Chapter 66: CH 65 – A Lovely Cup of Tea to Start the Day (Part 5)

Jarvis pulled away from the magnifying artifact and sighed. He gazed up at the greenhouse's glass ceiling.

It's just as I suspected.

He had taken samples from Jasper's leftover tea and soup and compared them against the tea he had collected from the plant's pot that the plant did not absorb. And just for extra assurance, he checked the cell structure of a bit of Jasper's skin and the plant's cell structure.

It's the same. They were both poisoned in the same way.

The poison worked in a rather intriguing manner. It caused the overall health level of the lifeform that consumed it to be lowered. Rather than causing immediate issues, it made the lifeform more susceptible and incapable of fighting off other infections.

"Young master Jarvis, I found this when I searched the kitchen." The household's head butler, Charles, placed a small glass bottle of clear liquid on the wooden table.

Originally Kaiden was the head butler of the Frey Family, aside from his duties of overseeing Micah. But with his death, Charles had taken on the work. He was in his seventies, with little to no hair on his head and a long straight white beard. However, he didn't move like a seventy-year-old and had the posture and sharpness of a twenty-something.

"Thank you, Charles. Where in the kitchen was it?" Jarvis pulled on a pair of new gloves and opened the bottle carefully.

"It was hidden behind the tea canisters," Charles replied. "It didn't look suspicious, but its location was."

Jarvis took a dropper of the clear liquid and plonked it atop two different sets of leaves. He pulled each under his magnifying artifact.

Interesting. The poison works instantly. But its effects would be impossible to notice immediately unless you looked at the cell structures directly.

"Whoever created this poison is a genius," Jarvis said and looked up at Charles. "It's visually clear, it has no smell, and its effects aren't immediate, making it harder to trace down."

He pulled away from his workstation and stood up.

"Where is Denise at the moment?" Jarvis asked. "Is she still in her room?"

Charles spoke into his ruby cufflink.

"No, she has gone up to the communication tower," Charles replied.

"What?" Jarvis balked. "I ordered to keep watch on her until I confirmed my suspicions. I didn't mean to have her wander as she wished. Have the guards stop her from sending out whatever she might be attempting to send. And hold her there. Use force if needed, but don't kill her."

Jarvis was confident that Denise had betrayed the Freys, but he needed to understand why. And specifically, why now of all times.

Denise had been in service of the Frey Household for about a year. She quickly moved up in her responsibilities due to her incredible work ethic and attention to detail. She was a tad serious but was well respected and liked. When Jasper fell ill, she was trusted enough to be made Luca's primary caretaker.

However, Kaiden had shown that even fifteen years of loyal service may mean nothing. What's a year compared to that?

Jarvis hurried out of the greenhouse and towards the manor.

One loyal servant breaking our family's trust is one thing. But two? Within days of one another?

Something had shifted.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Peep!"

You know, I always did wonder why you poured your tea into that plant. It was peculiar.

I ran my hands through my hair.

"Don't start," I said. "I feel bad enough as is and realize how stupid it was of me. I should have told Denise to stop bringing me tea instead of giving it to a plant."

Leona fluttered over and sat on my left shoulder. Her golden eyes gazed up at me.

So why didn't you say something?

"Because the reason was ridiculous," I replied. "Every time I smelled or looked at the tea she brought, it reminded me of something awful that happened to me in the past. I was afraid that I would relive those experiences full-force if I drank it."

Leona cocked her head to one side.

"Peep?"

Tea does that to you? But I've seen you drink tea just fine.

"No," I sighed. "It's just her tea that made me feel that way. And I've never even sipped it, so it's all in my head."

You are one odd human.

Leona shook her head.

Knock. Knock.

"Yes?" I called out. "You may enter."

Remlend opened the door and walked in.

"Young master Luca, Fiona will have the chiffon cake you requested soon. If you wish, you may follow me to the Rose Tea Room and get settled with tea."

"Peep!"

Cake! I will finally get some cake!

I smiled at Leona's chirping.

Good. Cake is indeed the perfect distraction to take her mind off Jasper's gruesome death and the close call at the royal palace.

Remlend led us into the Rose Tea Room, with the table and tea all set up already.

"I will return with the cake momentarily." He bowed and left Leona and me alone.

I smirked, seeing that he had set up a separate plate for Leona. He had learned by now of Leona's ferocious appetite. He had even set out a separate cup for her to drink from, though I wasn't certain how she felt about tea.

I poured her and myself a cup of freshly brewed black tea. A rich, fruity aroma of black currants filled the air.

"Try it if you want," I offered. "But be careful it's still hot."

Leona hopped over and breathed in the fragrance.

"Peep!"

This tea smells fantastic! Just what kind of tea did Denise make to make you think of bad memories. I, for one, am reminded of the lush forests in the mountains that my ancestors flew through.

"How do your memories work exactly?" I asked the question I had been meaning to ask Leona for a while. "What do your ancestors' memories look and feel like to you?"

Hmm. That's difficult for me to answer. It feels normal to me; I'm curious to know how human memories differ.

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Leona's gaze turned towards the dozen paintings hanging on the walls of the Rose Tea Room. They depicted ancestors from Mother's side that had passed on.

The best way to describe it is like looking at a painting. Except it's moving. I know it's not real, and it's not happening to me, but I can see, hear, and sense it.

"How is it different from your own memories?" I asked.

My own memories I can feel in full. But my ancestors' memories are fragmented. They're like these paintings. You can see the head and shoulders but not what the arms and legs are doing. The picture isn't complete. And it's fuzzy.

"How many ancestors back are you able to recall?"

I can technically recall all my ancestors. But it's as if the paintings of my oldest ancestors are on a wall far away, and I have to squint to get a picture of what they've lived through.

Leona didn't quite answer my question, but from the sound of it, her memories went as far back as the existence of phoenixes.

Funny. She's wise by thousands of years and yet still a newborn that is unfamiliar and curious about the world around her.

I gazed out the large window at the rose garden that Jarvis had grown. Big bright neon pink roses bloomed among the tangle of thick huge black thorns. The rose garden was more terrifying than something beautiful.

I inhaled my black currant tea and took a sip. The hot tea enveloped my mouth in comfort.

My chest tightened, however. The guilt over Jasper's early demise struck me. I knew the only way to save him now was to restart, but before doing so, I needed to understand how I could have saved him.

And then there was Denise.

I honestly didn't want to even consider the possibility that she might somehow be responsible for Jasper's death. Still, she managed all of Jasper's meals and care until his death.

My genius young brother had made it evident that he suspected her involvement. Back at grandma's villa, he specifically told Jasper to not tell Denise that he would be testing all of the meals prepared by her. The meals passed his tests, but after Jasper died, he put the Frey manor on lockdown, expressly ordering that Denise be monitored closely.

I set down my teacup and gazed at the dark red liquid inside.

Except I refused to accept it. I couldn't. The shock and horror on Denise's face when Jasper died were real. She couldn't have faked that.

I rubbed my temples.

Besides, she was the older sister of Fin. I had every intention of ensuring her well-being in this lifetime. I needed her to live and be able to provide for her younger brother so that Fin wouldn't end up falling into the clutches of the Spiders again. If there was one thing I could do for Fin, it was to ensure that he had a happy and wonderful childhood with the older sister he cherished.

Knock. Knock.

"I have brought your cake, young master Luca." Remlend rolled in a round chiffon cake topped with sprinkled chocolate flakes.

"Peep!"

Leona fluttered her tiny yellow fuzzy wings in excitement. She cried out happily into my head about how she would finally be able to enjoy some proper cake.

Remlend placed the cake in the center and had the wisdom to cut a large slice and put it on Leona's plate first.

What a bright guy.

[ Level 1 Random Character Check in progress for Remlend Bland ]

I choked on my tea, seeing Remlend's family name.

It fits him too well.

Did he make himself so boring, dull, and unmemorable to fit his family name? Or was it because his last name was Bland that he grew up this way.

"Are you alright?" Remlend was quick to offer me a napkin

"Yes," I managed out and patted my black silk shirt dry.

The slot-machine blue screen rolled to a stop.

[ Curse: Unremarkable Wallflower ]

[ Remlend Bland is cursed to be unmemorable and incapable of ever going down in history books… because no one will be able to remember him. The longer someone is out of contact with him, the faster they forget his appearance and any other details about him until they cannot recall ever knowing him. ]

Well, I'll be damned.

I gazed Remlend up and down. Even while trying to capture his image in my mind, I struggled to keep straight what color his hair and eyes were.

That explains why I didn't remember him after returning in time.

"Remlend, I'll talk to my parents once they're back to promote you to a new position that will suit your talents much better than serving me."

He made for a fantastic servant but was sure to make for a much better spy.

"Oh no, young master Luca, while I appreciate it, I am very happy to serve you. I cannot imagine a better position than this," Remlend said.

"It'll pay significantly better," I countered.

"I would be delighted to have a higher pay, but would prefer remaining in your services." Unfortunately, Remlend continued to refuse my offer.

Tsk.

Well, if he insists, there's no point in forcing him. And who knows, perhaps he might change his mind in the future. It's such a waste of his talents, albeit it is a curse, so he might not see it that way.

Remlend cut and placed a slice of cake on my plate.

"I will be nearby, so if you need anything, just call out," Remlend said and bowed before turning to leave.

SPLAT!

"What the—" I turned to look out the window toward the noise.

My fork clattered to the floor.

"PEEP!"

Leona cried out in horror. I quickly shielded her into a napkin and prevented her from seeing the body impaled upon the thick black rose thorns.

"Don't look," I whispered to Leona. I pulled her close to my chest.

However, my eyes remained unblinking at the gruesome scene before me, meeting the pair of hazel eyes staring lifelessly toward me.

The hazel eyes aside, the second thing I noticed was the yellow headband that somehow managed to remain in place, holding the young woman's short brown hair in place. The third was the one-foot-long thorn that impaled her neck down the middle. Dark red blood oozed and squirted from her gaping mouth and neck.

It was three months early. But Denise had once again died in a freak accident.

But who dies in the same type of freak accident three months apart, in two different lifetimes?