The Family Head,’ Ian thought, looking up at the imposing man. ’So that must be my Uncle, Jacob Thorne. He looks just like my father.’

​"Family Head," Ian greeted, executing a soft, respectful bow. Tracy quickly followed suit, bowing deeply behind him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

​"There is no need for all those formalities, we are family after all," Jacob said with a warm smile. "By the way, why are you arriving on foot? Did something happen to your carriage on the journey? I was starting to get worried when you were running late, which is why I came out to wait at the gates." He looked at Ian, his eyebrows raised in genuine curiosity.

​Ian immediately shifted his gaze to Vincent. The large man frowned, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

​Jacob followed Ian’s stare, his piercing golden eyes locking onto the Chief Headguard. "Mmm. Vincent, did something happen?" he asked, his tone dropping slightly.

​"W-well, you see..." Vincent stammered. He only paused when Jacob raised a single hand to silence him.

​"Sigh. I can already guess what happened just from that stutter. It must be your fault, right? You only do that when you know you are in the wrong," the Family Head said, pinching the bridge of his nose with a look of deep frustration.

​"Now, Nephew, let’s ignore this disappointment and head inside. You must be tired from the walk," Jacob said, waving his hand dismissively at Vincent before gesturing for Ian to follow him.

​Ian followed quietly, with Tracy trailing closely behind him. The young maid was looking around with wide-eyed curiosity; this was her first time seeing an estate this massive and grand.

​"Family Head, I apologize for the disrespect, but before we go any further inside, there is a place I need to visit first," Ian said, stopping in his tracks and staring at his uncle with a serious expression.

​"Call me Uncle when we are alone," Jacob corrected gently. "And I know where you want to go. That was going to be our first stop anyway." He then took the lead, guiding Ian down a different cobblestone path.

​They walked around to the back of the massive manor, eventually arriving at the quiet, solemn grounds of the family cemetery. Tracy stayed behind at the iron-wrought gates, as only direct family members were allowed inside. Outsiders and servants could only enter during an official funeral.

​Ian hadn’t gotten the chance to attend his father’s funeral because he had been unconscious from his own assassination attempt at the time. As Ian stepped inside the grounds, he easily spotted the grave. The Thorne lineage wasn’t actually that old, having only recently bought their nobility title a generation ago, so there were very few people buried here.

​Ian stood silently in front of the fresh gravestone. As time passed, many mixed emotions swelled up inside his chest. But the strongest emotion he felt was pure, burning anger. He wanted the people who did this to his family to pay, and pay dearly.

​"We should get going now. It’s getting dark," Jacob said softly, placing a comforting hand on Ian’s shoulder.

​"Uncle... do you know who did this to us?" Ian asked without turning around, wanting to see if his suspicions were shared by the Main House.

​Jacob stared at the back of Ian’s head for a long moment, looking as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he just sighed. "We will talk about it tomorrow in the Family Meeting. It will be held in the Family Hall at nine in the morning. Don’t be late." He then turned around and started walking back toward the estate. Ian quickly followed.

​"Wait, a Family Meeting in the Family Hall?" Ian asked, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Isn’t the Family Hall a place where only you, the Elders, Aunt, and my father used to go to make official clan decisions and discuss matters that affect the entire family?"

​"Yes, that’s the place," Jacob said casually.

​"But why would I have to go there? I don’t think I would—"

​Jacob suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ian.

​"Would what? Not fit in there with all the adults?" Jacob interrupted sternly. "Let me tell you something, Ian. With your father passed away, you have to pick up right where he left off. If you don’t know how to do it, you will have to learn to do it. Do you think your mother can just keep on working every single day for this family, while also taking care of you and your little sisters? Her husband just passed away, and she hasn’t even had the time to properly grieve for him because she is still working endlessly, even as we speak."

​Jacob’s fists clenched tightly at his sides, and his expression darkened. "I know the rumors that are circling around the clan. They say my son is about to pass away, making you the most likely candidate to become the next Family Head."

​"But you can never become a Family Head if you can’t even step up and do the work your father used to do," Jacob said, his golden eyes blazing with absolute seriousness.

​Ian just stared back, finding absolutely no words to say to his uncle. The man was completely right.

​Jacob let out a long breath, his stern expression melting back into a soft, tired smile. "Let’s head inside. Adam was very much looking forward to seeing you when he heard that you were coming."

​They started walking again, passing through the cemetery gates where Tracy was patiently waiting.

​"How is Adam’s condition, by the way?" Ian asked quietly, trying to start a conversation to ease the heavy tension.

​"..." There was a heavy silence, as if Jacob didn’t want to talk about it. "H-he is not in a really great condition," Jacob finally admitted, his deep voice shaking slightly. "Although he tries to hide it from me, I can tell when he is in pain... especially when he tries walking around or even just standing up."

​"Do you know what the cause is? Or what specific sickness it is?" Ian asked with deep curiosity.

​"I actually went to the Willson House and made a deal for their Mage to come look into what my son was suffering from," Jacob explained.

​"You mean the priest that went missing?" Ian asked, remembering the old rumors.

​"No, it was after that priest went missing that I brought in the Mage. She was supposed to heal him, but instead, she discovered that Adam wasn’t sick at all... he was under a curse. And a very nasty one at that," Jacob said bitterly. "And as you probably know, a curse can only be undone by the caster themselves, or by the caster’s death."

​"A curse?" Ian’s eyes widened. "What type of curse is it?"

​"It is a curse that makes his bones rot slowly from the inside out," Jacob said grimly.