Jade Grove
My younger brother and I depend on each other for survival. We are the renowned Bone-Suturing Masters of the frontier.
I suture the bones of the dead, and he heals the lives of the living.
Later on, he rescues the sixth princess, Susan Roth, amid the chaos of war. He helps her ascend to the throne as Queen, while he becomes the Prince Regent, wielding power over the entire court.
Susan loves him deeply, so much so that she disregards her own health and risks her life to bear him a son. She even officially names him the Crown Prince.
When the fighting at the frontier temporarily settles down, I return to the capital to attend the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony.
I feel reassured when I see my younger brother standing at the height of power, his features calm and composed. I don't stay long and leave immediately for the borders after the coronation.
On the journey back, I see a gnawed-on corpse at the bottom of a cliff I'm passing by.
Instinctively, I take out my bone-suturing needles and hemp thread. Then I slowly gather the scattered bones and stitch the body back together.
After finishing the last stitch, I gently turn the face over.
The face is exactly the same as my younger brother's.
The blood in my body freezes, as if I have fallen into an icy river.
If he's the corpse at the bottom of the cliff… then who exactly is the person seated on the throne, commanding the kingdom?