Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"What is the meaning of this?"

A frigid voice emerged from his unsmiling lips.

"It's been nearly a month since that bastard abandoned the mansion. Do you know anything?"

"..."

Derek's eyes darted about restlessly, but he said nothing.

"..."

"..."

A tense silence swirled between the two men.

Thud!

Albert slammed his fist down on the table.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Crash!

The table legs wobbled, causing a decorative glass vase to fall and shatter.

"F-Father."

Derek's tightly hunched shoulders flinched violently.

"We have no idea what that madman might be getting up to out there again!"

Albert shouted, his face red with anger all the way to the roots of his hair.

Richard Friedrich. The son who had caused a major incident involving His Highness the Crown Prince had not returned to the mansion for nearly a month.

And he had left behind a slave of unknown origin!

Albert felt as uneasy as if his heart had been torn out. What kind of trouble was that deranged son of his going to cause next?

"I-I don't really..."

Derek squeezed his eyes shut.

"...know, Father."

"You truly don't know?!"

"Y-yes..."

"Derek Friedrich. I'm sure I told you!"

Albert grabbed Derek by the collar and yanked him forward.

"H-heek!"

"Didn't I tell you to keep that brother of yours on a leash?!"

Ragged breaths hissed through Albert's clenched teeth.

"You useless, stupid child!"

"F-F-Father!"

"I gave you that order, you incompetent fool! So what are these strange rumors circulating throughout the mansion, and what is the meaning of his disappearance?!"

"I-I'm sorr—"

"It's a disgrace that a fool like you shares my blood!"

Albert raised his right hand.

"...!"

Just as Derek squeezed his eyes shut—

Bang!

Someone roughly shoved open the mansion's front door.

"Who dares—?!"

His eyes blazing with fury, Albert turned toward the source of the sound.

"Hmm..."

The platinum-haired man swept his gaze over the wrecked interior of the mansion and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

Richard Friedrich.

"Were you waiting for me?"

Returning after an entire month, he spoke with a shy smile, though his eyes remained as cold and unreadable as ever.

"..."

"..."

For a moment, an absurdly awkward silence descended.

Albert, who had been furious to his core, and Derek, who had been trembling in fear, were both rendered speechless.

Waiting?

For Richard Friedrich?

At the end of the long silence, Albert finally regained his senses. He shoved Derek aside and roared,

"Richard Friedrich!"

He roughly grabbed Richard by the collar and yanked at it.

Meanwhile, in the Audience Chamber of the Imperial Palace.

Bilmar Chesika, elegantly clad in a violet frock coat, strode boldly onto the crimson carpet.

"I, Bilmar Chesika, pay my respects to the Sun of the Empire."

As he bowed deeply, the knights standing guard around the chamber froze in unison.

"..."

"..."

The air was so cold it seemed capable of freezing their skin. At the highest point in the Audience Chamber, Emperor Raios sat askew upon the throne and slowly raised his gaze.

A long silence passed.

"How dare you come here."

Raios's voice was low and chilling.

As he rose halfway from his seat, the light from the chandelier overhead flickered as though it had trembled for an instant.

"..."

But Bilmar did not so much as blink. He merely stood ramrod straight and offered a faint smile.

"Are you not afraid of losing your life?"

His face twisted into a fierce scowl, Raios growled like a beast.

Bilmar Chesika was Raios's sworn enemy. The audacious foe who had stolen the body of the Empress he had loved so dearly.

"Hmm."

Bilmar's eyes curved beautifully.

"Well."

"..."

"An interesting question, Your Majesty."

He shrugged, then glanced meaningfully around the chamber, as though suggesting that Raios dismiss the onlookers.

"..."

"All of you, withdraw."

Raios gritted his teeth.

"As Your Majesty commands."

Sensing the situation, the knights filed out of the Audience Chamber.

Only the two men remained in the chilly chamber.

"Duke Chesika."

Raios rose fully from the throne. His footsteps echoed heavily as he descended the stairs.

The moment he stopped before Bilmar—

Swoosh—!

"You seem to have forgotten what fear is!"

The tip of the sword he had suddenly drawn pointed sharply at Bilmar's throat.

"..."

"Your single life is nothing."

The blade gleamed sharply beneath the chandelier's light.

"Hmm."

Yet even with a sword aimed at his throat, Bilmar wore a languid smile.

"Forgotten fear, you say?"

"..."

"Can you kill me?"

You cannot. Absolutely not.

Bilmar murmured the provocation in a low voice.

"You think I cannot?"

The tip of Raios's sword pressed slightly deeper.

A shallow wound opened on Bilmar's neck, and red blood trickled down.

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

"..."

"...cannot kill me."

Bilmar smiled arrogantly.

"..."

Raios tightened his grip on the sword.

The blade could take Bilmar's life at any moment.

But—

Swish...

In the end, he had no choice but to sheathe it.

"I knew you would."

Bilmar gave a faint smile.

"..."

Raios ground his molars.

Just as Bilmar had said, Raios could not kill him.

"Of course you couldn't. How could you possibly kill me?"

One step. Two.

Bilmar approached him.

"If you did..."

With outrageous audacity, Bilmar grasped Raios's chin and brought his face close. He whispered sweetly into his ear,

"You might never find the Empress's body again."

"..."

Bilmar held the powerful trump card of the "Empress."

He briefly glanced at the ring on his finger.

Though it appeared to be an ordinary ring, it was actually a Magical Tool.

The moment he pressed the gem set into it, the Empress's body would be forcibly expelled and, due to the constraint imposed by Binding Magic, immediately burn to ashes.

It was an excellent leash.

A leash with which to control the Emperor as he pleased.

"So, you came here merely to taunt me?"

"No. How could that be?"

Bilmar leisurely shook his head and stepped back. Clasping his hands behind his back, he began strolling slowly through the Audience Chamber as though it belonged to him.

"Simply..."

Tap, tap.

The sound of his shoes echoed through the depths of the Audience Chamber. His gaze leisurely swept over the chandelier, the statues, and finally the Emperor.

"I merely wanted to reminisce about the days when we were 'dear friends.'"

"Hah?"

A hollow laugh escaped Raios's lips in disbelief.

As though recalling the past, Bilmar slowly lowered his eyelids.

"Once, we were close friends. We always shared meals and went hunting together."

"Wasn't that all part of your scheme? You've always hated me."

"Even so, that does not change the fact that we were friends."

Bilmar gently shook his head.

"..."

Raios's brow furrowed deeply.

"Why bring up pointless memories now?"

"Well, I wonder why."

"If you're only going to spout nonsense, we're done here."

Raios spat out each word as though chewing it.

"It was you who turned away after Elica was taken."

He remembered the day he had held his wedding ceremony with the current Empress.

After that day, Bilmar had changed completely.

He no longer shared their daily meals, and he stopped going hunting.

Instead, he began concocting all sorts of schemes, such as poisoning Elica's tea or sending assassins to kill her.

As though, if he could not have her, he would destroy her.

"Elica... was taken, you say."

"..."

"Ahaha..."

Bilmar threw his head back and laughed.

"Ha... hahahahah!"

His laughter, tinged with madness, echoed all the way to the ceiling of the Audience Chamber, which was enveloped in cold silence.

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