Chapter 3: The Mystery Of The Twins

Sephton Town, located on the border of the Juyeoda Empire, was under the jurisdiction of Cogniles County.
The town wasn't large, and the streets were mostly dirt paths, now muddy from last night's rain.
There weren't many people on the streets.
However, the breakfast stalls in the small town were already crowded.
Juliana observed the people eating breakfast—all were men in coarse clothing, their hands covered in calluses.
These were laborers.
Juliana remembered that Sephton Town had a jade mine, and many of the jade artifacts in the Imperial City came from here.
When they arrived at a bread stall, the aroma of sausage bread greeted them.
Juliana glanced at the trays of bread before quickly looking away, trying to maintain her noble composure.
But her stomach betrayed her with a loud rumble.
Fortunately, the crowd was noisy, and no one noticed.
"Make some space."
Adrian stood behind a group of laborers who filled the table, his voice indifferent.
"Can't you see it's full? Move over where? If you came late, go eat while squatting!"
A skinny man turned his head and then immediately changed his tone. "Oh, it's Adrian! Come, come, I have space here. Take a seat!"
The men at the table quickly got up, making way for Adrian. They squatted in the corner of the bread stall, holding their bread and continuing to eat.
"Two trays of bread, please."
Adrian sat down and knocked on the table.
The stall owner immediately brought over the order originally meant for another table.
The entire process was smooth and natural. Neither the owner nor the customers whose breads had been taken seemed to find it unusual—no one complained.
This behavior, in Juliana's mind, was something only those privileged in the Imperial City could get away with.
But she noticed that the people around them, including the stall owner, didn't fear Adrian—they genuinely respected him.
Juliana picked up a bread and took a small bite.
It was delicious.
While savoring the sweetness of her first bite, Adrian had already devoured half of the bread.
"These breads are the best in town. They only make a fixed amount each day, and once they're gone, you have to wait until tomorrow. At your rate, you'll starve," Adrian said, wolfing down his food while staring hungrily at the tray in front of Juliana.
Juliana immediately protected her breads and ate faster.
Even she found it puzzling—why, as a noble Lady, would she act so defensively over food?
It was quite unbecoming.
But the breads were truly scrumptious.
The town had a street called Cloth Alley, home to the poorest families.
At the end of the alley was a small courtyard, with a crumbling wall barely half a person's height and an old, low house built with a higher front and a lower back, its door wider at the top than at the bottom.
The courtyard was clean, and small white wildflowers grew along the corners of the wall.
This was Adrian's home.
As they walked into the courtyard, Juliana felt as if she were stepping into a funeral hall.
Adrian stopped at the door. "I'm home. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here, but not for too long."
"I can pay. I don't care about my reputation, so there's no need for you to worry," Juliana said.
"It's not about whether you care; I care." Adrian frowned. "If you stay for a day or two, the neighbors will think I brought home a prostitute. If you stay longer, they'll think you're my wife. When you leave, what am I supposed to tell them—that my wife ran away?"
Juliana was stunned and momentarily speechless.
"Adrian! You're finally back!"
A loud voice came from outside the courtyard, followed by a middle-aged man dressed as an officer.
It was Zayden Wrath, the head constable of Sephton Town.
He rushed over, saying, "Something's happened! The county magistrate has gained a daughter!"
"That's good news. When's the feast? The usual rule is to cough five times outside the wall after the third dish is served. They should be three long and two short coughs," Adrian said.
Juliana looked puzzled and asked, "Why cough five times, and why after three dishes?"
Zayden blurted out, "Because after the third dish, the host is usually the busiest, and the bookkeeper tends to be distracted. In short, it's the best time to eat for free... Wait! No, it's not that kind of daughter—it's an identical twin to Camila! It's weird."
Hearing about the twin mystery, Juliana's eyes brightened with curiosity as she looked at Adrian.
She wasn't just curious about the case itself; she also wondered why the constable would come to Adrian for help instead of investigating it himself.
Adrian said lazily, "Isn't having an extra daughter a good thing? Double the dowry in the future. The county magistrate loves money, so he must be thrilled."
Zayden said bitterly, "Thrilled? The magistrate can barely stand! Adrian, you have to come and take a look—he's waiting for you to save him."
Adrian replied, "You're joking. If it's about food, I'll always come. But a strange case like this sounds scary. I have no official position—just an ordinary citizen—so it's best if I stay out of it."
Zayden insisted, "You're no ordinary citizen! You work for the magistrate's office too—didn't the magistrate promote you two years ago? You're now a coroner, just like me!"
Adrian said, "How are we the same? You're the head constable, earning at least ten taels of silver a month. The magistrate appointed me a coroner with no salary, and I have to deal with corpses. Examining one corpse pays a hundred copper coins. Ten corpses make one tael. To match your salary, Sephton Town would need at least a hundred people to die each month—more than a thousand a year. In ten years..."
Zayden interrupted, "Stop, stop! If we keep going at that rate, all the living people will leave town in less than two years."
Juliana finally understood—Adrian had another role: the town's coroner.
In the Juyeoda Empire, a coroner was technically part of the government officers but they had no official rank. They were paid per examination—essentially temporary workers, much like the night watchmen, stable hands, and cooks.
And it was hard to find anyone willing to be a coroner.
After all, dealing with corpses was something most people avoided.
Most coroners were elderly, already nearing the end of their lives, with few young people willing to take up the profession.
Night watchmen worked nights but had plenty of free time during the day. Stable hands got to skim some hay and feed, while cooks were usually well-fed.
But coroners had no such perks.
Whenever there was a body, the government officers would have already gone through any valuables—sometimes even the clothing would be gone. All that was left for the coroner was a body with nothing but a rag to cover it.
Of course, there was one perk.
If you were lucky, you might get to see a ghost.
"Everyone has their job. When the magistrate becomes a corpse, I'll do my duty and give him a thorough examination," Adrian said and started walking away.
Not knowing where Adrian was headed, Juliana could only follow.
Zayden, used to Adrian's stubbornness, was anxious but not angry. He followed, constantly trying to persuade him.
Adrian ignored him and headed straight to the market.
He didn't buy anything except eggs.
The market in Sephton Town was bustling, packed with people even in the early morning.
There were vendors selling mountain goods, fur coats, jewelry, snacks, and even children.
Passing by a pork stall, the one-armed butcher insisted on giving Adrian two pounds of pork belly, refusing to take any money.
"If it weren't for Adrian going to the mine last year, few of us old miners would still be alive! I swore back then, no matter what I ended up doing, Adrian would always get it for free—free noodles, free pork, even if I had to sell myself!" the butcher grinned.
"Stick to selling pork. If you sell yourself, I promise I won't be buying," Adrian replied with a smile, thanking him before taking the pork and heading toward a stall selling mountain goods.
Seeing that Adrian hadn't gone far, Juliana asked the butcher, "Hey, what happened at the mine last year?"
"Don't mention it! Last year, the mine became haunted—several people died! I lost this hand to a demon, and if I hadn't run fast, I would have lost my life too! We reported it to the authorities, but the constables were too scared to investigate it. In the end, Adrian, with a sword, went into the mine by himself, and only then did the mine settle. We miners are endlessly grateful to him."
Adrian was only interested in bird eggs and snake eggs.
Other eggs, like chicken or duck eggs, were everywhere, but Adrian didn't even glance at them.
Juliana remembered that Adrian had swallowed a bird egg raw in the mountain cabin without even peeling it. She wondered what strange quirk this was.
It was nearly noon after a while of strolling around.
Zayden looked at the sky. "It's about time, Adrian. The magistrate's office should be serving lunch. Stubby Feet said this morning that we're having meat."
"Who's Stubby Feet?" Juliana asked.
"That's the county magistrate. He's always after small bribes but dares not take big ones. Because he has small feet, the townspeople call him Stubby Feet," Adrian explained and then headed toward the county office with Zayden.
Juliana smiled helplessly, becoming even more intrigued by Adrian's eccentric behavior.
So this whole trip around the market was just to wait for lunch.
At Sephton Town's county office's entrance stood a burly middle-aged man pacing back and forth, wringing his hands, his palms covered in sweat.
When he saw Zayden and Adrian approaching from afar, he rushed over.
"Adrian! Finally, you're here. The magistrate's in a panic!"
This was Isaac Nubberd, the chief clerk of the county office.
Isaac had no talent at all and was illiterate, but his uncle held an official position in the capital, which had landed him the position of chief clerk. Since he couldn't read, he always had a family accountant with him.
Adrian bowed respectfully. "How much longer can the magistrate panic for? I can wait here—I’m not in a rush."
"Don't say that, Adrian! You're an officer too, and the magistrate is our superior. If anything happens to him, we all share the blame!" Isaac said bitterly.
"I'm just a coroner. I examine the dead, not the living," Adrian replied.
Coroners in the county office were paid per body—they didn't earn a copper coin for examining the living.
Isaac had no choice. He said, "Consider the magistrate dead! Just help him out this time, and I'll pay you the same as a corpse examination!"
Adrian said, "The magistrate works tirelessly for the people of Sephton Town, always diligent and caring, deeply respected by all of us. Now, his family is facing a crisis, and as humble servants, we truly feel for him."
Isaac, used to flattering, immediately followed suit: "Exactly! The magistrate is a model for us all—dedicated to the well-being of the people..."
As he spoke, he noticed Adrian extending his hand.
"Adrian, what’s this..."
"Since the chief clerk also believes the magistrate is worth respecting, shouldn't that respect come with a pay raise?" Adrian asked.
"Double?" Isaac suggested tentatively.
"Five taels," Adrian said, "No bargaining—otherwise, I'll just stick to examining corpses."
"You're too ruthless! The magistrate only received twenty taels this month..." Realizing he'd let that slip, Isaac quickly nodded. "Fine! Five taels it is."
With a pained expression, he handed over five taels of silver in advance.
Everyone who knew Adrian knew his rule—get paid first, then do the job, whether it involved the living or the dead.
Juliana once again found herself stunned.
So this is how money could be made?
Today's events were truly eye-opening to her.