Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"Your answer?"

Evgenia extended her hand. The gemstones adorning her black glove sparkled.

Her hand gripped Richard's chin.

Arrogant violet eyes stared directly at him.

As if daring me to even think of refusing her.

"..."

His momentary confusion quickly faded, and Richard's watery blue eyes cooled.

Aha.

So that is how it is.

This was not merely a dance invitation.

No, it was closer to a declaration of a duel.

'My goodness. Young Master Friedrich...'

'An unexpected choice.'

The nobles murmured.

'Not bad.'

Richard recalled his purpose for attending the ball: to retrieve the remains of the Empress and, to do that, attract the attention of the Chesika ducal family.

'In that case...'

There was only one answer.

Richard parted his lips with a bright smile.

"I must decline."

The ballroom was instantly engulfed in silence.

'He is refusing her?'

'He has some nerve!'

The nobles' jaws dropped. They thought:

Evgenia Chesika.

How terrifying was she?

A villainess. The Rose of High Society.

Any young master who refused her would never dance with anyone else again, and any young lady who fell out of her favor would be thoroughly shunned in High Society.

Who would dare refuse her?

Who could possibly refuse her and survive?

"..."

The corner of Evgenia's mouth twitched.

Looking at her, Richard bowed his head.

"My apologies, my Lady. I already have someone else in mind with whom I wish to dance..."

He secretly curled the corner of his mouth.

Come to think of it, there is no need to approach Lady Evgenia specifically.

How foolish.

The goal was to attract the attention of the Chesika ducal family.

Then was there not one more person?

Richard passed by her without a trace of lingering regret. He moved forward, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the silent ballroom.

At last, he stopped before Duke Vilmar Chesika.

"Your Grace."

"Would you grant me the honor of sharing the opening dance with you?"

'With the Duke right here, why bother?'

There was no reason to approach that disagreeable lady.

Richard extended his hand and bowed deeply at the waist.

His posture was so perfect that it could have appeared in an etiquette textbook.

"Hmm."

The Duke's violet eyes gleamed with unmistakable interest.

At once, the nobles began whispering with bewildered expressions.

'Did he refuse the lady because she is a woman?'

'Is Young Master Friedrich... fond of men?'

Meanwhile, the Duke's lips curved into an amused arc. He tilted his head slightly to one side.

"Interesting."

"..."

"This is my first time receiving a dance invitation from a young master."

The Duke could not conceal his amusement. Then a hand clad in a black glove lightly took Richard's.

He bowed his head gracefully.

"I shall gladly accept."

Chu.

Soft lips touched the back of Richard's hand, then withdrew.

"?.."

Richard's body stiffened in confusion.

Huh?

Is this... the proper reaction?

"Shall we proceed?"

The Duke took Richard's hand and led him toward the center.

"!.."

Led by his hand, Richard's gaze wavered as his feet moved.

Things were going according to plan, but...

'This is not the reaction I expected!'

The Duke stopped on the floor shimmering beneath the chandelier's light.

The ballroom was silent.

A beautiful violin melody began to flow, followed by the piano and cello. They blended into perfect harmony.

The music began.

'What is he thinking?'

Facing the Duke, Richard swallowed hard.

The Duke's unfathomable eyes curved like a fox's.

"The first step. Slowly, Young Master Friedrich—"

The Duke spoke in a low, gentle voice as he met Richard's gaze.

"Ah, yes, Your Grace."

Richard held his breath, bowed his head slightly, and took a step under the Duke's lead.

A quiet tension swirled between the two as they held hands.

The music had now transformed into a waltz, and the cello and piano responded harmoniously to the rhythm drawn out by the violin.

The moment their breathing synchronized, every gaze gathered at the center of the ballroom focused on the Duke and Richard.

"..."

Feeling the coolness transmitted through the Duke's fingertips, Richard pulled himself together.

'Right.'

This is no time to be flustered.

What is important is...

'Before this dance ends, I must secure the Duke's definite interest.'

The moment his objective flashed through his mind, the Duke lightly placed one hand on Richard's waist and firmly clasped Richard's hand with the other, like a gentleman of refined taste.

An air of elegance emanated from his every gesture.

'Wow!'

Small gasps of admiration escaped the nobles.

"Young Master Friedrich."

The Duke skillfully led him and whispered softly.

"Yes, Your Grace."

Richard nodded and took a step back.

Their gazes remained fixed on each other without the slightest wavering.

"There have been some interesting rumors about you lately."

"Rumors, you say..."

"Do not play dumb. They have reached even my ears, so you must know."

Slight pressure came from the arm wrapped around Richard's waist. The Duke held him firmly as his feet moved gracefully with the rhythm.

"Are the rumors true?"

Violet eyes tinged with chilling interest swept over Richard.

"..."

He must be talking about the rumor that I spent the night with the Crown Prince.

Richard curled the corner of his mouth.

"Well."

He smiled faintly, casting him a sidelong glance.

"What does Your Grace think?"

"Hmm. If I had expected that answer, I would not have asked."

The Duke's red lips curved into an arc.

As the first phrase of the waltz resounded, the two began an elegant turn. The Duke's hand exerted slight pressure, tightening around Richard's waist.

"Your Grace."

Entrusting his body to him, Richard reached out and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"There is something I wish to propose."

The Duke gave him a soft, smiling glance.

"Intriguing. A proposal?"

Their gazes seemed to part briefly as they moved past each other, but soon locked together again.

As they spun once, then twice, the music gradually intensified.

The moment the violin melody grew fervent—

"Join hands with me."

Richard made his gambit.

Vilmar Chesika.

Richard knew a fair amount about him as well. The father of the villainess and a key antagonist in this "story."

"I am aware that Your Grace is hiding the remains of the late Empress."

Richard took a step while staring at him with an unwavering gaze.

Vilmar Chesika.

He was the principal culprit who had hidden the Empress's body that the Emperor was desperately searching for.

The reason...

'Because he loved her unrequitedly.'

The Duke had loved the Empress unrequitedly, but she had been the Emperor's woman.

The Duke could only have watched her from afar, gnashing his teeth.

And on the day the Empress died, consumed by twisted vengeance, he had hidden her remains in retaliation against the Emperor.

"Your Grace loved the Empress unrequitedly, did you not?"

Richard decided to use the same method he had employed with the Emperor. Just as the Emperor disliked Cailus, the Duke would also dislike the Crown Prince, born of the woman he loved and another man.

"His Highness the Crown Prince, born from the Empress's blood mingled with another man's, must be displeasing to you."

Therefore,

"I will ruin his life for you."

The central violin melody slowly began to crescendo.

The melody, initially low and gentle, gradually intensified, transforming into a richer tone as if heightening the excitement.

The sound shook the ballroom air, and the tension reached its peak in an instant.

"So, how about joining hands with me?"

Richard confidently curled the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm..."

However, the Duke merely let out a laugh, showing no particular reaction.

"Young Master Friedrich."

In time with the music, he raised their clasped hands. He spun Richard around once, then met his gaze and asked:

"Is your goal to capture my interest?"

"!.."

Richard's gaze hardened for a moment.

Damn.

Crafty old fox.

He has already caught on.

"Your Grace, I..."

Just as he was about to talk his way out of the crisis with an improvised excuse—

"That is unnecessary."

The Duke looked at Richard with unmistakable amusement.

As the music reached its climax, the Duke lightly lifted Richard with his fingertips and elegantly took the final step.

Richard fell into the Duke's arms as the music stopped.

"I am already very interested in you."

The Duke whispered in a low voice.

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