Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

Eisen, having absorbed all of his chill, released Richard's left hand from its grasp.

Peep, pee—!

Eisen waved its round hand as if thanking him.

"Right. Goodbye."

Richard smiled contentedly and waved back at the block of ice.

"..."

Meanwhile, Cailus, who had been watching Richard warily, approached him as soon as the monster disappeared.

"Got more business with me?"

Richard turned to look at him with a cold smile, as if asking when he had ever been so kind.

"..."

Cailus merely stared intently at him without saying a word.

"..."

"..."

A strange silence hung between them.

"Nothing more to say? Then I'm leaving."

Richard finally turned his back on him. Now that the blizzard had stopped, the snowy mountain was much easier to traverse.

"..."

Step, step.

He could hear footsteps following him.

Richard swiftly turned around.

"Got something to say?"

"..."

Cailus still said nothing.

What the hell...

Richard clicked his tongue inwardly and looked away. Then he started walking again. But Cailus stubbornly stuck to his heels.

What's on his mind?

Richard furrowed his brow.

His annoyance at being followed was fleeting, and as he focused on finding his way, he soon found himself near the cave.

Richard looked westward beyond it.

I haven't scouted the west yet...

Richard shook his head as if to say, So what? and headed toward the cave entrance.

I've scouted almost everywhere, so it should be fine, right?

Judging by the surrounding area, there were no threatening monsters besides those ice-blob things. So there probably weren't any particularly dangerous monsters.

Just as Richard bent down to enter the cave—

Step—

He heard the sound of footsteps still following him.

"Hah."

Richard whipped his head around. Staring at the man who had doggedly followed him all the way into the cave, he asked irritably,

"What?"

"..."

Cailus, who had kept his mouth shut like a locked door the entire time, finally spoke.

"I still haven't heard your purpose."

"..."

"What is your true purpose?"

His face was serious and stern.

"What purpose?"

Richard feigned ignorance with a straight face.

Cailus's brow furrowed slightly.

"Didn't you say you hated me?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Then what is the purpose behind the strange way you've been acting toward me lately?"

Ah.

Only then did Richard realize that Cailus had followed him to probe his motives.

Richard shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"I told you. To marry you."

He turned his back on him again and went deeper into the cave.

"Then why...!"

Cailus, who had stubbornly followed him even inside, shouted as if he simply could not understand.

"..."

Richard glanced at him. Then, looking away, he leaned comfortably against the cave wall.

Crackle, crackle.

The embers burned nearby.

"I found this place first. Get out."

Richard closed his eyes in annoyance.

"You're evading the answer again."

Still standing inside the cave, Cailus murmured in a low voice.

"Haaah..."

Richard let out a deep sigh, lifted his head, and looked up at Cailus.

"Do I have to say it twice? My goal is to marry you and produce heirs."

At those words, Cailus's face stiffened in disbelief.

"What... No, more importantly, you keep..."

"...?"

"How, in the name of all that is holy, do you intend for two men to produce heirs?"

He frowned as though genuinely asking how such a thing could possibly work.

"...?"

Richard stared at him with eyes as wide as a startled rabbit.

"You really don't know?"

"...?"

A flustered look crossed Cailus's face.

Richard chuckled and asked,

"You mean you don't know at your age?"

"Is there a way?"

Cailus regarded Richard skeptically.

"Of course. Obviously."

Richard spoke matter-of-factly, as if stating the obvious.

"You and me."

He extended his index finger, pointing first at Cailus and then at himself.

"We just have to, you know, roll around in bed together."

Richard grinned, the corner of his mouth curling upward. It was nonsense, but he said it boldly.

"...!"

Cailus's face contorted violently.

"How can two men have heirs that way?"

Richard feigned ignorance and shrugged.

"..."

Cailus's eyes narrowed into slits. He let out a deep sigh and asked,

"And... you said you hate me, so why do you keep talking like that?"

"Well... even if you hate someone, you can still have children if you have relations with them, right?"

Richard gave a sly snicker.

"...!"

As though communication between them were utterly impossible, Cailus pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Hah... Fine. More importantly..."

He surreptitiously looked Richard up and down. After enduring so many hardships, his body looked even thinner than before. Scratches were visible here and there as well.

"Your body... Is it all right?"

"My body?"

Richard questioned him for a moment, but when he saw Cailus hesitate, he understood the meaning behind the question.

He slowly shook his head from side to side and answered,

"No, it isn't. Thanks to someone, I've had two near-death experiences."

Of course, Richard was perfectly healthy. But there was no need to pass up an opportunity to instill some guilt in Cailus.

"..."

A peculiar light settled in Cailus's gaze as he looked down at Richard.

"I'm sorry."

After a long silence, his lips parted.

"I truly had no intention of killing you."

"..."

It was an unexpected reaction.

Richard raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

An awkward, gear-grinding silence hung between them. But only for a moment.

"If you're really sorry..."

Richard slyly curled up the corner of his mouth.

"Then marry me."

"?!"

The calm red eyes widened in shock.

"Why? You don't want to? Even after pushing me off a cliff?"

Richard tilted his head as if he genuinely did not understand. His expression seemed to ask how Cailus dared approach him like this after doing such a thing.

"I didn't push you."

Cailus's face stiffened awkwardly.

He pointed a finger at Richard.

"To be precise, you... fell on your own."

"..."

Richard frowned exaggeratedly, as if to say, Is that really what you're going with?

"How is that any different from pushing me?"

"..."

"Whether you intended to kill me or not, how else was I supposed to get off that ledge, where you might have killed me... other than by jumping?!"

Richard raised his voice as if genuinely aggrieved.

"Even so..."

Cailus's voice wavered ever so slightly.

"Oh dear, cough...! The aftereffects of falling into that icy seawater...!"

Cough, cough!

Richard covered his mouth with one arm and began coughing exaggeratedly.

"Don't put on an act."

Cailus stared at him in disbelief.

"Cough, ugh, someone nearly died because of a certain Crown Prince...!"

Undeterred, Richard threw himself into the performance.

"I already apologized...!"

Cailus hurriedly opened his mouth.

But it had no effect on Richard whatsoever.

"Oh dear, ugh, sob, you think one word is enough? You have no sense of decency... No wonder Daphne dumped you!"

"...!"

The red eyes widened enormously.

No wonder Daphne dumped you. No wonder Daphne dumped you...

It was as though that one phrase were echoing endlessly in his head.

Cailus froze as if petrified and stood stiffly for a long time. Even understanding had its limits.

"Ha... ha...!"

A laugh escaped his lips in broken fragments.

"What... did you just say...?"

He wore an expression Richard had never seen before, as if he were genuinely hurt. His red eyes trembled faintly.

"I said, 'No wonder Daphne dumped you.'"

Richard spoke while still pretending to cry.

"Ha...!"

"..."

"Do you think Daphne... would accept you?!"

He glared at Richard and shouted.

"...!"

At those words, Richard's body jolted stiff.

"Ha, what?"

Though he had been pretending to cry only moments before, Richard abruptly raised his head. He glared at Cailus with blazing eyes.

"Say that again, you bastard."

"I asked if you think Daphne would accept you."

Cailus retorted without even blinking.

"Ha...!"

Of all people, to hear ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) such words from this bastard.

Countless days of confessing to Daphne and being rejected flashed rapidly through Richard's mind.

"Ha, seriously...!"

Richard let out a hollow laugh as if the very notion were absurd. But inside, he was burning up.

Because, just as Cailus had said, Daphne had never accepted him even once...!

Precisely because Cailus had struck his exact weak spot, Richard grew increasingly agitated.

"At least I'm... better than you, right?"

Before he had time to think, sharp words flew from Richard's mouth.

"I never broke off an engagement overnight and betrayed someone like a certain person did...!"

"...!"

"Ah! And I never acted all high and mighty, lording my status as Crown Prince over everyone, nor did I come crawling back later, whining, 'Take me back. I regret it.' Haha, but someone else might have!"

He had hurt her, acted high and mighty because he was the Crown Prince, and whined pitifully that he regretted it.

At those three accusations, Cailus's pupils dilated.

"Ha...!"

As though Richard's words had been driven into his chest like nails, Cailus's voice rose and fell unsteadily.

He raised his voice and shouted,

"You're really... really narrow-minded!"

"Yeah, right. I'm narrow-minded!"

Richard abruptly pushed himself to his feet. Fueled by the escalating argument, his face was flushed and his eyes bloodshot. The only thought filling his head was how to get the better of Cailus somehow.

Ah, right. He had forgotten the easy way.

Richard glared at him and declared triumphantly,

"Want to see just how narrow-minded I am, huh?"

"What?"

"Why don't you try putting it in just once—!"

Thump!

Cailus's broad palm hurriedly covered Richard's mouth.

"Ha..."

With his hand over Richard's mouth, Cailus backed him against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut as if he had heard something he should not have.

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