I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 110

Nox headed to the Rainerio mansion by carriage. He’d heard the Rainerio family estate had been meticulously restored under the Emperor’s command. Inside the swaying carriage, he wiped the blood from his sword. Looking into his own eyes reflected on the blade’s surface, Nox discarded the bloody cloth and ran a fingertip along the edge of the sword.

The blade was so sharp that it slightly cut his fingertip. The blood he had just wiped away beaded and trickled down the blade’s tip. Nox, unfazed, pressed his finger harder against the blade until the wound opened, then he finally withdrew his hand.

He remained silent, like a mere ornament in the quiet carriage, lips sealed. Until the coachman opened the door, he didn’t move, only blinking his eyes.

He was acutely aware of every breath he took. Enduring being alive was difficult.

But Nox had chosen to live. So, he had no choice but to endure. While he was lost in these futile thoughts, the coachman opened the door, signaling their arrival at the mansion. Stepping out of the carriage, Nox let out a hollow laugh. He was momentarily speechless at the sight of the mansion. It had been restored too perfectly. To Nox, it felt like a cruel joke. How could such a scene exist, as if nothing had ever happened?

Nox’s lips twisted into a crooked smile as he looked straight ahead.

“Welcome, Master.”

Servants, lined up on either side of the main entrance, bowed deeply. The original servants of the mansion had long since scattered. So where did these come from? The answer was obvious. If the Emperor, Feltion, had overseen the mansion’s renovation, then the servants were surely Khalid’s doing—people he had personally selected and placed. Nox felt his stomach twist as he observed the servants’ gazes fixed on the floor, not on him. Not a single one was on his side.

He walked through the center and entered the mansion. It seemed best to appoint an aide as soon as possible. Everyone here was the Emperor’s and Khalid’s hands, feet, and eyes. Nox also needed someone to be his own hands and feet.

However, the process of finding an aide wouldn’t be easy. No noble would want to be an aide to someone who had been the Emperor’s and the Duke’s sex slave, no matter that he had reclaimed his dukedom.

‘If there are any, most would likely be those trying to use my body—my only connection—to get close to the Emperor or the Duke.’

Nox evaluated coldly. That was all he could gain by clinging to him now. He had regained some of the confiscated businesses, but not all of them. What had entered the mouths of the Emperor’s inner circle wouldn’t be easily spat out.

Nox headed to the study his deceased father had used. The study, once touched by his father’s vulgar taste, had been restored exactly as it was, as if his father might appear from somewhere at any moment.

Nox felt a slight… yes, nausea. How much care they had taken.

Nox commanded the man who had followed him. “Change everything.”

“Understood.”

The man, who answered without the slightest hesitation, was the mansion’s butler. It was rather amusing that someone he hadn’t chosen himself was now his butler.

“What’s your name?” Nox asked the butler, who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

“Andy Adrian, sir.”

“Are you from a fallen noble family?”

“Yes, sir.”

A ducal butler traditionally had to be of noble blood. But finding a suitable person probably hasn’t been easy. No one would have volunteered. So, they ended up bringing in this fallen noble. Nox was certain: Every action of mine will be reported to them through his eyes.

Because fallen nobles would do anything.

Nox gave a faint smile. Someone came to mind. The man who said he would do anything had looked quite serious. Nox decided to start with what he could do. This mansion wasn’t entirely his yet. It was merely a false nest created by Khalid and Feltion.

He didn’t regret forcing himself into this false nest, though. It was a decision he had made and accepted. There was no point regretting it now.

Nox slowly surveyed the study, then his gaze settled on the large desk. He had ordered it changed, but it couldn’t be done immediately. Despite being made of expensive wood, the desk was unnecessarily ornate. Sitting at it, Nox couldn’t shake the stiff, awkward feeling. It was a position that should have been his one day, but now it felt like he was sitting in someone else’s seat. Nox turned his head to the window and commanded the butler, “I will appoint an aide.”

“Do you have any preferred conditions, sir?”

“A fallen noble is acceptable. Someone skilled in paperwork, knowledgeable in territorial administration.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nox lifted his chin slightly. “And someone who would truly die if told to.”

Nox’s gaze was chilling, and the butler maintained a brief silence before finally replying, “…Yes, sir.”

“I’d prefer no one is filtered out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah, one more thing.” Nox spoke as if something had just occurred to him. The butler, who was about to turn and leave, looked back at Nox. Nox rested his elbows on the desk, propped his chin on his clasped hands, and smiled.

“Can you die if Khalid or Feltion tell you to?”

A strange venom permeated the corner of Nox’s lifted lips. His eyes were those of someone ready to attack at any moment, eyes that held no hesitation in taking a life. The butler swallowed dryly.

“…I don’t understand what you mean, sir.”

“Right, let’s leave it at that.” Nox waved a hand, dismissing him. The butler exited the study, his shoulders stiff with tension. Nox was left alone. Not wanting to call the assigned servants, he remained seated and fell into silence to plan his next moves.

“It would be best to remain quiet for a while.”

A dramatic reinstatement, followed immediately by shedding blood in the Imperial Palace. That was Nox Rainerio. He did it for one reason: it’s better to be feared than mocked and ignored. There’s nothing more wretched than power without respect. That’s why Nox wielded his sword without hesitation. Rather than being pointed at as a courtesan who spread his legs for the Emperor and the Duke, an image of a madman with immunity, unpredictable with his sword, was preferable.

So, Nox planned to close the mansion’s doors for a while and admit no one. He had no intention of showing his face outside. Nox tapped on the desk, muttering, “How long will they endure?”

His fingertips soon scratched the desk. Nox almost wanted to bet on how long “they” would tolerate his absence. But there was no one left in this society who would associate with him, caught between being a helpless sex slave and a sword-wielding madman.

“How dull.”

He rose from his seat and left the study. The assigned servants, who had been summoned by the butler and were standing guard by the door, followed him. The sensation of those who could strangle him following close behind was far from pleasant.

His head throbbed, having been on edge all day. Without hesitation, he headed to the master bedroom, the one the head of the household used. As he walked down the corridor and reached the bedroom door, the servants naturally opened the doors from either side.

Creak—.

The sight revealed through the open door once again left Nox dumbfounded. The bedroom wasn’t his father’s, but instead was decorated identically to the room he had used as a young duke.

‘He must have gotten Khalid’s advice on restoring the mansion.’

Nox held his breath for a moment. Everything he was experiencing now felt overwhelming. He just wanted to stop thinking for a while.

“Everyone, leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And no one is to enter until I call.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servants dutifully carried out their roles without a single complaint.

With the servants gone and Nox alone, he decided to rest his eyes for a bit. To take a pause before moving forward. He roughly tossed aside his stifling formal wear. The feel of the bed he sank into was soft, yet cold. Nox curled up on the bed, waiting for his body heat to warm it. When he closed his eyes, there was only darkness.

***

Nox secluded himself in the mansion for a while, focusing solely on the estate’s affairs. The scattered territories had undergone numerous system changes. Nox looked at the various forms of reports from each region and then drafted a new, standardized format. He summoned the butler and ordered him to implement this new system.

The existing documents—some overly detailed, others woefully lacking in crucial information—were unhelpful in understanding the estate’s operations. For Nox, who hadn’t overseen the territory for so long, a greater quantity of meaningful information was crucial.

‘Since everyone’s gathered under the Rainerio family again anyway, it’s better to change the system now.’

That way, they’d understand their master had truly changed. Reviewing reports with differing formats was a time-consuming and inefficient process. However, as the reports for the current month were already submitted, he meticulously read through them.

Knock, knock.

Just as Nox was reviewing his thirtieth report, someone knocked on the study door. Nox, without looking up from his documents, gestured dismissively, and a servant opened the door. The butler entered the study.

“Your Grace, I’ve brought the applications.”

“Ah, has it come to that already?”

“There were a total of thirty-two applicants.”

“Thirty-two, you say.”

Typically, the position of a ducal aide would attract over a hundred applicants. But given Nox Rainerio’s current abysmal reputation, “thirty applicants is quite a feat,” he mused.

Nox began to examine the applications the butler had carefully placed on his desk. Ah, this one’s useless. This one lacks ability. Ugh, what was this one thinking applying? Before even considering those possibly planted by Khalid and Feltion, Nox first had to weed out the utterly incompetent ones.

After one round of filtering, he reviewed the remaining applications again.

He didn’t need anyone from a too-prominent family; they would surely try to climb over his head. Nor did he need anyone from families connected to the Emperor or Khalid, as they’d likely be spies. The same went for Emperor-aligned families. This left only four applications.

“I need three aides.”

The ducal territories were vast, and manpower would always be scarce. Nox looked down at the four remaining applications, then picked one up.

“Esterion Launder.”