Page 81 of A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas

Lord Percival Everflame stormed down the street.

How did I end up working in a bakery?

He’d been killed, reborn, and apparently lost his memories. That much was clear. But why had he lost his memories temporarily? None of it made sense.

Phoenixes didn’t just go around losing memories, even after rebirth. Sometimes the unimportant memories were slow to return, or one felt an emotional disconnect from past life memories. But a phoenix did not simply lose their memories!

Then, somehow, those bakers had ended up putting him to work.

Something had definitely gone very wrong. But he’d worked it out. Now Percival would return to the factory and speak to his uncle. He’d clarify what had occurred. Then he’d punish that Leopold and those bakers for exploiting him.

To think he had been working in a bakery in Hovel Quarter. Like a commoner! It was so beneath him.

I’ll make them pay for this insult!

His lip curled as his blood simmered.

But how did it all come to pass?

Had the bakers found Percival, newly reborn and strangely without his memories? Then had they simply put him to work? He gritted his teeth. They must have used his confusion to get free labour.

And why had Leopold been blubbering like that? Perhaps because he’d been caught and would now face Percival’s wrath.

They would regret how they treated him. He had his mind back now; his momentary weakness and frailty were gone. He was a powerful phoenix. He would punish those who’d crossed him.

How dare they make him bake and clean? He had servants who cleaned for him.

Percival halted. Servants… Ines… Ines, his servant, had told him his carriage could not come to the usual spot. She’d lured Percival to a secluded alley. There the ice sorceress had attacked him.

His fingers clenched into fists, nails biting into his palm. Ines must have been in on it with the ice sorceress! Had she been paid to lure Percival into that trap? Well, she would pay dearly for betraying him!

At least the ice sorceress was dead. That was what those strange sorcerers had told him.

But who were those sorcerers? And why were they helping me?

The last thing he remembered was the fight with the ice sorceress, which must have killed him. The next thing he remembered was those other sorcerers leaning over him, helping him to his seat, and explaining how he’d died. Perhaps his uncle had hired the sorcerers to find him?

Percival kept walking. Clearly, he had a lot of things to sort out. But first he needed to see his uncle.

Then he’d deal with Ines. He could easily handle a lizard woman servant on his own. A prison cell for the rest of her life would be more than fitting.

The guards blinked at him as he strode past them, up the stairs at Everflame Glass Factory.

“How could you be so foolish?” Uncle Ignatius’s voice echoed down the corridor.

Percival’s footsteps slowed. The muscles in his shoulders and arms tensed. The door to his uncle’s office was open. Oddly, he felt a sudden urge to turn around, flee, and never return.

Percival scoffed. What a ridiculous thought! Percival belonged here. And even though his uncle was hard, he’d made Percival into the tough phoenix he was. Lifting his chin, he strode onwards.

“You make mistake after mistake after mistake, Cyprian!” His uncle slammed his hand on the desk. “How can you be?—”

His uncle broke off as Percival appeared in the doorway. His eyes narrowed, gaze taking in Percival’s burned clothes.

“I apologise for my terrible appearance.” Percival pulled his shoulders back and stepped forward. “And I apologise for my absence, Uncle. But I can explain to you what has occurred. Although some of my memories are still gone, which will make this difficult.”

“Someof your memories?” his uncle repeated.

“Yes. I was attacked and killed by an ice sorceress…recently.” Percival did not know how much time had passed since the attack. “I managed to kill her. But it seems I temporarily lost all my previous memories. I have them back now.” He scowled. “But several individuals exploited my memory loss and put me to work in a bakery. That is why I assume I did not return here.”