Chapter 81: Chapter 81

Sylas walked carefully out of the bathroom and toward the sofa. The kitchen staff had already placed the warm food on the table. They didn’t know why Sylas had recently started asking them to send food to his room.

The prince had never done this before. Even when he was sick, he only ate fruit. He always went down to the dining room.

This was the first time Sylas had requested food to be brought up to his room.

It seemed like the rumors were true. Sylas had a favorite servant.

A servant who had caused senior staff like Marcus to be fired and punished. They were all curious how that servant had managed to charm Sylas.

Sylas sat and read documents for half an hour before returning to the bathroom to check on Kai. The slave was still asleep.

He decided to postpone lunch together because he still had a lot of work to do. But just as he was about to close the door, he saw Kai stir.

Sylas stood still, then smiled as Kai hurriedly got up upon seeing him.

"Get up. Aren’t you hungry?" Sylas asked, walking closer and grabbing Kai’s arm to help him stand.

Kai bowed his head, still half-asleep and panicked. He just obeyed.

"Why didn’t you eat your breakfast?" Sylas asked.

Kai looked at the food on the table and lowered his head. "I-I’m sorry, Master..."

"No. I asked, why didn’t you eat your breakfast?"

Kai went silent, afraid.

"Were you waiting for my orders?"

Kai stayed quiet, then nodded. He wasn’t allowed to eat unless his master told him to.

"So you’ll just leave the food untouched if I don’t tell you to eat?" Sylas asked.

Kai stayed quiet again. That was what he thought he was supposed to do, right?

"You must eat, no matter what. You get three meals a day, and you can’t be late for meals or you’ll get sick. If I give you food, whether I tell you to eat or not, you must eat it."

Kai listened to Sylas’s scolding. He didn’t know how many times he’d been scolded . He just bowed his head in fear.

"Do you understand what I’m saying?" Sylas continued, noticing how low Kai had bowed his head.

"Then don’t do it again. As long as there’s food in front of you, eat it. Don’t wait for me to tell you."

"Y-Yes, Master..." Kai replied softly. His throat was dry. His heart was pounding fast. Get full chapters from novel⸺fire.net

Sylas gently pulled Kai’s hand, leading him out of the bathroom and toward the sofa.

One of the kitchen staff looked at Sylas and said, "The food is cold, I’ll bring some fresh food, Your Highness."

But Sylas shook his head. "No, it’s okay."

He pulled Kai, who was walking unsteadily, to sit on the sofa. Then he sat down in front of the slave. He noticed that Kai had embroidered cloths wrapped around both hands, tied loosely with ropes.

Kai looked at the table full of food. Every day the meals looked different, with all kinds of dishes. But everything was always delicious.

This time, he didn’t know if Sylas would let him eat again. He glanced over and was surprised to see the servants carrying the food out of the bathroom.

They took his food away!

Anxiety showed clearly on Kai’s face. But he only bowed his head in resignation, looking sad.

Sylas noticed everything. He smiled slightly and gave the servant a signal to prepare the food.

Kai stared at the plate in front of him. There were slices of meat with white sauce on top.

"Eat," Sylas said, noticing Kai’s silence.

Kai nodded, confused because he’d been given new food again. But he stopped quickly when Sylas warned him.

"Use the fork," Sylas said, pointing to the utensil after seeing Kai about to use his hands again.

They ate in silence. Sylas kept looking at Kai, barely touching his own food. Instead, he watched Kai’s every move as if it was a new form of entertainment.

The slave was handsome, sweet, and adorable all at once. His expression was soft and submissive.

"What can you do, Kai?" Sylas asked.

Kai was focused on eating so he wouldn’t make a mistake, and Sylas’s question startled him. He quickly wiped his lips.

Then he went quiet. He didn’t really understand Sylas’s question.

"What can you do? I’ll arrange for you to be placed in the servant quarters," Sylas explained.

The servant quarters had many different jobs. Male servants with education would be placed in the main palace like Sean. But the lower servants had to use their physical strength more. They did tasks women couldn’t do, like chopping wood, lifting heavy things, or cleaning chimneys.

Sylas was a little worried that Kai might be made to do that kind of work.

"Anything, Master. I’m a bit slow, but I can do anything," Kai replied softly.

Back in Omino, he had often moved stones for construction, chopped wood for winter supplies, farmed, planted—everything depending on the season. Sometimes it also depended on his trainer.

Kai lowered his head, feeling sad and traumatized every time his trainer complained and moved him to a new section. He clenched his hands, remembering how they used to whip him harshly when he got sick. The pain was worse when he couldn’t even stand.

Kai swallowed hard. He was anxious and afraid Sylas might be disappointed in him.

He flinched when he felt Sylas’s hand gently touch his ear. He hadn’t expected that.

He quickly apologized.

"I-I’m sorry, Master..." He bowed deeply.

Sylas smiled. He touched Kai’s earlobe again, checking the wound, which had started to dry. Then he ordered the servant to bring food and leave.

Once they were alone with only the chamber guard nearby, Sylas stared seriously at Kai.

"Can you open your clothes? So I can see your wound," Sylas asked.

He only wanted to check the wound on Kai’s chest, but the slave took off all his upper clothes without hesitation and sat upright, head bowed.

Sylas hid his surprise. He looked at the wound on Kai’s chest, which still wasn’t completely dry. He was truly worried about letting Kai work in this condition.

But if he didn’t send Kai to work, he feared his father would order the slave to be sent out of the palace. And if that happened, it would be hard for him to keep an eye on Kai.

"What do you think, can you work?" Sylas asked.

Kai nodded firmly. He would do anything to please his master. He’d be happy if Sylas saw him as useful.

Sylas looked hesitant. But he had no choice. He asked the guard to call the royal doctor to examine Kai again today.