"Ahhhh."

I took in a deep inhale of my bedsheets.

The smell of my room and bedding had never been so welcome. It was warm, rich, and so subtle I honestly never noticed it.

Bob and Bob the Second. Huh.

I gazed up at the gold-leaf-covered ceiling. The scenery had changed again. It was my 6th time living through this morning.

Damn it. What am I supposed to do with only that much information?

I rubbed my temples.

No. I countered myself. I did get a lot of information from them.

I thought through what I had learned.

To start, Gavin Graves wasn't incompetent. He was, in fact, corrupt. And I knew his name. So the question now was, to whom was he subservient and cleaning up messes after?

Then there were the two guards. Clearly professionals. They didn't have anything that would readily identify them as part of any faction. They looked like perfect royal guards, albeit rough around the edges.

I rubbed my left ear lobe.

They even got the accessories correct. And red mana stones, even that small, were not cheap. What if they really are actual royal guards? If so, that would complicate things even further.

The final piece to the puzzle was how quickly they worked to pin the crimes on me, or at least that's what I presumed they planned to do, given my treatment up till the end and the forged suicide note.

That was rather peculiar. I was never originally supposed to attend this ball, after all. Father was. That changed because I had killed Kaiden and Father stayed back to investigate.

And yet they scapegoated me as the killer. Had I not attended the ball, who would they have used? And why did they not use them?

Tsk.

I looked out the window. Outside was a despicably beautiful and sunny day, like every other morning.

Unfortunately, this meant that my favorite information broker wasn't working today. But even if it was a cloudy day, it would've taken her at least two days to gather intel, and the ball was today.

What am I supposed to do on such short notice?

"Young master Luca? I'm coming in," Denise called out.

"Ah. Right. I'm awake. You can enter!" I replied back.

I forgot about Denise. She entered, wearing a plaid knee-length dress and in her hands, like always, was tea and a washbasin.

No. Just what in the world is that..?

I scrunched my nose at the dark brown tea handed to me this morning.

Was this some sort of practical joke by the System? Why did my cup of tea remind me of that disgusting bedsheet?

I glanced up at Denise with confusion.

"It's a new herbal tea from the North. It is supposed to be very healthy and energizing," Denise explained.

"Energizing. Huh." I set the cup down.

Seriously. What is it with the damn tea each time?

"Go take care of what you need. I'm coming down for breakfast. Come help finish dressing me in ten minutes," I ordered.

I glanced toward a decorative clock hanging on one of my walls.

"Oh! Your parents will—"

"Yes-yes," I interrupted Denise. "They will be thrilled that I'll come down for once. Please hurry. I need to come down soon."

I had a man to throw a dagger at before breakfast.

"Ah. Certainly. Of course, young master Luca."

Denise had an odd look for a brief moment. But then she bowed and excused herself.

I sighed, tossed the brown tea into my leafy friend's flower pot, and washed up.

Bob and Bob the Second. I knew what they looked like, even if I didn't know their true identities. I also knew they were working with Gavin.

I pulled out a parchment and a pen and scribbled out what I could remember of their faces. The big guy with the scar on his face and the paper-thin creepy-looking one.

I inspected my work.

It wasn't a great portrait of them. But it wasn't half bad; my art lessons had some use.

"Young master Luca? May I enter to finish dressing you?" Denise called out.

I glanced up from my parchment and realized I was still in my silk pajamas. Denise would help with the outfit, accessories, and hair, but I couldn't very well have her put on my undergarments.

"One moment!"

I stumbled across the bedroom and changed as quickly as I could muster. My brother's life hung in the balance.

"You can now enter!"

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Denise came into the room and began to put on the top garments and accessories over me.

"What is that drawing? An ogre and a tall goblin?" she asked, glancing at the parchment.

Tsk.

I had thought too highly of my artistic skills. The portraits didn't even look human to Denise.

"No. It's two hooligans I'm trying to find," I explained.

Denise raised an eyebrow but said no more. Instead, she began to list off my schedule for the day.

I rolled my eyes. I had gone through the lessons yesterday and remembered why I skipped them originally. They were all so boring. Painfully boring, really.

***

But they did give me ample time to think.

I glanced up at my stout and short lecturer. History was the topic. And what a bore it was.

Who cares how some Adovorian noble or other died five centuries ago? I can't even manage to get through a single day without dying.

I needed not history but current information on Detective Gavin Graves and the two lackeys. And the waiter. I had forgotten all about the waiter, and he was probably the most important one.

I tapped my pen against my parchment in thought.

Detective Gavin Graves… that's the only real name I have. But it might be enough.

I gazed out the window. It was still late morning time, at least by my standards. Nevertheless, the sun shone brightly in the blue sky, and birds chippered outside. A few purple butterflies fluttered past the window.

Butterflies... huh?

I stopped tapping my pen, realizing that at this age, there were other ways I could gather the information I needed.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn't left the manor except to see the Misfortune Sisters and get on a carriage to the palace. So many things had reverted from the future I knew, and there were several useful people still alive in this period of time that I could turn to for help.

"Professor, I'm afraid I have to leave. I have something to attend to." I stood up from my seat.

"Oh-oh?" Professor Whistle, an old man with bushy white hair, seemed to awaken himself from reading out of the textbook. "Oh, very well, I suppose."

He didn't seem all too dismayed about my leaving. I was his only student, and he was used to my comings and goings. Besides, he had other work he did for my parents anyhow.

All of my instructors were like that. Teaching me was a side gig. Their main job was helping the Frey Merchant Guild run smoothly.

***

Certainly, my favorite information broker wasn't working today. Still, I did have the next best thing: the Gossip Queen of Genise, Natalia Ashford.

I had mixed feelings about seeing her. I knew she was good at gathering information in her own way. Still, I had a past with her in the future of my original life that was less than congenial.

Tsk.

But if it means saving my brother, it doesn't matter what my personal feelings are regarding her.

"Young master, where are we going?" Henry asked. He trudged alongside me.

I only had Henry as my guard going into town. It was a refreshing change from the last time when half a dozen guards and Nirre followed me around like a pack of baby birds.

"Henry, you didn't need to come with me," I said.

"Young master Luca, it would be irresponsible to allow you to go into town alone after what happened this morning with Kaiden."

Henry walked beside me down the Golden Maison Main Street.

I sighed.

How am I supposed to go about my business with him in tow? I need to do a better job sneaking out next time.

I glanced at Henry. He was half a foot taller than me with black curly hair and a face that reflected his every thought and emotion. But, more importantly, he looked like a guard. He didn't blend in at all.

But I suppose it's alright in this case.

"Fine, but you must keep mum about my goings today," I said.

"What will you do? Something like this morning?" Henry asked.

I gaped at him. What did he think of me?

"Well, I don't expect to throw daggers at anyone else today if that's what you're asking," I said.

"Oh, ye-yes, of course," Henry stammered. He seemed to want to say something else but didn't.

Good. He was learning.

I quickened my pace and walked west.

I was met with a well-maintained flower-lined cobblestone street at a slight incline. Of course, the West's citizens sat high up on their beautiful hill, looking down on their Eastern counterparts.

"Young master, why didn't you take a carriage?" Henry handed me his handkerchief.

Indeed. Why didn't I?

"It's not that far. It's just that the weather is a little hot," I gasped.

Henry looked at the sky with confusion but didn't say anything else.

I accepted the handkerchief and wiped my face. My cheeks burned.

Pathetic. I had barely walked out of the manor and up two blocks and was already feeling out of breath. Was I really so weak at this age? I don't remember being this pathetic.

Henry looked perfectly refreshed in comparison.

I need to do something about this weak body of mine.

"Do you want to sit down, perhaps?" Henry suggested

"No." I waved him off. "Besides, we're here."

A large brick building with large glass windows stood among the perfect pastel-colored four-story buildings with perfectly manicured tiny flower gardens. A long line stretched out of its doorway.

At the top was a sign: Ashford Bakery.

Upon seeing the building, I felt a murky feeling build up within my stomach. I had hoped the sky would suddenly turn gray and I could turn around and go see my usual information broker instead. And perhaps the information I sought wouldn't take my information broker two days like normal. Maybe business was slow at this point in time? However, the sky remained a beautiful clear blue, as it were on every other regression.

Damn it. I have no choice but to see Natalia.

Natalia Ashford's family had migrated to the capital from one of the smaller eastern coastal countries some seven years back.

Her family established this bakery, which grew to be quite a success over the years. Her mother had the business savviness to obtain hard-to-find ingredients at a low cost. She also knew how to provide a dining environment that Western Genise citizens enjoyed. The father was an exceptional baker; his goods often sold out before lunch.

It was evident by the long line stretching outside how popular his goods were.

"Ah, this bakery is quite famous! I've always wanted to come here," Henry said. A cheery smile graced his face.

"Then now's the day to do so." I pulled out a pouch of coins and tossed it toward him. "Buy yourself whatever you like."

"Are you sure?" Henry balked, unsure whether to accept it or not.

I smiled. "Of course."

Henry's face bloomed like a flower beneath the sun.

"I'll be sure to get you something delicious!" The fool ran over and stood at the end of the long line.

"I'll be inside," I called out to Henry.

Unlike him, I wasn't here for the baked goods. I was there for the most significant factor to the Ashford Bakery's success: their youngest daughter, Natalia Ashford.

My smile withered away.

I had hoped to avoid this encounter. It felt rather peculiar to ask the help of Natalia Ashford. Wrong even. After all, in my original life, I had killed her.