Obi approached Alvaro cautiously, even though the man was tied up. He gently and carefully rubbed Alvaro’s body, since it was clear Alvaro didn’t like being touched.
"You better save your strength. You’re not getting out of here," John warned him. He added some powder to the water, and the scent of flowers filled the air.
Alvaro grimaced. He didn’t deserve to be treated ! But he knew he couldn’t do anything about it. He had to think. The only way out was to stay calm and try to convince them.
"I need to get out of here. I’m protecting a prince. What can I do to make you help me?" Alvaro asked, trying to sound more composed.
"Don’t count on it. I don’t care who you are. Here, you’re just a slave who serves Master Vlad," John said.
Alvaro didn’t like hearing that. But for now, he had no choice but to play along while he searched for a way out.
He tried to stay calm as Obi touched his private area, making him uncomfortable. Even though they were underwater, he still felt ticklish. He had never been treated in his life.
He was the son of a strong, independent general. But now, he felt like a prostitute.
"Who is this Master you keep praising?" Alvaro asked, breaking the silence and awkwardness.
John replied, "The Master is your master. You don’t need to know anything else."
Judging by the man’s strength and speed, it was clear Vlad wasn’t human. And the name John had mentioned earlier seemed familiar.
’Don’t tell me that man is the vampire everyone fears?’ Alvaro thought.
"Is he Lord Vlad?" Alvaro asked directly.
John went quiet. It seemed he didn’t want to talk about it.
That only confirmed Alvaro’s suspicion. And if it was true, then his luck was worse than he thought. Out of all the enemies he could have faced, why did it have to be him?
Vlad was known to support the nobles who backed King Adrien. The problem was, the king’s supporters had their own goals. They didn’t truly care about King Adrien’s rule. They could switch sides anytime if it benefited them.
Alvaro realized that many of the king’s supporters didn’t like Sylas. The prince was gentle and soft-hearted, but also stubborn and hard to control.
They had a better option: Prince Virouse. He was ambitious and manipulative. It wouldn’t be hard for him to convince others of the benefits if he became king.
Alvaro was deeply worried. If that happened, King Adrien’s power would collapse—and so would Sylas.
And that meant Alvaro would be destroyed too.
He clenched his fist. He still held a grudge against the general who was now in power, because his father had died because of that man.
Obi froze when he felt Alvaro’s hand tense. He was scared of being punched, even though Alvaro’s hands were tied.
Alvaro took a deep breath, snapping out of his thoughts. He had to figure out how to negotiate with Vlad.
Who was that? Why did Vlad keep saying that name?
"Who’s Larue? Why does he keep calling me that?" Alvaro asked.
John stroked Alvaro’s hair and dried it. "Larue was Master Vlad’s beloved. He died twenty-five years ago."
Alvaro sighed. So he was dealing with someone who was still in love and hadn’t moved on. Why was he caught in the middle of it?
"What does that have to do with me? Do I look like Larue?" Alvaro asked, frustrated.
John looked at him seriously. Larue had been a sweet slave—very obedient, but also cheerful even under pressure. He was gentle and kind.
Meanwhile, Alvaro... was the complete opposite. But John understood why Vlad thought Alvaro was Larue’s reincarnation. When he first saw Alvaro, he thought Larue had come back from the dead.
Their faces were similar, but Alvaro looked much more serious and fierce.
"You resemble him," John said. He tried to help Alvaro accept his situation, because he knew Vlad wouldn’t let him go easily. After seeing how heartbroken Vlad had been for the past twenty-five years, John was sure his master would never stop watching Alvaro.
Alvaro shook his head. "Does it make sense for someone who’s dead to come back to life? Tell him he’s wrong! Let me go!" Alvaro said angrily.
John couldn’t believe this was happening so fast. Usually, it took decades or even centuries to find a soul linked to a past life. Still, he wouldn’t ruin Vlad’s happiness.
"The sooner you accept your situation, the easier it’ll be for you. Don’t make Master angry, or you know what’ll happen," John warned. He had already been kind enough to explain—what happened next was up to Alvaro.
Alvaro frowned. It seemed there was no way out other than accepting his fate. He was still lost in thought when John carefully lifted his legs out of the water.
"What are you doing?" Alvaro snapped as John placed something under his tied legs.
"Master doesn’t like body hair on his slaves. I’m going to shave all the hair off your body—except your head," John said.
"What?" Alvaro cried, horrified. The hair on his body was a symbol of masculinity. How could they just shave it off?
But no matter how much he struggled or refused, it didn’t help.
"Aaaarghhhh!!" he screamed angrily, loud enough to wake everyone in the manor. But even with all the noise, John managed to get him clean and smooth.
"You’ll regret this! I swear!" Alvaro shouted.
John didn’t care. He dried Alvaro’s body, wrapped him in a cloth, and carried him back to Vlad’s room.
Alvaro was still mourning his lost body hair, too exhausted to fight back. He gave up and let himself be carried. That made it easier for John.
What would Vlad do with him now? Alvaro couldn’t even imagine.
"Shit..." He murmured all the way.