The castle garden looked well-maintained, but the dim lighting created a gloomy atmosphere.
Kai kept looking around, searching for Sylas. But as he went down the stairs or walked through the corridors, the prince was nowhere to be seen.
Where had Sylas gone?
"What’s going on?" asked Obi, curious. At first, he had only wanted to invite Kai to explore the area because he was interested in the dark forest surrounding the castle. But then he noticed the gates were guarded, and now Kai looked so miserable.
Kai lowered his head, nervously playing with his fingers. His feelings were a mess. Meanwhile, Obi kept talking and asking questions without stopping.
Kai finally looked at the boy, thinking maybe he could find some peace by sharing his worries. Slowly, he explained what had happened. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he had offered to serve his master, because that was the duty of a slave as he had been taught.
Obi listened closely, nodding every now and then as if he understood Kai’s concerns.
"So now your master is angry because you tried to touch him, even though you only wanted to serve him?" Obi repeated Kai’s story, looking thoughtful.
"I think your master is very strange," he added. He knew Sylas was a prince, but he never really understood how important the title of prince was, because for him, the highest status in the world belonged to Vlad.
Only Vlad, his master, whom he believed ruled everything.
Kai looked at Obi, his gaze empty, his eyes heavy with sadness. Hearing Obi’s words made him even more anxious. He thought Obi was more experienced since he had been with Vlad for years and took care of many slaves. Even though Obi was not yet fifteen years old, Kai still believed anything the boy said.
"The master never refuses the service of a slave. He even asks for it himself, sometimes forcing them," Obi said with concern, then continued. "I think your master is not normal."
Kai was silent. Not normal?
"Maybe he doesn’t like men. Maybe he likes women. Not all men like men, right?" Obi said.
Kai realized he had never thought of that before. Sylas had never shown any interest in men. Could that be why he didn’t want to touch him?
He had offered himself several times, but Sylas always refused. And now, the man was angry.
Kai lowered his head. Why did it hurt so much to think that Sylas didn’t like men? As a slave, he should only focus on serving his master and doing whatever he was told.
But Sylas’s kindness made him want more. He didn’t need proof to know that he loved the man. His heart told him so. He didn’t want to be far from him. He wanted Sylas’s touch, his kindness, anything.
Obi looked at him with pity. "Even if he likes men, maybe he’s just not interested in you. Just think about it, what man could resist temptation?"
Kai lowered his head even more. That thought was even more painful. Sylas didn’t like him.
Kai clenched his hands. He remembered all his flaws as a slave. The trainers said he had a handsome face, but he was disabled. He was weak, unattractive, often sick, and too slow.
"You really don’t have a chance if you want a romantic relationship with your master. The only thing you can do is work for him like the other slaves," Obi said, patting Kai’s shoulder to give him some strength.
Kai thought about it. His heart ached, and the pain grew heavier. His chest felt tight. His head hurt. Everything hurt.
There was no way he could win Sylas’s attention. And now, he had made the man angry, maybe even disgusted with him. How could he have dared to touch his master without permission?
Obi was surprised when Kai started crying.
"Hey, don’t cry! You’re a slave, you have to be strong!" Obi said.
Kai wiped his tears with the back of his hand and sobbed. No one could understand what he felt at that moment. He tried to hold it in, but the tears only flowed faster.
Obi became nervous seeing him sob.
"Kai, you know you can go back to Master Vlad. He’ll definitely be glad to have you back at the manor. Don’t be sad anymore," Obi said gently, patting Kai’s back again and again to comfort him.
But Kai was too afraid to return to Vlad. Even if Sylas didn’t want him, as long as the man accepted him, he was willing to do anything, as long as he wasn’t thrown away.
Meanwhile, Sylas was carrying a medicine box, since the servants were asleep. All the way there, he kept thinking about what Kai had done, unable to get the image out of his head. His body was burning with desire, and he tried to distract himself with other thoughts.
When he reached the room, it was empty. Kai wasn’t there.
"Where is Kai?" he asked, worried. He immediately left and ordered the guards to search for the slave.
One guard reported, "Your Highness, Kai is in the garden."
The guard had seen him sitting there with the a boy.
Sylas rushed to the garden. Standing in the shadows of the pillars, he found Kai.
He was about to approach, but froze when he saw Kai crying. His pale face was red with tears. Kai kept wiping them away, making his face even wetter.
Sylas stood still for a while. He was sure Kai was crying because of him. What was going through the slave’s mind?
He told the guards not to follow and walked closer. The nearer he got, the more clearly he heard them.
"Come on, stop crying. I’ll talk to Master Vlad and ask him to take you back. I’m sure your master doesn’t want you," Obi said, patting Kai’s back.
Sylas glared at the boy when he heard that. How dare he tell Kai to leave him.
"Ahem!" Sylas cleared his throat loudly.
Obi quickly turned his head and pulled his hand away.
Kai turned too and saw his master standing there. His eyes widened. He quickly stood up, wiping his tears and bowing his head.
"What are you doing here?" Sylas asked. It was just a simple question, but to Kai, it sounded like anger.
Kai dropped to his knees, bowing deeply.
"M-master, please forgive me... I won’t do it again. Please don’t be angry," Kai said, choking on his sobs as tears fell again.
Sylas looked at him. Seeing Kai cry like that made his chest ache. He reached out to pull him up.
But Kai resisted, holding Sylas’s hand to kiss it and resting his forehead against it.
"Please... don’t be angry." His tears soaked the back of Sylas’s hand. "I’m so sorry..."
Sylas felt his chest tighten. He forced Kai to stand and guided him back to sit on the bench.
Kai looked at him with teary eyes, his nose red. He sobbed like a child, struggling to breathe.
Sylas turned to Obi. "What did you do to him?"
Obi quickly stood in fear. "I didn’t do anything. He’s crying because of you. You wouldn’t accept his service."
Sylas frowned. "That’s not something you can force."
Obi looked at him. "But shouldn’t you accept it, since he’s your slave?"
"No. He’s not my slave. He’s no one’s slave. So stop treating him like one."
Obi went quiet, not understanding what Sylas meant.
Sylas looked at Kai. "Stop. Don’t cry over something . I refused not because I disliked you. And I’m not angry. I’m just not ready yet."
Kai stared at him. All he heard was that Sylas didn’t hate him, and that he wasn’t angry. His eyes stayed fixed on him.
Obi interrupted. "He’ll stay sad if you don’t touch him. It’s better if he goes back to Master Vlad. Master Vlad knows how to make him useful."
Sylas glared so sharply that Obi flinched.
"Kai isn’t going anywhere, and he’s not anyone’s slave. This has nothing to do with you, boy," Sylas said.
Obi opened his mouth to argue, but Sylas cut him off. "Go to sleep. Go to your room."
Obi pouted, unhappy. He still wanted to stay with Kai. He looked at him with pity, thinking Kai had an incompetent master.
Meanwhile, Sylas took Kai’s hand and led him away to the far corner of the garden, leaving Obi behind.
When they reached the gazebo and made sure no one else was around, Sylas sat Kai down. The young man was still crying. Sylas couldn’t help but hug him.
"Please, don’t cry," Sylas whispered, holding him tightly.
Kai swallowed hard, still sobbing, but shocked that Sylas was hugging him.
"You don’t have to serve me to make me happy. Just seeing you healthy and smiling is enough. I don’t want you doing this just because you think it’s your duty," Sylas said.
Kai took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. "B-but I’m not forced... I-I really want to serve you... I really like you..." he said softly. Newest update provıded by novel※fire.net
Sylas stayed quiet, rubbing his back gently. "You think of everyone as your master and feel like you have to like them. But you’re not a slave anymore. You don’t have to like anyone."
Kai swallowed hard. But he really did like Sylas. "I really like you..." he repeated again and again, muffled against Sylas’s chest as the man held him tighter.