CHAPTER 141: WE ARE LOVERS

The word ’lover’ was new to Kai. It took him half an hour to understand Sylas’ explanation of what a lover was.

Luckily, Sylas just chuckled when Kai asked, "Does that mean you won’t leave me? Or throw me away?"

"You always ask me that. I’ve told you many times that you’re no longer a slave. You have the right to be with the person you love, or to leave the person who makes you uncomfortable."

"Have you ever seen someone and thought you liked them?" Sylas continued.

Kai thought hard. There were a few kind trainers at Omino, and he liked them. So he nodded.

"If that feeling makes you want to spend the rest of your life with them, afraid of losing them, that can be called love. If they like you too, and you both decide to live your lives together, that’s what’s called a romantic relationship. A lover." Sylas explained slowly, sentence by sentence.

Kai stared at Sylas. The explanation was overwhelming. He couldn’t imagine it going that far. Who would ever love him back?

But then he realized Sylas had just said he was his lover. Did that mean...

Sylas went on. "I like you, Kai. Not as a slave, not as a servant. I like you as a man."

Sylas’ words cleared Kai’s thoughts, as if he was allowed to hope for more.

"What about you? How do you feel about me?" asked Sylas. He knew he was rushing, but he felt there was no reason to wait. The sooner they clarified their relationship, the better.

Sylas looked at Kai, who was still silent, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Not as a master. As a man. Do you like me?" Sylas asked again.

Kai nodded without hesitation. It was still hard for him to separate "master" from other titles, but he knew he really liked Sylas. The man was so kind, and Kai felt happy every time he saw him. It felt like his chest was always blooming with flowers. It was a feeling he had never known before.

Kai even convinced himself he could die for that man. He was certain of his feelings.

Sylas smiled. "You’re not afraid of me, right? You’re not being forced to like me?"

Kai shook his head quickly. "I-I like you, Master..."

Sylas smiled again. For some reason, he felt his face heat up when he heard that. There was a tickling feeling in his chest.

"Shouldn’t you call me by my name? It’s just the two of us here."

Sylas teased Kai into saying his name over and over again. Kai obeyed, and Sylas found it very adorable.

He hugged Kai tightly. "I promise I’ll announce your status as soon as possible. For now, be patient."

Kai didn’t understand why announcing their relationship was so important. For him, as long as he could be with Sylas forever, that was enough. He wanted nothing else.

Sylas then glanced at Kai’s clothes. "Aren’t you cold?"

Kai shook his head.

"But why did you come here at night?" asked Sylas. Kai had walked all this way on his bad leg. He hadn’t asked earlier.

Kai looked at Sylas. He had to tell him about Mrs. Gremblin and... Alora’s words meant to tease him. He swallowed hard.

It was easier to talk about Mrs. Gremblin.

Sylas frowned after Kai’s explanation. "She’s in prison?"

Kai nodded. He had also heard it from Bram.

Kai looked down. "Master, um... Sylas," his face turned red just saying the name. "Mrs. Gremblin isn’t bad. I could give her all my coins. Bram is very kind too. They’ll be kicked out..."

"Kai, that’s not your problem. I don’t want you to be taken advantage of. That behavior isn’t good. She couldn’t have done it only to you," said Sylas.

Kai looked down. He still felt guilty. "Can you help her?" he asked.

Sylas looked at Kai. The young man seemed sad.

"Is someone forcing or threatening you?" asked Sylas.

Kai shook his head quickly.

"I won’t get involved. They have to solve their own problems. I agree she should be expelled," said Sylas, though hearing that the woman was in prison made him a little suspicious.

He told Kai not to worry about it. But he would ask James to investigate. It all felt strange. Especially since the woman’s words echoed in his mind. How could she not get any money there?

"Don’t think about it. We should sleep," said Sylas.

Kai gave up. He couldn’t do anything. Maybe Bram would hate him after this.

Kai was startled when Sylas lifted his legs onto the sofa. "M-master!" he exclaimed in shock.

Sylas took off Kai’s shoes and placed his feet on his lap. "Relax," he said.

Kai’s chest pounded uneasily, watching Sylas gently massage his feet. He shouldn’t have let his master do this.

"M-master—"

"How many times have you forgotten my name?"

"Ehh, I-I’m sorry, Sylas..."

Sylas chuckled softly. He went back to massaging Kai’s feet gently, making Kai feel nervous.

Sylas looked at Kai’s left leg. He pulled up Kai’s pants to see it clearly. The leg was still intact, but smaller than the right one, with stitches and long scars running along the bone.

Sylas’ heart ached just looking at it. But he said nothing, only massaged the leg gently.

"Can you feel my hands?" asked Sylas.

Kai was still nervous and shaken. After a moment, he nodded. Sylas’ large, warm hands rubbed along his leg.

"So you can still feel it. It’s just your injuries that make it hard to walk," Sylas said, mostly to himself.

Kai looked at Sylas. The man’s face looked tired, but his smile was warm and reassuring. Then he looked at Sylas’ hands still massaging his legs, and felt his face heat up.

"Don’t come here on foot again. You can ask Garry to take you. I’ll tell him to bring a horse," said Sylas.

Kai lowered his head, hiding his red face. He gasped again when Sylas lifted him.

"Sleep in my room tonight. You can go back tomorrow morning. Don’t you have lesson tomorrow?" said Sylas as he carried him to the bed.

Kai nodded.

Half an hour later.

Kai lay on the bed, his heart racing. The night still felt strange. It was both joyful and terrifying. He was afraid this happiness was just a dream and would vanish by morning.

Especially after what happened at the party. There had been so many frightening people. And Sylas had been surrounded by beautiful men and women, as if his time with Sylas was only an illusion.

Alora’s words echoed in his head.

"Be more aggressive!"

Her advice might be right. If he didn’t do anything, Sylas might forget him. What if there was another slave who was better?

The thought pierced him, keeping him awake. He glanced at Sylas, who had moved to the sofa after telling him to sleep.

The candlelight lit the young king’s face, showing the tired lines beneath his eyes. His strong body was wrapped in simple pajamas. Yet even in simplicity, Sylas still looked dignified, calm, and... mesmerizing.

Kai swallowed hard. Something stirred inside him, a mix of fear and a strange desire. He rose slowly, stepped closer, then stopped a few steps in front of Sylas.

He forced himself to act.

"S-Sylas," he whispered, his voice trembling.

Sylas lifted his head from the notes in his hand. He frowned, but his gaze was gentle. "Kai... why you still awake?"

Kai lowered his gaze. He gathered his courage, moved closer until he stood right in front of Sylas. His hand hesitated, but finally rested on the king’s shoulder, his small fingers pressing lightly against the fabric.

Sylas was surprised. Kai had never done that before. He couldn’t even remember Kai ever touching him first. "What’s wrong, Kai?" he asked softly, worried.

Kai bit his lip. "Uhh... I-I need to be more aggressive."

Sylas froze, stunned. "Sorry?"

Kai took a deep breath. "P-please use me!" he blurted out in one breath.

Sylas was completely shocked. "What do you mean, Kai?"

"Please... use me, Sylas..."

"Use you? How?"

Kai lowered his head. He started taking off his clothes.

Sylas immediately stood and stopped him, catching the young man’s hands before he could remove his shirt. "Kai, stop." His voice was firm, but gentle.

Kai went still, his heart hammering. His eyes trembled, afraid he had made a terrible mistake. "B-but... I... I don’t want you to leave me. If... if I’m not good enough... I can—"

"No. Just stop, Kai." Sylas took a deep breath, then held Kai’s shoulders so the young man would meet his gaze. "You don’t need to prove yourself to me like that. I like you, Kai. It’s not your body I want. I want you, just you."

Kai’s eyes burned. He bit his lip, torn between relief and fear. "But... what if there’s someone better than me?"

Sylas gave a faint, tired smile. He gently stroked Kai’s cheek. "Even if there were a thousand people better, I would still choose you. Understand?"

Kai’s eyes widened, his chest tightening with emotions he couldn’t explain. Slowly, he nodded.

But that night, Kai still chose to bare himself in front of Sylas, which made the young king uneasy.