I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 157

The Imperial Palace was abuzz with activity, preparing for the new Emperor’s enthronement ceremony. With the robust support of the newly formed ‘Imperial Faction’ among the nobles, Nox Rainerio decided to hold a ceremony of unprecedented scale. Overseas nobles and even royalty were invited, keeping the entire palace busy with extensive preparations. Nox faced the challenge of orchestrating his own enthronement, which, combined with his already demanding duties, left him with virtually no time to breathe. Even pulling in all his ducal aides wasn’t enough; they barely had time to sleep.

“Please rest your eyes for a moment,” an aide suggested.

“Oh, it seems you won’t be sleeping tonight either, then?” Nox quipped.

“…” Esterion quietly sealed his lips. There was so much work that if one person rested, another had to stay awake through the night. The Emperor’s numerous aides, numbering over a dozen, had all been dismissed and sent back to their respective families long ago.

“Once this is over, I’ll have to hire more people,” Nox remarked.

“We need them, right now!” one of the aides groaned. But where could they find new staff on such short notice? Even the former Emperor’s chief eunuch was working tirelessly.

“Still, most of it is almost done, isn’t it?”

“If it weren’t, someone would have jumped out a window by now,” Nox said, making Esterion press his lips together. He knew it was a distinct possibility.

“Finally, tomorrow is the day,” Esterion said. Nox paused his pen and looked at him.

“There’s no time for sentimentality like that.”

“…Not even for a moment?”

“It’s far more beneficial to review one more document in that time.” Nox cut him off abruptly, turning to another document. Esterion, accustomed to this, naturally took the document from him. He then subtly glanced back while reviewing the neatly organized papers.

A small voice drifted from outside the door. And those voices belonged to…

“We need to check the final ceremonial attire.”

They were the Emperor’s tailors. The basic preparations were done, and the outfit was complete. However, they wanted to try it on one last time before the enthronement to ensure there were no awkward parts, flaws, or changes in size.

Nox sighed and put down his pen. “It’s almost all finalized, so there should be no issues.”

“Alright, then, I’ll make my escape now.”

Nox’s face was utterly serious as he spoke, seemingly not joking at all. Esterion chuckled, ushering him out the door. To so nonchalantly dismiss the man who would soon be Emperor—it truly took remarkable courage.

“Ah! Your Majesty! Please come this way!”

They were already calling Nox “Your Majesty.” It didn’t truly matter, as it would soon be his official title anyway, but hearing it still felt novel each time.

Nox moved with them to inspect the completed attire. He wondered what kind of clothes Feltion had worn. He wouldn’t know, as he’d been stuck in the dungeon when Feltion ascended the throne.

“What sort of clothes did the former Emperor wear?” Nox inquired. The tailors exchanged troubled glances before slowly replying, “He wore a white uniform draped with a golden mantle.”

“I see.” Nox looked at the clothes prepared for him. His uniform was not white; it was black, so dark that it cast no shadows. This was by Nox’s own command, so it was as intended. The black uniform, adorned with gold embroidery and gold trim, had an emerald green lining, giving it a weighty, imperial presence. A sense of relief washed over him at the thought of not having to portray the heroic image the former Emperor had sought to project.

He was no hero. He was closer to a treacherous snake. And a snake’s child is a snake. Nox chuckled softly.

The tailors inwardly sighed at his smile. To those who were oblivious, he might simply seem like someone who had fortunately inherited the throne. However, those who knew the relationships between Nox Rainerio, the Emperor, and Khalid Via would never consider this a mere coincidence.

Nox subtly gestured with his chin to a palace attendant standing nearby. He, who had once been extremely averse to others touching his body, now entrusted himself to the hands of the attendants. He couldn’t afford to be so particular forever.

With the attendants’ assistance, Nox put on the ceremonial robes for the enthronement and looked at his reflection in the mirror with a sense of unfamiliarity. Would his past self have ever imagined standing in such a position? Unlikely. Even up until his foolish father’s death, he probably couldn’t have even conceived of such a thing.

“Seems there are no issues.”

“Yes.”

“Proceed as is.”

“Understood.”

Nox unbuttoned the top button of his uniform, which he’d fastened all the way up. He changed back into his regular clothes and left the room, with the chief eunuch trailing behind him. Nox walked silently down the corridor before asking, “Is the criminal still alive?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Haha.” Nox let out a hollow laugh, his eyes fixed on some distant point. So, he’s still keeping his mouth shut, is he? To take all the blame and disappear.

Nox didn’t understand love. Yet, he knew that what Feltion felt wasn’t love, and what Khalid felt wasn’t affection. So what emotion was Khalid Via clinging to that allowed him to endure such brutal torture? Nox Rainerio simply couldn’t fathom that feeling, nor did he want to. But the man who had remained silent all this time, willing to sink into oblivion with everything, was still alive.

Nox wanted to crush his emotions. He wanted Khalid to betray him, to crush and shatter those feelings, throw them back in his face, and then condemn him to the most wretched end imaginable. If Khalid didn’t speak by the time Nox ascended the throne, then Nox would…

***

And so, more time passed. Two months were spent preparing for Nox Rainerio’s enthronement ceremony. Nox wasn’t entirely pleased with it, but the Imperial Faction, led by Marquis Anderlas, insisted that Nox’s name needed to be widely publicized. It was true, considering he had previously been embroiled in scandalous rumors; this was an opportune moment to properly showcase himself. Of course, the problem was that all the work fell onto Nox and his aides. But Nox, who was practically a workaholic, managed to meticulously complete the tight schedule.

“The one newly ascending the throne is him?” “Indeed. Who would have thought things would turn out this way?” “Was he just lucky?” “…It would be a relief if he were merely the protagonist of good fortune.”

The dignitaries, arriving one after another at the imperial palace, whispered secretly among themselves. Yes, if he had simply stayed quiet and seized a stroke of luck, they could heartily congratulate him without worry.

But if not… if everything had been his intention, then they were now doomed to perpetually tread carefully around him. How had they treated him when he fell to the bottom? They had mocked and humiliated him, taking it for granted. All they could do was hope that he would regard the past as merely the past.

Of course, they couldn’t just stand idly by.

“Where should we send these tributes?” “Chief Eunuch, tributes from the Kingdom of Berte are arriving!” “Chief Eunuch!”

The nobles knew their transgressions, so they brought forth the most precious and expensive tributes they could, aiming to avoid any conflict. Their sheer quantity was overwhelming, threatening to burst the palace’s storerooms.

“Place those in His Majesty’s palace treasury! And those, into the detached palace’s treasury!” The chief eunuch was busy directing the palace attendants, organizing the vast array of tributes. Just then, someone approached him.

“Chief Eunuch.”

“Ah.” The chief eunuch turned his head to see Esterion Londer. He was now the Emperor’s right-hand aide, though originally from a fallen noble family.

“You should leave this to the attendants and come with me to the banquet hall to finalize things.”

“Understood. What is His Majesty doing?”

At the question, Esterion looked at the chief eunuch with an odd expression. “You’re calling him ‘His Majesty’ now, not ‘Your Highness’.”

“…Isn’t it time now?”

“Indeed.”

The chief eunuch and Esterion proceeded together to the banquet hall, where the esteemed guests would soon arrive. All preparations in the hall were complete. Attendants, following someone’s orders, adjusted draped curtains and rearranged the flowers on the tables. The fingertips of the person giving directions were remarkably pale.

The chief eunuch frowned, wondering if there was such an attendant in the palace. Beside him, Esterion explained, “She’s a maid His Majesty brought from the Rainerio estate. Well, she’s not just any maid. He entrusted her with everything related to the hall.”

“Is that so?”

A maid would surely be of common birth. Yet, even to his eyes, the banquet hall was perfect. It was more magnificent and vibrant than any hall the palace had ever seen. While it might seem a slight mismatch for His Majesty’s black attire, the hall itself was flawless. In fact, perhaps it was better to have such a vibrant setting when His Majesty would be dressed in black.

“Ah, Aide Londer!”

“Yes, Angela. Is it manageable?”

“Haha, I’m more skilled than you’d think.”

Angela smiled brightly. She wore the uniform of a palace attendant—specifically, that of the Emperor’s personal staff—instead of a maid’s dress. While imperial ladies-in-waiting traditionally had to be nobles, Nox had, quite unconventionally, accepted Angela as his exclusive lady-in-waiting.

“Well, I’ll have to work hard! Oh, don’t put that flowerpot over there!” Angela hurried off. The chief eunuch watched her go, then looked at Esterion, who nodded, surveyed the surroundings as if inspecting them, then smiled slightly and spoke to him.

“It seems you can handle the final inspection, Chief Eunuch.”

“Understood.”

Esterion pulled out his watch and checked the time. “The banquet will begin in two hours.” His voice sounded almost relieved, as if the very last task remained. With this, all the stories would end. More precisely, the long, protracted tale of Nox Rainerio’s misfortune would conclude.

“Everything must proceed perfectly.”