The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 85: “Hey, you wretch,”

Elias stayed inside the tent longer than he probably should have, listening to Soren cry without interrupting him or asking for reasons.

He didn’t try to fix anything.

He just sat there and let Soren fall apart, knowing that sometimes that was all he could offer.

When Soren finally stopped crying and slept into his lap, Elias stood up and slipped outside while hoping for a moment to breathe and just look for Caelius and asked more about Soren.

Unfortunately, the moment he stepped out, Sylas was there while leaning around like he owned the place, his eyes was lighting up the second he spotted Elias and the smug smirk came first.

Then the mocking followed, one that meant to dig under his skin. Sylas even called him names, laughed like it was all some kind of joke, and waited for a reaction.

But Elias didn’t react.

Being insulted himself didn’t matter much to him because he had heard something worse in the past. He could tune it out, let it slide past him like background noise but when Sylas shifted the target and started talking about Soren, something ugly twisted in Elias’ chest.

That was crossing a line.

Soren wasn’t just someone he cared about, he was the reason Elias was even still standing.

Every instinct told him to step forward and say something back, or to do something. His hands even curled into fists before he could stop himself because he was so pissed,

And then he remembered.

Before leaving for the North, Soren had looked at him like he was scared not for himself, but for Elias.

He had asked him to be patient and keep his temper in check no matter what happened. He had said that distance made everything risky and if Elias got hurt or dragged into trouble, Soren wouldn’t be able to reach him in time.

And that memory cooled the anger just enough.

So, Elias stayed quiet.

He swallowed the words sitting at the back of his throat and forced his hands to relax while Sylas could talk all he wanted.

Elias wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

Though his pride took the hit, that was fine. If keeping quiet meant keeping Soren safe, then he could endure a little humiliation.

"Look at this bastard."

Sylas let out a low chuckle as his eyes slowly scanned Elias from head to toe with a smug smirk plastered on his face and his one hand rested lazily on the hilt of his sword, like he was daring Elias to say something.

His tone was full with sarcasm. "Who would’ve thought the guy hanging around that wretched commoner would turn out to be his man?"

He scoffed while shaking his head. "Wow. What a perfect pair of rats."

Sylas then leaned closer while closing the distance on purpose with his gaze locking onto Elias’s with open hostility. He wanted Elias to to feel small, cornered, and provoked.

The disgust burning in Sylas’s chest had been festering ever since he found out about Soren and the prince. To him, it felt like a betrayal.

Even if Cael was known for being clever and ruthless, Sylas and Lyric had still treated the prince with respect, as someone of noble blood and unquestionable authority.

That line had never been crossed.

But Soren had crossed it.

The thought of a commoner daring to seduce the prince made Sylas’s blood boil. It didn’t matter how close he was to Cael or how useful he had been. To Sylas, Soren had dirtied something sacred, something that was never meant to be within his reach.

And now, seeing Elias standing there who’s connected to Soren, only made that resentment burn hotter.

"Hey, you wretch," Sylas sneered while stepping closer. "Why don’t you drag that sorry excuse of an ass back to the slums where you belong and scram?"

He even laughed under his breath while clearly enjoying himself. "Do you have any idea how humiliating this has been for us? The gossips are everywhere from servants, knights, even the higher ranks are whispering about it." His expression then twisted with disgust. "That filthy commoner can take as many men as he wants in the slums, but not here. Not in this place, do you understand."

’How could you say that?’ The words rushed through Elias’s mind, loud and angry.

’Soren isn’t like that. He’s not what you’re thinking.’ He wanted to yell and say it out loud and make Sylas shut up but he couldn’t.

His jaw just tightened with his hands clenched under his robe and fingers digging into his palms. He could only feel his body tense, like it was ready to move on its own if he wasn’t careful and it took everything in him to stay still.

If he spoke now, it wouldn’t matter what he said.

It would only just make things worse.

Worse for him and far worse for Soren.

So, Elias kept his head down and swallowed the anger burning in his chest. He forced himself to stay quiet, even when every part of him wanted to fight back because protecting Soren mattered more than saying a single word.

Seeing that no matter what he say, Elias was unprovoked so Sylas clicked his tongue. "Disgusting. To think my brother accepted something like that... just how far has the Davenmore name fallen?"

He then gave Elias a sarcastic pat on the back, the kind that felt more like an insult than a touch and still, Elias didn’t respond. He just stood there in silence with his stiff shoulders and hands clenched tight beneath his robe.

The veins in his fists were bulging, though thankfully hidden from view.

"My Lord, please don’t speak of So-"

Sylas’s expression hardened instantly. "How rude," he snapped. "Did I say you could speak?"

Before Elias could react, Sylas drove the hilt of his sword straight into his stomach that the impact knocked the air out of him, forcing him down onto his knees in the snow where a few passing knights slowed along with their eyes flicking toward them, but no one stepped in.

"Ugh..." Elias groaned with one hand pressing against his stomach as he stayed bent forward, head I keep my head lowered.

’Fuck. If I only thought about myself, I could fight back right now. One hit would be enough to smash this brat’s smug face or maybe break his knee just to wipe that look off him. Damn it, the thought is too tempting Actually, the consequences don’t scare me. I can take that getting beaten, dragged away, or thrown into a cell. The worst thing that can happen is that I’ll be executed on the spot for daring to lay my lowly hands on someone of such high status is a risk I already understand. Damn it. Fuck.’

The curses keep piling up in Elias’ head, loud and endless. His body is tight and ready to move with his every muscle screaming at him to strike but he didn’t dare to look up because looking up would make his expressions visible.

Looking up would mean the worst for him because at that moment, his expression was so mad and his hostility was clearly plastered on his face.

So, he just stayed still while swallowing the anger burning in his chest because this isn’t about him anymore.

He knew that if he met Sylas’s eyes, the anger burning inside him would show. And if that happened, Soren would pay for it later and Elias refused to let his own impulse corner Soren again.

Sylas’s boot slammed into Elias’s stomach before he could even react, sending him sprawling onto the snow. He even curled in on himself instinctively while raising his hands to protect what little he could when another kick followed with each strike driving the wind from him. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

It wasn’t just a simple violence but open hostility that Elias himself couldn’t even understand. He wanted to fight back and make Sylas regret ever opening his mouth but he didn’t.

Not now.

Not if it meant Soren might get hurt because of his rashness.

His body tensed with every blow with his muscles screaming to move and fists itching to strike. Veins stood out along his hands beneath the robe, but he stayed still while forcing himself to endure.

A moment after, hearing the commotion, some of the nearby knights noticed what was happening.

A few whispered to one another before one ran toward Caelius to report the commotion. Others went to Alaric where Lyric leaned lazily against his seat with his arms crossed, eyes drifting toward the ceiling, and Cael didn’t even glance up, as if nothing had happened.

"What’s the fuss about?" Lyric asked lazily. "My brother won’t act unreasonably. That commoner was probably just being punished for being insolent. You know how he is, if something pisses him off, he can’t help but get physical. Tsk, what a nonsense report. From now on, if it’s nothing important, don’t barge in here."

Hearing Lyric’s comment, Alaric glance at the knight and nodded once, signaling him to leave. "You heard him. Don’t report anything about Sylas unless it’s work related. You’re dismissed."

While the three of them are unbothered, Elias stayed on the ground with the snow soaking his clothes, making his stomach burn from the blows. Every fiber of him wanted to strike back, wanted to lash out, but he forced himself to remain still just so he wont give Soren a reason to grovel again.

He endured the pain and humiliation because if he acted, it wouldn’t just be him who suffered, it would be Soren.

He gritted his teeth and stayed quiet, letting Sylas vent while he kept his focus on what mattered most.

Just as Sylas was about to draw his sword, Caelius appeared.

"My lord..." he said quietly making Sylas turned to look at him with expression full of annoyance.