CHAPTER 46: FINE, LET’S GO TO THE PALACE

Kai was overwhelmed by pain as two guards dragged him away. They dragged him because he couldn’t keep up with their fast pace.

He didn’t know where they were taking him. Along the way, he passed many corridors lined with towering walls. Beautiful paintings and ornaments decorated the walls.

Kai groaned as they descended the rough stone stairs. His feet ached, but the two guards didn’t care at all, dragging him quickly as if they were chasing a target.

Kai didn’t care where he was; he focused on placing each foot carefully as the guards dragged him along, trying to ease the pain.

"Ugh!" Kai cried out as his body was roughly shoved into a small cell. His arms hit the uneven stone floor first.

Before Kai could react, the iron door of the cell was locked, and the guards left without a word.

Kai grimaced in pain as he tried to get up. His legs were scraped and sore. He looked around. He was in a prison with stone walls and iron-barred doors. He could see the front area of the small prison.

In front of him were several similar cells. But his gaze quickly locked onto the scene in the cell across from him. His eyes widened in horror.

A man was hanging there, wearing only his underwear. His body was covered in blood from whipping—or who knows what else. The man looked unconscious, his hands bound in chains hanging from the ceiling.

Kai frowned and moved to the corner of the cell. What would happen to him? Why was he imprisoned? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Did they think he was a spy?

Kai felt his body start to shiver with fear. The images of punishment and whippings made his head ache and his stomach twist.

"Master..." he called out softly, hoping Sylas would come and take him away. Where had they taken his master? Was the man okay?

"Hey! Who are you?!"

Kai jumped when a club was banged against the cell door several times. A man wearing the same uniform as the guards who brought him stared sharply at him.

Kai couldn’t speak. His tongue was tied. He pressed himself closer to the wall, terrified.

Then another man appeared behind the first.

"James sent him. He came with Duke Terion," he said.

"Is he part of the Misil gang?" asked the first guard.

The second guard shrugged. "I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough. I think he’s the spy who killed General Huron’s men," he said, looking suspicious.

Then the prison door opened. Kai grew even more afraid, especially when the two of them stepped inside.

One of the guards crouched down in front of him, staring intently.

Kai lowered his head.

"Who sent you?" the man asked.

Kai swallowed hard. He didn’t understand the question. He looked up briefly before lowering his head again.

"Answer me!" the man snapped, roughly grabbing Kai’s hair.

Kai winced in pain, grabbing the man’s arm. "Nghh... M-Master... P-please don’t hurt me..."

The guard stared at him in silence. The young man didn’t look like a spy. Spies were trained to handle situations like this. They usually looked tough and alert. But this young man looked so fragile. His eyes were filled with fear, and his body was trembling.

The guard noticed the red marks on Kai’s neck and several scars on his skin.

Kai tried to resist when the guard attempted to remove his upper clothing. But that only made the guard angrier, and he roughly pulled Kai’s clothes open.

"Damn..." the guard muttered when he saw the scars on Kai’s body.

His frail, muscle-less frame clearly didn’t belong to a trained spy. But where did those scars come from?

"Where are you from?" the guard asked in a quieter voice.

Kai swallowed hard, still being held by the hair. "O-Omino, Master..."

The guard frowned. He had never seen anyone from Omino before. Just hearing the name was frightening. That place was filled with crime and cruelty. And now here was someone from Omino, inside the palace.

With a body full of wounds.

The guard looked at the upper part of Kai’s waist. There were numbers tattooed there.

"Isn’t that a slave camp? They train and sell slaves," said the guard who’d been watching.

The first guard looked back at Kai. "Are you a slave?"

Kai nodded slowly.

Then the guard let go of his hair. "Were you sent to kill the prince?" he asked, still believing Kai was connected to the group that had killed the general’s men.

After all, slaves were considered disposable. Someone could use a slave to get close to the prince and kill him. If caught, no one would be affected.

Kai quickly shook his head. "N-no, I didn’t kill anyone. I was just following my master..."

At that moment, another guard arrived.

"The captain is coming. Prepare him for interrogation!" he said.

The two guards nodded and pulled Kai to his feet.

"Take off your clothes," one of them ordered.

Kai immediately undressed without hesitation. He was used to being naked, but punishment still scared him. What were they going to do?

***

At Vlad’s residence.

"I don’t care, I have to go to the palace!" Alvaro was practically breathing fire from anger.

"Fiiine... I’m just trying to be rational, and you know I have to protect you," Vlad said, pulling Alvaro—whose hands were bound—onto his lap. He stretched out on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"I don’t care!" Alvaro wasn’t even cursing anymore. He was exhausted. But the situation with Sylas couldn’t be ignored.

"If you go to the palace, you’ll just become the scapegoat. If the prince is found guilty, you’ll be executed. If he’s not, you’ll be punished for failing to protect him. So why are you so determined—"

"Believe me, I don’t care anymore! I just want to go back to the palace. Now!"

Vlad chuckled. "Leave my comfortable home? To die?"

Alvaro glared. "First, no one would want to be a prisoner of a madman like you. Second, it’s my duty to die protecting the prince. Third—"

Vlad interrupted him by kissing his lips, which had been moving nonstop. Alvaro was extremely annoyed.

"Besides being crazy, you’re also a pervert and a freak!"

Vlad smiled. He wasn’t offended at all. Seeing Alvaro only made him happier. A new Larue model—adorable and wild. A real challenge to tame.

He even had to tie the man up all the time because he was sure Alvaro would run away the first chance he got. And he didn’t want that to happen.

"Alright, let’s go to the palace. But you promised to let me visit you whenever I want. If not, you know what will happen to your brother," Vlad said.

Of course, he wouldn’t just let go of a lover he hadn’t conquered yet. He was sure that once Alvaro reached the palace, he’d cause trouble. Alvaro would make the guards capture him. He wouldn’t lose in strength, but he didn’t want trouble with the palace guards—it would be too much of a hassle.

Vlad chose a more subtle approach. He knew where the man’s brother was. And Alvaro knew that Vlad never made empty threats.

Alvaro had no other choice. "As you wish."

Vlad smirked, kissing the tip of Alvaro’s nose, making the man turn his face away.

"Kiss me," Vlad whispered.

Alvaro sighed. He knew resistance was pointless. Finally, he kissed the vampire quickly.

But Vlad moved fast, pulling Alvaro closer and kissing him passionately. Alvaro tried to push him away, but in the end, he gave up.

***

The palace guards were more alert than usual. They patrolled constantly, making sure every corner was secure.

And when the wind blew hard enough to cast black shadows flickering across the trees in the palace garden, they grew uneasy.

"What was that?" one guard asked, gripping his sword.

He wasn’t the only one; several guards had seen it. Something had flown by and landed on the palace roof, then darted away quickly.

They immediately alerted the other guards to stay cautious and search the area.

It couldn’t have been a bird. The shadow was too big.

Meanwhile, Vlad—the one responsible—landed on Sylas’s balcony. He gently lowered Alvaro, but the guard reacted violently and shoved him before running quickly into the room.

Vlad clicked his tongue. But he couldn’t stay any longer. Morning was approaching. He quickly vanished.

Alvaro saw him disappear as he entered the room, feeling a deep sense of relief. It was like the iron chains holding him down had suddenly broken.

When he walked in, he saw Sylas asleep on the sofa. He looked around. There was no one else.

The prince was alone.

Alvaro stepped carefully and sat on the sofa across from Sylas, staring at the prince’s peaceful face.

He sat there in silence. He felt like he had failed to protect him. And even now, he wasn’t ashamed to return. He would do anything to prove Sylas had nothing to do with the accusations.

If that was the last thing he could do. He knew he’d face punishment for hurting the prince. But he was ready to die for it.