"Hello," a soft voice greeted me.

I entered the dining room and was surprised to see Fin sitting between Elda and Jarvis. The red-haired twins were deeply interested in Fin, based on how close they were seated to him.

However, they were the only ones in the room. Father, Mother, and Micah were all absent.

I gazed about. The dining room walls were painted white, with a sleek enormous slab of blue crystal for a table and enormous colorful abstract paintings all about. The tone felt similar to the unusual fashion at Princess Evelyn's ball.

However, the air was filled with a sweet and savory scent of freshly baked bread

and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, providing a touch of warmth and comfort to the otherwise cool ambiance.

"Luca, we never knew Denise's younger brother was a mage," Elda called out. She had a wide grin.

"I-I'm not yet, though," Fin stumbled out. "I haven't even had my mana level accessed."

"No need," Jarvis replied in his usual serious tone. "If Ridley took you as an apprentice, then it means you have high potential."

"If I could perform magic… POW POW!" Elda laughed. "Oh, the types of explosions I'd make. But you'll help me, right?"

"Elda, be serious. Magic shouldn't be used for destructive explosions. Instead, it should be used to help promote growth," Jarvis said.

"You mean your plants?" Elda asked.

"Precisely," Jarvis replied.

Fin, in the meantime, was hunched over his plate and quietly eating his sauteed mushrooms and eggs. However, he didn't seem to mind the extra attention. On the contrary, there was a tiny smile on his face.

I took a seat across from the three children.

"I'm not a mage yet, though," Fin muttered. "I don't even know what specialty I'll have."

But only I seemed to hear him. Elda and Jarvis were busy arguing over who had dibs on Fin's help with their research.

I smiled.

Mages were both valuable and disregarded at the same time. Due to their scarcity, organizations like The Spiders profited greatly from their secret method of turning out mages like cattle. However, just like cattle, young mages were sold across the continent with little concern as to their treatment by sellers and buyers alike.

Elda and Jarvis, however, saw Fin's potential as just that. Our parents had strong opinions about the selling and buying of mages, and thus the Frey household never purchased any. The only mage found in the Frey household was Ridley, employed under Micah. And the mages under Ridley were also not slave laborers either.

"I'm sure you'll figure out your specialty soon enough," I told Fin.

I piled food on my plate and dug in, listening in as my siblings heaped Fin with ideas on what sort of experiments he might help them with, depending on his specialty.

In truth, I knew what Fin's specialty would be. Or rather, what it was in my original life.

But given how the future could change, maybe even his specialty might be different in this round?

I did hope that it would remain the same. Mages were rare, good mages were rarer, and mages with a specialty like Fin's were once in a hundred lifetimes.

If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

I took my final bite of a flaky pastry filled with ground beef, after having stuffed myself full of all the other delicacies Fiona had cooked up, and got up to leave. All this food was only further reminding me that I still had not hatched Leona.

"Ah, your egg!" Elda suddenly exclaimed, seemingly reading my mind. "Did you want to prepare it for breakfast?"

"Sort of," I replied, not bothering to correct her assumption about what I planned to do with Leona's egg. "I was going to stop by your workstation after eating."

"Fine by me," Elda shrugged.

"We'll start the house tour with your greenhouse then," she turned and told Jarvis. "I'll show Fin my workstation afterward."

"You mean tomorrow," Jarvis clarified. "It'll take at least all of today for me to give him the briefest of tours of the greenhouse and the gardens outside."

I was glad the three were getting along so well.

It was decided yesterday that Fin would live at the Frey manor from now on. Ridley had wanted Fin to live with him and his other disciples, but that was struck down by Micah, who was oddly adamant that he live at the manor without me even suggesting it. As for Fin, he also preferred to live with his only remaining family member, Denise.

I gazed across the array of delicious food still remaining on the table and felt a tinge of guilt that Leona had missed out on yet another meal. Had she been here, she would have eaten everything apart from the tablecloth.

Well, I'll have her hatched soon enough.

I left the dining room, intending to go to my bedroom to fetch her egg when Henry stopped me.

"Young master Luca," he said. "Your brother and father are requesting your audience. Sarka Jarbez is here. They're in your father's office."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Ah, I suppose Micah had taken this up with Father already. The timing is a bit earlier than in the previous round.

"Very well, I'll go," I said.

It served no real purpose for me being there the previous round. I simply sat there and said nothing.

But given how I was requested and had found the talent, I might as well introduce myself again to Sarka Jarbez and her son. And then I will go and finally hatch Leona.

****

I also attended the meeting because I was curious about Leonard, given he had phoenix eyes. However, his manners were exactly the same as in the previous round. There wasn't any hint that he remembered this occurring before.

I guess he's not an Awakened.

Leonard had the same overly serious expression on his face about getting through this meeting professionally. However, based on his interactions with Elda in the prior round, I knew that he wasn't this serious by nature like Jarvis was. He was like this only in this particular interaction that would determine his mother's future.

The meeting with Sarka and Leonard Jarbez went the same as in the previous round. Again, Micah and Father led the long conversation, with Leonard translating for his mother while I sat back without contributing much.

My mind wandered as the conversation progressed.

Father and Micah had taken in-depth precautions to ensure Sarka's and Leonard's safety against a whole entire government. And yet, in my original life, my entire family had perished by the time I turned twenty-one. Where were all the precautions then?

Tsk.

Whatever safety measures our family had for ourselves clearly weren't secure enough.

But even after receiving a chance to reverse time, misfortune still followed the people I cared about. In the previous round, Jarvis was killed several years early, Leona went missing to be never found before I reset, and The Farmer nearly had me turned into a vegetable.

I rubbed my temples, feeling the continued artifact-induced headache pounding.

With Jarvis, I'm sure I could reasonably prevent him from dying as long as I helped keep his research under wraps. I had already informed Micah and was assured that additional protections around his greenhouse were to be set up. As for Leona's disappearance, I could avoid it by ensuring to keep her close to me at all times this round. It was foolish to leave her alone, given she was but a couple of days old.

But why did The Farmer target me? And to what benefit did someone want me interrogated so badly that they were willing to sacrifice the costly essence of a phoenix claw?

This last part baffled me the most. There were countries that were cheaper to buy than that particular antidote.

Damn it. Whoever it was that hired The Farmer had to be swimming in gold. And that was concerning in and of itself.

"Anything the matter?" Micah asked.

I refocused on the room and saw the four people staring at me.

"No," I replied and straightened my posture. "Well, yes, but it's unrelated. We can discuss it another time."

"Very well," Micah replied and returned to speaking with Sarka and Leonard Jarbez.

I glanced at the clock in Father's office and noted that it was already nearly noon. The discussion had taken quite a bit of time because Leonard was translating for his mother, and he himself was not fluent in our language. The day had only started, and it had already blown on by so much.

Tsk. I suppose I'll hatch Leona in time for lunch.

I blinked, realizing my error too late.

Couldn't I have translated the conversation myself with the System? Wouldn't that have streamlined this whole process and avoided possible miscommunication?

Damn it.

However, I didn't bother offering my translating services this late into the conversation as it was already wrapping up. Besides, it would have been brow-raising why I held my tongue for so long till then.

"I will walk you two to your new residence within the Frey manor," Micah said.

"Thank you," Sarka Jarbez said in her rich accent.

"Thank you," Leonard echoed.

The talks had concluded, and the two left the office with Micah. I stood up to head out as well, but Father stopped me.

"Luca, please sit down," Father said. "What was it that you wanted to discuss? I have time."

Given how helpful my brother had been thus far on all my prior matters, I had intended to bring up the issue with Micah. But perhaps Father would be more appropriate.

I sat back down in my armchair and turned to face him.

"It's our security. Unfortunately, there are issues with it," I replied.

Father nodded and rubbed his hand through his short red beard.

"Because of what happened with Kaiden and Denise?" Father asked. "Kaiden was a particular case, but Denise's relation to The Spiders was surprising to have slipped through. I am already having Charles review all employees for any other slippages and why this wasn't caught earlier."

I bit my lip.

Perhaps that will be enough? No. Two rounds back, Chase Daylan managed to slip in undetected and kill me. It was apparent our security was lacking against such targeted attacks.

"What about protection against mages?" I asked, testing the waters before my real question.

Father waved his hand. "This manor is embedded with mana stones against most magic. There are only a few places a mage can produce anything, like in the training grounds."

"What about warlocks?" I asked.

Father raised a brow and smiled.

"That's a hard ask. Why? Do you happen to know any that would pose a problem?" However, his voice suggested he didn't take me seriously.

This made my heart sink.

Right, I'm only two days back. What did I expect? Until only yesterday, I was the trouble-making son no one could take at his word. My reputation wasn't going to get fixed so quickly. Plus, why would I know of any warlocks? They were so rare that they made mages seem common.

Knock. Knock.

"Yes?" Father called out.

The door opened, and Remlend entered.

"Young master Luca, there's someone here to see you in the courtyard," he said.

I blinked.

I was not expecting anyone. Not today, at least.

Did Kathy complete the needles already?

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Prince Chase of the Daylan Daynasy," Remlend responded. "It appears he has brought you a cake."

I rubbed my temples. I felt my headache worsen.

"The Golden Saint of the Paragons of Rahosm Temple is here to see you?" Father chuckled. "And he brought you cake?"

Little did Father know, but the very warlock I was concerned about was at our doorsteps.

Father glanced at Remlend to see if this was an elaborate prank, but Remlend had his usual dull expression that was impossible to read.

"Remlend, I don't normally advise this, but perhaps card-playing for money might be worth exploring for you," Father said. "I can't tell if this is a joke or not."

"It is not," Remlend replied. "Prince Chase Daylan is in our courtyard, and he's drawing a bit of attention from the other servants. He's outside your window, Master Terrell."

"Is he now?" Father stood up, walked over to the window, and pulled it open. The sound of voices and rustling rose into the office from the outside.

"Well, I'll be," he said. "Luca, come have a look."

I sighed and stood up.

I didn't know what this dangerous lunatic was attempting now, but I couldn't avoid him forever. I walked over beside Father and leaned out the window to take a look at what my Father found so humorous.

I staggered back.

"Ah! Luca!" Chase waved up at me with a smile. "I have come to apologize about yesterday."

He was dressed in flowing golden silk robes and his usual round reflective shades. And he was not alone. A procession of carriages with his holy entourage was packed in our courtyard and some outside the gates. However, none of this was the most ludicrous part.

"This one is blueberry, by the way!" Chase added.

My eyes bulged at the enormous cake on a cart enclosed within a crystal box. It was so large I wouldn't have been surprised if one or two people popped out from within it.

At the top, in blue cursive frosting, were the words 'I'm Sorry.'

"Luca, what in the world did you pull yesterday?" Father eyed me.

"I had somehow caught the attention of a complete lunatic, is what," I muttered.