Chapter 82: Chapter 82

At a small lake behind the royal family’s residence, Adrien sat under a tree with Elias beside him. He had no idea how many times he had to beg the man to sit with him. He even had to shed tears just to get Elias to agree.

But finally, here he was. The painter sat not far from them, stroking his brush across the canvas, painting a portrait of the two of them.

"You’re going to make our painting look like a ghost painting, Elias," Adrien joked.

Elias didn’t change his expression. "This is much more horrifying, Your Majesty. What if—"

"Mm, no! Don’t say anything, don’t think about anything. I just want to have our picture together," Adrien cut in quickly before they got into another argument.

Elias finally fell silent. He knew Adrien had wanted a painting of the two of them for a long time. This was the first time he couldn’t refuse. Maybe deep down, he wanted it too.

Adrien even refused to use a wheelchair. He didn’t want to look weak in the painting. He wanted to look "worthy" beside Elias.

After all that, how could Elias say no? Elias would only feel guilty if he made the king sad.

Elias stared at Adrien intently. He couldn’t hide his smile when the king played with his face and laughed.

Elias looked down, hiding his small laugh. But the moment was captured by the painter, who remembered every detail of the two of them.

Everyone wants something beautiful to remember. The painter understood that. Ten or twenty years from now, they would look at the painting and smile at the memory.

"How is the servant? Is he okay?" Adrien asked.

Elias looked at Adrien with a confused expression. "Servant?"

"I know you saved Sylas’s servant."

Elias immediately put on an innocent face and grinned.

"Oh, you know about that?"

Adrien chuckled. "How many years have you been with me, Elias? I know what happens in every corner of the palace."

Elias bowed his head. He knew Adrien wouldn’t scold him, but he didn’t expect the king to know he was the one who helped Sylas.

"Prince Sylas loves that servant so much. The guards said he ran straight to his room with him."

Adrien shook his head. "That’s really bad. You know that."

"I couldn’t do anything, Your Majesty. But I don’t regret it, not after seeing him so happy."

Adrien clicked his tongue. "You’re more like his parent than I am."

"You know you could do better, Your Majesty."

Adrien chuckled softly. "What will we do if he becomes obsessed with that servant and abandons his duties?"

"Hasn’t he been helping you a lot lately? Is his performance poor?" Elias asked.

Adrien fell silent. Sylas lacked experience in many areas, but his son was very responsible. Especially lately, he seemed so enthusiastic, piling up more and more reports on his desk.

He shouldn’t be worried about Sylas’s love life. But he knew that the servant’s fate would only get worse if Sylas married Eresia. They would both suffer.

Still, he didn’t want to give up on his plan. The relationship with Ganesh was the only thing that could secure Sylas’s position as king in the future. He didn’t want to leave his son living in fear, especially with how cunning Virouse and his other cousins were.

"I hope they can live a better life in the future," Adrien said.

Elias remained silent. He knew what the king meant. He hoped for the same.

After leaving the lake, they wandered around the area for a while. Gilbert came to deliver news from the servant quarters.

"Dead? Inside the palace?" Adrien asked, shocked. Not only were two servants dead. They looked like they had been murdered when the scene was discovered.

"Several servants were possessed earlier today. The servant quarters are in chaos right now," Gilbert continued.

"Did they find the killer?" Adrien asked. That was the most important thing.

Gilbert shook his head. "There was no one around them. And the guards have searched the entire palace. There are no traces, Your Majesty."

That was even more frightening. "That means whoever the murderer is, he’s still roaming around inside the palace?"

Gilbert fell silent. Then he spoke again. "General Huron has ordered his guards to investigate this matter, Your Majesty."

Adrien was still at a loss. How could two servants be murdered inside the palace, with such tight security?

"Investigate thoroughly and quickly," said Adrien. He wanted to know who was behind all this.

That night, he returned to his room and summoned Huron. But the general had no good news to report.

"The killer is like he never existed. There were no traces on the bodies of the two servants. It was as if they had died suddenly. But their bodies show signs of severe trauma and physical injuries," Huron said.

"But the palace investigators are already on the case. You have nothing to worry about, Your Majesty. Security has been tightened everywhere."

Adrien fell silent. "What about Sylas? Is he okay?"

Huron nodded. "I’ve sent additional guards to Prince Sylas’s quarters."

"Keep a close eye on every corner, General. If he leaves no trace, it means he’s very dangerous."

Huron nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. We will be more careful."

They talked about many things until Adrien brought up Sylas again. Huron seemed to hesitate before speaking. He stared at the king intently.

"Your Majesty, Prince Sylas wants Alvaro’s suspension to be revoked. He told me personally," Huron began.

Adrien frowned. "Why? I already told you there’s no need to be so strict. Alvaro has been taking good care of Sylas. You’re being too hard on him."

Huron shook his head. "He deserves it. He needs to understand how important his duty is to protect the prince. He was negligent, and that’s a fitting punishment."

Adrien stayed quiet, knowing how stubborn Huron could be. They weren’t particularly close, but he knew Alvaro, who was like a son to him.

"The situation is unstable right now. It would be better if he’s by Sylas’s side to protect him," Adrien said.

Huron lowered his head. He tried to hold back, but eventually, he couldn’t hide it anymore.

"Your Majesty, the two of them worry me. I think Prince Sylas and Alvaro have a relationship that..."

Huron trailed off. Adrien furrowed his brow, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I can’t explain it. But I think they’re involved in a romantic relationship, Your Majesty." Huron was worried about what would happen to Alvaro. But he was sure Adrien wouldn’t just kick him out. In fact, he wanted the king to know and be prepared in case something happened.

Adrien and Elias, who was standing beside him, looked at each other in surprise. This was completely unexpected.

"You mean Sylas and Alvaro are in love?" Adrien asked.

Huron sighed. "Please forgive the boy. I failed to see the signs of their relationship until it got to this point."

"What do you mean? How far has their relationship gone?" Adrien asked.

Huron fell silent. He couldn’t even describe it clearly. What were the signs of love on Alvaro’s body?

Adrien couldn’t believe it, especially seeing Huron’s expression.

"They’ve been sleeping together?"

Adrien and Elias exchanged glances again. All this time, they had been mistaken. They thought Sylas was in love with the servant. Turns out Sylas and Alvaro...

What a huge revelation.

"Oh, well. If it’s Alvaro, I’ll approve," Adrien said after calming down.

Alvaro was a knight; he would protect Sylas well. Plus, in terms of status, Alvaro was far better than a servant. Even after Sylas married Eresia, they could still spend time together. That was truly beneficial for Sylas.

Huron was speechless. The king approved? Just like that?

Of all the possible reactions, Adrien’s was the last thing Huron had expected.

"Your Majesty... they’re in a relationship. Like husband and wife," Huron clarified. Googlᴇ search novel fire.net

Adrien chuckled. "I didn’t expect my son to handle it so well." When he had the servant Sylas loved before executed, he was quite worried. When he heard that the servant had still been untouched, he feared Sylas was struggling to form a connection.

But it turned out the man still had desires. He was relieved.

"Oh, Your Majesty. You won’t let them be together, will you?" Huron asked, clearly worried.

Adrien paused for a moment, then looked at Huron. "Lift the suspension, General. Let Alvaro watch over Sylas."

Huron took a deep breath. This wasn’t what he wanted. How could Adrien allow them to be together?

Meanwhile, in Sylas’s room...

He had just taken a bath and made sure Kai had bathed too. The doctor came and gave him more medicine.

At dinner, Sylas invited the slave to the dining room, which caused quite a stir. There was whispering among the servants.

Sylas had heard the news about the incident in the servant quarters, and he got additional guards. He didn’t want to leave Kai alone in the room. But he also didn’t want to eat in his room every night.

Kai sat tensely, looking at the many servants standing around him, bowing their heads. He felt watched and judged. He kept looking at Sylas, who seemed so calm sitting at the end of the table.

The table was very long. Kai sat at the far end, making him uncomfortable because he was so far from Sylas.

He only looked down when the servant placed food in front of him. Unlike usual, they replaced each dish as soon as he finished.

"T-thank you," Kai said when the servant gave him a beautiful cake after several courses had been served.

Is this the last meal? he wondered.

Sylas watched with a smile on his lips. Kai’s reactions and expressions didn’t escape his gaze.

Once they had finished eating, he asked Amos to take Kai for a walk. He needed to discuss Kai’s place in the palace with James.

Sylas hurried to the study to speak with James. There, he heard a more detailed report about what had happened in the servant quarters. This made Sylas even more anxious about sending Kai there.

"You must find the murderer quickly," Sylas said.

James nodded. "General Huron and the investigation team are already on the case, Your Highness."

Then Sylas brought up his plan to send Kai to the servant quarters and asked about the necessary arrangements.

However, James’s response surprised him.

"I’m sorry, but I cannot accept that servant into the palace, Your Highness."

Sylas furrowed his brow. "Why not?"

"According to the rules, servants must be mentally and physically healthy. I’m sorry, but that servant has difficulty walking."

"But he can still work."

James bowed respectfully. "As Grand Steward, I cannot break palace rules. Servants must not be disabled."

Sylas clenched his fist. Why was he so upset by that? He was just glad Kai hadn’t heard James’ words.