At Sylas’ urging, Amos, who had been frightened from the start, finally revealed the real reason he had used magic on the king, which had ended in chaos.
One thing was certain: Amos knew that without his help, there would be no cure for the poison in the king’s body. He had acted quickly. His only mistake was stopping halfway and failing to either repeat or undo the spell.
This was the first time Amos had spoken at such length, convincing Sylas that he had no bad intensions toward the king. The memory of his mother, and her warning to always hide her true identity, made Amos willing to do anything to escape the disaster he had caused.
"I managed to suppress the poison, Your Highness. Please forgive me. I will do anything to lift the spell," Amos pleaded sincerely.
"Tell me the truth, what was your intention in coming to the palace?" Sylas asked.
The question left Amos speechless. He knew Sylas doubted him now. In the prince’s eyes, he might already be a threat.
Amos bowed his head. He had made too many mistakes. And what had happened last night hadn’t helped at all. He had endangered the royal family. Getting out of this mess felt impossible.
There was nothing left to do except speak the truth, where he came from, who his mother was, and why he had become a knight at the palace.
Sylas was silent for a moment. "If you truly have no ill intentions, you could ask your mother, the witch, for help."
Amos immediately shook his head. "She would kill me. She swore she’d leave the village if anyone ever found out. If I go to her and admit what I’ve done, she’ll drive me away... maybe even kill me, Your Highness."
Sylas said nothing. He knew the kingdom had strict laws against witches. Even he himself would be in trouble if he was caught seeking one.
Taking a deep breath, Sylas said, "Anyway, you must find a way out of this. I don’t know if I can trust you. But there’s one thing that could prove it."
Amos looked up, his expression full of questions. His face was pale.
"No matter what it takes, bring the owner of the candy shop here. You must succeed in removing the magic from His Majesty’s body. If you fail by the end of the festival, I’ll have no choice but to send you to the royal court. There’s a good chance you’ll be sentenced to death."
Amos fell silent and swallowed hard. The vision was clear, his death. He couldn’t believe it would end .
"You have a week. Do your best. If you choose to run, I’ll make sure your entire village in Westmere suffers." Sylas spoke calmly, but Amos knew he wasn’t joking.
Amos lowered his head. "I will do anything to make up for my stupidity," he said quietly. At that moment, he felt hopeless. It would have been better if he had listened to his mother and stayed uninvolved. He shouldn’t have cared whether the king lived or died. He shouln’t take any action.
His mother had sent him to the palace to find a better life, to live as a normal man with steady work. But he had ruined everything.
Sylas told Alvaro to untie the ropes binding Amos. "Go to the royal clinic. Tend to your wounds. You’re dismissed for a week. I’ll tell General Huron you’re sick."
Amos remained bowed before standing. He couldn’t make sense of what he was feeling: disappointment, fear, anger, and something else still clinging to his heart.
He looked at Sylas for a moment, his gaze gentle and full of longing, almost as if Sylas were an older brother he had never had but shared an unbreakable bond with. He only wanted to protect him, to stay by his side.
Amos bowed again, gave a salute, and quickly walked out.
Sylas felt unsettled by Amos’ behavior. Before, he had thought the knight was just too quiet. Now, he wasn’t sure he could be near him without suspicion.
Alvaro turned to Sylas. "You let him go?"
Sylas took a deep breath. "As you heard. I’ll test his loyalty. If he has evil intentions, he’ll have plenty of chances to act. Depending on this mission, if he fails, I can’t keep him by my side. But if he succeeds, I’ll make him one of the kingdom’s wizards."
Alvaro was shocked. "Your Highness..."
"I know what you’re worried about. I won’t do it openly. But I need a starting point. I need them to strengthen the kingdom. I want them by my side."
Alvaro went silent. He stared at Sylas for a long moment, as if trying to understand the man standing before him. This was not the Sylas he had grown up with, the one who always accepted things as they were.
The man before him had bold plans, even things King Adrien himself had never managed.
"Whatever happens, I hope you succeed, Your Highness," Alvaro said quietly.
Kai knelt before Mrs. Manu under the oak tree. His behavior startled the woman.
"Kai, I didn’t tell you to kneel. I asked you to repeat your numbers," Manu said, trying to stay calm.
Kai had only counted to ten before falling silent, head bowed for a long time. Then suddenly, he had dropped to the ground .
Kai clenched his fists against his thighs. He was terrified, his body trembling. He had studied hard all night, but now, in front of Manu, only the numbers up to ten came smoothly.
"Sit properly," Manu ordered.
Kai hesitated, looking up at her fearfully. "I-I’m sorry... I can’t remember the rest..."
"Yesterday you memorized up to seventy. I taught you up to one hundred. You had all night to practice. And now you can only remember up to ten?" Manu’s voice was calm, but Kai trembled even harder.
He didn’t know why his mind was failing him now. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI(F)ire.net
"I don’t need apologies. I need effort. If you’re not serious, you’d better go home and forget about being a palace servant," Manu said.
Kai’s eyes went wide. Go home? What did that mean? Would he be sent back to Omino?
The fear inside him grew worse, mixing with old trauma he couldn’t explain. He couldn’t go back. And he couldn’t leave Sylas.
Kai shook his head, lips trembling, and immediately bowed lower before Manu. "Please don’t send me back. I’ll study harder. Please, I beg you..."
Mrs. Manu was baffled. She had never seen a student kneel , let alone beg. For a moment, she felt like a queen.
Besides, she couldn’t actually send anyone away from the dormitory, even if she wanted to. She had only warned Kai, and the boy’s response was extreme. What on earth had happened at this boy’s home to make him so terrified of going back? Or was he really this desperate to be a servant in the palace?
Then Manu smiled. She’d have to take advantage of this, wouldn’t she?