Chapter96

But he had struggled to survive for so many years just to earn a little bit of freedom and the right to live.

If he were still treated and sold like a commodity, then what meaning would all his years of struggle and persistence have?

So unless it was someone he truly wanted to marry, no matter what happened, no matter how others insulted or imprisoned him, Leif would never agree to marry.

Marriage was the only hope he had left, the last thing he wanted to hold on to. If he abandoned even that, then what meaning would there be in continuing to live?

Compared to what he had suffered in the past, being locked in this prison cell was nothing.

Leif closed his eyes and continued sitting quietly in the depths of the cell.

In the evening,

the heavy door of the cell opened again.

A cold light shone in from outside the door, and a few male slaves walked in carrying food boxes, their expressions dark and twisted.

Each one of them was broad and strong, with thick arms and rough builds. Combined with their clearly malicious faces, they looked like a pack of vicious wolves slowly surrounding Leif.

"Hey! I'm already this old, and this is the first time I've seen a man from a matriarchal country. Tch, this soft skin really does look no different from a woman. But, heh heh..." One of the male slaves leered at Leif's lower body, "I heard men in matriarchal countries give birth? So where does it come from? Is it their—eyelid? Gross! Or maybe there's really something like a woman's down there?"

Another male slave immediately chimed in with a sleazy grin, "You sound like you know something. But women are precious. Even female slaves are usually sold to rich families. I'm this old and haven't even touched a woman. Have you?"

The other slaves burst into mocking laughter at that.

The first slave turned red from their laughter. "Damn it, we're all slaves! No one here's seen a woman! Who's laughing at who!"

After cursing, he suddenly threw down the food box in his hand, marched up to Leif, and his face twisted with a dark viciousness as he stared coldly at the always-silent Leif.

"Heh! Since everyone's so curious, isn't there already a matriarchal man right here? The guards outside said as long as we don't break him or leave marks that affect his marriage, we can do whatever we want. Ha, I'm just curious and want to look. Just looking won't leave any marks, right?"

Leif finally lifted his long-lowered eyes and looked at the muscular male slaves closing in around him.

A few days ago, the ones delivering food had still been guards from the Imperial Palace. But now it was these filthy slaves. His so-called "cousins" must have gotten impatient and were resorting to these disgusting methods to force him to give in.

The other male slaves heard what the first one said and didn't object. They all grinned sleazily and moved closer together.

They had been deliberately let into this cell to break down this spoiled and stubborn noble heir.

They'd even been promised that if they could make him submit, they would be freed from slavery.

As the slaves approached, Leif reached out from the side of the bed and took out a sharp stone shard he had carefully ground down.

He pressed it against his throat.

"Don't touch me. Otherwise, they'll never get the main seal of Zhaiyun Pavilion."

After he was imprisoned here, his so-called royal "cousins" had already ordered people to search him, taking away all sharp items, including the jade hairpins he always carried.

This stone shard was something he had secretly sharpened little by little over the past few days.

The male slaves saw what he did, but instead of backing off, they burst into wild laughter.

The one closest to him suddenly reached toward his neck.

As that man got closer, Leif's heart sank. He tightened his grip on the shard, pressed his lips together, and slashed hard at his own throat.

But the moment he used force, he found that his whole body was filled with a strange weakness. He couldn't even cut his neck with the shard.

His eyes filled with brief surprise, but in the next moment, as if understanding something, he fell back into silence.

The approaching slave snatched the stone piece from his neck and burst into laughter. "I knew you half-man freaks would end up trying something like this! Tsk! We've been carrying sleeping incense since we entered this chamber. It's colorless and odorless, and it weakens anyone who hasn't taken the antidote, but it won't knock you out completely."

"Heh! Just wait, you'll be wide awake to watch what we do to your body."

"That's right! It's only fun if you're awake for it! Heh heh!"

"But seriously, we're all men here. Even if you can have children, would you really die of shame just because a few other men looked at you? Hahaha! Or is it that you really look different down there? Are you some kind of freakish monster? Hahaha!"

"Hahaha! So that's what you're worried about? I thought men from matriarchal countries were all loyal and pure! Hahaha!"

"But this precious little heir is still a virgin, isn't he? Look at the red mark on his forehead. That little petal... tsk, the more I look at him, the more he looks like some half-man freak."

The slaves laughed louder and drew closer.

Leif's thin body was shoved onto the cold, hard stone bed.

He hadn't felt such deep humiliation in years, not since he left that hellish exile road.

His body, weakened by the incense, was struggling pointlessly in the eyes of these slaves, which only seemed to excite them.

His collar was being torn apart. His limbs were pinned down with force and pain.

Leering, twisted faces crowded around him. Their foul breath made him feel like he'd fallen into hell again.

Leif's vision started to blur. The crude, vile laughter of the men echoed right next to his ears, making him dizzy and sick.

It was as if he was back on that road of exile again, treated like cargo, tormented without mercy.

The overwhelming shame and despair surged through every inch of him like fire.

He tried to lift his body and escape those disgusting hands, but he was never as strong as these slaves, and the incense had soaked into his entire body, making even his senses go numb.

In the chaos, the weight of despair and silence gradually overtook his mind and body.

His eyes turned blank and lifeless. Still, he instinctively struggled, and one hand accidentally pressed against his own wrist...

"Aaahhhhhh!!!"

A sudden scream rang out.

The piercing sound cut through the chaos like a blade. It made all the groping hands freeze and snapped Leif's dull senses back to clarity for a moment.

In that moment, he saw one of the slaves collapse beside him. There was a pinprick of blood at the corner of the man's forehead.

He froze and stared at his right hand, which had just been held down tightly by the slave.

On his wrist, a band that looked like an elegant gold and jade bracelet sat quietly against his skin.

His dazed, blurry eyes paused. When he clearly saw the beautiful bracelet on his right wrist, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Half a month ago, a young servant sweeping outside his residence had given it to him. They said it was left by a foreign lady claiming to be his friend, who wanted him to wear it for protection.