Half an hour later, Henry arrived with quiet steps, his eyes fixed on the corpse from the very first moment. He leaned down to examine the charred heart.
He finally spoke, his voice hesitant, a mixture of disgust and certainty.
"Yes… this heart… it's exactly the same as the one I saw before."
Henry whispered softly, "Kayden, this is art."
"I know," Kayden replied, then raised his hand, pointing at the wilted violet flowers sprouting from the wound. "It's the same species I used in my research… I have no doubt Arbella is behind this."
Ayrton broke the silence with deliberate calm, interrupting their chain of thoughts.
"Henry… would you like to join us? Your salary would be enormous."
Henry froze for a moment, while Kayden placed a hand on his head as if trying to distance himself from the entire situation.
Henry gave a hesitant smile, attempting to slip away with words. "I'll think about it… I promise."
Ayrton laughed lightly, shifting the atmosphere away from tension " You're an angel!"
Then he turned to Kayden, who was still absorbed in studying the corpse, and inside him was a silent confession:
'This boy is harder to obtain than he seems.'
Ayrton approached the corpse and spoke in a tone that carried a certain conclusion.
"That woman… she's trying to perform a grand sacrificial ritual. There's no other explanation for killing a human in this manner."
Then he pointed at the hanging victim. "You should be grateful, Kayden, that you're not in his place. Look at his wrists… the marks of restraints are obvious. He was tortured before he died. And what's worse… those flowers that grew from inside him."
Kayden shivered for a moment, stepping back as a wave of dizziness rushed through his head, as if the ground swayed beneath him.
Ayrton ordered the men to move the body, and once they brought him down and laid him on his back—after covering his nakedness—their eyes returned to the wound, where the flowers had pierced through the flesh and grown like dying parasites.
Kayden sighed as he watched the scene and said quietly, with a trace of sorrow, "After all this thinking… this research will never succeed."
Henry raised a brow, genuinely curious. "And why do you think so?"
Kayden answered, pointing to the place where the plants had grown.
"Because they grew slowly in an environment without light, and the moment they reached the heart… they died instantly.
They don't know the weak points, because I didn't tell her everything. And these plants died as soon as they were exposed to light… so there's nothing to worry about."
Kayden put on his gloves and moved closer to examine the corpse. He carefully opened the victim's mouth and noticed the early signs of late growth in the throat—frail plant threads barely pushing through. Then he looked again at the charred heart, where his theory settled perfectly.
He whispered at last, as if writing the conclusion of his research into the air "These plants were made to live only for a few minutes… just a brief spark, nothing more."
"He was tortured first… then forced to swallow the seeds."
Upon hearing those words, Ayrton turned his head toward his men, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Bring Adam!"
Kayden's breath froze for a moment at the sound of the name. A tight, chaotic flutter rushed through his chest, as if his heart had begun to beat out of rhythm. He wanted to see him… perhaps with the same curiosity that had once pushed Henry to seek him out, yet a strange fear clung to him like a stubborn shadow.
"But Adam…" he tried to object.
Ayrton cut him off sharply. "No excuses."
It wasn't long before Adam arrived. His steps were painfully slow, and Kayden felt as though the entire atmosphere had changed the moment he entered—heaviness settling in the air.
Adam was a few centimeters shorter than him, dressed in black from head to toe, broken only by a pair of white gloves he had just received from the physician.
His features were sharp, as if carved with a chisel, marked by a small mole under his chin near his lips, another near his left eye, and a third on his cheek just below it.
But the eyes… they were something else entirely. They weren't natural.
His left eye was turquoise, while the right leaned toward deep navy blue—yet there was no light in either.
'He has dead eyes. His eyes don't belong to this world,' Kayden thought as he stared.
As for Adam's hair, it was black at its roots, but white strands had begun creeping through it slowly, like frost spreading across a winter orchard. The black seemed to be dying gradually, surrendering to its fate.
Adam stepped forward with quiet, measured footsteps. He stood before the corpse, bent slightly, and examined it in a deafening silence. He opened the dead man's mouth without hesitation, then pressed lightly on his stomach—as if his hands had done the same motion dozens of times before. He glanced at the charred heart.
Finally, in a calm voice devoid of emotion, he asked, "May I open the stomach?"
It was as though he wasn't asking about a human body at all, but a mere specimen.
Ayrton nodded, and the corpse was moved into the designated carriage.
While Adam worked, Ayrton whispered to Kayden, "Stay here… and don't talk to him when he's working. He's an eccentric miser—he might even charge you money just for watching the autopsy."
Kayden felt as though he were observing a rare creature, knowing any wrong move could unsettle him, so he kept his distance.
Adam finally stepped out of the carriage. His steps were slow but steady, and his voice was calm as he announced,
"He died the moment the flowers began growing inside him. He endured severe torture, but his death itself was clean… nothing supernatural, nothing unusual."
Ayrton frowned. "What do you mean?"
Adam continued without hesitation.
"The mere start of the flowers growing inside him was enough. Maybe he was told about it—or maybe he sensed something changing inside his guts. After that, he died instantly. There is no spiritual force here… just a human mind surrendering to the terror of a lie."
Seeing their confusion, he elaborated, his tone shifting into a cold lecture.
"If the body is told that a deadly poison is inside it—even if there isn't—its own physiology might release toxins strong enough to kill. Psychological factors. Imagine it."
Then he pointed at one of the men beside him.
"You. If I told you that demonic flowers were growing inside your body and would burst out of your mouth… what would you do?"
The man hesitated for a few seconds, then replied nervously, "I'd try to get them out… I wouldn't handle the thought. Maybe… I'd tear open my stomach with my own hands to remove the seeds."
Adam gave a barely visible smile and nodded.
"Exactly. That's what I mean. That poor man probably believed the lie. And with his restraints… he simply surrendered.He died from the idea."
Then he raised his hand to adjust his white gloves with care, his voice dropping to a deeper, stranger tone.
"But… I must admit. This research—"
He paused for a moment.
"—is a masterpiece. Beautiful in a horrifying way. It's rare to see something like this nowadays. It isn't natural—
it's brilliant enough to be dangerous. If such ideas ever come to light… they would become the perfect murder weapon. How unfortunate."
A heavy silence followed.
Then suddenly, Adam turned toward the group. His mismatched eyes gleamed in a contradictory way, and his gaze fell directly on Kayden, who didn't dare lift his eyes from him.
Adam raised his brow slightly, looked toward Ayrton, moved closer, and asked quietly,
"Where is my money? And why didn't you tell me I won? The bet… I've been waiting too long. I haven't won a single wager in a while. This is cheating."
Ayrton replied indifferently, as if speaking to a stubborn child,
"When we return… you'll get your money. Don't worry."
Adam muttered while looking away,
"You're still alive… that's good."
Kayden's eyelid twitched, and the words slipped out of him before he realized, "Thank you."
Adam crossed his arms and replied quickly, "But I didn't do anything…"
Kayden gave a faint smile, more like a break than a smile.
"You praised my research… the one that failed completely."
Adam nodded toward the corpse, then spoke calmly.
"Beauty exists in everything… it differs depending on the eyes that behold it."
His words struck Kayden like a cold slap, yet in a strange way, they embraced a deep part of him, as if something in that harshness resonated with the chill of the surrounding forest.
Then Adam pointed to Henry and asked in a low voice,
"And why were you looking for me? Henry, don't you dare tell anyone about the corpse."
Henry leaned slightly and whispered,
"It's about the corpse… and my brother. You guessed correctly."
Henry fell silent for a moment, then realized something. "You've seen me a few times… yet you managed to distinguish me from him easily."
Kayden showed genuine surprise. "And how is that?"
Adam raised a brow, as if mocking the question itself. "Very simple." He said no more.
Then he gave them a longer, lingering look. His mismatched eyes radiated both calm and mystery.
"Your presence here, Henry… means only one thing. You linked this crime to the corpse you purchased before. I know you are very clever, but it's unrelated."
Henry nodded in acknowledgment.
"True… and my brother is somewhat involved."
Adam bent slightly and then raised his voice suddenly.
"Shall I interrogate him?"
But Ayrton intervened with a sigh of boredom.
"No, he'll confess immediately. That wouldn't be fun… he only does it to leave quickly. You'd get bored too."
Adam's gaze turned to Kayden, a vague glint of pity in his eyes, before he murmured,
"That ugly woman… she is nothing like you. All those rumors about her and you…"
"She has a name—Arbella," Ayrton clarified, then continued, "And how can you confirm that now? Say her name correctly first, then talk about the crime."
Adam moved off to discuss the matter with Ayrton. "I cannot pronounce the names of garbage, but it's a clean crime."
Kayden stopped and looked at them, as if the words weighed on his chest, then said with hesitation, "Sir Ayrton… I think I'll give you my answer tonight."
He wanted to take his brother and leave, but it felt as if he were stepping straight into the jaws of death. Still… he could not retreat.
Ayrton smiled faintly with mockery. "Kayden Bryce … think carefully about the offer. The autopsy will be tonight… come and watch. You may see… something new."
Adam, however, looked at Ayrton with disdain, his voice barely a whisper. "Since when have I been wrong in an autopsy?"
Ayrton replied with a wide smile, like a man playing a long game. "We're trying to catch some golden fish… be patient."
At that moment, Adam's eyes roamed the area, finally resting on a black crow perched on a high branch.
The bird was unnaturally still, as if its eyes were deliberately watching them. Suddenly… it flew away, disappearing among the shadows of the trees, leaving behind a strange sense of threat.
"You scared the crow," Ayrton said, laughing lightly, as if it were merely a passing joke.
But Kayden did not share the laugh. He immediately recognized the crow; it was no ordinary bird—it was Colton, cleverly disguised.
Adam, meanwhile, paid no attention to Ayrton's jest or Kayden's unease. He kept staring at the empty space left by the bird, then lifted his gaze toward the cursed patch of the ritual site.
He whispered softly "Very little remains… and the ritual will be complete."
Adam did not stay long. He left as quietly as he came, as if his presence had been nothing more than a shadow passing across a wall before vanishing.
Kayden, in turn, could not bear to remain; the space felt suffocating despite its size, so he decided to return home.
Kayden changed into formal clothes; he wore an elegant black suit and a crisp white shirt, creating a striking contrast between the clean brightness of the fabric and the grim expression that never left his face. He grabbed his black coat, threw it over his shoulder, and descended to the ground floor with steady steps.
There, in the quiet foyer, he spotted Henry speaking with his father, Arthur.
Kayden sat quietly beside them, silent as usual, leaving the space for Henry to speak.
So Henry talked about what had happened—after removing a few truths.
"My brother is here… so I wanted to tell you that Mr. Ayrton offered him a place to join. But he refused. And afterward, he told me about it… I think he intended to use me as pressure against him."
Kayden lowered his gaze to the table in front of him. His features remained as unmoving as stone, revealing nothing.
But deep within, a subtle feeling stirred—
a quiet gratitude for his brother's cleverness, for his ability to say only what needed to be said without exposing the whole truth.
As for Arthur, he didn't respond immediately. He simply studied Henry for a moment, then spoke coldly,
"Join him. He's a strong and reliable man."
It wasn't long before Ayrton himself arrived. He stepped out of his carriage and stood before the house, waiting for Kayden and Henry.
But he was surprised when Arthur came out first.
Ayrton froze for a moment, fell silent, and immediately offered a respectful salute.
Kayden followed behind him, and the scene became something like a quiet standoff.
Ayrton looked at the two of them, thinking to himself,
"A damn near identical resemblance…"
Then he raised his voice, shifting his gaze between them.
"Where is your brother? I wasn't joking about him… we're suffering from a severe shortage of doctors. More importantly—he is a doctor. We desperately need one."
Kayden and Ayrton exchanged a brief look, then Kayden nodded quietly and went back inside to call Henry."He wants you."