Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"So, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Second Young Master spent the night..."

"Oh my, is that really true?"

Today, the corridors of the Friedrich Marquisate were unusually noisy with the whispers of maids.

"It's true, they say! He came out of His Highness's bedroom, you know? And on the Second Young Master's neck!.."

The maids chattered excitedly, as though they had witnessed something incredible.

The burning topic among them was none other than what had happened in the Crown Prince's bedroom the previous night.

They said that something of that nature had occurred between His Highness the Crown Prince and the Second Young Master inside that bedroom.

That was the heart of the gossip.

"Huh?"

Derek, who had not risen until the sun was well past its zenith, opened his mouth so wide his jaw nearly dropped upon hearing the scandalous rumors coming from all directions.

His Highness the Crown Prince did what? Richard Friedrich came out of that bedroom?

There were red marks on his neck?

What kind of preposterous nonsense was this?!

"Well? If you like His Highness the Crown Prince so much... why don't you go serve His Highness at night?"

He had indeed said something like that the night before.

But...

There was no way His Highness the Crown Prince would truly spend the night with that brother of his?!

Derek had been certain Richard would be thrown out of the bedroom and severely punished.

He had been absolutely certain, and yet...

What in the world were all these rumors about Richard Friedrich spending the night with the Crown Prince, and these claims about red marks on his neck?!

"It's impossible..."

Derek muttered with a dazed expression.

I need to check.

He strode heavily down the corridor. Soon, his steps carried him toward the staircase.

His destination was Richard Friedrich's bedroom at the far end of the attic.

The moment he reached the door, he kicked it open without knocking.

BANG!

"Richard Friedrich!"

His navy-blue eyes darted around as he scanned the bedroom. Richard Friedrich's room was not large, so it did not take long to find him.

"Brother?"

Just as he had been the night before, the man was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a book.

"What are you looking at this time? Give it here!"

Derek stomped angrily toward the bed and snatched the book from his hand.

"Brother!.."

"Uwaaah! What the hell is this now?!"

Derek hurled the book away once again.

It was déjà vu from the previous night. A vivid, decadent display of male flesh unfolded before his eyes.

"Where do you keep getting this kind of thing? No, that's not the point!"

Derek belatedly remembered why he had come looking for Richard Friedrich and examined him from head to toe.

There was something strange about him today.

Richard Friedrich was wearing a muffler around his neck, something he never normally did.

"And on the Second Young Master's neck!.."

Derek's face stiffened as he recalled the maids' words from the corridor.

"You, you!.."

Derek seized the end of the muffler and yanked it mercilessly.

Snap.

The navy-blue muffler fell to the floor, revealing a snow-white neck.

And—

The vividly colored marks upon it.

Red marks, as though stained by autumn leaves, came clearly into view.

"Huh, huuuh!.."

Derek's navy-blue eyes widened as though they might pop out.

"You really slept with His Highness the Crown Prince?!"

He grabbed Richard Friedrich by the shoulders and interrogated him almost threateningly.

"..."

Richard Friedrich gave no answer.

He merely flushed to the tips of his ears, his lake-blue eyes shifting restlessly.

"Hah, huuuh!.. Damn it!"

Derek clutched the back of his own neck and slowly stumbled backward.

Even without an answer, he knew.

This bastard really had... with His Highness the Crown Prince?!

The realization that the absurd rumor was true left him so dumbfounded that he could not speak.

"..."

Does His Highness the Crown Prince like men too? No, but what in the world did he see in Richard Friedrich that made him spend the night with him? What does this bastard have besides a somewhat decent face? Actually, more importantly, how am I supposed to treat him now?

Confusion filled his head.

"Ha, ha..."

As meaningless, dry laughter escaped him, Derek's thoughts went even further.

What if, by some chance, His Highness the Crown Prince truly likes Richard Friedrich?

Then I...

All this time, I have... to Richard Friedrich.

"..."

"..."

"C-congratulations."

Finally frightened by the thought of how he might be treated in the future, Derek spoke in a trembling voice.

"I-I'll... be going now."

With that, Derek turned his back as though fleeing.

When the door closed behind him, it made none of the noise it had when he entered.

Stupid Derek.

Richard Friedrich clutched his stomach and laughed.

How could he be fooled by something like this?

Among all the people I know, he certainly ranks among the three stupidest.

Did I really sleep with Cailus last night?

Of course...

Richard Friedrich stroked the red marks on his neck and smirked.

Nothing happened at all.

The only things that had happened the previous night were Cailus strangling him, the two of them arguing some more, and then remaining awake until morning.

The marks on his neck were, of course, bruises from being strangled.

They do look remarkably similar, though.

Glancing at his neck in the mirror, Richard Friedrich loosely interlaced his fingers and stretched.

He rose from the edge of the bed and picked up the book that had fallen to the floor.

Opening the book, which overflowed with all manner of flesh tones, Richard Friedrich thought,

Anyway, it worked out well.

When he had emerged from the bedroom, he had deliberately pretended that his back hurt.

It was a harmless misunderstanding.

No, it was a good misunderstanding. One that would even benefit his future plans.

Sometimes, there was love like that.

Love that began as an absurd rumor and became the truth.

For Richard Friedrich, who needed to seduce Cailus, the scandal could only be advantageous.

Flutter—

Humming a tune, Richard Friedrich turned the page.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Now, before long...

"Ha."

Having returned to the Crown Prince's palace, Cailus pressed firmly against his temples.

"Your Highness. Did something happen last night?"

His knight, Senin, asked in a grave voice.

"..."

Cailus pressed his lips tightly together, as though he had no intention of speaking.

"It seems an absurd rumor is circulating throughout the Friedrich residence..."

Senin averted his gaze apologetically.

He remembered the maids' whispers he had overheard while leaving the residence.

"His Highness and the Young Master..."

"Oh my... Is that really true?"

Senin clenched his teeth.

Truly, there was no one else so out of his mind.

What in the world had Richard done to spread such nonsense...

I never liked him from the beginning.

Senin, who had sworn loyalty to Cailus, had disliked Richard Friedrich from the very start.

Because that man was harmful to his lord.

"Your Highness. That man is a lunatic."

Senin spoke, clenching the fists held tightly behind his back.

"No sane person could act that way."

If someone were truly in his right mind, he could not behave so recklessly. He could not suddenly and impulsively confess his feelings to a member of the Imperial Family in the middle of a banquet hall.

That man...

Senin sensed it instinctively.

Richard Friedrich's existence would pose a grave threat to His Highness the Crown Prince.

"You must be wary of Richard Friedrich."

"..."

"I strongly recommend assigning someone to follow him."

Senin offered his lord his sincere advice.

His duty was to protect his lord.

From malicious rumors. From the threat posed by a lunatic who barged in without warning.

He had to protect his lord above all else.

"..."

Cailus's lips, which had remained closed all this time, slowly parted.

"Very well."

!..

"Assign someone to follow Richard Friedrich."

His red eyes grew cold as he sank into contemplation.

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