Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Sylas bowed his head. He knew his father would do anything for that plan. And he knew that sooner or later, he would have to make a decision about the marriage. It was something he couldn’t avoid.

For that reason, Sylas agreed. There was a life that had to be saved.

"Alright, I accept the terms," Sylas said. His heart still wasn’t convinced, but he was sure there was no other way.

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, this important marriage issue was resolved, even though he would have to work extra hard to pay for it.

"He will be exiled," Adrien said. Kai couldn’t stay in the palace with Sylas.

Sylas stood up. He stared at Adrien for a moment, trying to understand how he truly felt about the decision. Could he let Kai go?

The problem wasn’t just about his feelings, but also about the slave. He was sure Kai would come looking for him. He feared the slave might encounter people like Vlad again, or worse. If the slave could live a normal life like any other human, he might not be this worried. Plus, there was a heavy feeling inside him about leaving him behind.

"Please, let him be a servant in the palace," Sylas pleaded.

"He will be executed or he must leave the palace," Adrien declared.

"I agreed to the marriage terms, even though Father knew I strongly opposed them. Just this once, let me keep someone I want to protect." Sylas looked at Adrien seriously. That man had already killed the servant he once loved. That was enough. Didn’t he have the right to love?

Though his feelings for Kai weren’t yet fully love, he was sure he wanted to protect the slave. He wanted Kai by his side.

But it seemed Adrien’s decision was final.

Sylas turned away, his heart feeling heavy—disappointed, angry, and frustrated. He knew his behavior was immature this time. He simply bowed his head before leaving Adrien’s room without saying a word.

Alvaro immediately ran after him. He was quite surprised by the prince’s behavior. Sylas was usually very obedient and kept his composure.

Adrien just stared at Sylas as he left in silence, feeling the tension between them. He could see the disappointment in his son’s eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke to Gilbert. "Send an invitation to Ganesh."

Gilbert nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Adrien then looked at Elias, who was peeling an apple until there was no flesh left.

"You’ll cut your hand," Adrien said, grabbing the man’s hand to stop him.

He knew Elias was anxious. He took the apple and knife from the man’s hands and pulled Elias closer to him.

"I can’t chase you now, so come closer to me," Adrien said.

Elias crawled onto the bed and sat next to the king, resting his head on the man’s chest.

Adrien embraced the small body. "Tell me." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NovelHub(.)net

Elias pouted. "Would Your Majesty just stay silent if someone asked me to stay away from you?" he asked.

"You know Prince Sylas has feelings for that servant. You’ve already made the biggest mistake of your life. I hope he can still respect you after what you did to him."

"He is an heir to the throne. He must be able to get over it."

Elias bowed his head. "He also deserves to be happy. Just like you, just like me. I can’t imagine if you had let me go like that back then."

"Elias, you know I would never let you go."

"Your Highness, you abandoned me several times," Elias reminded him, frowning.

Adrien took a deep breath. Elias always brought that up. "I had no other choice. It was the only thing I could do to protect you."

"Whatever it is, be kind to your son. He deserves to love and be loved. What kind of king would he be without love? He would sacrifice so much for the kingdom. At least give him a chance to find happiness."

Adrien stared at his lover, smiled quietly. Then kissed Elias’s head. "I know what I’m doing."

Alvaro knew Sylas was in a bad mood, but he had to leave that afternoon.

"Your Highness, I must meet General Huron. I will ask Amos to come."

Sylas stopped in the middle of the corridor. Though he was the father of the child, Alvaro rarely wanted to meet Huron unless there was a problem.

"Why?" Sylas asked, worried.

Alvaro hesitated to speak, but Sylas’s gaze was demanding. When he didn’t answer, the prince grew angry. His mood was bad, and it was the first time Sylas had looked at him like that, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Tell me, what happened?" Sylas demanded impatiently.

Alvaro had no choice. "I must face military punishment. You know, I shouldn’t have sent the guards back to the palace and put you in danger. That was a fatal mistake. I admit I was wrong," Alvaro said.

Sylas remained silent, as the decision had come from him. If someone had to be punished, then he should be the one to receive it. "We’ll go together."

Alvaro wanted to speak, but how could he take Sylas with him now? However, Sylas didn’t care. He asked his horse to take him to the military training barracks.

Alvaro was already dejected, especially seeing Sylas and his group of guards walking alongside him. He didn’t want to be flogged in front of everyone. That would be humiliating.

The summons had been delivered to Alvaro last night. It seemed Huron wasn’t wasting any chance to show his authority. When they entered the field usually used for training, the area was unusually quiet.

The soldiers stood at the sides of the field, leaving the center empty. Alvaro immediately felt sick. Huron was surely using this moment to humiliate him under the pretext of teaching the others a lesson.

Huron was already standing on the side of a taller building, which they called the judgment area. The man looked surprised to see Sylas arrive. So did the soldiers.

As soon as Sylas stepped down from his horse, they knelt together to show their respect. They stood up straight when the prince raised his hand.

Huron bowed respectfully. "Your Royal Highness, what brings you here? You shouldn’t be practicing sword fighting at this time."

Sylas nodded. "You are right, General. But I cannot let Alvaro face punishment alone. He followed my orders, so I must come."

Huron looked at Alvaro before turning back to Sylas. "Forgive me, Your Highness. But you know no one is allowed to interfere in a military trial when it is necessary."

Sylas nodded. "I know, General. That’s why I came. I deserve to be punished alongside Alvaro."