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The King's Palace

Daniel knew there was nothing the maids could do to assist him, and although some tried to make him happy by promising to renovate the house and working without collecting their salaries, he turned them down. Apart from the fact that he didn't want to bother anyone with his problem, he also knew what the maids were going through and the type of humiliation they received at the hands of the citizens for working with the traitor's family.

After thinking and forming a plan to get his brother back and seeking revenge, Daniel begged all the maids to go back home. He thanked them for saving his life, and they swore an oath to keep his lineage a secret.

“Now what are you going to do?” Reuben, the maid his father caught him kissing asked after contemplating whether he should leave like the other maids, or stay with his secret crush.

“I have a plan, I just need help getting into the palace!” Daniel murmured after a momentary silence, he didn't know if he could trust Reuben, but because they both knew each other's secrets, he decided to give trust a chance.

“Daniel, are you crazy? If the king finds out who you are, he will behead you in broad daylight! King Lazarus is ruthless, he derives joy from seeing people hurt!” Reuben yelled at me with a concerned voice, trying to paint how unmerciful Lazarus was, but Daniel's mind was made up.

“I don't care about how cruel he is, I need to find and rescue my brother. I promised him that I'll always be there for him! Moreover, no one knows I am associated with Timothy, I believe I can do this!” Daniel replied with a determined voice. Reuben knew he couldn't win the argument, so he decided to drop it, and he hugged Daniel tightly.

As Reuben hugged him tightly, Daniel felt the warmth of friendship and loyalty, a fleeting comfort against the chill of sorrow. His heart raced, beating painfully, as he grappled with his conflicting feelings for Reuben.

“I will always be here for you Daniel, you helped me find out my sexuality and I owe you a lot for that,” Reuben whispered into Daniel's ears, his nose gently rubbing Daniel's neck.

Daniel, who had been trying to hide his real emotions, couldn't control it at that moment, and he began to tremble, his heart racing in pain. His eyes brim with unshed tears, reflecting the pain of loss and determination.

“I hated my father, and I blamed him for my mother's death, but I just can't believe he is dead, gone just like that, his head smashed into pieces,” Daniel voiced out his pain, and Reuben's arms around his neck became firmer as he hugged him. “If anything, I think he deserves a funeral, just for the sake of love.” He continued and Reuben listened patiently.

“Well, the king is currently looking for a body, and since you are good with swords, you can attend the tryout,” Reuben suggested with a gentle smile on his face, and Daniel raised his head in relief.

“That sounds better than my plan. Thank you very much, Reuben, I don't know what I did to deserve a good friend like you.” Daniel appreciated, he purposefully friend-zoned Reuben.

“I will help you Daniel with anything you need,” Reuben promised not minding that he was addressed as a friend, and the both of them pecked each other on the cheeks before leaving the house.

As Daniel closed the main door, a teardrop escaped from his eyes, and he had the urge to visit his mother's graveyard one last time, but he couldn't bring himself to see his mother and tell her that one of her sons was dead.

The familiar scent of the old house brings memories of his mother, evoking a bittersweet mixture of nostalgia and grief. The pervasive scent of damp earth as he thinks about her grave creates an ache in his chest.

“I promise you, Mother, I will come back to this place, give me a few weeks and I promise you I will come back with your son, and I'll make you proud of me,” Daniel vowed and bowed in front of the house door before leaving.

His hands trembled slightly, a physical manifestation of his anxiety and fear about the dangerous path ahead. When he vowed to his mother, he felt an overwhelming heaviness settle in his stomach, a tight knot of determination and sorrow.

LAZARUS'S PALACE PRIVATE CHAMBER:

The room was dimly lit, the only sound was the soft crackling of the fireplace. Everywhere looked peaceful, until the door was pushed open and Lazarus entered, his eyes blaring with fury. He angrily turned the lights on to reveal his four friends: Xender, Henry, Israel, and Liam, slipping red wine from the glass in their hands, they didn't look surprised to see him, and while Israel looked bored and angry, Henry looked uninterested in what Lazarus had to say. While the remaining two had a neutral expression on their faces.

Lazarus strode in, he looked at the playful Xender for a while before hitting his hands on the bottle of wine on the table, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere.

“Now what do you want again? Can't you play with your dozens of mistresses or are you getting bored of them?” Liam asked, placing his legs on the table one after the other. Compared to the remaining three, he was cool-headed and liked to be left alone in his space.

Scoff’ “Pathetic fool.” Henry, who always wanted to pick a fight murmured under his breath. Knowing that Lazarus ignored him.

Lazarus paid him no attention and instead roughly dragged Xender out of his seat, “you stupid demon! How dare you kill a man at my ball without my consent?” he yelled at Xender angrily, not because he cared about the dead man, but because he just felt like disciplining people that didn't listen to him.

Xender wasn't remorseful, he furrowed his brows with surprise, acting like he was unaware of what Lazarus was talking about. This expression angered Lazarus and he threw him to the floor, his eyes burning with anger. Xender didn't look offended, he burst into laughter, clapping his hands.

“Wow, I have finally been able to bring your demon out of its shell!” Xender jubilated with a dry voice, he likes to do things that annoy Lazarus, not because it is unavoidable, but because he just loves to irk people.

“You fuckin piece of cunt!” Lazarus growled and wanted to pick Xender from the floor to hurt him, but Liam quickly intervened.

“Now, there is no need to fight, we should be working on how to break our curse. Also, remember that Lazarus is our leader, we need to give him such respect!” Liam advised his friends with a gentle smile on his face. Xender hissed and sat down looking annoyed at the fact that he was reminded that Lazarus was their leader.

“I wonder why the archdemon made a fool like him as our leader,” Henry murmured with a bitter voice and gulped the glass of wine in his hand. He twisted his face as if he was tasting a bitter lemon.

“Probably because I am the only one who has a little bit of good left in his heart, the rest of you are rotten apples,” Lazarus replied with a menacing smirk, once he decided to reply to Henry. He must have gotten tired of enduring Lazarus's insults.

“Or probably because you were cursed to fuck cunts, who knows you might find more pleasure in licking dick,” Henry responded with a bitter smile on his face, and Israel quickly hit him on his head, scolding him for saying something like that. Henry didn't look offended by Israel, if it was an average person he would have probably torn the entity head into two, but Israel was his only weakness he was good at hiding.

Henry's words annoyed Lazarus, and he knew that Xender would not feel remorseful no matter how much he yelled at him, with a scowl on his face, he left the chamber, heading for his favorite mistress room. It was at that same moment that Daniel sneaked into the palace, trying to find his way to the soldier's training ground.

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