Amos, who was standing alert in the middle of the room, ran into the bathroom. But he stopped at the doorway to see what was happening. He was ready to help if needed.
Sylas was kneeling beside Kai’s body, which lay on the cold bathroom floor. The slave’s body was curled up, naked and without a blanket.
Sylas was truly worried.
"Kai," Sylas called again, shaking the slave’s body several times.
When Kai moved, Sylas couldn’t hide his relief. Still, he kept rubbing Kai’s arm to help him wake up.
Kai opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Sylas and his worried face. He immediately widened his eyes in shock, quickly sitting up and assuming his usual position, bowing his head. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI(F)ire.net
"M-Master..." Kai realized he had woken up late, and his body tensed up, expecting punishment.
Sylas breathed a sigh of relief. At least the slave was okay. Then he looked at Kai from head to toe. He lifted the slave’s chin, making him look up.
Kai looked at Sylas. His eyes were red and swollen. His nose looked red too. He had spent the whole night crying over his own stupidity, and only an hour ago had he finally fallen asleep.
Sylas stared deeply at Kai, as if trying to see into his soul.
"Why are you crying?" he asked gently.
"And why are you sleeping here?" he added.
Kai heard the soft tone in Sylas’s voice. He didn’t know whether he had been forgiven or not. But his chest was still tight from crying. Tears started falling again.
"Tell me," Sylas said, pressing him to answer.
But instead of speaking, Kai cried even harder, quietly but uncontrollably.
Sylas let go of his chin and sighed, confused as to why the slave was suddenly crying. What had he done to make Kai this way?
He grabbed a bathrobe and wrapped it around Kai’s body, trying to pull him up.
But Kai didn’t move. Instead, he knelt with his head touching the floor, his sobs still audible.
"P-please don’t throw me away, Master..." Kai whispered through his sobs, barely audible.
He had tried so hard to never show weakness, holding back tears even when he was punished in Omino. But this time he couldn’t hold it in. He truly loved Sylas and didn’t want to be discarded just because he was stupid and useless.
Sylas didn’t want to wait any longer. He pulled Kai’s arm to help him stand.
Kai was startled, even more so when Sylas easily lifted him. He quickly grabbed Sylas’s shoulders for support. But Sylas held him tightly and steadily.
Kai stopped crying, looking at Sylas’s face from the side, trying to guess what the man was going to do.
Sylas’s face looked calm.
Kai came back to his senses when he felt his body being placed gently on the sofa. Sylas had sat him down carefully.
Kai bowed his head, clenching his hands nervously. The robe covering his body was open in the front. He was startled when Sylas pulled the robe together and tied the strings until Kai was fully covered.
Kai felt his heart racing. His face turned red with fear. His eyes were still blurry with tears, but he was too scared to move and wipe them away.
Sylas sat beside him.
There was a moment of silence.
Kai swallowed repeatedly.
Sean, who had just returned, and the room guard looked tense. Amos remained quiet, watching, though he kept turning away every time Kai’s image crossed his mind.
Sylas took Kai’s hand and held it firmly. "Tell me, why are you crying? Did I make you angry or sad?" he asked.
Kai swallowed hard, on the verge of crying again. He shook his head quickly, trying to answer because he knew Sylas didn’t like waiting. But his voice trembled, barely audible.
"I-I’m sorry, Master. I can’t serve you well." Kai let the tears fall again. "I’m trying, but..."
Kai broke down again, crying uncontrollably. His voice was choked by his sobs.
Sylas was confused. He had never asked the slave to do anything for him.
"Did I scold you?" Sylas asked.
Kai stayed silent, trying to calm his sobs. Then he shook his head.
"Okay, let me get this straight. You’re crying because you feel like you failed to serve me. But did I ever ask you to serve me?"
Kai sobbed again, then went quiet. His mind raced, trying to remember when Sylas had asked for anything. But last night, the man had asked him to sleep in the bed.
Kai stayed silent, looking down.
"And why did you sleep in the bathroom?" Sylas asked.
Kai looked at Sylas briefly before lowering his head again. Didn’t the man assign him to the bathroom?
"Kai, I never told you to serve me, or to sleep in the bathroom. While you’re here, you have the right to sleep in the bed, with me. I never said you couldn’t."
Sylas continued, "I told you to stay in the bathroom temporarily while I was out. It was for your safety. It didn’t mean you had to stay there forever. I’m not that kind of person, Kai."
Kai’s teeth began to chatter as he listened to Sylas’s words.
"Understand? I won’t treat you like that. So why are you crying? If you’re upset or angry at me, just say it clearly," Sylas said.
Kai swallowed hard. His body was trembling.
"You don’t need to be afraid of me. And one more thing, I don’t like weak people around me. If you’re weak, it’ll only make me worry."
Kai bowed his head. "I-I’m sorry, Master..."
Sylas took a deep breath, seeing Kai bow even lower. He didn’t know what Kai was thinking, but he pulled the slave closer and hugged him.
Amos and Sean were stunned, as were the guards, who quickly turned their faces away.
Kai blinked repeatedly, feeling Sylas’s arms wrap around him. The scent from the prince’s body made his face flush, especially with Sylas’s muscular build holding him so closely.
"Today, stay in the bathroom until I return. Don’t think I’m abandoning you. Everything I’ve done has been to protect you," Sylas said.
Kai felt his chest tighten, then warm. His face turned bright red.
"Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the servant quarters. You’ll get money for yourself." Sylas was certain that the only thing Kai needed now was money, so he could stand on his own feet.
But Kai had never handled money. He didn’t understand its value. So Sylas’s words only confused him.
All he knew was that he had to obey Sylas.
A pale-looking slave was moaning on Vlad’s bed. His naked body was covered in bite marks. He was breathing heavily, his eyes blank.
Vlad groaned in frustration. The pain in his head was unbearable. Even though he had drunk a lot of blood, his strength hadn’t returned.
The slave before him already looked like a corpse. John, standing nearby, didn’t dare say a word. It had been a long time since Vlad had been , so brutal and out of control.
Vlad’s face was deathly pale.
A vampire should never lose blood, because there’s no way to replace it. Vlad knew the consequences, and he did it anyway.
Even though his blood couldn’t be restored, he still had the ability to build his strength and energy. And that was exactly what he was trying to do now, even if it would take days.
But he was impatient. His longing for Alvaro made him reckless. He drank so much blood that he hurt his slaves.
Two slaves had taken their last breaths this morning. John was overwhelmed. He hoped Vlad would stop torturing them.
"Take him out. Bring me another," Vlad ordered in a hoarse voice, clutching his throbbing head.
He wanted to bring that man here. He couldn’t hold back. The tightness in his chest was torturing him again. He didn’t know how he had managed to survive twenty years of this pain.
Now Alvaro had appeared, and still, Vlad couldn’t reach him the way he wanted to.
John lifted the slave into his arms and carried him out. He felt sorry for the slave’s frail, emaciated body. He hoped he could still be saved.
Obi waited outside anxiously. When he saw John come out, he immediately rushed over.
"Varo is dead, John. I found his lifeless body in the room," Obi cried out.
John took a deep breath. "Help me take care of him."
Obi looked at the slave in John’s arms. "Oh, Gio. Are you okay?" he asked anxiously. He didn’t even recognize the slave. He looked so pale and starved.
He followed John into the slave’s room. "John, is the Master going to kill all the slaves?"
John shot Obi a sharp look. "Don’t say that."
Obi immediately went quiet. But three slaves had already died today. The male servants hadn’t even rested from digging graves, and now another slave was dead.
"Is the Master okay?" Obi finally asked. He couldn’t stay silent. He had never seen Vlad before. Usually, the vampire was strict and sometimes cruel, but never to the point of drinking a slave’s blood until they died.
John looked at the list of slave names. Hein. That slave would definitely die if he sent him in now. After thinking it through, John chose another slave who looked strong and healthy.
The slave cried, knowing what awaited him, especially after hearing about the ones who had died today. But of course, he had no choice but to follow John into the vampire’s chamber.