CHAPTER 154: SYLAS’ CONCERN

Ian moved quickly toward Kai, who was lying on the ground.

"Hey, can you stand up?" Ian asked, looking at Kai, who was still lying there.

For a moment, he just stood still, wanting to leave Kai, but in the end, he carried him to the infirmary. His muscular body made it easy to lift the young man.

"Why are you so weak?" Ian said softly, though he sounded annoyed. He cursed himself for getting involved.

Kai felt pain all over his body; his bones felt broken. He was used to this pain, but every time it happened, it still hurt the same. He wiped his lips; fresh blood was still there. The bandage on his hand was torn.

"Put me down," Kai said weakly. He didn’t want to trouble Ian. He was already grateful that the young man was willing to help him.

Ian didn’t care. He walked quickly to the infirmary and asked the staff to treat Kai.

The woman on duty looked surprised. She had already seen Kai twice that day, and now he was in much worse condition.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

Ian told her what had happened, even though he knew it would be useless. Anything involving Clark Barn was never taken seriously.

At that moment, Mrs. Amelia saw Ian and Kai heading to the infirmary and followed them. She heard Ian’s story from the doorway before she entered the room.

Ian was surprised and immediately bowed respectfully. "Miss Amelia."

Amelia looked at Kai, who was lying on the bed. His shirt was open, showing dark blue bruises on his stomach and chest.

"He needs a doctor," said the guard.

"Are you sure Clark Barn did this?" asked Amelia.

Ian immediately answered honestly. "Yes, Miss."

Amelia’s face stiffened. She looked at Kai, pale and clearly in pain, then turned to Ian.

"Whatever you saw today, forget it. You don’t want to get into trouble, do you?" she said, making Ian lower his head.

Ian nodded. He was used to that reaction. Clark Barn was untouchable.

"Go," said Amelia.

Ian looked at Kai, reluctant to leave. It was possible that Amelia would hurt him or erase the evidence to protect Clark. But what could he do?

Ian left quickly, trying to free himself from guilt. He had nothing to do with any of this. He wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow he heard news of Kai’s death or his disappearance from the palace.

Amelia walked over to the bed. She knew who Kai was — the one loved by the king. But she also couldn’t go against Clark Barn. Sarani owed Dionar Barn a lot. If Sylas found out what happened and the Barn family’s name was ruined, Sarani would also suffer.

Amelia sat on the edge of the bed and asked the nurse to leave.

Once they were alone, she squeezed Kai’s arm, making him wince in pain.

"You don’t want to lose His Majesty, do you? Young King Sylas — he’s your lover, isn’t he?" Amelia said softly.

Kai looked at Amelia, his eyes widening at the mention of the name. What would happen to Sylas?

"Be good, forgive Clark. I promise this won’t happen again. But don’t ever say anything to His Majesty, for your own sake," Amelia said, trying to persuade him.

Kai stared blankly, his eyes dull with pain.

"Do you understand what I’m saying? If His Majesty hears about this, won’t he be worried? He must be very busy. You don’t want to be a burden to him, do you?" Amelia continued.

Kai looked down. Of course, he didn’t want to be a burden. But why was he forbidden to talk about what had happened?

He was surprised when Amelia took his hand and rubbed it gently.

"Promise me you’ll forget about today. I promise to protect you from now on," said Amelia.

Kai didn’t say anything. He just swallowed hard as the young woman gently tended to the wounds on his chest and stomach.

That night, Kai fell asleep in his room. Usually, he would go to the front gate to meet Garry to find out whether Sylas wanted him to leave or not. If not, he would return to the dormitory. But Garry always came at the same time because he couldn’t enter the dormitory gate after the new semester started.

Tonight, Kai really couldn’t move. His whole body ached. Amelia had ordered the medical staff to give him a potion to relieve the pain, but he was still hurting.

At times like this, he felt guilty if Sylas was waiting for him.

Meanwhile, Garry met Sylas and said he hadn’t seen Kai that day.

Sylas stared at the shopping bags piled on the table. He wanted to give them to Kai.

"What? He didn’t come out?" asked Sylas.

Garry nodded. "I waited for him for half an hour. But he didn’t come out. Usually, he’s the one waiting for me."

Sylas took a deep breath. Was Kai busy studying?

Garry looked worried. "I heard from Mrs. Manu. I met her today. She said Kai was punished. I’m worried he might be sick because of it."

Sylas immediately became anxious. "Punishment? What happened?"

"Punishment is common at the academy, Your Majesty. I heard Kai didn’t bring his books and... ah, I forgot the other one."

"He was punished twice?" Sylas widened his eyes.

"That’s what I heard from Mrs. Manu."

Sylas clenched his hands, feeling uneasy. He called Alvaro.

"Alvaro, whatever happens, bring him here," he ordered.

Alvaro hesitated. "You know I can’t enter the dormitory, Your Majesty."

Sylas held his forehead. "Ask James for a letter saying you must enter the dormitory to bring Kai."

He could have gone himself using his authority as king, but that would cause unnecessary commotion. It would be better if Kai could come out on his own, but whatever was happening made Sylas even more anxious and restless.

Alvaro nodded and left. It took him an hour just to enter the dormitory. When he arrived, Amelia greeted him with a gentle smile.

"He’s resting, you shouldn’t disturb him," said Amelia, hiding her anxiety.

"I’m just doing my job. I have to take him out," said Alvaro.

Amelia still tried to resist. "Is this His Majesty’s order?"

Alvaro showed James’s letter, which stated that it was an important and confidential matter. He immediately headed to Kai’s room, hoping it hadn’t changed.

Amelia just stared after him. Several students who were still awake or returning from the servants’ quarters looked at each other in confusion. Alvaro’s uniform clearly showed he was a royal knight. They stared curiously as he walked toward Kai’s room.