I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 115

“…Pardon?”

Esterion looked at the butler with a face that said he must’ve misheard. But the butler only nodded, as if to confirm that he had heard correctly. Even the butler seemed to have no idea what the Duke Nox was thinking. Still, what other reason could there be for calling a man to his bedroom in the middle of the night? Only one situation came to mind.

“…Understood.”

“I’ll show you the way.”

“There’s no need.”

“No, I’ll guide you.”

In the end, Esterion closed his mouth and quietly followed the butler. Nox’s bedroom was on the top floor of the mansion, the largest room in the entire estate. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the entire floor was taken up by his bedroom and dressing room. Even before his family had fallen from grace, Esterion had never seen a room this grand. While he was still processing that shock, the butler gave a soft knock on the door.

Knock, knock 

“My lord.”

“Let only Launder in.”

“…Yes, understood.”

At Nox’s voice, the butler turned to Esterion with an even stranger expression. For a moment, Esterion felt like he’d become some legendary beauty who had seduced the Duke, a beauty capable of bringing down an entire noble house. The unease in his chest only deepened as he carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

The butler’s gaze clung to him until the last second. Instinctively, Esterion closed the door behind him. He had the sudden thought that the butler must not be allowed to see what would happen between them.

Hoo…
He let out a silent sigh and raised his head. The room was dim, the only light coming from a few faintly flickering candles. The strange atmosphere made Esterion swallow nervously.

Nox, fresh from a bath with damp hair brushed back, was draped only in a robe. He sat at the edge of the bed, legs crossed, and called to him.

“Launder.”

Esterion swallowed dryly again without meaning to. As he stood frozen in place, Nox spoke again.

“What are you doing?”

“…Sorry?”

“Come here.”

“…Yes.”

As Esterion cautiously approached, Nox gave a faint smile.

“You don’t even protest.”

“I said I’d do anything.”

“Ah, right.”

Now that he thought about it, there was another one like that someone who claimed they’d do anything. Nox tilted his head. Everyone around me says they’ll do anything… not a single one of them knows what I truly want.
And the man now standing in front of him Esterion Launder was no different.

“What exactly do you think I’m going to do?”

“…Whatever it is, I don’t mind.”

“Does your whatever include rolling in bed with your superior?”

“…If that’s what you want.”

“Then that makes things simple.”

Nox stood up and gently but with a firm hand turned Esterion toward the bed. With a subtle pressure on his shoulder, he guided him to sit down.

“Lie down.”

Esterion lay down, doing his best not to glance at Nox’s chest, exposed under the loosely tied robe as he bent forward. A soft chuckle escaped from Nox’s lips, and Esterion squeezed his eyes shut.

***

“So…”

Esterion spoke while lying on the bed.

“What… are you doing?”

“What do you mean, what?”

Esterion looked toward Nox, who was sitting at a large desk by the bed, reading documents under candlelight. With only a robe loosely draped around him, his collarbone was partially exposed. Esterion forced his gaze upward, away from that view, and muttered:

“…Weren’t you going to do something?”

“Like I said. What?”

Nox smiled faintly again, eyes on the papers. He knew very well what Esterion had imagined. But seeing that kind of reaction just made him less inclined to give a straight answer. Yes, he was teasing him.

“Just sleep there or something. I’ll send you back around dawn.”

“What’s the meaning of this?”

“I needed to stir up some fire.”

“Fire?”

“Yeah.”

Esterion recalled the emperor he had met earlier that day. The way His Majesty looked at Nox hadn’t been ordinary. Emotions swirled in his eyes whether it was desire, guilt, or affection, Esterion couldn’t tell. Still lying on the bed, he began to ponder what exactly Nox meant to the emperor.

He knew a bit of the gossip that circulated in high society. That the emperor and the duke shared a bed. That Nox had seduced them both with his body. That he was a fallen noble turned into a slave for the most powerful men. But none of it quite fit the man now sitting calmly before him.

“…So I’m just supposed to pretend I spent the night with you?”

“Quick on the uptake, I see.”

“You think they’ll fall for it?”

“Whether they do or don’t, the fire’s already lit.”

They both think they own me.
Nox’s voice was dry, but his sarcasm was unmistakable. He frowned slightly at the papers, the dim candlelight evidently not enough. Esterion watched his side profile for a moment, then closed his eyes realizing there was nothing left for him to do here but try to get some sleep. Since he had to stay until dawn either way, he figured it was best to rest.

When Nox noticed that Esterion had quietly shut his eyes, he thought to himself:
He adjusts fast, doesn’t he?

Several hours passed like that.

Once he finished reviewing the necessary documents for tomorrow, Nox stretched and glanced toward the bed. Esterion was lightly dozing.

Without hesitation, Nox climbed onto the bed. He gently shook Launder, who blinked awake with sleepy eyes. The first thing Esterion saw was Nox’s jawline, softly glowing in the candlelight.

“…What time is it?”

“Three. You can head back now.”

Esterion sat up, rubbing his face awake. Nox stared at him for a long moment before letting out a short, amused sound. Then, without warning, he reached out and touched Esterion’s shirt. Launder froze and looked at him, confused but Nox casually ripped the shirt open with both hands.

Rip. Pop.

The buttons of the newly gifted luxury shirt scattered uselessly across the floor. While Esterion sat there, momentarily stunned, Nox reached out again and thoroughly mussed his hair. Still unable to grasp the situation, Launder blinked in confusion. Then Nox, withdrawing his hand, said:

“That should do it.”

“…Ah.”
Esterion finally seemed to understand and nodded slightly. Nox gestured toward the door, and Esterion slowly got up from the bed and headed out. As he turned his back, Nox called out with a dry remark.

“So… are you ready to become my lover now?”

“…I’ve been prepared for that since the moment I stepped into the room.”

“Should I call that foresight? Or just premature excitement?”

At Nox’s teasing words, Esterion scratched the back of his neck.

“See you in the morning. I’ll leave the bed looking suitably messy.”

“Yes. Sleep well, sir.”

Creak. Click.

The door closed, leaving Nox alone in the room. He lay down where Esterion had just been and thought:
So what’s the butler up to right now?
He wiggled his toes idly.

Meanwhile, the butler, who had seen Esterion emerge from the room at dawn with a disheveled appearance, quietly turned and headed to his own quarters.

Back in his room, the butler took out a small slip of paper and began writing something. With a calm expression, he opened the birdcage and tied the note to the messenger bird’s leg. After releasing it, he watched it disappear into the pre-dawn sky and let out a heavy sigh.

“…I wonder if I should’ve sent that.”

Though the message was already sent, he mumbled in frustration. It was his duty to report everything, after all…
Flap, flap in the early morning silence, the sound of wings felt oddly loud.

The bird reached Khalid Via before dawn had fully broken.

That morning, it was no surprise that Duke Khalid Via’s chambers were turned upside down and this was exactly as Nox had predicted.

Obsessive as ever…

That pathetic obsession knowing he couldn’t have him, yet still unable to let go.
Nox, having set the fire, fell into the deepest sleep he’d had in a long time. And he even dreamed of flames rising under a sky turned entirely to ash-gray.

***

Upon waking, Nox immediately summoned the servants, ordering them to remove the damp bedding before he stepped into the bathroom. The servants now understood his profound aversion to being touched.

Not one offered to assist with his bath, which suited him just fine. If there were no marks on a body that had supposedly spent the night with a man, it would raise suspicion. Nox lay submerged in the warm water, flicking the surface with his fingers.

“The fire has been lit…”

What should I do now? Nox submerged himself briefly, organizing his thoughts. By the time he was done, the warm bathwater had turned lukewarm.

After his bath, Nox donned his robe and summoned the butler. The butler entered, impeccably dressed, and bowed from the waist.

“Do you require anything, sir?”

“I should have some invitations, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, you do, but…” Most were filled with vulgar curiosity. Nox undoubtedly knew this, yet his face was unreadable as he replied, “Bring them all.”

“…Yes, Your Grace, understood.”

The butler immediately collected and organized all the invitations he had set aside. Nox took them and examined each one. The ones he deemed useless he casually tossed to the floor with an indifferent flick of his wrist, knowing the butler would clean them later.

Most of the invitations were merely to satisfy base curiosity. Though not explicitly stated, their underlying intent was obvious. But Nox wasn’t looking for invitations to such vulgar parties.

“I thought it might not be here…”

It is. The seal on the dark blue stationery belonged to the family he sought: Demetri Andelass.

The name of the Empire’s Marquis, and former leader of the noble faction, was written on the paper.