I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 14

“Why?” one of the mercenaries asked, his eyes gleaming. “Aren’t we here looking for new recruits anyway?”

“That’s true, but… you’re not actually thinking…”

“I am,” another mercenary grinned. His name was Dota, a twenty-four-year-old mercenary, now in his fourth year. “He had a useful look in his eyes.”

“I agree with that much. But what’ll the captain say? ‘Where did you pick up this beggar brat?'”

“We’ll just say he had the guts to charge at us. The captain likes that kind of thing, right?”

“Well, he does like gutsy ones, I suppose.”

The mercenaries exchanged glances, pondering, then looked down at Khalid, who was sprawled on the ground.

“What are you doing? Not picking him up?”

“What? I have to carry him?”

“Then should I carry him?”

Dota, the one who first suggested it, quickly went to Khalid’s side and lifted him by both armpits, as if urging the other to carry him. The other mercenary, Bayde, a seven-year veteran, sighed and finally offered his back. Khalid hung limp, still unconscious.

“Looks like he’s been starving for a while.”

“It’s pretty amazing he tried to fight us in that state.”

“Right? Doesn’t that make him worth training as a mercenary?”

“If you say so.”

And so, the two mercenaries carried Khalid back to their mercenary group. When Khalid next opened his eyes, he was in a corner room of the inn the mercenaries were using.
***
It was early morning. Khalid was the first in the mansion to open his eyes. It was a habit he’d had since childhood. Yes, this damned habit, born from his time as Nox’s servant, had never truly broken.

From the moment he opened his eyes in bed, Khalid’s mood soured, and he scrunched his nose. On top of that, he’d had a rather unwelcome dream—the days after Nox had cast him aside, stripped him of his recommendation, and left him with nothing, living in despair. If the mercenary group hadn’t picked him up back then, he might have simply starved to death.

Khalid ran a hand through his hair and looked at his bed. Nox, who had finally fainted yesterday, was still there. His usually neat hair was a mess, and his still red-rimmed eyes were swollen from tears. Khalid looked down at that face coldly, then pulled back the blanket covering him.

“…Why?”

Nox lay with his back to him, his bare back fully visible. And it was covered in whip marks. Old scars, utterly unfitting for a ducal young master’s body, were there.

“Why are these on your body?”

Khalid thought. If the man he had loved so much had cast him aside, shouldn’t he have lived happier than anyone? He couldn’t understand why there were such wounds on a noble’s young master, wounds that didn’t suit him in the slightest.

“…No, that’s not right.”

Khalid murmured quietly. If he had been unhappy in his absence, that was the best news for him. He didn’t want to know what had happened. No, he decided he shouldn’t know.

“Don’t pity him,” Khalid told himself. But he couldn’t help but be bothered by those scars. The fact that his body, now his own, bore marks etched by others… Khalid got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. No master would greet the morning with a slave.

Khalid called for his attendants to prepare his bath, then, after a glance at Nox who was still unconscious, he stepped into the bathroom.

After some time had passed and his bath was finished, Khalid emerged and changed into his clothes, attended by his servants. Then he walked into the hallway and commanded the knights who followed him.

“To the Imperial Palace.”

“Understood.”

Khalid, now accustomed to his position, gave the order naturally and immediately went downstairs to board his carriage. He sat inside, gazing out the window for a moment. Nox, still unconscious in his room, came to mind. He frowned unwittingly.

His enemy, the one who had betrayed and abandoned him. A person who could no longer affect him in the slightest. Yet, still, a presence he had longed for. Khalid looked up at his room window with cold eyes, then closed the carriage curtains.

As Khalid’s carriage left the mansion, Nox slowly awoke from his sleep. His entire body creaked, and below his waist, his senses were dulled, as if numb. Nox braced himself with his hands on the sheets, somehow managing to push himself up. He bit his scabbed lips once more at the dull ache that rose from his lower body. Such a strange pain.

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Nox hesitated for a moment. Was he allowed to grant permission to enter? But when Nox didn’t answer, the person beyond the door spoke first.

“Entering.”

“……”

Nox pulled the blanket higher to cover himself. His body, covered in bite marks, was not something to be shown to others. The maid who entered the room placed both hands on her stomach and bowed to him.

“I am the head maid, Marlene.”

“……”

“You may address me as Head Maid.”

“Why are you to me…”

Marlene seemed to sense Nox’s unspoken question about why she was speaking formally to him, and she shook her head.

“My deference is only for now. From now on, you are to be the Duke’s slave and will attend to him, so please be aware of that.”

“Duke…”

“Yes, Duke Khalid Via. He is the master of this estate.”

Nox nodded. If one had achieved such distinction at the forefront, beside the Second Prince, then a dukedom wasn’t impossible. Especially now, with no other siblings of the Second Prince remaining. When Nox offered no reply, Marlene continued with what she had to say.

“Water has been drawn for your bath. If you attend the Duke at night, you may use the Duke’s bathroom. On other days, you may use the bathroom attached to the room you will be assigned.”

At the mention of “night attendance,” Nox involuntarily recalled last night. Yes, night attendance. He gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. He wondered how he had fallen to such a state, yet he also wondered if it was fortunate that he was still alive. But was it truly fortunate? That question filled his mind. And before he could find an answer, Marlene continued.

“After you’ve bathed, I will show you to the room where you will be staying.”

“…Understood.”

Marlene raised an eyebrow, as if surprised. She hadn’t expected a man from a noble family, even a ducal one, to use polite language with a mere head maid, despite his fall to slavery.

Nox paid her no mind and pulled the gown that was hanging on the edge of the bed. He put it on and headed for the bathroom.

It was difficult to clean himself alone. But the thought of asking for help made him shudder. Nox pushed away the useless thoughts, dried himself, and stepped out. He suddenly remembered Khalid, who used to meticulously dry his hair after he bathed. But that was impossible now.

“Please change into these clothes.”

What she offered looked like a servant’s—no, a valet’s—uniform. The black vest and trousers appeared smooth, and the shirt looked soft. As Nox gazed at the clothes with a puzzled expression, Marlene explained.

“You will also be participating in the Duke’s public engagements from now on. So, here.”

Marlene offered a bolo tie that was to be worn with the shirt. It was elaborately decorated with silver, but Nox knew exactly what it signified. The slave of a grand noble; beautiful, yet incapable of independent thought; and a concubine. Slaves might consider receiving such a bolo tie an honor, but for Nox, who once held a high position among the grand nobility, it was a moment that could only elicit a bitter smile.

Nevertheless, he accepted it meekly. He already felt his neck lightly constricting. This object would make him seem less like himself, making him appear solely as someone’s possession. No, it would make him a mere object.

“Then, change and come out.”

“…Yes.”

Marlene exited the room, leaving Nox alone. He shed his gown and looked at his naked reflection in the full-length mirror across the room.

His shoulders, nape, chest, forearms, waist, thighs—there were countless bite marks, too many to pinpoint, that had turned purple with time. Touching them brought pain.

Nox sighed and put on the clothes. He likely wouldn’t have many days ahead where his body was unblemished.

Rustle, swish. As he slowly donned the clothes and fastened the bolo tie, he looked like a perfect slave. At least, in Nox’s eyes. The fact that he was once of noble ducal blood already seemed like a story from a very distant past.

Nox opened the door and stepped out. Marlene, who was waiting outside, gestured to him. Nox began to walk, following her. His steps were those of a noble, naturally matching a lady’s pace. Marlene glanced at him once, then quietly closed her mouth.

They walked towards the guest rooms on the first floor of the main building. Nox asked,

“Will I be staying in the main building?”

“The Duke made this decision so you can come immediately when he calls. It has the Duke’s approval, so don’t worry.”

“No, rather than worry…”

It was because the treatment was better than he’d expected. He had thought he would be treated worse than other servants, or at least no better. Marlene, seemingly reading his thoughts, whispered quietly,

“The Duke would hardly treat his concubine so poorly.”

“…Is that so?”