiveness as well?

"Oh, I didn't ask if you were hungry," Luca said. "I have a rather hungry bird coming in a bit, so don't worry if you don't have an appetite."

“A bird…?” Sedna couldn’t understand what he was alluding to now.

However, just then, a yellow bird zoomed into the Rose Room and perched on top of Luca’s head.

“Peep!”

Sedna felt her body stiffen, and she grasped the rose gold chain bracelet on her left arm that allowed her to see the unseen.

It’s a phoenix. It’s an actual phoenix.

She wouldn’t have believed it if not for her artifact.

Her eyes moved toward Luca, who she could tell from her many years of experience with it herself, was currently using the Whispering Necklace to communicate with this phoenix.

“I hope this doesn’t sound strange.” Luca smiled menacingly at her. “But you’re an Awakened, aren’t you? That’s why you came here, isn’t that correct?”

Sedna's mind raced at the dangerous situation she had allowed herself to walk into. Even with all the artifacts she had on her body, a phoenix was far outside any of her calculations.

She had been beaten.

“Yes,” she replied and reclined back in her seat, resigned.