"Who would want to kill me at this point in time?" I asked aloud. "To what benefit?"

I didn't recall any attempts on my life occurring so early in my original life. Apart from my reputation as a prankster, I didn't pose any real threat to anyone. Therefore, my death had no benefit to anyone, unlike having Micah or my parents die. In the later cases, plenty would profit from their demise.

Then again, I did have a shape-shifting warlock cat that killed me on my last round. I changed something in that round significantly enough to warrant a target on my back. So what was to say that the target didn't go away even with the cat's death?

But just what did I change?

"You'd be surprised by people's motivations." Evelyn scooped up some of the remaining cake that didn't fall in the pond into a small plate with a fork. "But, that's merely one theory. I've had two previous meals poisoned this past week, so it's still likely this was intended for me."

She tapped her jewelry.

"Julius, please come in. I need you to inspect some cake and a bit of tea."

The door opened, and Julius walked in immediately. His eyes gazed over the mess of a pond and the floating dead fish.

"Poison again?" he asked. "But I had tested the food before it was brought in."

"Looks like they've gotten a bit more creative; I'll give them that." Evelyn pointed to the cake on the plate and teapot. "On their own, the cake and tea seem to be fine, but when combined, they form a fast-acting poison."

Julius picked up the plate and pot.

"I'll have them inspected and see what I find about who made them," he said. "Should I have new cake and tea brought in?"

"Perhaps not; I don't want to accidentally have Luca here dying because our security wasn't good enough," she said. Her red lips widened into a smile. "Your brother would never forgive me if that occurred."

Well, he'd have to because the round would reset upon my death, and no one would remember anything except for me.

I frowned.

What happened after I died each round? Did the world continue? Or did it end with me?

I wasn't sure what was worse.

"I'm not quite ready to die just yet either, so it's best I take my leave." I scooped up Leona and stood up from my seat.

My main intention in coming to the palace was to provide Leona with delicious cake and take her mind off Jasper's death. Unfortunately, with no cake to eat, dead fish floating nearby, and a continued presence of danger, this was entirely the wrong environment than what I had hoped to provide her with.

I placed Leona atop my head. It was worrying how quiet and still she had been ever since the fish died.

"This was briefer than I hoped, but I hope you'll drop by again after we get this all sorted out. There's much I wish to discuss with you." Evelyn stood up from her chair and walked me to the door.

"As do I," I said.

Aside from a deeper conversation and what she knew regarding my eyes, I hoped to foster a good relationship with her. I needed her to rise to power and prevent the Adovorian Kingdom from falling to the Kobar Empire.

***

The carriage ride back was quiet. It bothered me how quiet Leona was.

"I'll have Fiona prepare some cake and tea," I said "She's not as good a baker as what you might get from the Ashford Bakery or the palace, but she does a decent enough job."

I glanced at Leona, reflected in the window, sitting atop my head.

Her little head perked up.

"Peep!"

That's not why I've been quiet. You have far too much danger surrounding you. If this continues, you'll be dead sooner than later.

I smiled.

Was she worried about me?

What are you smiling about? I'm being serious. You ought to get some sort of protection for yourself. You saw that princess; she was decked out in all that mana-embedded protective jewelry. She even had a protective runic tattoo. Why are you not protecting yourself better??

"Hmmm." I tapped my fingers. "You have a point, but there's a reason why everyone doesn't go around decked out in protective wear. The price is too high."

"For one, mana-embedded jewelry is incredibly expensive. Creating them requires immense talent, which is far rarer to find than even a mage. This shortage means that even the most basic of mana-embedded jewelry, like the red-mana stone communication earrings you saw worn by the royal palace guards, is worth more than the average person could hope to earn in two decades."

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I gazed out the window, watching people move about their day. However, the only ordinary people I could see were servants, guards, and caretakers. This was far West Genice, and those residing here were exorbitantly rich. The further the carriage rode from the palace, the obviousness of wealth gradually reduced. However, it was still obvious we were in West Genice and not the impoverished and lawless East Genice.

"Peep!"

What price? You have all those winnings from gambling. I remember that chest full of gemstones, which you humans nowadays incorrectly term 'phoenix eyes.' You can certainly afford it.

"True, I have the money to afford the exorbitant cost to some extent, but that's not the main price I'm referring to. Let me finish."

"Beyond the hefty price tag, each piece of mana-embedded jewelry typically has an additional and unpleasant cost. It depends on the difficulty level needed to produce it. The more intricate the magic, the more likely it was to cause adverse effects."

"Peep?"

What sort of nonsense is this? In my ancestors' memories, there were rarely any issues with mana-embedded jewelry unless it was an unqualified fool making it.

"You hit the issue on the nose," I said. "That's why antique jewelry is especially hard to get a hold of. Nowadays, too few can even make mana-embedded jewelry, and much fewer can do more complicated work. If you can't find or afford antiques, you either accept the price of the adverse effects or forgo wearing them altogether."

The more and more I learn about what this world has come to, the more confused I am about what has happened these last couple of centuries.

"But you are right; I ought to get better protection regardless," I mused.

Perhaps with enough time, effort and money, I'd be able to find some decent mana-embedded protective jewelry.

***

The carriage rolled to a stop, and I hopped out.

"Young master Luca, you have returned." Remlend was ready, as always, to greet me.

"Remlend, please have Fiona prepare a cake. A chiffon cake, preferably, to be served with tea in the Rose Tea Room," I requested.

Leona might have been quiet out of concern, but a lovely and yummy cake would cheer her up.

"Peep!"

She chirped happily, proof that my assumption was correct.

"Certainly, I'll let her know and will set up the room for you. Is there anything else?" Remlend asked.

"No, that will be all," I replied and walked toward the manor.

I needed to change my shirt, as the sleeve had bits of the poisoned cake on it from when I flung it into the pond. However, it wasn't posing any real issues without the additional tea. If it had, the System would have probably alerted me that I was being poisoned.

I was just entering my room when Jarvis caught sight of me.

"You've returned!" He ran over and entered my bedroom after me. "I heard that you were nearly poisoned in the palace?"

"Ah. Did you hear about that already? I'm guessing the guard you assigned me informed you?" I pulled off my stained shirt.

"Peep!"

A warning next time would be appreciated!

She fluttered off my head and landed by the window.

"Yes, he told me when you arrived." Jarvis had a serious expression, and his arms were crossed.

"The target was likely not me," I replied. "Princess Evelyn has been served a few poisoned dishes this past week."

I opened my closet and rummaged to find something else I could toss on. My hands ran through bedazzled, lace-covered, and other flashy articles of clothing until they found a black silk shirt.

I really ought to have my wardrobe adjusted. None of these types of clothing suit my current mental state.

"Why… does it look like this?" Jarvis' voice sounded from behind me.

I tossed on the black silk shirt and turned to see what he was referring to.

Jarvis was kneeling beside the potted plant in my room. He had a look of pure horror.

"I gave this plant to you because it is easy to take care of. I grew it such that it's nearly impossible to kill. So… Why? Why does it look like this?" He lifted one of the branches.

The leaves on that specific branch were limp. There was even some slight discoloration on the other leaves.

He caressed the branch like it was his child.

Guilt overtook me. I had gone back seven years and had completely forgotten about why I had this plant in my room in the first place. Jarvis, the green thumb of our family, had given it to me. He grew it out himself and entrusted it to me.

And what did I do? Instead of providing for it with proper love and care, I used it to pour out my unwanted tea. How could I have been so careless?

"Luca? Do you know how it became like this?" he asked again.

I kneeled beside him and nodded.

I felt awful. But I wasn't going to lie to him. He had every right to be angry with me. I was going to come clean and apologize.

"I'm sorry, Jarvis. I-I watered it with my morning tea," I said.

Jarvis's face contorted through a multitude of emotions before settling on confusion.

"Your tea? Why..?" His green eyes blinked quickly. He seemed to be trying to make sense of this. "It doesn't even need to be watered with normal plain water except once every six months."

"I'm sorry. It was stupid of me. I know. But my morning tea smelled off, so I poured it into the pot each morning," I said.

Jarvis's expression contorted again, his eyebrows furrowing over his eyes.

I promised myself to tell Jarvis the truth. But I couldn't tell him that each cup reminded me of a terrible memory. At one point, it wasn't even about the memories. I had just poured the tea into the pot out of habit. It turned into a morning ritual.

"Did you… ever drink your tea? Or did you feed it all to this plant?" he asked.

No one said telling the truth was easy. And I was feeling ever more like an idiot the more I explained.

"No, I never drank my tea. I gave it all to the plant."

I gazed at my poor leafy friend. I didn't even realize the damage I had done to it until I looked up close like this. There was even a subtle sickly-sweet smell emanating from the soil that I had not noticed before.

"Did you pour all of your tea into this plant? You didn't pour any into your sink?"

He stated something so obvious. If I didn't like the tea, why couldn't I have walked a few steps into my bathroom and poured the tea there? Instead, I used the plant.

"…No. I didn't think to do that. I poured all the tea into the plant." I said.

"For how long?"

"Every morning since ten days ago. Except for the time I was in the Town of Ascot," I replied.

Jarvis let out a long sigh. I could hear all of his disappointment and anger with that one sigh.

"If you leave it alone and give it water, it should recover. But I'm going to take it to test the soil and repot it." He picked up the giant pot and stood up, leaving my room with it.

The plant looked enormous against his twelve-year-old frame, but he wasn't lacking in strength.

"I'm sorry," I said.

He looked back at me. No. He glared at me.

"If there was a problem with your tea, you should have said something. You should have alerted someone." His words seethed through the air.

I felt them burn into me. The guilt was overwhelming.

His words were so obvious. I should have told Denise to stop bringing my tea if I didn't want to drink it. I should have been an adult about it. To have the obvious pointed out to me by my much younger brother was humiliating.

Wasn't I technically twenty-six years old mentally? I should have been better than this.

The bedroom door shut behind Jarvis, leaving me alone with Leona.