Meanwhile outside, Alvaro looked around. The doctor's house and the inn were not that far away. Around the corner, and turning right, they would reach the inn.
"Who is that doctor?" asked Sylas quietly. He was very curious as to how the old man knew they were coming, as if he had been waiting.
Alvaro shrugged, then looked around at the old man's small house. The small house was flanked by a large yard and shaded by a number of large trees. Some branches clung to the house roof. Even so, there were not many dry leaves falling around the house, which meant that the old man was diligent at cleaning it.
"I thought the innkeeper was joking when he called the doctor a fortune teller, because it sounded ridiculous. But that old man intrigued me enough," Alvaro replied.
Sylas said the same thing. "The Palace fortune teller isn't even as good as him."
Alvaro chuckled. "What do you expect from corruption? His Majesty must be crazy to give the doctor the status of fortune teller."
Alvaro shook his head. But then he noticed silence between them. He immediately looked at the silent Sylas.
"Sorry. I didn't mean..."
"I know. There are many things that make me ashamed to call him my father," said Sylas. His gaze was sad as he stared at the village streets.
Alvaro gulped. Sometimes, he felt like he should keep his mouth shut. There are times when he forgets that Sylas was the crown prince. In childhood, his father had been a general, and the fact that they were similar in age brought them together as study buddies.
He blamed Sylas for being too humble, ordering him to call only his name when no one else was around. This made him cross the line sometimes, like this time.
"I'm sorry," Alvaro said again.
Sylas looked at Alvaro and smiled softly. "You have many intellectual friends. It's natural for you to have such views. As for my father, he makes sure his position is always safe. It also makes me short of breath."
Alvaro took a breath. He was very emotional and often impatient, but when he was with Sylas, he could be an obedient puppy.
"We'll be back to the palace soon. Everything will be fine. Prince Anam must have returned to his kingdom," Alvaro said, remembering the purpose of their exit from the palace.
Sylas had a headache when he remembered the problem he was facing. "Can't we stay here?"
Alvaro shook his head. "You'll get everyone in trouble. His Majesty will look for you all over the world. Not only that, he will definitely execute your servants."
Sylas sighed. "But returning to the palace makes me sick. I don't want to get married. Not with the woman he chose for me."
Alvaro was silent because he had no power over it.
Sylas was the only hope of the king, King Adrien. The king shed a lot of blood for his throne, and he did not want to lose power.
He knew Sylas didn't like women. But as a king, Sylas must have offspring. Adrien forced him to marry the princess of the Ganesh Kingdom, for the sake of tradition and the royal bloodline.
But Sylas refused. He chose not to be king than marry an innocent woman because he knew he could never love her.
Adrien did whatever it took to make Sylas listen to him. He killed a male servant who was spending the night with his son, leaving Sylas angry and disappointed.
Five years had passed, and Sylas still held a grudge against his father's actions.
He hasn't finished his marriage problem yet. Now he had another issue to deal with. Prince Anam, from the Emeria kingdom, openly sent a marriage proposal after hearing that Sylas liked men as partners.
The free life of Emeria kingdom does not accept the Valigrian traditions, pressuring Adrien to accept his request. Adrien would find it very difficult to refuse Emeria's request. To that end, he asked Sylas to leave the palace for some time until Prince Anam returned.
At the very least, it would buy enough time for Adrien to organize a grand feast for the wedding of Sylas and Eresia of Ganesh, as originally planned.
Sylas walked to a nearby tree and leaned his head against it. No matter what he did, it was wrong—whether he went forward or back.
He loved neither Anam nor Eresia.
Anam, the prince, was quite handsome, with tanned skin and a well-built body. But the thought of him sharing a room with him—oh no! He couldn't imagine himself being fucked. No, no! He was horrified by the idea of intimacy with Anam.
Eresia. Just... NO!
Sylas longed for freedom, for a life where he could choose his own path, away from duty and tradition. But for now, he was trapped in a web of political machinations and unwanted proposals.
Alvaro approached, patting Sylas on the shoulder, as if concerned about the prince's fate.
Sylas cursed his father. Adrien had many concubines and only had one queen—his mother. His blood and DNA flowed from him. Why did he forbid him from marrying a man?
"Why can't he accept that I love a man while he has so many male concubines?" Sylas snapped, frustrated.
"Well, I don't think His Majesty will not allow you to have a male lover. He's just upset that you don't want a queen to pass on the bloodline. You know how important that position is to him?"
"I will never marry a woman. Nor will I ever marry a man I don't love!"
Alvaro scratched his head. "That's hard enough. You were born destined to breed."
Sylas glared at Alvaro. Then he grumbled, "Damn, my head hurts."
"Do you want to see a doctor while we're here?" Alvaro asked, chuckling.
"No point getting a treatment if you're still with me," Sylas replied jokingly, walking into the house.
"Be glad I'm accompanying you!" Alvaro grinned, walking following Sylas.
Once inside, they were stunned to see Kai's body reddened all over. The slave was already lying down, his body trembling violently and drenched in sweat.
The doctor fanned him gently.
"Is he okay?" asked Sylas.