Chapter 80: Chapter 80

The sky was cloudy that afternoon, easing the summer heat, though the air still felt sticky on the skin.

Amos walked from the main kitchen of the royal residence. His steps were wide and quick, completely ignoring his surroundings. But his senses were working perfectly.

His ears caught everything, even from the darkest corners.

"Did you know the slave with Prince Sylas is the one who tried to harm His Majesty? I heard it from Marcus. He got fired because of that slave. I feel bad for him. He served loyally for many, many, years."

"Be careful. Don’t you know we’re not allowed to talk about that anymore?"

"I’m just curious. What does the slave look like? How could the prince be so into him that he ignored the fact he tried to kill His Majesty?"

"Oh, stop it! Didn’t you hear they found the real culprit? Don’t spread rumors!"

Two servants were seen arguing as they walked down the hallway toward the servants’ quarters. One of them looked excited, while the other looked nervous and worried.

They turned into a narrower hallway to take the side corridor of the building when one of them suddenly froze.

The anxious maid now stared fearfully at her friend.

"Lea! What’s wrong?" she shouted.

The maid named Lea froze, the basket of clothes in her hands dropped to the floor, her body shoved hard against the wall. Her eyes rolled back, and she clutched her neck tightly as if trying to remove something invisible. Her body lifted into the air, legs kicking wildly, searching for a foothold.

The other maid panicked, stepping back. "Lea!" she screamed, calling for help. Her eyes widened as Lea’s body was wrapped in a purple glow.

"HELP!!" The maid ran quickly, dropping the basket of dry clothes she was holding. She screamed frantically as she rushed down the corridor, her body shaking in fear.

But then her body froze, her legs suddenly stopped moving. Her stomach turned nauseous and painful at the same time, as if something sharp was tearing her from the inside. Her face turned pale, and her body trembled in agony.

Her eyes turned red. Her body tensed, her stomach churned, and in an instant, she vomited fresh, black blood.

Her body shuddered. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her throat burned.

She rolled on the floor, staring at her hands glowing purple. Her whole body hurt so badly she didn’t know which part to hold first.

Her eyes widened as she saw a black shadow dart past her. With her final breath, she felt all her bones shatter in unbearable pain before her eyes closed.

Sylas walked slowly under the colonnade. His eyes scanned the garden beside him. The atmosphere was slightly quiet; at times , the servants usually walked farther from the colonnade to avoid the blazing sun.

But today felt gloomier. There was no direct sunlight, yet the garden was still quiet. Only a few guards moved back and forth in the corners.

Sylas continued walking, followed by guards behind him. Occasionally, he nodded in response to greetings from passing servants.

Then silence fell again.

But suddenly, loud cawing from crows filled the air. Sylas couldn’t take his eyes off them.

The birds perched along the palace roof and in the trees. He had never seen them gather in such numbers before.

Their presence made the palace feel eerie.

"What’s wrong with those birds?" Sylas asked.

A nearby guard answered, "They’ve been there for days, Your Highness. We’ve tried to chase them off, but they keep coming back."

Sylas fell silent. Of course, no one dared to harm the birds. Crows were known to be vengeful. They would hunt down anyone who killed their kin or flock. That was dangerous. Besides, people believed killing crows would bring misfortune.

But why were they circling the palace?

Sylas looked across the garden. Amos was walking quickly toward him. The knight looked like he was in a hurry.

Amos bowed respectfully. "Sean is ready in your room, Your Highness."

Sylas nodded. "Thank you, Amos. Go rest."

Amos stood still for a moment, watching Sylas as he walked away. Then he turned in the opposite direction, heading to his room in the guard’s quarters on the first floor.

When Sylas arrived in his room, he responded to Sean’s greeting and went straight to the bathroom, opening the door right away.

He stood in the doorway, waiting for Kai, who usually greeted him immediately. But this time, the slave was curled up asleep next to the table with the food still there.

The slave’s face looked peaceful.

For a moment, Sylas just stood there silently. Maybe Kai was tired.

He looked around. The bathroom floor was wet in some spots, with neatly folded cloths on the table. Once again, the slave had cleaned everything.

Sylas wondered if Kai now thought of the bathroom as his hom, especially since the slave had left his bed and stayed there last night.

He had to be more careful when giving Kai orders. He didn’t fully understand what the slave was thinking. Kai would follow any command without question. That was deeply concerning.

Sylas looked at the untouched food on the table. Even Kai’s breakfast portion was still there. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fıre·net

Had Kai not eaten all day?

Sylas gasped, remembering what Kai had said. It seemed the slave mentioned he wouldn’t eat unless told to. If that was true, would he really starve to death?

He remembered Kai giving him leaves in the forest. The slave could eat on his own back then. Maybe because he felt free, not under his control?

Did Kai not think of himself as having a master back then?

That meant Sylas’s presence made Kai feel restricted. The slave was scared to do anything. And he often cried over things he didn’t understand.

Sean walked toward the bathroom.

"Your Highness, lunch is ready—"

But Sylas cut him off quickly. "Shh!"

Sean looked at Kai with an unreadable expression.