"Is it going to come home with us?" Henry looked down at the white cat that jumped in the carriage and sat on my lap.

"I suppose so." My hand moved through its fluffy white fur.

I had thought that perhaps the wisteria trees were giving it a purple reflected tint, but upon closer inspection, the cat's fur really did have a slightly violet hue.

Strange. Is it natural, or did it fall into some dye?

The carriage rocked to a stop, and Henry got out to hold the door open for me.

Luckily the cat jumped off my lap and out of the carriage without needing to be instigated. Had it not, I felt I might have been stuck sitting in the carriage for a while.

"Young master Luca, you have returned. And with a cat?" Remlend greeted us in the courtyard

Did he look out a window and come down seeing the carriage approach? Or did he just stand here waiting the entire time? He's rather prompt.

"Yes, it just happened this way," I replied and headed towards the entryway.

"Will you be attending your remaining lessons today?" Remlend followed right beside me.

I gazed up at the blue sky. Based on the sun's location, I had quite a few classes remaining.

"I suppose it'd be wise to do so," I said.

If I was going to live differently from my original life, attending my lessons was probably a good idea. Even if I found them boring.

"It is wise," Remlend agreed. "Especially with all the changes to come."

Changes to come? What changes?

I paused and peered at Remlend. Then a more critical thought crossed my mind.

"Oh right, Jasper. Did the doctor come by? Do you know what the diagnosis was?" I asked.

"He did," Jasper nodded. "The doctor said that Jasper should get better soon. He just needs plenty of rest."

"Damn it." I clenched my fists.

Was every doctor going to be this useless?

"Bak! Bak! Bak!"

My eyes turned to the chickens wandering the courtyard.

"Hah. Should I buy a stupidly expensive chicken's egg?" I mumbled to myself, thinking of the Daylan servant that purchased the fraudulent phoenix egg on Round 4.

I suddenly understood him. What's 20 million Deux coins when you have an illness no one can figure out?

"I'm sorry?" Remlend said.

"Have another doctor come to take a look at Jasper. I want a third opinion," I ordered.

"Very well, I'll set one up."

"Right away, Remlend. I want a doctor to come in the next two hours."

"Of course, I can arrange that."

"And another thing, like yesterday, I should have a letter arrive. Please bring it to me as soon as it comes."

"Most certainly."

Remlend bowed and left.

"Where did the cat go?" Henry asked.

I looked around. The cat was nowhere to be seen. Did it wander into the garden? Or maybe it went home? It looked too pampered to be a stray.

"Who knows. It wasn't mine anyhow," I said.

I rubbed my temples. I had this strange feeling that today wouldn't go as expected either. It was this inkling like something was out of place, like a faraway small cloud that would turn into a massive storm by nightfall.

I gazed up.

My eyes followed a small stream of black smoke on the horizon, coming from some place in the city.

[ Perception : +1 ]

[ Perception : 42 ]

I stared at the blue screen.

Well, that confirms it. Damn it. What did my senses pick up on now?

I walked towards the mansion's entrance.

"Welcome back, young master Luca," one of the guards smiled as the two of them opened the doors.

"And congratulations!" The second guard added.

"Thank you," I said on autopilot and entered the mansion.

Congratulations? For what?

I blinked and looked back belatedly at the closing doors.

"Henry, do you know why I was congratulated?"

Henry shook his head.

"I just heard the news! Congratulations, young master Luca!" A maid holding a mop and bucket walked by and smiled at me.

I frowned.

"Wait, stop," I ordered. "What news?"

The maid looked wide-eyed at me. "Why, the news that you are the new heir to the Frey Merchant Guild!"

I felt as if I had been punched in the gut. A whirlwind turned my insides.

"What happened to Micah?" I barely managed the words out. "Is he alive?"

I had saved him. Twice even. Why then…? I had left only for a few hours. What happened to him while I was gone?

The maid had a confused expression. "Yes, he's alive and well. He's in his study."

Then why…? Why was I suddenly the heir again?

I dashed through the quartz hallway towards Micah's study. I didn't even bother knocking. I threw the door open and lunged inside.

I sighed in relief seeing him alive. The maid had said so, but seeing him was still a relief.

"Luca?" Father was seated across from Micah. The sun poured in through the large window near the two armchairs. Father's red hair and Micah's blonde hair glistened in its light.

The two of them had puzzled expressions at my sudden entrance.

"I was just congratulated," I said. "A maid said I was the new heir of the Frey Merchant Guild?"

"Ah, shoot. Word spreads fast," Father shook his head. "I had intended to talk to you about it first."

"It's true?" I balked. My eyes moved between Micah and Father. "Why? Micah is the heir."

"Ahhhh, I heard you left the ball early, so you didn't hear the announcement." Micah stood up from the table and walked over to me.

"What announcement?" I asked.

"Your brother is getting married!" Father exclaimed.

"Why… why would he not be heir to the Frey Merchant Guild if he's getting married? And to whom?" I never knew Micah to have any romantic relationships. And marriage wasn't a hindrance to being an heir.

So why?

"It's because of the 'to whom' that he can't remain heir," Father said.

I looked at Micah for answers. "Who?"

It couldn't be… I knew of only one person that it could be. But it was crazy. A long shot.

"Crown Princess Evelyn," Micah answered with a smile, confirming my inkling of suspicion.

"Then the reason you can't remain heir is–"

"Because I will be the future king of Adovoria," Micah said.

I felt dizziness come over me. I waddled over to one of the armchairs and plopped down.

My head hurt. I rubbed my temples as I processed this information.

"And thus I will be heir of the Frey Merchant Guild?" I asked.

Again? Despite all the trouble I had gone through?

"Don't worry. You'll make for an incredible heir." Micah patted my shoulders. "I have full confidence in your success."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I knew exactly what sort of heir I'd be. And it wasn't pretty.

I gazed up at Micah. He looked genuinely confident in what he said about me.

"Why? Why do you have such a high opinion of me? I spent all my time fooling around and playing pranks. So why?" I didn't have any confidence even in myself.

"I believe that with time, you'll grow into someone much wiser and better than anyone else." Micah smiled at me. "Perhaps you're not there yet, but I believe in your potential."

I didn't know what to say.

"Hey, think about it. You saved my life not just once but twice. I believe you can achieve great things if you set your mind to it. It's a process. But you'll get there."

I smiled at the irony that Micah didn't realize.

I had died five times to achieve that. And I was only halfway into day two of my regression. How many more times will I have to die and try again to achieve this potential that Micah saw in me?

Damn it.

I wished that I had half the brains that Micah did.

A hovering blue screen suddenly appeared over Micah's head.

[ Level 1 Character Check in progress for Micah Frey. ]

Letters rolled through the screen like a slot machine until they finally stopped in place.

[ Intelligence: 320]

"Luca? Is everything alright?" Micah looked at me with concern.

"Sure. Everything is fine," I choked out.

I knew my brother was a genius, but to think he was more than twenty times my intellect was still shocking.

"Like I said, I believe in your potential. Believe in yourself," Micah said.

I rubbed my temples.

He's that intelligent and yet had the bright idea of leaving the Frey Merchant Guild in my care? Me? Even smart people can make some really baffling and stupid decisions.

***

I went through my lessons in a daze. My head spun at my new reality.

Micah is going to be King. It explained why he and Princess Evelyn were targeted. And why their relationship had been shrouded in secrecy, even from me. Their alliance would undoubtedly stir up alarms among quite a number of individuals.

Damn it, and if he's going to be King, I really need to do something about the Kobar Empire attacking us.

I relaxed my grip on my sword.

Wait. Maybe it's a good thing. If Micah is going to rule Adovoria, he'll be able to manage through the Kobar Empire's invasion. Perhaps I won't have to do anything, and I'll beat this so-called game without even trying.

"Focus!" Sir Edward swatted his sword down on mine. I barely manage to keep hold of my own sword. I dug my heels into the dirt under my feet.

"Young master Luca, I realize we've all heard some very exciting news, but it doesn't mean you can slack off during sword practice."

I tightened my grip on my sword. "I apologize."

"It's the end of the lesson anyhow." He took my sword out of my tired hands.

"I must say, despite your lack of attention today, your technique has improved significantly since you last came to my lesson." Sir Edward caressed his gray and white goatee. "Have you been practicing in secret again?"

"I have," I lied.

We were in our family's dirt training grounds. It was day two, but the training went similar to Round 5's one.

"Your technique is good. But your muscles are undeveloped. So we'll focus on strengthening your body tomorrow." Sir Edward gave the same advice.

Different round. Different day. Same words. How strange.

I shook my tired hands and wiped my sweaty face with a sleeve.

"Water?" Remlend handed me a cup.

"Thank you," I said.

I gulped the water down. It tasted almost sweet at how refreshing it was.

"Did the doctor you found come to check on Jasper yet?" I handed back the empty cup and walked back towards the mansion.

"He has. His advice was the same as the other two doctors. Jasper needs plenty of rest, and he should be back on his feet soon."

Damn it.

"Bak! Bak! Bak!"

My eyes fell on the chickens wandering the courtyard. The same crazy thought from earlier today crossed my mind.

If I happen to die again, should I try buying that fake phoenix egg? The worst that would happen is that I'll be out of 20 million Deux and have an ordinary egg to show for it. Not that I have such a large allowance anyhow, so I'd have to figure out how I'd get that much money first.

I laughed at the insanity of what I was considering.

It was a long shot. Phoenix eggs weren't real. They were legends. A hoax that scammers sold to desperate people with incurable illnesses.

And yet I was considering it, only because if it didn't work out, I could die and try again.

Crazy.

"Young master Luca, is everything alright?" Remlend asked.

I stopped laughing and regained my composure.

"Yes, I just thought of something funny. Did any news come yet?"

Yesterday the bird had come while I was in the bath, but perhaps it came earlier?

Remlend's expression changed. Barely. It was so microscopic most people wouldn't have noticed.

"What?" I asked.

"Was the letter perhaps from the Ashford Bakery?" Remlend asked.

My eyes narrowed.

How did he know that?

"Yes," I said.

"There was a fire there earlier today at the Ashford Bakery," he said.

I stopped in front of my bedroom.

"Was anyone hurt?" I asked.

"I don't have all the details, but unfortunately, yes."

"Who?"

"Natalia Ashford. She had unfortunately died."

I felt the hairs on my arms stand up.

What in the world did I put in motion this round that caused Natalia to die a whole four years earlier than in my original life?