I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 109

The Emperor had intentionally incorporated Nox’s entrance into the ceremony’s sequence. He didn’t want to risk what might be said if Nox were left to stand alone among the nobles. Thus, he sought to protect him by formalizing his entrance and exit within the program.

Khalid concurred with this decision. With a sudden creak, the doors swung open at the gatekeeper’s hand, and Nox Rainerio began to enter.

Despite his past as a slave, the nobles momentarily held their breath at his appearance. His sharp eyes, a jawline even more refined than before, a dark blue formal suit that fit him perfectly, and the shimmering tassels on his shoulders that sparkled brightest under the chandelier’s light—there was nothing about him that didn’t command attention.

For a brief moment, they forgot his former status as a slave and simply watched his entrance. From his confident stride to the angle of his chin and his steady gaze forward, his demeanor exuded an upright nobility that surpassed anyone else’s.

Some felt their pride wounded by this fact. How could someone who had fallen to the status of a slave seem more noble than anyone else?

Nox walked the long carpet, reaching the seat of honor. The Emperor and Nox’s gazes met. The Emperor watched him calmly, then rose from his seat. As he stood, the chief chamberlain handed him a long, velvet-wrapped object.

“Nox Rainerio.”

“I heed your call.”

“You protected me.”

“You flatter me.”

“But I, being foolish, failed to recognize it. I will reinstate you to the dukedom that was reclaimed and bestow upon you a fitting reward.”

Nox knelt on one knee, extending both arms in a posture of utmost deference. The Emperor began to descend the steps from the seat of honor.

“Reward? What kind of reward are you speaking of?” “I have no idea.” “Perhaps it’s some imperial land?” “It might even be that diamond mine.” “Isn’t mine going too far?”

As the nobles chattered among themselves, the Emperor’s lips parted. “I bestow upon you a sword.”

Immediately, words that brought gasps from everyone flowed from the Emperor’s lips. “And I grant you three acts of immunity.”

People began to murmur. Immunity. What was that? A single privilege, held only by the direct imperial lineage, that could absolve any crime!

But three acts of immunity?

The nobles resumed their fervent whispers. Yet, Nox Rainerio looked up at the Emperor with remarkable composure and replied, “I am profoundly grateful.”

The Emperor stood directly before the kneeling Nox Rainerio and presented the velvet-wrapped sword.

Nox reverently accepted the sword with both hands. As the velvet fell to the floor, a black-bodied sword adorned with gold trim was revealed. Golden curves were etched into both ends of its scabbard, and its hilt was unadorned except for a simple design.

It was clearly a functional sword, not merely a ceremonial one. The Emperor, observing this, declared, “From this moment, you are the Duke of Rainerio of the Empire.”

Nox remained silent. The hall fell quiet for a moment. As he dared not reply to the Emperor and simply remained still, someone quietly sneered, “Just a slave…”

Had it been amidst a commotion, no one would have heard it. But his words escaped into the silence, and everyone heard them distinctly. The one who had spoken quickly gasped, clamping his mouth shut.

The speaker believed he had made a grave mistake. But one second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and no one said a word.

Nox Rainerio was silent, and even His Majesty the Emperor remained silent. Those exchanging glances began to calculate.

While it was understandable that Nox Rainerio might not assert himself here, the fact that the Emperor, who had just reinstated him, said nothing…

Wasn’t that tantamount to condoning the situation?

“Indeed. No reply to His Majesty’s words…” “Only a short while ago, such a thing would have been unimaginable.” “…It seems he has lost his noble bearing in the interim.”

Like a slowly spreading wildfire, the lips of several people began to part. A low murmur spread through the hall.

Words were passed from mouth to mouth, and unwarranted courage swelled. The envy and jealousy towards the man who was now a Duke again, a former slave, were revealing themselves.

Nox Rainerio remained silent, gazing straight ahead.

See? He can’t say anything. What’s the point of regaining a ducal title? His noble body is already mired in filth, and he has no power or status. Duke in name only. A powerless slave dared to bear that name. Such words spread like wildfire.

The Emperor’s and Khalid’s brows furrowed. If Nox hadn’t explicitly told them not to intervene, a furious command would have already been issued. In contrast, Nox, the subject of their gossip, appeared calm. He simply traced the scabbard of the bestowed sword; it was flawlessly smooth.

“Your Majesty.” His voice, low and dry, cut through the now tumultuous hall. “One.”

He spoke. Feltion didn’t immediately grasp the meaning. But when Nox drew the sword from its scabbard, casting the empty sheath aside, and took deliberate steps towards a specific direction, the meaning became clear. Some recoiled with small screams, while others, their faces pale, tried to escape. But those who had been chattering incessantly stood rooted to the spot, frozen by Nox’s chilling gaze.

They felt an urgent need to flee. They belatedly realized that something, something was terribly wrong. The man who had first uttered, “Just a slave…” stumbled backward.

“How dare you, bef-before His Majesty, draw a sword…!”

It’s all an act anyway. No one was allowed to carry a sword in the Imperial Palace without permission, except for authorized knights.

A noble killing another noble was a grave crime. No matter if he was a Duke, they didn’t think he would kill someone in front of so many people.

Right, unless he has immunity.

Wait, immunity?

For a moment, the man’s mind went blank.

Suddenly, his thoughts were severed, and swoosh! The blade flashed before his eyes. Instantly, a searing, fiery pain spread rapidly from his shoulder down to his side, near his lower abdomen.

“Aaaargh!”

A scream echoed loudly through the hall. Nox, his face serene, wiped the blood that had splattered on his cheek and looked down at him.

“My apologies. My strength has weakened considerably after being confined for so long.”

Then, step by step, he approached the fallen man.

“S-save…”

“That’s why I couldn’t kill you in one strike.”

Thud.

Nox reversed his grip on the sword and pierced the head of the man writhing on the floor. Thud. The hand that had reached out for mercy fell lifelessly.

The smooth marble floor instantly began to turn crimson with blood. Everyone watched, unable to even scream, as a noble met his end.

The hands of the onlookers trembled. And Nox’s gaze soon shifted elsewhere.

“Even if I kill everyone here,” Nox’s dark eyes fixed on those who had insulted him, “one.”

Nox’s sword was aimed at someone else. “Aaaargh!” Someone screamed and fled. Nox stepped on his heel, tripping him, and then brought the sword down.

Splat! Again, blood spurted like a fountain, and Nox, stained scarlet, immediately ran towards those fleeing from him.

“Your Majesty, save me! Your Majesty!” someone pleaded desperately, but Feltion remained frozen, eyes wide.

“Your Majesty, cough. Hiccup.” A man whose neck had been pierced by the sword collapsed onto the carpet. The nobles, fearing Nox’s sword would turn on them, fled towards the walls and the terrace. The only beast driving this herd of rabbits was Nox.

Nox slowly turned his head, confirming his prey.

With each pass of his sword, bellies were sliced open, and intestines spilled out. Those who gurgled and spat blood collapsed to the floor. Nox grabbed a fallen man’s back, seized his hair, and severed his neck. Crack, crunch. Hiccup. Thud. The sound of a breaking neck bone was heard, and Nox cast the detached head aside.

It was hell. Hell unfolded before them. The Emperor suddenly felt as though he had seen such a scene before.

Yes, when he had entered this very hall, holding his brother’s head. That moment came back to him. The moment he became Emperor.

“Hah…”

In that place, Nox killed twelve more people. The nobles, pressed against the walls, stared at Nox with eyes mixed with terror.

A madman with immunity. Nox, like a demon who had risen from the mire, or rather, hell, was enough to threaten them all.

“Now, two remain.” And this, after killing twelve.

His words were a warning. A warning not to speak ill of him. No one dared to utter a sound. If anyone spoke now, they would surely die by his hand.

The nobles began to sweat cold from tension. Nox slowly, very slowly, walked, parting the nobles, and returned to his original spot. He then shook the sword once and extended his hand.

The servants in the banquet hall, who had initially not understood, soon grasped his meaning. One servant immediately dashed forward, grasped the scabbard that had fallen to the floor, and placed it in Nox’s hand. Nobles do not bow before anyone but the Emperor. A Duke even less so.

Nox slid the blood-stained sword into its scabbard, held it in one hand, and then lightly spread both arms in a bow to the Emperor. No one could stop him, and no one dared to touch him.

He murdered nobles without a single excuse and then simply walked back through the entrance he had come from, disappearing.

The banquet was over.