When Niki couldn't find Adnan, Kai thought his uncle might have trapped him in some torturous magical formation. Helpless, unsure, and angry, he spent the entire night in and out of sleep, hunted by dreams.

Recently, the distinct dreams he had about General Minn had become more frequent. In every one of those, at some point, the man with warm eyes would smile sincerely at Kai and call him "sunshine". Most often, Kai would see him next to the river bank on a windy day. But he also started dreaming of different locations – in one dream, they were both in a tea house. For some reason, Kai poured tea for Adnan while the man was carefully observing him.

In another dream, they both had strange clothes on. They were in a place that looked like a food market, but it was indoors. There were no candles around, yet the light was so bright it hurt the eyes. It also seemed that invisible minstrels were playing countless instruments in all the corners of this huge place.

"I'm so tired, sunshine. Can we go home?" Adnan asked him in that dream. That Adnan looked much thinner than the real one and had dark circles under his eyes.

The most confusing dream was one where Adnan was pointing a small metal object at him. The mysterious object had a handle and some kind of tiny lever where Adnan's finger was resting. Kai didn't understand the significance behind this tool, so he just stared at it with no expression.

"You really think I won't do it, sunshine?" Adnan smiled at him.

Kai didn't know what he meant. He smiled back.

Among all the dreams, there was one that scared him the most – in that dream, Adnan stood on top of a very high construction made of grey stone. Kai was sure it was created by magic, as mere humans wouldn't be able to build something so high. Kai looked up at Adnan and shouted: "Come down!"

Adnan waved at him in response. He then mouthed something that Kai could not understand and threw himself off the building. Every time after that dream, Kai would wake up, covered in a cold sweat.

He didn't know what these dreams meant, but his intuition told him that something about them wasn't quite right.

Finally, at the end of his nerve, Kai couldn't stay in bed anymore. He left his bedroom in the wee hours of the morning to wake his uncle up and demand that he give him General Minn's location. He didn't even bother putting on formal attire or brushing his hair. He suspected that when he ran into Adnan and the Regent he looked like a madman.

But Kai wasn't worried about that at the time. His heart was about to jump out of his mouth when he saw Adnan alive and seemingly well right in front of his eyes. He was so relieved, he couldn't control his emotions even in front of his uncle.

Kai was also glad to hear that the Regent sent Adnan away to his manor, meaning that the man didn't have to stay in the dungeons anymore.

After making sure that the General had peacefully left the palace, Kai went down to Adnan's cell and retrieved the blanket he had brought for him earlier. It was dirty and even had some blood on it, yet Kai had no intention of asking the servants to clean it. For some reason, he wanted to keep it just the way it was.

A couple of days later, he crashed the council meeting, wanting to know all the details about General Minn's punishment and the reasons for his release.

"Nephew, to what do we owe this sudden pleasure?" his uncle smiled at him, as he entered the room.

"Am I not part of the council?"

"Yes, you are. It's just unusual to see you acting like one."

Kai knew that the line was not meant for him but rather for the other council members. This was a way for Reo Atarian to present Kai as a good-for-nothing, incapable ruler. Kai decided to keep quiet – he just gave the Regent a cold smile.

"Anyway, let's begin," his uncle didn't bother with him anymore. "General Ferod, please report the situation on the savage border."

"No activity, Your Excellence. The savages have been peaceful since the kidnapping incident," an older man with a round beer belly responded.

Kai couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had no idea how incompetent these old geezers in the council were.

"They've eradicated one of our villages in one night, using The Reed. If that's peaceful in your eyes, General Ferod, then what do you consider an act of war?" Kai asked.

"My nephew speaks out of turn, yet he is not wrong, General," the Regent observed coldly. "Are you sure they are not preparing for their next big move? What do your spies report?"

"If there was something to report, I would have reported it," the man spat out. And after a short pause, added a deferential: "Your Excellency."

"I see," Reo clicked his tongue and turned towards a young, flashy man in bright clothes. "Noble Byrne, what's the situation with the new trade routes to the North?"

"Oh, Your Excellency, don't even get me started!" the man exclaimed, wringing his hands. "They want our crops, sure! But it's too expensive for them. And we're already offering a very fair price. They keep begging and kneeling and telling me something about famine and natural disasters. I mean, Your Excellency, they have nothing else to offer us other than gold. If they're too greedy to pay up, then... I truly don't know how I can help them."

Kai found what the man said quite reasonable. What was the point of trade relations if they didn't bring any profit? However, his uncle said abruptly:

"Lower the price."

"But, Your Excellency..."

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Byrne was clearly unsatisfied with the outcome, and Kai couldn't understand what the Regent had on his mind. Sometimes he thought that in the last five years his uncle's goal was to piss off as many nobles and generals as possible.

The council ran for another couple of hours, and Kai almost started to nod off. He now remembered why he had avoided these councils in the first place – they were a terrible bore and waste of time. When he took the throne, he would be more efficient.

"All right, we're done," the Regent's voice dragged Kai out of his thoughts.

"Wait a minute!" Kai exclaimed.

"Do you have something to report too, nephew?"

"You should brief the council about the current status of General Minn, uncle," said Kai.

"Should I?" the Regent asked with a sly smile. "Well, you're right. It is an important topic, and I've almost forgotten about it. Thank you for your reminder, dear nephew."

Kai saw no gratitude in those icy blue eyes. Only amusement, for some reason.

"General Minn has undergone a proper punishment for his reckless and traitorous actions. He will not lose his title or his assets. However, in his current situation, he won't be able to marry a wife or take a concubine. Thus, his estate will have no heir. After his death, all General Minn's possessions will be handed out as a reward to the family whose loyalty to the Empire is unquestionable, of course," the Regent announced.

Everyone present reacted with excitement. Adding a flourishing estate to an already existing one could make a family indescribably rich and powerful. It was truly once in a lifetime opportunity.

At first, Kai was relieved – losing assets after death wasn't such a heavy punishment. But then something clicked in his brain, and he froze.

"What do you mean "in his current situation"?" he asked slowly.

"The man can not produce an heir anymore. Should I make it clearer?" his uncle raised his eyebrow.

"I can explain it to you in private, Your Highness," Noble Byrne interjected.

Kai barely kept himself from snapping his neck right then and there. He promptly stood up and left the room without saying another word. Kai's legs were shaking, so he needed to hold on to the wall for a while till he was composed enough to continue walking.

He reached the gates and stood there in a daze for a while before calling a carriage over. He needed to see Adnan that very moment, even though he wasn't sure if he'd be able to look the man in the eye. Kai couldn't help but feel that it was all his fault, but there was no way for him to atone anymore.

When he saw Adnan again, the man looked thinner and paler than before. Kai almost expected him to slam the door in his face, yet surprisingly he seemed friendly. He even half-heartedly invited him inside – the scornful man he saw in the dungeons was gone, and the usual aloof and distant General was back instead.

Kai noticed that Adnan didn't offer him any beverages or snacks – it was most likely a subtle sign that Kai shouldn't stay too long.

"So, you won't tell me?" Kai asked with a sigh.

"What is there to tell?" Adnan retorted, intertwining his fingers beneath his chin.

"How could he...? Why did you allow this to happen?"

Adnan turned away from him, yet Kai managed to notice a slightly amused look. Kai shook his head. He must have been imagining things!

"Isn't that still preferable to death, sunshine?" Adnan finally responded.

Upon hearing these words, Kai felt as if he was struck by lightning. He was silent for a while, and then he asked:

"Why do you call me that?"

"Call you what?"

"Sunshine..."

Adnan fell silent. It seemed he was suddenly somewhere far away, deep in his thoughts. Kai didn't actually expect a response. It was a silly question anyway.

"I'm sorry," Kai finally interrupted the silence to make another desperate plea. "I didn't know that it would come to this. It's all my fault. I'll make my uncle pay, all right? Do you want revenge? Once I'm in power, I'll cut him to pieces for you."

"Oh, it's fine, don't bother," was all Adnan said in response. And then he just sat there quietly, looking so solemn, so sad, and so dignified. This man had a face Kai couldn't remove his gaze from, even if he tried. He just wanted to press Adnan to his chest and hold him. But who was he kidding? Every time Kai would even slightly touch him, General Minn turned to stone, as if he was so disgusted by Kai that he couldn't stand even a second of contact. Even now, Kai noticed that Adnan had purposefully chosen a seat as far away from him as possible.

"Are you in pain?" Kai asked, looking away.

"Always," Adnan curled his lips in a self-deprecating smile.

"I'm serious."

"Believe me, so am I," Adnan sighed. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Your Highness? I was actually just about to head out..."

Kai had nothing else to say. The conversation had reached a dead end, and there was no plausible reason Kai could come up with to be able to stay. Begrudgingly he got up and was just about to head out when suddenly ugly marks on Adnan's wrists caught his attention. He didn't remember seeing them there before.

Without thinking, he grabbed the man by the palm of his hand and demanded to know:

"What are these?"