Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

The gates of the Imperial Palace opened.

An unfamiliar space, unfamiliar presences, unfamiliar air.

Richard narrowed his eyes as he stepped down from the carriage.

This place...

A majestic palace unfolded before his eyes. Elegant pillars, pristine white marble, and intricately carved patterns adorned the palace.

The Crown Prince's Palace.

At the base of the steps, attendants stood in a row.

The assembled palace servants all wore uniformly stiff expressions.

"Young Lord Friedrich, welcome."

The head chamberlain at the front bowed rigidly.

Without another word, he turned on his heel.

"I shall escort you inside. This way."

The interior of the palace was eerily quiet.

Footsteps echoed across the marble floor. The ceiling soared as if to pierce the sky, while the red carpet stretched on endlessly.

As Richard walked, he sensed them again and again.

Behind walls, behind pillars, behind drapes—

The presence of "eyes" watching him.

"Is that man from the Friedrich Marquisate...?"

"A man, and he's His Highness's fiancé..."

"What an absurd engagement. What could His Majesty be thinking...?"

The whispers were faint, yet they pierced sharply.

Richard turned his head slightly and saw the hems of the palace servants' garments flitting past like shadows at the edge of his vision.

Their gazes were far from "welcoming."

Right. I expected this.

He gave a light laugh.

There's no way they'd welcome me.

All the palace servants in the Crown Prince's Palace served directly under the Crown Prince.

They did not have a single reason to welcome him.

He would be fortunate if all they did was put him under surveillance.

After they passed through the long corridors of the Crown Prince's Palace, a door opened cautiously.

"This is the bedroom you will be using from now on, Young Lord."

The head chamberlain spoke.

The room was spacious and tidy. A large, soft bed, curtains embroidered with intricate imperial patterns, an antique fireplace.

Beyond the window was a panoramic view of the garden.

"This is the dressing room, and beyond it is the private bathroom."

"..."

"If there is anything you find inconvenient, please do not hesitate to say so at any time."

The head chamberlain's voice remained businesslike and stiff, his unwelcoming feelings plainly evident in his attitude.

However,

Richard turned to him with a bright smile.

"How kind. Thank you."

There was no need to make an enemy unnecessarily.

"I was merely doing my duty."

The head chamberlain gave a short bow.

"But..."

Suddenly, his gaze shifted past Richard's shoulder.

"May I ask the identity of the person accompanying you?"

Richard slowly turned his head.

Behind him stood the green-haired man, Enoch, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

His relaxed demeanor was characteristic of the high nobility, and his appearance was immaculate.

He was clearly not someone suited to the role of an attendant.

The head chamberlain's eyes swept over him from head to toe.

"Ah, this man..."

Richard looked at Enoch awkwardly.

"Is... my attendant."

A brief silence.

The head chamberlain's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.

Yet he soon bowed his head and continued.

"I see. Your attendant may use the small room next door."

However, several of the palace servants behind him quietly caught their breath.

An attendant? That person... I feel like I've seen his face somewhere...

There was a rumor that he was royalty...

The whispers spread like wildfire around him. Richard gently closed his eyes.

Well, there certainly is a lot of talk.

But Enoch said nothing.

He merely bowed his head slightly, playing the part of an "attendant."

Seeing this, Richard let out a small, incredulous sigh.

He's only obedient when it suits him as royalty.

Just then, the head chamberlain bowed his head and spoke.

"His Majesty has announced that a welcome banquet for Young Lord Friedrich will be held shortly. We will escort you to the banquet hall soon."

A banquet.

He had not expected them to prepare anything so grand.

I'm grateful to the Emperor.

The corner of Richard's mouth twitched upward.

In one corner of the banquet hall, beneath sparkling chandeliers, noble ladies dressed as though they had stepped out of paintings gathered in small groups, holding champagne glasses.

Despite being called a banquet celebrating Richard's entry into the palace, the atmosphere was utterly chaotic.

"What on earth... could His Highness be thinking?"

Serina, clad in a crimson dress, bit her nail.

She was the eldest daughter of Count Belnoir and a prominent member of the Crown Prince faction, whose ladies adored the Crown Prince.

A faint smile hung on her lips, but inside, she was seething.

"Could it be a scheme?"

Emily, the second daughter of Viscount Norhel, picked up the thread.

She, too, was part of the Crown Prince faction.

"Young Lord Friedrich must have used some trick. An engagement, so suddenly. And moreover... to a man."

Her voice was as low as a whisper, yet cold.

The ladies of the Crown Prince faction simply could not understand it.

The exalted His Highness the Crown Prince, engaged to a man... and of all people, the madman Richard Friedrich!

Serina lifted her champagne glass to her lips, but stopped.

"It must be that, right?"

Her eyes gleamed coldly. As if determined to deny the situation by any means necessary, she continued.

"Young Lord Friedrich must have pulled some trick. How many times has that man done something insane?"

She scoffed, trying to reassure herself.

Yes, that was it. Richard Friedrich must have devised some scheme.

His Highness the Crown Prince would never be the type to favor a man like him.

At that moment, a lady who had been quietly holding her glass across from them spoke.

"Well. I have a different opinion, my lady."

Lucia, the second daughter of the Granblure Marquisate.

"Isn't it possible that His Highness has finally fallen deeply for Young Lord Friedrich's charms as well?"

At her remark, silence momentarily engulfed the group.

Lucia was one of the ladies of the Richard faction.

She smiled calmly.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is not the sort to be led around by petty tricks, is he?"

"Right now—"

"You should simply admit it. His Highness has come to like Young Lord Friedrich as well."

"What nonsense are you spouting now...?"

Serina of the Crown Prince faction bit her lower lip tightly.

"Nonsense?"

As if daring her to refute it, Lucia raised an eyebrow.

"..."

Serina gripped the hem of her dress so tightly that it wrinkled.

Her lips moved.

But in the end, she could not refute it.

Because it was not an incorrect statement.

As Lucia had said, His Highness was not someone who could be led around by another person's schemes.

Ultimately, the only thing she could say was this.

"Someone like Young Lord Friedrich... is not a suitable partner for His Highness."

"A suitable partner?"

Lucia's voice rose at the end.

"Then who would be?"

"..."

"You're not suggesting yourself, are you?"

Lucia covered her mouth with her fan and snickered.

"..."

Serina's shoulders shook.

"It would be better to accept it."

With a victorious smile on her lips, Lucia leisurely raised her glass.

"Or perhaps there is someone here who dares to defy the Imperial will?"

"..."

Serina's lips froze.

The engagement between the two had been publicly announced by the Emperor himself.

In other words, it was the Imperial will.

To openly oppose it was to oppose the Imperial family.

The ladies of the Crown Prince faction frowned one after another, but none dared to say anything more.

Amid the silence,

Irene, who had been listening quietly beside them, lifted her glass.

"I just... think they suit each other well."

Every gaze turned toward her.

Irene was the youngest daughter of a minor baronial family. Although she did not possess much influence in High Society, she was known for being honest about her feelings.

"Young Lord Friedrich is beautiful, isn't he? His voice is pleasant to listen to, and he dances well..."

Irene blushed and smiled shyly.

Though embarrassed, her eyes sparkled brightly.

"And..."

Taking a small breath, she looked around and added one more thing.

"Isn't the combination of black hair and blond hair simply perfect?"

"Black hair and blond hair?"

Lucia, who had been tilting her glass, cocked her head.

"Yes!"

Irene responded immediately.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has cold black hair and striking red eyes... He's the perfect archetype of an icy, sharp-featured man, isn't he?"

"Right?"

"On the other hand, Young Lord Friedrich... with his platinum-blond hair and blue eyes... is the typical soft, warm-featured type suited to a gentle smile. And when the two stand side by side... truly, it's so beautiful that it feels as though the world has stopped."

As if already intoxicated, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands tightly together.

"One is like a blade, the other like sunlight..."

"Lady Irene."

One of the ladies frowned.

"Aren't you perhaps... viewing this situation too emotionally?"

"No! Completely objectively!"

Irene shook her head vigorously and pulled something from inside her dress.

"That's why... I tried writing a book."

She pulled out a thin, gold-bound book and carefully held it out to Lucia.

On its untitled cover was a painting-style illustration of the black-haired Crown Prince and the platinum-blond Young Lord holding hands.

"What is this?"

Lucia blinked.

"It's a novel!"

Irene smiled proudly.

"It's a romance novel I wrote myself, inspired by their meeting."

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