The servant survived.
That alone shocked the palace.
Aurelia stood outside the infirmary room, arms crossed, listening to the muffled sounds within. The physicians worked quickly now—too quickly for people who had once hesitated at her every word. Fear still ruled them, but it was no longer fear of punishment.
It was fear of being wrong.
"He'll live," the head physician said at last, stepping out and bowing deeply. "Thanks to your earlier instructions, the poison was neutralized before it spread."
Aurelia nodded. "Keep him isolated. No visitors. And record everything he consumed today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Leonhardt Kael lingered behind the physician, his expression dark.
"You predicted the poison," he said quietly once they were alone. "Twice."
Aurelia met his gaze.
"And you're wondering how."
"I'm wondering," he corrected, "why you weren't surprised."
Aurelia exhaled slowly and turned away, walking down the corridor. Leonhardt followed without hesitation.
"Because," she said, "this palace is not as loyal as it pretends to be."
"That is not an answer."
She stopped abruptly. He nearly collided with her back.
"Then ask a better question," she replied coolly.
For a moment, Leonhardt said nothing. Then—
"Who do you suspect?"
Aurelia studied him. In her first life, she would have dismissed him, hidden everything, trusted no one. That arrogance had cost her everything.
This time, she chose carefully.
"Not who," she said. "How many."
Leonhardt stiffened.
"You believe this is not the work of a single person."
"No," Aurelia said. "Poison requires access. Timing. Confidence that the target will consume it without suspicion. That kind of certainty comes from habit."
From tradition.
From knowing she would obey palace etiquette.
Leonhardt's jaw tightened. "Then the council—"
"—is compromised," Aurelia finished. "At least partially."
They resumed walking.
Guards stood straighter as Aurelia passed. Some avoided her gaze. Others watched her with open curiosity.
She welcomed it.
Fear isolated her in her first life.
Attention would protect her in this one.
---
The interrogation began before midnight.
The servant lay pale against the infirmary pillows, sweat clinging to his brow. His eyes widened in terror when Aurelia entered.
"P-Please," he stammered. "I didn't know—I swear—"
"I believe you," Aurelia said calmly.
The words stunned him into silence.
Leonhardt stood to her right, arms crossed, a silent presence.
"Tell me," Aurelia continued, "who ordered you to pour the tea."
The servant swallowed. "It was… a kitchen attendant. She said it was urgent. That the blend was chosen personally for Your Majesty."
"Did she name herself?"
"No. But she wore the blue ribbon of the eastern service wing."
Aurelia nodded. "That will be all."
The servant blinked. "That's… it?"
"Yes," Aurelia said. "You did not act with malice. Rest."
As they exited, Leonhardt glanced at her sharply.
"You're letting him go."
"I'm letting him live," Aurelia corrected. "Dead men do not remember faces."
Leonhardt exhaled. "You think like a strategist."
She smiled faintly. "I think like someone who has already lost everything once."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Leonhardt's eyes narrowed. "Once?"
Aurelia met his gaze evenly. "Do not pry, Lord Kael."
For a moment, tension crackled between them—sharp, dangerous, electric.
Then Leonhardt looked away.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
---
By dawn, three servants had been detained.
By midday, five nobles had canceled appearances at court.
Aurelia watched the movements from behind a screen as reports arrived one by one.
"Duke Harren has taken ill."
"Countess Velin has retreated to her estate."
"The eastern service wing claims ignorance."
Cowards, Aurelia thought.
In her first life, she would have ordered executions already.
In her second, she knew better.
Fear exposed nothing. Pressure revealed everything.
Leonhardt entered with a sealed report. "We found traces of the toxin in the eastern kitchen storage. Someone attempted to destroy the evidence—but poorly."
Aurelia accepted the document. "Good. Let them believe they've hidden enough."
"You're setting a trap."
"Yes."
Leonhardt studied her closely. "You've changed."
She looked up. "You keep saying that."
"Because I don't recognize the woman I once knew," he said quietly.
Aurelia stiffened.
In her first life, Leonhardt had feared her. Respected her strength, despised her cruelty.
Now—
Now he was uncertain.
That uncertainty was dangerous.
"People change," she said simply. "Those who don't… die."
Leonhardt's expression darkened.
"Be careful," he said. "Whoever did this will not stop."
"I know," Aurelia replied. "That's why I won't either."
---
That night, Aurelia sat alone in her chamber.
Moonlight spilled across the floor, silver and cold. She loosened the collar of her gown and pressed a hand to her chest, steadying her breathing.
Poison again.
Different substance. Same intent.
She closed her eyes.
In her first life, she never saw it coming.
In her second life, she had no intention of dying quietly.
A knock sounded.
"Enter," she said.
Leonhardt stepped inside.
"I thought you should know," he said. "One of the detained servants was found dead."
Aurelia's fingers curled slowly.
"How?"
"Poison," Leonhardt said grimly. "Same type used on the servant earlier."
Silence filled the room.
"They're cleaning up loose ends," Aurelia said.
"And sending you a message," Leonhardt added.
Aurelia met his gaze.
"They think I'll be afraid."
She smiled.
"They've forgotten something."
Leonhardt waited.
"I've already died," Aurelia said softly. "Twice."
Something shifted in his eyes.
For the first time since her return, Leonhardt Kael looked at her—
Not as an Empress.
Not as a tyrant.
But as a woman standing at the center of a storm she intended to control.
Outside, hidden in shadow, another pair of eyes watched the palace windows.
The game had begun.
And this time—
The Empress was ready.