"This is a reward for protecting the Crown Prince and bringing him back safely," said Huron, noticing Alvaro’s surprised expression.
Alvaro stayed silent. He had received both punishment and a reward. He looked at the general in front of him with a cold stare.
"I’m not sure I can accept it."
"This is a gift from His Majesty. And you have no right to refuse it," Huron replied.
Alvaro stared at the coins in silence. There were so many of them. Could he use them to buy land for his younger brother? Eldric was already eighteen years old. Right now, his brother was at Huron’s training camp and had become an unofficial guard. But Alvaro didn’t want him to become a knight in the palace. It would be better if Eldric farmed or traded, considering his childish nature.
Huron knew what Alvaro was thinking—he had expressed his wish to take Eldric out of the palace more than once.
"You can use it to buy anything. But you should know that the safest place for both of you is inside the palace."
Alvaro looked away. In front of Huron, he rarely spoke too much—it would only fuel the man’s anger.
He stood up, picked up the chest, and bowed respectfully before walking out. But his steps were stopped by Huron.
"I’m not finished," said Huron, forcing Alvaro to sit back down.
"Oh, General. I’m off duty, and you’re still keeping me busy," Alvaro said.
Huron clicked his tongue. "You dare talk back? Sit down!" he ordered.
Alvaro almost cursed, he wanted to leave right away. But eventually, he sat back down, hoping this would all be over soon.
Huron stared at Alvaro intently. "Who is that woman?" he asked seriously.
Alvaro looked confused. "Woman?" Get full chapters from novel fire.net
"Who were you with in the palace?" Huron clarified.
Alvaro immediately felt his face heat up—he knew exactly where this was going. Damn it, Huron wasn’t going to let this go.
"There was no woman. I just got bitten by a lot of mosquitoes," Alvaro lied.
"Mosquitoes? With all those lip marks?" Huron scoffed.
"I don’t care who you marry, as long as you love her. But you know what’ll happen if you’re caught sleeping with a servant. You’ll both be kicked out of the palace without honor," Huron warned.
A good reputation was everything to the general. He didn’t want Alvaro to ruin his name just because he couldn’t control himself.
Love stories in the palace never ended well. Couples were only allowed to marry if the woman agreed to leave her position.
But if they were caught having sex before marriage, both would be punished and expelled. If one of them was a guard, Huron would personally decide the military punishment.
And he had to be even stricter with Alvaro to avoid unpleasant rumors.
Alvaro didn’t argue. "She’s not a servant," he said.
Huron’s eyes narrowed, waiting for more.
"She’s not a servant, and I don’t have a lover, if that’s what you’re asking," Alvaro added, trying to stay calm.
Huron narrowed his eyes even more. "Are you messing around with brothel women?"
The old man couldn’t believe it. Alvaro, his well-known, hardheaded adopted son and a decent man, had been sneaking off with women?
Alvaro was just as shocked by the accusation. But what could he say?
He stood up. He didn’t want to stay any longer.
"Alvaro," Huron’s voice stopped him.
"I know many noble women from good families. They’d be happy to marry you. If you really want a wife, I can arrange a meeting," Huron offered.
Alvaro let out a long sigh. He looked at Huron and bowed respectfully. "I must go. And you don’t need to bother, because I don’t like women."
Huron froze, stunned. But before he could ask anything else, Alvaro had already disappeared like a flash.
"That boy!" Huron shouted angrily.
He stood there for a while, stunned. His heart was racing. He hadn’t expected Alvaro to say that. He likes men?
Huron’s eyes widened.
Don’t tell me... Alvaro and Sylas...
He clutched his chest, feeling like he might have a heart attack. Wild thoughts raced through his mind.
No wonder Sylas had tried so hard to protect him from punishment. And those kiss marks...
Huron’s face flushed. Sylas... the gentle prince, was that wild?
Sylas entered the room and saw Sean already waiting inside.
The man bowed respectfully. "Welcome, Your Royal Highness."
Sylas nodded. "Good evening, Sean."
Sean stood at attention, watching Sylas walk past. After a few steps, Sylas paused.
"Can you prepare dinner here?" he asked.
Sean nodded right away. "Yes, Your Highness."
Although the dining room was already set, Sean didn’t say anything and went to instruct the staff to prepare the meal immediately.
When he came back, Sylas was gone. But Amos was standing silently in the middle of the room, which meant Sylas was still nearby. Was he going to take a bath?
Sean quickly called the bathroom attendant.
As Sylas stepped into the bathroom, he was greeted by Kai, who was kneeling with his head lowered to the floor.
"Kai." Sylas took the slave’s arm and gently helped him sit up.
Kai knelt in a half-seated position, looking up at Sylas with a bright expression. It seemed like he had been waiting for Sylas to arrive.
Sylas shook his head, still not used to the slave’s behavior. He looked at Kai’s clothes, which were damp in a few spots.
"What did you do?" he asked, glancing around. The bathroom was wet, and damp cloths were neatly arranged on the table.
It seemed unlikely that someone else had cleaned the bathroom. But judging by Kai’s damp clothes, it looked like he had done it himself.
Sylas took a breath and smiled. "You cleaned all this? You know, you didn’t have to."
Kai went quiet, his smile fading as he bowed his head. His hands were clasped nervously. He was afraid he might make Sylas angry. Maybe he shouldn’t have touched anything in the room.