Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"Though I may not be sane myself, you truly are mad."

Raios clicked his tongue as he looked at Bilmar.

Bilmar Chesika. Once a close friend, a political rival, and, at the same time, a rival in love, he would often burst into this kind of inscrutable laughter.

Raios had no doubt that he had lost his mind from the shock of Elica being taken from him.

"..."

Indeed, one would have to be insane to dare blackmail the Emperor with the Empress's corpse.

But...

Raios gritted his teeth.

Just on the off chance.

If, by some remote chance, Young Master Friedrich succeeded in retrieving the corpse...

My manipulation by the Duke ends here.

He spoke as though chewing over every word.

"If I can just get the body back..."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Bilmar grinned broadly.

"I will most certainly kill you."

His voice carried suppressed murderous intent, anger, and resentment—the rage he had bottled up ever since her death.

"Ahahaha."

Bilmar laughed with delight.

"I wish you the best of luck."

After leaving the Audience Chamber, Bilmar passed beyond the wall and entered the Imperial Palace garden.

On the garden's sun-dappled lawn, vibrant blossoms swayed, and a gust of wind carried a faint fragrance.

I will most certainly kill you.

He mulled over the Emperor's furious words.

Kill me...

The corners of Bilmar's eyes curved in amusement.

Beyond the garden, he could see a stone bridge stretching across the pond. Swallowing his rising laughter, he stepped onto it.

Indeed...

At that moment, the surface of the pond rippled faintly.

"Father."

At the end of the bridge stood a woman, staring at him with a hardened expression.

Silver hair better suited to cool moonlight than dazzling sunlight, and amethyst eyes identical to his own.

His only daughter, Princess Cesica.

"What on earth were you thinking, making a contract with Richard Friedrich?"

Having heard the rumors circulating throughout the ducal residence, she bit down hard on her lower lip.

"Clearly..."

Her hand trembled as she clutched the hem of her dress tightly enough to crumple it.

"Clearly... you promised you would make me the Crown Princess. So why did you make such a contract with Young Master Friedrich?"

"Hmm."

Bilmar tilted his head slightly, then covered the corner of his mouth as though suppressing a smile.

"My apologies, Cesica."

As she had said, Bilmar had made his daughter a promise when she was young.

No, to be more precise, he had struck a deal with her.

He would make Cesica the Crown Princess without fail, and in return, she would ruin the Crown Prince's future.

However...

"I've changed my mind."

"Father!"

"It's because I saw that child."

Bilmar recalled the scene he had witnessed "that day" in the Banquet Hall.

"I am in love with him, Your Highness."

That bold, endlessly amusing sight.

A sight that had left everyone unforgettablely shocked.

The Crown Prince probably would not forget that scene for the rest of his life either.

Bilmar had watched Richard Friedrich that day with great admiration.

And so will I.

Bilmar silently stepped forward. Once he stood directly before his daughter, he firmly grasped her shoulder.

"Father?"

"Cesica, listen carefully."

He neither cherished nor loved his daughter.

She was merely a child born to a woman he had married to avoid the stigma of being a sodomite.

What was her name again? Ah. He could not even remember.

Since Cesica was the child of a woman he did not love, he had always regarded his own daughter as nothing more than a tool for achieving his goals.

Even so, if he were to show her one mercy—

"You will..."

"..."

"Soon—you will become one."

"...!"

Cesica's eyes widened. Her amethyst eyes, reflecting her father, wavered aimlessly.

"So don't worry too much."

"Ugh..."

Richard, holding a damp cloth against his flushed cheeks, pulled open the drawer with a drrrruk.

Regardless of the process.

With his other hand, he rummaged inside his thick winter cloak.

It was a success.

Richard smiled in satisfaction.

Held proudly in his hand were three glass bottles filled with violet liquid.

The potion that could change one's appearance.

"Did you really get the fruit?"

"Did you think I couldn't?"

"Don't misunderstand. I trusted you, Richard."

"Really?"

"Of course. I even finished preparing the potion."

As soon as he returned to the capital, he had visited Zahir and happily obtained the potion.

Not just one bottle, but three whole bottles!

With this...

Unable to suppress his rising laughter, Richard carefully placed the three bottles of potion inside the drawer.

"Right, this is the bonus I mentioned earlier, Richard."

Richard pulled one more item from his cloak.

A black box whose contents were unknown.

Zahir had given it to him as a bonus.

"Make sure you open it once things are going well with the man you're trying to seduce."

Zahir's whisper as he handed over the box echoed in Richard's mind.

"..."

Curiosity stirred within him, but Richard soon looked away from the object.

Well, there's no need to open it ahead of time.

Setting aside his curiosity, he placed the box inside the drawer.

Drrrruk.

With that sound, the old wooden drawer slid firmly shut.

"..."

Richard plopped down in front of the desk.

The preparations are complete.

The Book of Nullification and the potion that could change one's appearance.

With these, half of the plan could be considered complete.

But...

Richard scratched his cheek.

Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?

He scanned his bedroom, which looked no different from usual, gripped by an inexplicable sense of unease.

I feel like I've forgotten something...

"..."

Suddenly, something flashed through Richard's mind.

Enoch!

Where on earth had he gone?

The moment the thought struck him, Richard immediately burst out of his room.

Did he go out? Surely he didn't run into Daphne, did he?

His pace quickened as he practically ran down the stairs.

Just then, his eyes met those of Derek Friedrich, who was coming up the stairs.

"Brother!"

"Huh? Wh-what? You, in that condition..."

"Have you seen the slave—no, the Fourth Prince of Eloise—I brought back? Do you know where he is?"

He fired off the questions like a machine gun. At that moment, countless scenes of Enoch and Daphne becoming entangled flashed through Richard's mind.

"The Fourth Prince... He's been wandering around the mansion rather aimlessly, but he went to the Beatus Marquisate this morning..."

"What? The Beatus Marquisate?!"

A fierce light flared in Richard's eyes.

"Y-yeah..."

"Why did he go there?"

"Well, um... The Prince asked whether there were any women you were close to, so I told him a few things. Then he suddenly said he was going to the Beatus Marquisate..."

This idiot, Derek Friedrich!

"Damn it!"

Richard immediately brushed past Derek, his footsteps quickening.

The Beatus Marquisate.

Enoch had gone to where Daphne was!

The worst-case scenario had come to pass.

If things go wrong...

No, there was a very high chance that the two of them would become entangled again. That was simply the kind of "story" this was.

Richard quickly dashed through the main gate of the Friedrich Marquisate. He immediately hailed a carriage and headed for the Beatus Marquisate.

When he arrived before [N O V E L I G H T] the Beatus Marquisate...

Am I too late...?!

Daphne and Enoch were already facing each other.

In front of the Marquisate, amid the fluttering snowflakes and biting winter wind, the two faced each other, engaged in a serious conversation.

As Richard hurriedly prepared to step out of the carriage, he strained his ears to hear their voices.

"I'm warning you."

Enoch's voice was low and serious.

"Pardon?"

Daphne's jade-green eyes swayed like spring flowers.

"What do you mean by..."

"I'll say it one more time."

Enoch furrowed his brow and lowered his voice.

"I'm warning you. Do not touch what is mine again."

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