Chapter 3

I couldn't help but drift closer, staring blankly at his furrowed brow and slightly pale face.

It had been so long since I'd seen him show any emotion because of me.

Whenever he looked at me, his face was always etched with disgust and annoyance.

I thought this time he would finally look at me properly, but fate once again shattered my last hope.

A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the morgue.

The first to rush in was Celeste.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her hair disheveled, with an officer who had been looking for me following behind her.

Ignoring the grim surroundings, she flung herself into Julian's arms, sobbing anxiously, "Julian, I heard you're on a difficult case. Are you alright?"

Julian hugged her tightly, instinctively shifting half a step to shield her from the body parts.

"Celeste, why are you here? This place is... unclean."

Watching their display of sibling affection, I felt such intense envy.

Julian truly doted on Celeste. He allowed her to be by his side at any time. Even when he was working, he never scolded her for interrupting.

Unlike me, just calling his name was a grave offense.

Celeste lifted her head, her voice firm. "Anywhere you are, Julian, I don't find unclean."

"Oh, Julian, on my way here, I met this officer. I heard you were looking for Elara, right?"

"I actually intended to bring her some winter clothes today, but she wasn't home."

Julian's face darkened. "Not home? She has no family or friends. Where could she go?"

The officer saluted and replied, "Master Julian, Miss Elara's house is indeed locked up. Neighbors say they haven't seen her leave or enter for several days."

Julian subconsciously glanced at the pile of body parts, a flicker of complicated emotion crossing his eyes.

Seeing this, Celeste quickly pulled out a broken pendant. "Julian, don't worry."

"I found this at Elara's house. It looks like the gift she gave you on your birthday."

"It seems Elara must still be angry about what happened that day and is deliberately hiding from you."

"You know how stubborn she can be. Last time, after our argument, didn't she also run off in a fit of pique and hadn't returned for half a month?"

I was so afraid Julian would misunderstand, I frantically floated in front of him, waving my hands.

"Julian, I wasn't throwing a tantrum."

"I clutched that pendant until my last breath. I don't know how it broke..."

Unfortunately, Julian couldn't hear a word.

His eyes, once flickering with a complex emotion, turned cold as ice again. He disdainfully brushed away the half-broken pendant.

"Unreasonable! Let her throw her tantrums if she wants!"

"It'd be best if she just died out there, save me the trouble of burying her!"

He finished, then shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, murmuring, "It seems... I misheard."

"There are countless similar tunes in this world. How could it possibly be *that* one...?"

Yes, how could he believe it so easily?

My heart had alienated him when I was seven. He never sang that lullaby to me again after that.

And at that age, I couldn't even sing the simplest tune correctly, let alone such a complex melody.

But Julian didn't know that I was indeed not musically inclined.

Yet I held onto that lullaby, every note etched into my memory, because I knew it represented his brief but profound love for me.

After discovering the killer's true identity, that lullaby was the only clue I could think of.

I knew Julian's abilities; I was certain he would understand and get me justice.

Unfortunately, I didn't expect him to refuse to believe me.

As my thoughts drifted, another officer rushed in, breathless. "Commissioner, we have a lead!"