Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 104: Embarrassment

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Embarrassment

Cassian had left his room for a bit of time, but he was still wandering in the long hallways with identical rooms on both sides.

"Huh! Why does it feel like I’ve gone back to the palace?" Cassian sighed and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

To be truthful, he didn’t like this palace, which was extravagant and a waste of money. More importantly, it brought back memories he would rather forget.

If he could, he would always avoid these types of places. Even in Morthagar, he hardly ever went to the palace or any noble’s home.

Small houses suited him better and were more comfortable—at least he didn’t have to walk miles just to reach someone in his own home.

Finally, Cassian found the stairs leading downstairs. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he was almost certain he would have lost himself in the long corridors, and it would have taken him forever just to reach the lower floor.

Cassian felt a slight pain in his thigh as he walked down the stairs. It was probably because his injuries still hadn’t healed properly.

Cassian heard several voices from downstairs and quickened his pace. He got excited just by listening to them. He knew it was his companions’ voices.

Listening to their heartfelt conversation, it seemed all of them were fine. He had been worrying for nothing.

As Cassian’s figure appeared at the foot of the stairs, Ivis’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my gods! Leader, you’re—you’re up!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping the plate he was holding in shock.

"What are you doing down here? You should be resting!" His voice was filled with concern and excitement, his gaze scanning Cassian for any signs of distress.

The others turned quickly at the sound of Ivis’s exclamation. Oronik grinned, his voice loud and carefree. "Well, well! Look who finally decided to join us. You feeling better, Leader?"

"Better? He looks like he’s been out for days!" came a voice from the back—it was Keren. "Shouldn’t you be in bed, recovering?"

"I swear, Cassian, you’re as stubborn as a mule," Alistair chimed in, though there was a fondness to his tone. He looked Cassian over, trying to gauge his condition with a critical eye. "You should take it easy. We can handle things here."

"I’m fine, really," Cassian said, attempting to sound nonchalant, but his smile betrayed him. "I see all of you are full of energy. I’m just getting old, that’s all."

"Old? Ha!" Morren snorted, stepping forward with a grin. "You’re not even close to old, Cassian. If anything, you’re the youngest knight in your position in the entire kingdom. Just don’t push yourself too hard."

"Yeah," Ivis said with a serious expression, "you’ve got to take care of yourself. We can’t have our leader running around like this and getting worse. The whole lot of us would be lost without you."

The entire group burst into laughter at Ivis’s over-the-top statement, but there was no mistaking the genuine warmth in their voices.

"Well, you sure know how to make a man feel special," Cassian teased, his face flushed with embarrassment from the attention.

"Alright, alright, enough with the cheering. I’ll sit. But only because you’re all so eager to get me out of the way."

As he made his way to the seat, Alistair slapped Lyris on the back of the head. "Move, you oaf! Let the man sit."

Lyris rubbed the back of his head with a silly grin. "Didn’t know I was in trouble. Alright, alright, I’m out of the way." He stepped aside, and everyone chuckled at his baffled expression.

"Honestly, you’re all impossible," Cassian muttered with a grin, shaking his head as he sat down, his body finally grateful for the rest.

~~~~~

The old man walked towards one of the master bedrooms on the same floor. He gently knocked on the gates and entered after receiving a positive response.

"My Lord," he greeted with a 90-degree bow and utmost respect.

"No need to be this formal, Master Eamon, or your old bones will not be able to tolerate this discomfort," the man sitting on the high ornate chair said with a small smile.

He dropped the paper he was holding onto the table and looked at the old man, who was slowly straightening his body while making a crunching sound. Amusement was clearly written on his face.

If it were a normal man, they would have been scared to tears upon hearing this kind of noise, but not him—he had seen far worse things.

"Ahh! The young Lord still knows how to get on the nerves of this old man," the old man said while fixing his bones. At first, he had a slightly bent backbone, but now he stood with a straight posture, and even his sluggish movement from before was nowhere to be seen.

The old man calmly walked towards the big table and sat in front of the man.

"The young man is fine and awake? Was it your hand that pulled him out of that void?" the old man asked, raising a brow.

He couldn’t believe that any human was capable of coming out from that void in just less than a week. Even the most powerful sword wielder had taken two months to come out of that void—then how was this possible?

He couldn’t help but be suspicious of the man in front of him. He must have probably helped him. Otherwise, how could he have woken up in just a week?

The man did not reply. He calmly blew on the hot tea and placed it on his jade-like lips, hiding the smile that was threatening to appear.

The old man felt his suspicions confirmed after looking at the nonchalant expression of his Lord.

"How many times have I told you? You could have lost yourself if you forcefully entered someone’s void.

"What if you were never able to come out from that?" The old man sighed, his hair growing even whiter with worry for his Lord.

He really didn’t know what to do to make his Lord start listening to him.

"It’s not the first time I have done it. Don’t worry, Master Eamon," the man said with a small smile, his tongue twirling inside his mouth, savoring the strong flavor of the tea.

His mood was exceptionally good. He did not want to argue with Master Eamon, so he just sat there without responding.

Getting no response from the man, the old man knew it was pointless to argue with his young Lord. So it would be better if he talked about a different topic.

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind, and a sly expression appeared on his face.

"Huh! The young man is still the same as before..." The old man sighed dramatically and continued his act when he found that he had gotten his Lord’s full attention.

"The lad is still shy as before. I just asked him to remove his pants, and he behaved as if his innocence was in danger."

The man felt his lips twitching at the old man’s remarks.

"What? Too shy in front of this old man? This old man has even seen his Lord’s body naked when he was little. I was the one who bathed him," the old man continued his story as dramatically as possible.

"Old Master, that’s enough! I don’t want to hear the story of my childhood."

He did not remember anything like this, but this old man always insisted that he had seen him... ahm... naked.

But that was not the main thing. "Why were you asking him to remove his pants?" the man said with his deep voice, now looking at the old man with suspicion.

"What? You’re doubting me too? Ahh, no man—" The old man screeched dramatically, but then suddenly stopped and looked at the man with wide eyes, as if he had just been enlightened.

"Were you jealous, my Lord?"

"Ahhm... no..."

"Don’t worry, your time will also come to see him naked," the old man cut him off and continued his statement with a serious and understanding expression.

"What?" He almost spat out the tea he had just drunk. "What nonsense are you talking about, old man?" he said with an ashamed face.

He had never thought about it like this, but the old man had really awakened some thoughts inside his mind that made his already red ears even redder.

"I did not lie, my Lord. Your expression was practically screaming that you were pleased with my words," the old man said, wiggling his eyebrows with a hearty laugh.

Thud...

"Master Eamon, I think you should go and have some rest. You have worked hard," the man said through gritted teeth as he slammed the cup on his table.

After pointing out by ild man, his ears were burning even redder, and the redness had even crept to his neck.

Suddenly, he felt hot all over his body, and his clothes seemed to stick to his skin. He opened his collar to get some fresh air and cool down.

The old man did not budge from his place, instead watched him intently. His irritation only grew, and he glared at the old man.