Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

A cold wind, sharp enough to flay skin, whipped across his entire body.

Thick fog rolled in, obscuring his vision.

And finally—

Crash—splash!

Richard Friedrich’s body was swallowed by the deep sea.

...!

Richard Friedrich nearly screamed.

It’s cold.

Indescribably cold. It felt as though his entire body were freezing solid in an instant. It was so cold that it hurt.

Ugh...

Richard Friedrich struggled to hold on to consciousness.

I have to live.

He couldn’t lose consciousness here. He had to survive. He had to live so that he could somehow stab Cailus in the back.

As he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, Richard Friedrich thrashed.

However, his arms and legs, bound to the chair with rope, still wouldn’t move.

I need to cut this first!

Richard Friedrich forced his eyelids open. His eyes stung. Even so, he managed to open them and peer into the depths of the sea.

A reef!

A little farther down, he saw a sharp reef.

I have to go down.

Instead of struggling back toward the surface, Richard Friedrich shifted his weight and leaned his body as far forward against the chair as he could.

Then, twisting his torso, he rotated clockwise along with the chair.

Using his two feet, which had slightly more freedom below his bound ankles, he swam. He pushed against the water, heading down, farther down.

...!

The reef came into view.

Twisting his body again, Richard Friedrich turned the wrists bound behind the chair toward the reef and pressed them against a sharp projection of rock.

He used the sharp reef like a blade, sawing at the rope around his wrists.

Slowly but surely, the rope began to fray.

Richard Friedrich calmly repeated the motion.

Got it!

The rope around his wrists snapped completely, freeing both hands.

Richard Friedrich bent forward and grabbed the knot binding his ankles with both hands. Then, with calm, precise movements, he began to untie it.

Once his ankles were free as well, the wooden chair that had restrained him sank into the depths as though being sucked down.

Now I just need to go up...

Richard Friedrich looked upward.

Far above him, the red light of sunset reflected across the surface of the sea.

It’s... working...

His mind grew hazy, and his thoughts began to blur.

No.

He had been underwater for too long.

His lungs felt swollen; his chest burned.

Richard Friedrich bit the tip of his tongue hard enough to draw blood.

No. Just a little farther!

He spread his arms wide and pushed the water downward with all his strength.

A searing pain tore through his oxygen-starved lungs.

Just... a little...

His vision began to turn pitch-black.

Richard Friedrich desperately kicked his weakening legs, cutting through the water.

He had to live.

He couldn’t regress again like this.

To live...

He had to marry Cailus.

And then, for her...

For Lady Daphne...

He had to see her reach her true "happy ending."

Therefore, Richard Friedrich absolutely had to live.

Clinging to that single obsession as his consciousness faded, Richard Friedrich reached toward the only light left in his darkening vision.

His hand caught something solid, like a rock.

"Hngh!"

At last, Richard Friedrich’s face broke through the surface.

"Hah, cough, hngh!"

Clinging to the rock, he desperately gasped for air and coughed up the seawater that had filled his lungs.

I’m alive.

He hadn’t died.

He hadn’t regressed to the banquet hall that day again.

He was still in the forty-ninth loop.

"Haa..."

Having barely caught his breath, Richard Friedrich hauled himself up while still gripping the rock with both hands.

His legs emerged onto a frigid, snow-covered field.

Cold...

Having climbed onto unfamiliar land, he pulled his seawater-soaked cloak tightly around himself.

Right. I hate you.

With a lifeless expression, Cailus looked down over the cliff from which Richard Friedrich had fallen.

Is he dead?

His crimson eyes trembled violently.

For a long time, he merely stared down at the bottom of the cliff, his face rigid.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

One of the guard knights, his face equally stiff, broke the cold silence.

"What shall we do now?"

"..."

Cailus bit down hard on his lower lip.

"This is troublesome."

"..."

"He fell on his own, and I haven’t even uncovered his true objective yet."

His crimson eyes turned cold and steady.

"First..."

He continued.

"We search the area."

The two guard knights’ eyes widened.

"Your Highness, the sun is setting. Searching a snowy mountain after dark could be dangerous."

One knight spoke with a worried expression.

"And is he truly someone worth risking danger to find—"

"He may still be alive. If he is, he will surely become a problem in the future."

A twisted smile crossed Cailus’s face.

"Besides, I had no intention of killing him."

"..."

The guard knight fell silent.

"Above all, don’t we already have everything we need?"

Cailus recalled the supplies he had brought. Among them were magical tools that retained warmth and potions that restored stamina.

"We don’t know where he is, so we’ll split up and search. We’ll meet back here tomorrow morning."

Cailus made his decision swiftly. First, they had to find Richard Friedrich.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we cannot leave your side."

The guard knights’ expressions hardened. Their duty was to protect the Crown Prince. They could not recklessly abandon his side.

"I command you as the Crown Prince."

But Cailus remained adamant.

"Split up and search quickly."

"..."

The two guard knights exchanged worried glances.

"Understood, Your Highness."

They still appeared apprehensive, but reluctantly nodded.

"Then we will meet again at sunrise."

Thus, the three of them separated and headed in different directions.

Before long, the sun had set, and darkness descended upon the North.

A fierce snowstorm began to rage across the third peak of the Karheim Mountain Range.

A man advanced without hesitation through the violent blizzard that seemed capable of freezing everything in its path.

Crimson eyes coldly scanned the path ahead.

Fastening the cloak that whipped wildly in the knife-like wind, Cailus thought,

Is he truly dead?

His brow furrowed deeply.

Four hours had passed since the search began.

Although night had long since fallen, he had not seen so much as a single strand of Richard Friedrich’s platinum hair, let alone the man himself.

If he truly is dead...

His face grew grave as he gritted his teeth.

Whoosh—Wheeeeng—!

A fierce wind howled as though it would tear off his ears.

"..."

But Cailus passed through the knife-like wind without so much as a shiver. He pushed through the snow-laden trees, walking onward without pause.

The black cloak draped over his shoulders appeared to be merely an expensive cloak, but it was actually a magical tool—one that retained warmth.

The cold posed no problem for him.

Rustle—

Cailus, who had been striding forward, suddenly stopped.

...!

He sensed something.

A monster?

Cailus’s expression hardened instantly. His thoughts immediately turned to the dagger inside his cloak. The North was a land of bitter cold where monsters lurked. Encountering one was hardly unusual.

Slither, thump—

An unfamiliar sound gradually drew closer.

"..."

Swallowing dryly, Cailus slipped a hand beneath his cloak and quickly gripped the dagger.

Crunch—

The sound came from directly behind him.

A chill raced down Cailus’s spine, and he immediately tried to look back. No, he tried to turn around.

Thud!

"...!"

A cold hand seized his shoulder first.

Then, accompanied by a snickering laugh, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"We meet again, you bastard."

"..."

Cailus slowly turned his head.

There stood Richard Friedrich, grinning eerily amid the deep darkness.

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