Kai fell asleep shortly after drinking the potion the doctor gave him. The potion contained painkillers and something to reduce fever, which also made him drowsy.
Sylas asked the guard in the room to leave because he was getting ready to sleep.
The guard stood there for a moment, hesitating. He looked at Kai, who was asleep on the sofa. According to palace rules, he wasn’t allowed to leave a member of the royal family alone with anyone, except their spouse.
But after considering that Kai looked weak and didn’t seem to carry any weapons, he finally bowed respectfully and left the room quickly.
Once they were alone, Sylas gently lifted Kai’s body onto the bed. He took the slave’s hand and looked at the numbers written there again.
He rubbed them lightly a few times, then looked at Kai with a pitying expression. The slave must have gone through so much because of that mark.
Sylas stared at the black mark, which blended into Kai’s skin. He could feel a faint groove there. It must be very difficult to remove.
Kai’s hand fell limply into his palm. Sylas held it gently. The slave’s skin was rough, his nails slightly dirty, and his fingers were slender for a man.
Sylas carefully rolled up Kai’s sleeve and looked at the long scars on his arm. There wasn’t a single part of Kai’s body untouched by wounds. Seeing them only made Sylas feel more sorry for him.
But he was relieved that the slave was finally with him. There was a trembling feeling in his chest—a strong desire to protect and care for him. The slave deserved a better life after everything he had endured.
He was certain that their meeting was fate. Maybe God had given him the chance to be a bridge for Kai to find a life he truly deserved.
Sylas gently rolled the sleeve back down. The slave looked so peaceful. He smiled a little and covered Kai’s body with a thin blanket.
He didn’t go to bed right away. Instead, he walked toward the balcony. His eyes looked out over the palace garden, dimly lit and peaceful.
His thoughts wandered. He had already sent a special force to search for the powerful wizard. He didn’t want to attract too much public attention—he wanted to avoid problems and didn’t want fake wizards to come out of nowhere asking for money.
Besides, the palace’s religious leaders would surely oppose anything related to magic. They were the ones behind the disbanding of the royal wizard order during King Adrien’s early rule. Since then, they had even replaced seers with doctors pretending to tell fortunes—completely ridiculous.
And ever since then, the royal wizards seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Sylas grew impatient for news, but it seemed like no one had found any clues about the wizard’s whereabouts.
He then walked to the table, took some newspapers and notes, and sat down on the sofa.
There was news about Ganesh. Sylas had gathered information to learn about that great kingdom, hoping to find a way to offer a cooperation deal instead of marriage.
Among all the reports, Sylas was most concerned about Ganesh’s behavior over the years. Besides being a powerful kingdom, Ganesh was also known for its authoritarian rule. They didn’t hesitate to raise their war flag just to protect their pride.
This made Sylas uneasy and cautious. He didn’t want to say anything that might offend them when they arrived.
Though he knew Eresia, he had never been interested in her. Eresia was the seventh and youngest daughter of King Obaze, who was infamous for his tyranny. Despite being a ruthless ruler, Obaze spoiled his daughters excessively, which made Sylas nervous every time he met Eresia.
The girl didn’t understand the word "no." Everyone had to obey her, even kneel before her.
Sylas didn’t know how he could possibly live with someone like that. Their short meetings already made him uncomfortable and eager to leave. The idea of marrying her was even worse.
She would cling to him every single day.
Sylas felt a chill run down his spine.
He quickly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly several times. He wished for a miracle to stop the marriage.
Sylas seriously studied political strategies and the Ganesh system, looking for loopholes. But he couldn’t find any weakness he could use as an alternative proposal for alliance.
He pressed his forehead in frustration.
Sylas furrowed his brow when he heard the whimper. He had momentarily forgotten Kai was in the room. He quickly turned around to check on him.
Kai whimpered again. This time it sounded even more painful.
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Sylas pushed the papers aside and walked over to the bed. He saw Kai curled up in the corner.
He didn’t understand why the slave always did that. It wasn’t the first time Kai had curled up in fear. Even when they were at Vlad’s manor, the slave had done the same thing.
Sylas climbed onto the bed and reached for Kai’s arm.
The slave’s breathing was uneven, sweat dripping from his forehead. His lips kept moving, mumbling something.
Sylas gently pulled Kai’s body back toward him.
"Kai," Sylas called, noticing the slave’s troubled breathing. He wiped the sweat from his face. Kai’s fever was gone, but he was still mumbling like he was in pain.
Sylas called him again, and on the third try, Kai finally opened his eyes. The slave was startled to see Sylas beside him.
Sylas was just as surprised when Kai suddenly sat up on his knees, lowering his head.
"M-Master..." Kai looked down, realizing he was in his master’s room. He must have fallen asleep, and that terrified him.
"I-I’m sorry... I fell asleep."
Kai shut his eyes, bracing himself for yelling or punishment for failing his duty as a slave, who was always supposed to stay alert. His fists clenched on his thighs.
But several minutes passed, and there was no sound.
This made Kai even more nervous. He swallowed hard, again and again.