Chapter 1

My hand trembled violently, and the bone-suturing needle dropped to the floor with a clink.

This corpse had long been stripped of its human skin. I had pieced the face together with my own hands, following the shape of the skull beneath.

But those eyes and brows… They looked like they belonged to my younger brother, Alvin Murphy.

Seeing me lose my composure, the owl circling overhead landed on my shoulder. With a low screech, it summoned the person hidden in the shadows.

The shadow guard sent by Milton Greer stepped forward. "Dr. Bonewright, the corpse is thoroughly decayed. There's no need to pay attention to something so filthy."

My heart clenched.

Indeed, this corpse had been broken beyond recognition. The four limbs had been hacked into several pieces, and every bone was covered in blade marks.

The skull had bone-piercing nails driven through every opening, and what little flesh remained showed clear signs that the victim's skin had been flayed off while they were still alive.

I had been suturing bones together at the frontier for many years, and I had seen countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Yet, I had never seen a body in such a horrific state before.

As I looked at that familiar face, my eyes burned hot. A tear fell and splashed on the bones.

This person… Just how much suffering had he endured while he was still alive?

I steadied myself and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Everyone knew that Susan Roth loved Alvin more than her own life. She would rather die than give up the child she was carrying for him, and she even would've gladly handed over the throne for his sake.

He was at the height of his power in the palace right now. How could he possibly be the broken remains before me?

There were plenty of people who resembled one another in this world. I was probably just overthinking things.

I picked up the needle again and bent over to continue suturing the bones. This person had suffered in life, so he should at least be allowed some dignity in death.

However, when I slowly pieced together the shattered bones of the right palm, my whole body suddenly went rigid.

That palm bone had six fingers… just like Alvin.

Alvin had been born with six fingers. After he had gotten poisoned as a child, that extra pinky festered and turned black. If it wasn't removed, the poison would spread and kill him.

I was the one who had held the blade and cut off that finger for him.

The blade work had been precise, leaving only the faintest mark after it healed. It was barely noticeable unless looked at closely.

Although his finger was severed, the extra finger bone would always remain.

"There's no way…" I murmured, my breathing growing rapid. "There's absolutely no way!"

Alvin was in the palace right now, serving as the Prince Regent who held power over the entire court and country. I had just seen him with my own eyes.

I forced myself to look at that hand again.

Knife wounds, burns, and bite marks from beasts had already ruined the bones beyond recognition. There was no way to make out this person's original appearance.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and silently berated myself. What the hell was I thinking?

Alvin was in the capital, thousands of miles away from here, basking in everyone's reverence.

He was the all-powerful Prince Regent. How could he be here, reduced to a pile of shattered bones?