I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 139

At Nox’s words, Esterion asked as he served tea beside him, “Why should His Imperial Majesty suspect His Grace?”

Nox took a sip of the tea Esterion had prepared. It was astringent and bitter. Neither this nor that, he just can’t get my tea preference right.

Nox clucked his tongue and set the teacup down. Esterion, who had been brewing whatever he found since Nox never stated his preferences, quietly removed that particular tea from his mental list.

“Because it will make it easier for Khalid to move.”

“Duke Khalid Via?”

“No matter how much I try to split the two of them apart, there will always be a fundamental trust connecting them.”

Because they would have shared time that I don’t know of. Nox scoffed briefly.

He didn’t know how Khalid had been persuaded, but their relationship was strong enough for Khalid to share even himself, who was in Nox’s hand. He didn’t think it would easily break.

“I’m using that trust.”

Esterion nodded. “So, while attention is focused on Your Grace, Duke Via will make his move?”

“Good, you understand well.”

Nox finally pushed the teacup away. Esterion dejectedly cleared the cup. Nox pondered the Emperor’s likely actions, regardless of Esterion’s disappointed expression.

‘Yes, the seed of suspicion against me would have sprouted.’

So, how will he react? Nox had Esterion summon Angela. As always, Angela, with her lively face, entered his study with a bright smile.

“You need information on His Imperial Majesty, right?”

“It’s disgusting.”

“If it’s not disgusting, it’s hard to survive in this business,” Angela replied lightly, then asked, “You’ll want everything concerning the Emperor’s movements?”

“Yes.”

Angela lightly patted her chest, a confident look on her face. “You’ll need to prepare quite a lot of money.”

“Are you worrying about my money now?”

“Ahaha. Not exactly, but…”

Angela lightly curtsied with a sweep of her skirt and left. Exactly an hour and a half later, she reappeared and whispered, “His Imperial Majesty suspects you. As the one who released the wolves.”

This was expected. Nox nodded, and Angela seemed put out, resting her chin on the desk and grumbling, “Oh, it’s so deflating when you act like you already know everything.”

“So, the next piece of information?”

“How heartless you are.”

Angela pretended to sniffle and rose from her seat. Then she feigned wiping away tears that weren’t there. “It seems there’s no physical evidence. But there are people monitoring the mansion.”

Angela spoke as if humming a tune. “Perhaps the Emperor’s planted servants in this mansion are trying desperately to find evidence?”

“That’s not very helpful information.”

“But it’s incredibly difficult to get this much information on His Imperial Majesty!” Angela squinted her eyes with a sly smile. Nox gazed at her with narrowed eyes. The two held a staring contest for a long moment. Only Esterion, caught in the middle, was clueless.

“Oh, alright!”

Angela was the first to wave the white flag. She laid out the card she had intended to hold onto until the very end. She had planned to get more money for it, she sniffled. She feigned wiping tears again. It was starting to look a bit disingenuous.

“The Emperor…” Angela whispered with a devilish grin, “is having a room prepared in the imperial palace basement.”

Nox’s face hardened, but Angela paid no mind, grinning as she asked him, “Aren’t you curious whose room that might be?”

Nox remained silent, and Angela, as if she never expected an answer, bowed again and vanished.

Silence. Only silence filled the room. Esterion frowned. The Emperor was building a room in the basement.

Judging by Angela’s demeanor and Nox’s reaction, it was clear whose room it was. Nox let out a short, hollow laugh beside him.

“Right, he’ll find some excuse to throw me into that basement room.”

Nox bared his teeth and laughed ferociously. And to think he was having such audacious thoughts, after begging for just one night. Nox rang a bell. A servant politely entered, and Nox commanded coldly, “Summon the butler.”

At Nox’s chilling command, the servant hastily left the room.

Upon hearing the news of the Duke’s displeasure, the butler rushed to Nox’s room. He composed himself, lightly knocked, and then entered.

Nox was propped on his elbows at the desk, chin in hand. His gaze seemed to disapprove of something, yet also implied a willingness to tolerate it.

“Tell your master.”

“…Yes.”

“The timeframe is tonight.”

“…”

“Next is Kylon.”

From Nox’s lips, the name of one of the Emperor’s key noble supporters was uttered.

The butler conveyed that short name to Khalid.

Flap. A bird took flight.

Khalid immediately burned the letter after reading it, ensuring no one saw it, then gripped his sword.

He didn’t know exactly what Nox was thinking. As a dull-witted man, he had no way of guessing. Or perhaps, he simply didn’t want to guess.

Khalid tightly clutched the sword at his hip. If he could, he would go back in time and cut off his own head for falling for the Emperor’s whispers.

He had ended up offering his body to the Emperor, simply because he couldn’t admit the fact that he loved him.

Khalid stared into the void with dark, unfocused eyes. His fingers kept fiddling with the sword’s hilt.

After offering himself to Nox, Khalid paid close attention to the Emperor’s actions.

Being by the Emperor’s side, Khalid could discern His Majesty’s movements faster than anyone.

“He’s making a room in the basement?”

Ah, Your Majesty. What kind of place is that basement room? Surely it’s not what I’m thinking.

Khalid didn’t smile. Because it wasn’t funny at all.

“I must undo what I’ve done.”

Khalid, with his robe pulled down, holding only his sword, leapt from his room’s terrace. No one saw him. Even if someone in the mansion had, they would have pretended not to.

As he left the ducal residence, raindrops began to fall one by one from the sky. The light drizzle soon turned into a torrential downpour, blurring his vision.

People scattered, heading home to escape the rain, and the sky grew even darker. The mansion’s servants, who had been outside, hurried indoors.

While everyone sought shelter from the rain, the master of the Rainerio family, Nox Rainerio, announced he was going out.

Into this rain, where you can’t see an inch ahead, where on earth is he going? The servants strained their ears and darted their eyes about. But then:

“No one follows me.”

Without his usual attendant, Esterion, Nox alone took a carriage and headed somewhere.

The servants whispered among themselves.

The rain showed no signs of stopping. Nox had the carriage stop a short distance from the Kylon mansion and looked up at the sky.

He was gauging how far the card of Khalid Via would go.

Rumble, crash! The rain began to fall even harder, and soon lightning struck.

How many hours passed like this?

The lights in the dark mansion suddenly flickered on, and a commotion began to be heard.

Even with the carriage parked at a considerable distance, the chaos was palpable. Nox smiled contentedly and ordered the coachman, “Return to the mansion.”

***

Kylon Benedict.

He was not comparable to Khalid Via, the Emperor’s closest confidant who rose to Duke, or even Ellerdine Vice. Still, he was a loyal subject who had remained by the Emperor’s side since His Majesty was the Second Prince.

Having ascended from Count to Marquess, he lived a life free from worry after the Emperor’s ascension. However, a recent unfortunate incident had occurred.

“Duke Ellerdine Vice has passed away.”

What’s more, since it happened during a hunting festival hosted by the imperial palace, it persistently circulated among the people. The families of the nobles who died from wolf bites subtly blamed the Emperor.

If the Emperor had not been one to conduct a bloody ascension ceremony, complaints would have emerged long ago. Everyone was holding their breath and watching, but a subtle dissatisfaction with the Emperor was spreading among the nobles.

Kylon sat in his room, deep in thought. What could be done to break through this situation?

“We need to definitively find out who released the wolves…”

Diverting the arrows of resentment elsewhere was the most effective approach. He gazed at the rainy terrace.

Rumble, a sound came from the sky. Then, flash, crash! The sound echoed as if lightning had struck near the mansion. And at that moment, a large shadow appeared outside the terrace door.

Kylon’s mouth fell open. Incandescent eyes shone blue even under the dark sky.

“Wh-who…!”

Kylon hastily tried to call his guard. But the large shadowed man moved his lips first.

“Em-Emperor…”

‘His Imperial Majesty’s command.’

Understanding the shape of those lips, Kylon covered his mouth. Slowly, the large, cloaked figure opened the terrace door and stepped inside. A large, lumbering figure was seen walking in.

Kylon somehow felt the bulk was familiar. Now that he thought of it, it was the large man standing next to the Emperor. Ah, yes.

“Du-Duke Khalid Via. Why on earth have you appeared in such a state?”

You startled me. Kylon breathed a sigh of relief.

“More importantly, what is His Imperial Majesty’s command? Is it a secret order?”

To that question, Khalid answered after a few seconds of silence.

“Yes.”

Kylon turned around. He intended to offer something to wipe himself off. That’s why he didn’t see.

Khalid, behind him, drawing his sword.

Once again, rumble, crash!

Lightning struck the ground. Stabbed in the back, his lung torn, Kylon couldn’t even scream and fell forward.

Betrayal was readable in the eyes of the man writhing on the floor.

Khalid, feeling the cold sweat mixing with the rain, raised his sword once more.

Thud, crunch.

It was a perfect murder.