Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

Richard opened his eyes.

A familiar ceiling came into view. An old wardrobe and chair. And faint sunlight seeping through the window. It was his bedroom in the Friedrich Marquisate.

"Ugh."

Clutching his head as a headache so severe it felt as though his skull would split assailed him, Richard slowly sat up.

His consciousness was hazy, and everything around him felt unfamiliar. No, precisely because the surroundings were familiar, they felt even stranger.

He had clearly been attacked by masked men, and then someone had saved him...

"You're awake?"

"Are you all right, Richard?"

Almost as soon as he sat up, two people rushed into the room at the same time.

First Enoch, then Lady Daphne.

The two of them looked down at Richard, their eyes full of worry.

Richard blinked slowly. So, Enoch and Lady Daphne...

"..."

Lady Daphne?!

Richard's eyes flew wide open.

"Did you save me, Lady Daphne?"

The question blurted out before he realized how absurd it was.

"Huh?"

Daphne avoided his gaze, rubbing her cheek with a troubled expression.

Enoch, who had been glaring sideways at her, answered instead.

"No."

"..."

"When we found you collapsed in the garden, all the attackers were already dead."

His words meant that neither of them had saved Richard.

"...?"

Richard was at a loss for words for a moment.

Then who on earth did?

His mind was a mess.

Don't try to ruin the "story" anymore.

The masked man's final words lingered in his mind.

And...

Who was it that saved me?

Everything was a mystery. Unable to hide his confusion, Richard bit his lip.

"Just what..."

He muttered as he tried to get up.

That was when—

"Ugh!"

An intense pain shot through his left ankle.

No, that wasn't the only place that hurt. His abdomen, shoulder, and thigh all throbbed maddeningly.

"You shouldn't move yet, Richard."

Daphne hurriedly eased him back down, pressing her hand against his forehead.

"You... were badly hurt during the attack."

At her words, Richard slowly lowered his gaze to the blanket.

Now that he looked, his forearms, thighs, and ribs were tightly wrapped in pure white bandages. Here and there, they were dotted with stains of blood that had yet to dry.

That's right.

His faint memories began to connect.

At the moment of the attack, an arrow had pierced his shoulder, a blade had grazed his abdomen, his elbow had become wedged in the crevice of a tree, and his ankle...

"Richard."

Daphne carefully covered the back of his hand with hers.

"You need to rest properly for a while."

She smiled softly.

"Your wounds are so deep that even walking on your own would be too much."

Richard pressed his lips firmly together.

"I'm fi—"

"Enough."

Enoch cut him off with a sigh.

"You only just woke up. Your fever hasn't even gone down yet, and if you push yourself in this state... you'll collapse again."

His voice sounded indifferent, but it trembled faintly.

The hand resting on his knee twitched hesitantly, then clenched into a fist until it flushed red.

"Do you have any idea how conflicted I felt when I saw you hurt?"

Richard quietly turned his gaze away.

"You get engaged to the Crown Prince, and that very night, you're found collapsed and covered in blood."

The words clearly sounded like an accusation tinged with anger, but his voice trembled at the end.

"I was worried."

Just a single phrase.

But the weight of the emotion contained within it was anything but light.

Richard looked at him silently.

Enoch did not meet his gaze, but that emotion permeated the entire room.

"Sorry."

Richard spoke softly.

"We'll wait outside for a while."

Daphne tenderly tucked the blanket around him.

"If there's something you truly want to know, let's talk about it tomorrow morning."

"..."

"And call us anytime if you need anything."

She soothed the displeased Enoch and quietly left the room.

The sound of the door closing was soft and distinct.

"..."

Richard was left alone in the room.

He stared at the ceiling, then quietly closed his eyes.

The unanswered questions.

The mastermind who had sent the masked men.

The warning not to ruin the "story."

And the unknown person who had saved him.

The tangled puzzle pieces quietly weighed upon him.

Perhaps...

Richard's gaze hardened.

Could it have been a warning from the world?

He recalled the previous regression.

The moment he had been killing the male lead.

Crackle—crumble—crash!

The plausibility that had collapsed so miserably.

Perhaps this time, too...

...

Just as he was about to sink into dark thoughts, Richard quickly shook his head.

Right. I'm not unaware of this, either. A connection between the male lead and the second male lead also threatens to destroy plausibility.

But...

He suppressed a sneer.

Even so...

It's better not to think about it.

If even this method doesn't work, then I'll have nothing left.

Even if only in this way, I had to cling to hope.

Otherwise...

"I'd go crazy."

Richard muttered.

Repeating the same life dozens of times was no easy feat.

Repeatedly trying and failing was the perfect way to break a person's mind.

Once, I really did end up that way.

Richard squeezed his eyes shut.

Was it around the thirtieth regression?

My mind broke, and I lost my memories until around the forty-seventh regression.

So...

Richard {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} sighed.

Let's not think about it.

About the possibility of failure.

For now, all I need to do is what I can right now.

That's all.

That's enough.

"So, for now..."

Richard muttered, staring into empty space.

"The engagement is settled..."

The greatest hurdle had already been crossed.

However, there was one problem.

"If the contract is broken, the subject will receive the 'curse' bound to that magical contract."

The contract with Duke Chesika.

Since I betrayed him, it's now time to pay the price.

Starting today...

His watery eyes turned cold.

Nightmares will begin every night and gradually gnaw away at my mind.

Of course, there are plenty of ways to resolve it.

I could go to the Magic Tower and find a high-ranking mage to nullify the contract, or search for an artifact with abilities similar to the "Book of Nullification."

And for about a day...

Richard shrugged.

I can endure it through sheer mental strength.

The curse gradually gnaws away at the contractor's mind.

I could easily endure it for a day. No, what was one day? I was confident that I could last at least a month without issue.

I'll make plans to visit the Magic Tower soon...

He looked out the window. Darkness had fallen outside.

For now, let's try to sleep.

He lay back down on the bed.

Then slowly closed his eyes.

It was time for the curse to arrive.

"I'm sorry. I failed to kill Richard Friedrich."

The masked man knelt on the ground, his head bowed deeply. His shoulders trembled violently, and his voice cracked with fear.

"There was an unforeseen variable. Because 'he' interfered..."

The masked man's words trailed off.

Before him stood a boulder.

Near a cliff where cold winds howled, someone was perched atop the sharply protruding rock.

He was covered from head to toe in a dark robe, and beneath its deep hood, a butterfly-shaped mask was visible. The mask shimmered faintly in the moonlight, its expressionless face grotesquely beautiful.

"Interfered..."

The Butterfly Mask slowly raised a hand and lightly tapped the edge of his mask.

"So, in the end, you failed."

"I-I'm sorry."

The masked man pressed his forehead to the ground. His arms, braced against the earth, trembled violently.

"Pfft—"

The laughter that seeped from behind the mask was so utterly placid that it was all the more chilling.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

He slowly crossed his legs. The hem of his robe spilled over the rock.

"After all, this time was merely a warning."

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