"Peep!"

I smell something delicious from that box.

Leona fluttered her plump body off Henry's head and onto my shoulder. Her golden eyes gazed at the box in my hands with the yellow ribbon.

"Don't tell me you're still hungry," I said.

No, I am quite full, but I can still appreciate a delicious scent.

"Good. Because this is for someone else."

I wasn't about to let a strawberry pastry go to waste when it could better serve to butter up a certain someone and potentially prevent an unnecessary death.

"Young master Luca, will you remain within the manor?" Henry walked alongside me towards the entrance.

I nodded. "Until it's time to head out."

"In that case, I'm going to take care of a few matters and meet you before we need to leave," Henry said.

"Sure, go do what you need," I said.

He probably needed to pack his own things since he would attend to me as one of my traveling guards.

Henry bowed and dashed ahead.

"Peep!"

I'm going to be in the courtyard. I want to explore this place you live in. And I need to stretch my wings.

I watched Leona flutter off my shoulder and fly away.

Should I mention to her that chickens, especially baby chicks, aren't able to fly so well?

I shrugged.

Not that anyone seems to have noted how odd it is, so it's probably fine either way.

I walked around to the far end of the manor to a section that was its own separate space. In a corner sat a small stone building with a heavy-duty metal door for its entrance.

I propped open the large door and entered a workstation whose walls were peppered in black mana stones. A smell of metal and smoke filled my nostrils. Spread across the shelves were various glass jars with colorful liquids and strange powders.

The large black burns and ash marks spread across the floor were the most notable.

"Elda?" I called out.

In the center of the workstation, my younger sister was furiously scribbling something onto a large parchment paper. Her fiery red hair was a jumbled mess.

She was so focused on whatever she was writing that she didn't even notice me coming right in front of her.

"Elda, I brought you something." I set down the ribboned box in front of her.

Elda blinked and gazed up at me with her giant green eyes. She seemed to have awakened from her imagination into the present reality.

"What is it?" She undid the ribbon, and a smile spread across her face. "I haven't had anything with strawberries in ages!"

She picked up the pastry and took a giant bite out of it.

Elda looked like an average twelve-year-old child as she happily munched on the pastry, unlike the mad genius that she actually was.

"And I didn't even have breakfast yet, so I've been starving," she mumbled through a full mouth.

"What are you working on?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

Just as Jarvis was obsessed with plants, Elda was equally obsessed with anything and everything that exploded. I never quite understood how they managed to have such different and specific interests at such young ages.

Elda excitedly walked me through her latest contraption that would fly into the air and explode into a glittering flower.

"I know it's hard to imagine, but I promise it'll look fantastic!" She concluded.

"I believe you." I smiled.

In my original life, she had put on an incredible show during the fall festival.

"I'm still stuck on how to develop this portion, however." Elda pointed to a diagram on her parchment and a few failed experiments lying nearby.

"You know, we've recently taken in a brilliant inventor," I hinted.

"Yes, yes. I already know," Elda cut me off. "Sarka Jarbez. But Father and Micah have already managed to put her to work, and she has no time for me."

"No, I don't mean her," I explained. "I mean Leonard, her son who is roughly your age."

"That guy?" Elda made a sour face.

Damn it. Did these two kids manage to have a fight already? If so, this wasn't going quite how I had hoped.

"Yes, he might not look it, but he's a brilliant magical inventor," I recalled the System's Random Character checker information on the boy. "He's capable of mana stone smithing, which is what you're going to need here."

"How do you know?" Elda side-eyed me.

Shoot. I needed to work on my excuses.

"I helped bring in Sarka Jarbez, did I not? I also did my background check on her son," I lied.

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[ Charisma +1 ]

[ Charisma : 11 ]

I hoped the notification indicated that I had spoken convincingly enough, but Elda's expression wasn't too encouraging.

"Try to get along with him, for me?" I pleaded. "I think he'll be able to help you out. And if you get him to help you out, I promise to bring you strawberry pastries weekly for a whole year."

I knew I couldn't discourage Elda from pursuing her explosive interest; that ship had sailed long ago. However, I hoped to at least bring someone in that understood what she was working on and would ensure that her hobby didn't end in her dismembered body. Unfortunately, none of her professors and books were good enough, while Leonard Jarbez fit this bill perfectly.

In my original life, about a year from now, one of Elda's explosives went off incorrectly. She, unfortunately, was right beside it at the time. It was never discovered what went wrong. It may have been due to a miscalculation, bad luck, or interference by some ill-willed party. In any case, that year, I watched yet another sibling be buried in the ground.

"Fine, but remember, you promised a strawberry pastry each week." Elda crossed her arms.

I smiled in relief. "Of course."

I would have happily bribed her with strawberry pastries for a decade if it helped her avoid a death flag.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Knock. Knock.

"It's Henry," the voice announced.

"Enter." Micah gazed up from his desk.

Looking glasses were scattered before him, each informing him of what was occurring in a different part of Genise at this very moment. It was an insurmountable amount of surveillance, yet it could not capture the very information he needed.

Just where could a prince have disappeared off to?

Micah had spent the entire morning and day scouring for information on Prince Chase Daylan. He was last seen eating alone at the Ashford Bakery, after which point the trail ended. He had reportedly vanished.

But I know better than anyone else that nobody simply vanishes. Someone must have kidnapped him. Or used some sort of spell on him. And then there's the possibility he disappeared of his own accord.

Micah rubbed his temples.

Regardless, if we don't find a solution to his vanishing act, a solution against his war-loving mother will be needed.

Micah sighed and leaned back in his chair, facing Henry standing before him.

"Two days in a row? Do you have something else unusual to report?" Micah smiled in amusement.

What did Luca do this time?

"Yes, young master Micah," Henry replied. "Several reports."

Henry recounted Kathy meeting Luca and taking a look at Jasper.

Micah clicked his tongue.

When and how did Luca get friendly with someone as dangerous as Kathy? And why did he need her to inspect Jasper? Is his illness that concerning?

"He also plans to leave to see Madame Ruth Arankagul in two hours."

Micah perked up at this.

Despite the many invitations, Luca had not visited their grandmother in about a year. Everyone in the family went and saw her frequently, but Luca did not because of some silly debacle on his travels to the villa a year prior.

"So she's finally convinced him to go see her again?" Micah tapped the red envelope on his desk. "Shame. I won't be able to go at this time, unfortunately."

"Actually, young master Luca planned to visit her on his own accord before the letter's arrival," Henry said.

"Did he now?" Micah rubbed his chin.

Then again, I shouldn't be too surprised. The current Luca is undoubtedly more mature than the one of the past.

"Henry, take two of the best Frey guards along with you," Micah ordered.

"You don't mean Nirre and Blake, do you?" Henry asked. "Most of the guards have traveled through the Humton Forest. So they all know the road well."

"I do mean them. Father and Mother won't mind," Micah replied. "It might just be me overthinking things, but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially as it's his first time going down to grandma's villa in a year."

And if he's heading out of the capital, I should send word to a few of my people to do away with any dangerous cats along his path and destination.

"Very well, I'll gather them for the trip," Henry said.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

The two carriages left the Frey Manor right on time. One carried Jasper and Denise. The other held Remlend and me. Henry and two Frey guards moved alongside the carriages on horseback.

I gazed out the carriage window at the man and woman riding beside Henry. Nirre, my mother's personal guard, and Blake, my father's personal guard, were the two selected to attend to my protection.

Nirre appeared lively as she chatted with Blake, but I could tell she was alert by her micro-movements. Blake didn't have the same sunny disposition as Nirre. He had a permanent expression that was overcast and somber. He didn't ignore Nirre but provided only short and unenthusiastic responses.

I had expected to get a certain level of protection on my travels. Still, I didn't expect our two best guards alongside Henry.

I pulled down the curtain to block out the afternoon sun and settled back into a comfortable sitting position.

Remlend drew a basket beside him and set up a small table inside the carriage.

"Young master Luca, as you have not had time to eat lunch, I had something prepared for you before we left." He set the table for me.

It wasn't anything overly fancy, but it was nonetheless a perfectly good sandwich.

"Peep!"

Food?

Leona stirred from her slumber atop my head. I had long accepted that my hair and perhaps Henry's would be her principal resting places until she grew too large.

I pulled a section from the sandwich for her.

"Leona, if you want some, you can," I told her, not fully expecting her to eat it.

However, the yellow chick fluttered over and gobbled up the sandwich faster than I could blink.

Is she going through a growth spurt, perhaps? Is that why she's constantly so hungry?

Having had her fill, she plopped her yellow feathery body down into a seat beside me instead of burrowing herself back in my hair.

Technically speaking, she is only about a day or so old, even if she has access to her ancestors' knowledge.

I chewed on my sandwich and opened the curtain again to look outside.

We were now half an hour out of Genise and moving down one of the main roads stretching to the south. On either side of the wide paved road were gnarly misshapen oak trees that looked dreadfully frightening even in the middle of this sunny and beautiful day. This was the infamous Humton Forest, the same one Princess Evelyn had sent Detective Gavins into as his punishment.

The continent's pollution was widespread, and the Humton Forest was one example of its severity. Nothing normal or edible grew from the soil of the Humton Forest. Moreover, the trees and weeds that managed to grow out of the polluted soil were dangerous and often poisonous.

No living thing could survive in such a forest, but tales told of strange sounds coming deep within. Some travelers even shared seeing some great beast or monster move among the trees. Whether the accounts were made up or genuine, it didn't matter. The Humton Forest was plenty dangerous without any monsters needed. It was a place no one dared enter willfully.

Mmmm?

I saw movement between the dark and twisted trees.

BOOM!

I grabbed onto my seat. The carriage shook to a stop as if one of the wheels had broken down. The glass window of the carriage was enforced, but a thin spider web appeared nonetheless.

"In the forest!" Nirre cried out.

"I'll take care of this side!" Henry's voice sounded from somewhere behind the carriage.

Blake jumped off his horse and stood guard beside my carriage. He had both of his swords drawn and ready.

"Peep!"

What's happening??

Leona fluttered atop my shoulder and looked out alongside me.

However, I drew the curtain closed and continued to eat my sandwich.

"It's fine. We're just under attack by some bandits," I replied to her. I didn't bother whispering since the explanation was good enough to relate to Remlend as well.

"Young master, I'm impressed," Remlend commented. "You are unusually calm this time around despite the sudden attack."

Leona pulled the curtain away to look out better.

"Peep! Peep!"

There are at least thirty bandits outside! Are you not at all worried? I'm a magnificent phoenix, so I'll be fine, but you and your friends are mere humans.

"Remlend, did you bring something to drink?" I asked.

I took the flask from his extended hand and gulped down the cool water.

"I'm not worried," I replied to Leona. "It's the bandits that were fools to attack."

The carriage rocked with yet another explosion, and blood splattered across the window, blocking the outside view.

Still, it was rather annoying. I imagined that half of my clothes in the trunk atop the carriage were blown to bits already.

This is why I hated visiting grandma at her villa.