Sylas felt tired. His royal clothes were so tight they made him feel hot. He was grateful to finally be back in his room.
He walked with calm, steady steps. The sound of his shoes echoed in the corridor along with the footsteps of Amos and the guards.
As he passed through the living room, he heard someone calling. He turned his head at the same time as Amos, who was standing guard.
Elias’s guard came rushing over.
"Your Royal Highness, forgive me for disturbing you, but there’s something I must give you," he said, panting. The guard was one of Adrien’s trusted knights before being assigned to guard Elias.
"What is it?" Sylas asked, surprised. He rarely had any contact with Elias and wasn’t sure what business the man could possibly have with him.
"Lord Elias asked me to give this to you." The guard handed him a scroll.
But when Sylas was about to open it, the guard stopped him. "Lord Elias gave this letter to me personally. He wants you to read it alone, Your Royal Highness."
Sylas frowned but eventually nodded and quickly walked away. He was curious—what was so important that Elias would send a personal letter instead of meeting him face to face?
When he arrived at his room, Sean was already waiting and bowed respectfully to greet Sylas. He immediately stepped forward to help the prince undress, but Sylas refused.
"Not now, Sean. Can you leave me alone for a moment?" Sylas asked.
Sean was a little confused but not surprised. Sylas had refused to change his clothes right away several times when he had something urgent to handle. So Sean quickly left and waited outside the room.
Amos stood in the middle of the room. A guard was stationed in the corner. Sylas wasn’t concerned about the two of them.
He immediately sat down on the sofa and opened the scroll. The words were written in messy handwriting. Even though Elias had won the king’s heart, he had once been a lowly servant with no formal education. Even so, the message was clearly written.
And what it said made Sylas’s eyes widen. He stood up at once, burned the scroll, and walked out. Amos was startled and ran after him, his hand on his sword.
Sylas walked quickly through the side garden toward the servants’ quarters. He entered through the back door. Several guards and servants still lingering there looked surprised, but Sylas didn’t stop for their greetings and headed straight for the room at the end of the corridor. The source of this content ɪs novel·fıre·net
The kitchen master, who was in the kitchen at the time, was also startled. He hurried after Sylas.
"Your Royal Highness, do you need something?" the man asked.
Sylas didn’t slow his pace. "No, thank you. Return to your place," he replied.
The kitchen master stopped, confused. But he was still worried something might happen that would implicate him. He didn’t dare approach and chose to return.
The servants whispered among themselves, curious about what had brought the prince there. It was rare for him to visit the servants’ quarters.
The room at the end of the corridor was actually meant to be a storage room.
When Sylas arrived, he pushed open the slightly ajar door. His eyes scanned the area. The light inside was dim, lit only by a small lamp.
"Close the door," Sylas ordered Amos.
Amos immediately closed it, eyes alert. The room was stuffy and hot. His chest felt tight from all the dust in the air.
Sylas narrowed his eyes, staring at the unused furniture covered in dust. Then, his eyes locked onto something moving in the corner.
Amos quickly drew his sword, but Sylas stopped him.
Sylas stepped forward quickly, as if already knowing what he would find.
A figure was tied up in the corner of the room with a black cloth covering its head.
"Kai!" Sylas shouted, dropping to his knees beside the figure.
Amos was startled and rushed closer.
"Amos, untie him!" Sylas ordered, his heart pounding with panic.
He pulled off the cloth covering Kai’s face, revealing his red, pale features and closed eyes. Sylas quickly untied the rope around Kai’s mouth.
Amos used his sword to cut the rough ropes behind Kai’s back, while Sylas touched his neck and his nose to feel his breath. He sighed in relief when he felt Kai was still alive.
Amos cut the ropes binding Kai’s legs.
"Kai..." Sylas called, gently tapping his cheek. His anger grew. Who had left Kai tied up in such a suffocating room? How long had he been here?
Kai felt his body being shaken. He opened his eyes to a burst of light. It was no longer dark.
He tried to adjust. Then he realized his hands were free. He tried to move them, even though they were numb and painful.
But what truly made his eyes widen was the sight of Sylas crouching beside him, eyes filled with worry. He was stunned. He thought he must be dreaming. Or dead.
Sylas’s voice snapped him back to reality. The man’s touch confirmed this wasn’t a dream.
Kai felt his chest surge with hope and joy. He momentarily forgot the pain and tried to get up—but his body wouldn’t respond. His hands gave out, and he collapsed again.
Sylas helped him sit up, feeling how much Kai’s body trembled—even his hands.
Before Kai could steady himself, Sylas slipped one arm under his legs and another behind his back, carefully lifting him.
Kai was startled. He wanted to speak, but his throat was too dry. He only stared at Sylas’s tense face, studying his handsome features as they focused ahead.
Sylas carried Kai out of the room quickly, his steps firm and wide. The kitchen master and a few servants bowed respectfully as he passed with a young man in his arms.
They assumed it was the servant who had been punished in the storage room. The captain guard had brought him and told them not to touch him.
At that moment, James appeared and saw Sylas leaving the servants’ quarters. He immediately turned a sharp gaze toward the servants. No one dared speak.
"Whatever you saw here stays here. If it doesn’t, you know what’ll happen," James said calmly.
He had received orders from Huron to watch over Kai until Prince Sylas came to take him. His job was to keep everything under control to avoid palace rumors.
Meanwhile, back at the royal residence, the guards saw Sylas carrying a figure they assumed to be a servant. They remained silent and bowed.
Once in the room, Sylas told Sean—who looked confused—to prepare clothes and food.
Sean froze for a moment, trying to process what he’d just seen. Whose clothes were needed? Sylas’s clothes were already laid out. Panicked, he hurried away and told the kitchen staff to bring food to Sylas’s room.
Inside, Sylas laid Kai down on the bed. Kai felt extremely weak, hot, and trembling. But in that moment, all he could think about was not making Sylas angry.
As soon as Sylas let him go and stood beside the bed, Kai slid off and knelt in front of him.
"No, what are you doing?" Sylas snapped in surprise. He pulled Kai’s arm and made him sit on the bed.
Startled by the harsh tone, Kai froze. He dared not move, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bowed.
Sylas took a deep breath, still tired from carrying him. He reached out and gently touched Kai’s cheek, examining him closely. The scars from the prison earlier were healing. But Kai’s face was pale, his lips dry.
"Kai..." Sylas called softly, asking him to look up.
Kai glanced at him, clearly anxious, then looked down again. He felt out of place on the clean bed. He was afraid he might make it dirty. He tried to take up as little space as possible, sitting right at the edge. He didn’t even dare touch the linen blanket. His hands were tightly clasped in front of him.
"How do you feel?" Sylas asked.
Kai didn’t know. Pain was everywhere. He didn’t know where to start. But he definitely didn’t want to admit it. The weaker he seemed, the more likely he would be discarded.
So he just shook his head.
Sylas looked at Kai’s dirty body from head to toe. His eyes landed on Kai’s nervous, fidgeting hands. He couldn’t help but smile.
Finally, he felt relief. The slave was safe. Still alive.
He didn’t know how to thank Elias. The man had told him exactly where Kai was.
Kai had been meant for the workhouse in the city center—as a laborer. But Elias had asked General Huron to take him to the servants’ quarters temporarily.
Elias or Huron couldn’t stop Kai from being expelled if Adrien had already decided. But Elias had wanted Sylas to know where he was. If Kai ended up at the workhouse, Sylas would have to go after him himself.
"Thank goodness you’re safe," Sylas said, his voice calm and gentle now.
Kai looked up and met his smile. His face flushed instantly, and he quickly looked down.
"We need to clean you up."