CHAPTER 134: BEHIND THE BUILDING

Kai stared at Alora as if she had just said the strangest thing he had ever heard. What did she mean by being friends?

Alora tilted her head and looked at Kai, who was silent.

"You don’t want to?"

"What do you want me to do?" asked Kai.

Alora laughed, furrowing her brow. "Be friends. You and I will be friends. I’m not asking you to do anything."

Kai still didn’t understand. He couldn’t imagine the word "friend" the way Alora said it. He might understand better if the girl wanted to be his master.

"All right, you’ll be my friend now," Alora decided. "We’ll help each other. If you’re in trouble, you can come find me, and I can come find you," she said.

Kai stayed silent, chewing his bread slowly, his head spinning. He was worried the girl might force him the way 1535 had. That girl had forced him to have sex in the bushes and got them into trouble.

In the end, he was always the one who felt guilty. What if this girl had the same intention, and they ended up being punished and expelled? What if the system in the palace was the same as in Omino?

Kai immediately shook his head, stuffed the rest of the bread in his mouth, and stood up. He saw Alora looking confused and surprised.

But Kai bowed respectfully before leaving the girl.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Alora put the rest of the food in her basket and ran after him.

When she grabbed his hand, Kai turned around and bowed fearfully.

"I’m sorry, but you can’t hold me," Kai said softly, feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t want to get the girl in trouble, and he didn’t want trouble himself.

Alora stared at him for a long moment before chuckling. "You’re so cute. I just want to be friends with you. Why are you so scared? Am I scary?"

Kai quickly shook his head. "N-no, but I already have a master..."

Alora was confused, then put her hands on her hips. "You know, with your attitude, you won’t make any friends. You’ll have a hard time wherever you go."

Kai stayed silent.

In the corner, he heard a girl talking loudly.

"Oh my god, the illegitimate child of an Earl is now trying to approach a servant?" The remark was clearly meant to be heard.

Kai didn’t understand what they meant, but he glanced at Alora and saw her expression change. She had been cheerful, but now she looked upset, her face reddening.

Kai stared at her. Alora stepped back and walked away, leaving him just like that. He stood there, confused. It was even more confusing because she looked angry.

Kai looked at the two girls walking away giggling. What did they mean? He felt bad if Alora was angry because of him.

But there was nothing he could do. Maybe next time he could talk to her. But he had to prepare himself if she had something in mind for him.

That afternoon, Sylas had just met Huron, then went to see Isla’s condition after hearing Alvaro say that Isla might be a spy for the wolf pack.

The man could move, but his body was still covered in bruises. Alvaro was more and more convinced that what Vlad said was true. But Sylas told him not to say or show anything if they suspected him. It was better this way. They had to find out who Isla was working for and why he was spying.

Sylas and Alvaro just looked at each other as they saw Isla’s condition. They tried hard not to talk about it along the corridor.

Sylas wanted to go to the study room right away, but he missed Kai so much. Last night, their meeting had been interrupted by the guards, and he had to go home in a hurry. He felt bad.

"Are you going to visit him? In the servant quarters?" asked Alvaro, since before Sylas had insisted on hiding their relationship.

Sylas nodded. "His Majesty already knows about Kai, and he approves of him being with me. I don’t need to hide it anymore. I’ll ask James to bring a teacher to the study room."

Alvaro shook his head. "You even pulled him out of the dormitory."

Sylas shook his head. "No. I just want him to study while waiting for the new school year instead of working in the servant quarters. I still want him to study with others, meet friends, and socialize. Even though I don’t want him to be a servant, he needs his current status to live without pressure."

Alvaro nodded. "I’m not sure he can make friends."

"Well, that worries me too. I’m afraid he’ll get hurt. Should I teach him how to use a sword?" Sylas thought aloud.

Alvaro looked at him and shook his head.

"Why?" asked Sylas.

"With his leg like that?"

"What about his leg? He can still use his hands well."

"Still, if he faces bad people, he’ll be killed before he can even take a step. What use is a sword to him?"

Sylas stared sharply at Alvaro, then sighed. "Why am I the one who’s offended now?"

Alvaro stayed quiet. He had forgotten how much the prince loved Kai. He quickly cleared his throat. "Well... if you want, you can train him in the barracks with the guards."

Sylas seemed to be thinking. "I should also teach him archery."

Alvaro took a deep breath. "You want to take him to war?"

"You don’t know what you’re up against in the palace."

Alvaro said nothing more. If that was what Sylas wanted, then so be it. Even though he didn’t know how Kai could train with swords and archery while also studying at the servant school. It seemed more likely to make the young man depressed than strong.

They went straight to the servant quarters. Their arrival surprised everyone. Servants bowed respectfully, looked at them curiously, then went back to work.

The kitchen master approached Sylas. "Your Highness, do you need anything?"

Sylas looked at the fat man in front of him. "Hi Gordon, how are you?"

"I’m good, Your Highness. But I hope I didn’t make a mistake that brought you here."

"It’s not my problem if you made a mistake." Sylas smiled. "Where’s the boy? Kai?"

Gordon looked around. He knew who Sylas meant, but he hadn’t seen the servant since morning.

"Maybe he’s in the laundry room, Your Highness."

But when Sylas went there, he didn’t see Kai. The guards helped search for him.

A few moments later, Alvaro pulled Sylas’s hand as they walked down the outer corridor by the back garden.

Sylas stopped. "What is it?"

Alvaro pointed to the corner of the garden, near the old well hidden by bushes. There, sticking out from the wall, he could see black pants. And a hand with a black bracelet.

Sylas looked concerned and walked closer. He moved carefully, making no noise. He peeked around the corner.

Kai was sitting against the wall, playing with a piece of wood in his hand. He seemed to be carving something with a small rusty piece of iron.

Sylas smiled slightly. "Feeling lonely?"

Kai jumped at the sound of Sylas’s voice. He turned his head, eyes wide, and quickly dropped the wood. Then he knelt down.

"M-Master..."

Sylas looked around. The area was covered with tall trees and an old unused well. There was a small space to sit by the wall, but it was dirty, covered in dust and dirt.

Sylas brushed the area clean and sat down in front of Kai. "Get up." He pulled the young man’s hand and made him sit on his lap.

Kai bowed his head, obeying. He glanced at Sylas before looking down again.

"Why are you here alone?" asked Sylas.

Kai stayed silent, his face sad. He was confused about how to explain. He just felt useless, and that made him uncomfortable.

"Master... I’m useless," Kai said quietly.

"Why do you say that?"

"I can’t do anything," Kai replied softly, almost whispering.

Sylas stroked his cheek. "They didn’t give you a job?"

Kai nodded.

Sylas sighed. He had expected this, considering how quickly things were done in the servant quarters. He couldn’t blame them. But he also didn’t want Kai to feel sad because of it.

Sylas pulled him close and pressed their bodies together. "Don’t worry, you’ll get a job tomorrow."

Kai’s eyes widened when Sylas’s lips touched his.

Warm.

He no longer thought about Sylas’s words, because the man kissed him again gently.

"We’d better go for a walk," Sylas said, pulling Kai out of his hiding place.

Kai didn’t know if he was allowed to leave while still on duty. But he didn’t dare refuse, and he liked being close to Sylas. So he just followed.

Alvaro followed too, pretending not to notice what the prince was doing. He was a living witness to how Sylas, usually so polite, was now bold enough to kiss someone in public.

He didn’t know if this was a good progress.