Chapter 4

Hearing that I had returned, Alvin's face lit up with surprise. He rushed over and grabbed my arm.

"Jace! Why did you suddenly come back? Are you staying this time?"

I felt the warmth of his hand through the fabric of my sleeve. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the faint scar across his palm.

It was a scar that I had made myself. The bladework was unique, and no one else in the world could have made a cut like that.

The knot in my chest finally loosened. It seemed that I really had been overthinking it.

I forced a smile and ruffled his hair the way I used to when he was younger. "I had made some Life-Saving Pills for you. I realized halfway through that I'd forgotten to give them with you, so I rushed back here."

Susan walked over and wrapped her arm around his waist, teasing, "It's just a few pills. You could've just had someone deliver them. Instead, you came all this way yourself. I think you were just worried and came back to check on him."

Alvin pulled her into his arms and smiled contentedly.

Still smiling, I held out the pills.

But instead of taking them, Alvin merely raised his chin slightly and—with an air of authority I'd never heard from him before—instructed the chamberlain beside him, "Take them, and put them in the innermost drawer. They're from Jace, so they must be kept somewhere safe."

I had never seen him act so callously arrogant. Even his manner of tilting his chin was unfamiliar to me.

A chill ran through me, and I narrowed my eyes. However, the smile on my face only deepened as I reached out and grabbed his hand.

Alvin was obviously stunned for a moment, but he quickly regained his senses and squeezed my hand back.

Over the years, I had become more reserved. I rarely showed him this much affection, so his reaction wasn't out of the ordinary.

In the next second, my smile turned cold, and I suddenly asked, "Alvin, what medicine is this?"

Panic flashed through his eyes, but only for a moment. Then he smiled again and gently shook my hand.

"Jace, why ask me about the medicine you gave me? Of course, it has to be your best Life-Saving Pills."

Those words crushed the last shred of hope I had left. There was no way my younger brother would have forgotten.

Those weren't Life-Saving Pills at all. It was a lethal poison I personally made, one that would kill the instant it interacted with blood.

I clamped down on "Alvin's" hand, refusing to let him pull away. My fingertips pressed down hard as I felt along his palm bones one by one.

One, two, three, four, five… Then nothing. No matter how much I felt around, I couldn't find that sixth palm bone.

At that moment, I felt my heart plunge into an icy abyss, and grief washed over me.

I slowly raised my head and fixed my gaze on Susan. There was a smile on my face, but my voice carried a hint of viciousness beneath it.

"Susan… you've cared for my brother remarkably well all these years!"

Susan's expression shifted slightly. "How dare you!"

Her face darkened as the full weight of her royal authority bore down. "You dare speak to me like this?"

The man before me turned pale. He wrenched his hand free from my grip and rushed over to her side, trying to calm her.

"Your Majesty, please don't get mad! Jace has spent too long at the borders and doesn't understand court etiquette. Please don't hold it against him!"

He turned back to me and said urgently, "Jace! Hurry, kneel, and apologize to Her Majesty! Don't ever do this again!"

My younger brother would never say that I didn't understand court etiquette. And he would never tell me to kneel before anyone.

A cold, sinister smile slowly crept onto my lips. "Who are you calling 'Jace'?"

I raised my hand, and my owl screeched through the sky before landing on my shoulder.

A sharp whistle rang out, and numerous figures seemed to stir in the darkness.

My gaze, completely devoid of warmth, fell upon Susan.

"Susan Roth, you know perfectly well what Ghost Valley holds in its hand. I will ask one last time—where is my brother?"

Susan let out a furious laugh. "Are you insane? Your brother is right in front of you. Who else are you even looking for?"

I slowly lifted my gaze, my eyes filled with cold and ruthless intent.

"I've spent my entire life only suturing bones, not saving the living. Susan, don't forget that it was Alvin who saved your life.

"If he's dead… I'll make you understand what it feels like to become a ghost on the road to the underworld."