His explanation was as follows.
When the other person had no feelings whatsoever, the potion worked according to its “original effect”: they fell asleep and woke falsely believing they had spent the night together.
But
in the opposite case—when feelings already existed....
In a case like yours, the two of you actually spend the night together.
“......”
After returning to his bedroom in the Imperial Palace, Richard spent the entire day staring blankly out the window.
What?
Feelings?
Cailus? For me?
It would make more sense to claim that he hated Lady Beatus.
...Something....
Richard gnawed at the tip of his fingernail.
There must have been some mistake.
Perhaps the potion had been defective. Or maybe it had gone bad.
Otherwise, none of this made any sense.
Cailus, interested in him? Ha. What utter bullshit.
Cailus hated him.
And Richard hated him just as fiercely.
Something went wrong.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
There was no doubt about it.
Richard remained frozen inside the bedroom.
“...Yes. Something simply went wrong....”
Muttering to himself, he erased Cailus’s I love you from his mind several dozen times.
Just then—
Creak—
The door opened.
“Richard?”
A familiar voice rang in his ears.
“...Enoch.”
Richard barely managed to raise his head, one eyebrow twitching.
Enoch leaned casually against the doorframe.
“So you were in the bedroom. I wondered after hearing the rumor that you spent the night with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
......
......
“...What?”
“Surely it isn’t true? You didn’t let a man like that take you when you have me, did you?”
Richard could not answer.
His lips trembled.
He felt his consciousness fading.
“...Enoch.”
“...Yes?”
“...Would you leave right now?”
“Huh? Why...?”
“...Now.”
The instant the door closed,
Richard launched himself onto the bed like a gust of wind.
And then—
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
He covered his face with both hands and dragged the blanket over his head.
He screamed.
He thrashed wildly beneath the blanket,
curled into himself like a shrimp with his knees drawn up,
and pummeled the pillow with one hand.
“Why?! Why did that happen?!”
He kicked the blanket mercilessly.
It tangled around his thighs, then caught on his toes and was kicked away again
as he flailed and convulsed across the bed.
“Because he has feelings for me? That bastard?!”
He buried his head and punched the wall.
When the back of his hand began to hurt, he fled beneath the blanket again.
“Please... I would honestly rather hear that he was trying to assassinate me by fucking me to death.”
After kicking the blanket for quite some time,
Richard suddenly stopped moving.
Then, with a quiet and solemn expression, he whispered,
“...When did Enoch hear about it?”
Just how far had the rumor spread?
The Crown Prince’s Palace? The entire Imperial Palace?
Or... all of high society?
Imagining just how far the truth he desperately wished were a lie had spread made his mind go blank.
Richard pulled the blanket over his head again.
“Damn it....”
He genuinely felt as though he might cry.
From that day onward,
Richard began a game of hide-and-seek spanning the entire Imperial Palace.
And he played it as though his life depended on it.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is heading toward the palace.”
“...Then I’ll take the roof.”
“...Pardon?”
“His Highness is in the library.”
“Ah, I’ve already read every book there.”
“...Yesterday, you buried yourself in them while declaring that knowledge was a weapon....”
“I find myself more drawn to axes than books today. I must go kill myself at once.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is heading to the audience chamber—”
“The wardrobe.”
“...Pardon?”
“I’ll hide inside the wardrobe. Right now.”
Fleeing had become a higher priority than breathing.
By now, the mere words “Crown Prince” made his muscles seize.
...I can’t believe I did something like that with that bastard.
He could not bring himself to face Cailus.
Because the moment he did, he might drive a knife into Cailus’s throat without even realizing it.
So his only option was to run.
He could hardly allow himself to die for assassinating a member of the Imperial family.
A week passed that way.
But the world was not so kind to Richard.
“Young Lord Friedrich.”
The Emperor had summoned him.
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
Richard quietly clasped his hands behind his back.
He had known from the beginning that this could not possibly be good news.
The Imperial family’s annual event was fast approaching.
“The Imperial hunting competition will take place in a few days.”
“...Yes.”
“You will attend.”
“...Pardon?”
He had heard perfectly well, but the urge to deny it made him ask again.
“...Your Majesty, what did you just say...?”
“I said you will attend the Imperial hunting competition.”
“Surely it would be inappropriate for someone of illegitimate birth like me to appear at such an... honorable occasion....”
“Aren’t you destined to become the Crown Prince’s consort?”
Laios smiled coldly.
“Now that your engagement has been officially declared, failing to appear at a public event would naturally cause the rumors to spiral out of control.”
“......”
No, the rumors have already spiraled out of control and spread across the entire Empire, Your Majesty.
“Furthermore, I intend to pair you with the Crown Prince.”
“...Pardon?”
Richard’s breath caught.
“The nobles must see the two of you together. A banquet has also been arranged for after the competition.”
“......”
“You must convince everyone that your relationship is intimate.”
“...Ha.”
Richard was speechless.
“Your Majesty, is there some reason... His Highness the Crown Prince and I absolutely must be paired together...?”
“There is.”
Laios quietly set down his cup.
“You haven’t forgotten our previous contract, have you?”
“...The contract....”
Richard stared at the Emperor, momentarily at a loss [N O V E L I G H T] for words.
...Right. There had been a contract.
Richard had once confidently declared that becoming engaged to the Crown Prince would allow him to damage Cailus’s reputation.
“I trust you have not forgotten.”
The corners of Laios’s mouth lifted.
...Damn it.
Richard desperately wished he could turn back time.
Richard staggered down the empty corridor.
The Imperial hunting competition. The Crown Prince. The banquet.
The words he wanted to deny drifted through his mind like noise.
...Damn it.
He swore under his breath.
Damn it, damn it, goddamn it...!
Primal fury erupted with every step.
No matter how tightly he clenched his teeth and suppressed it, his mind was already saturated with humiliation and despair.
Forget all of it... Should I run away?
He had finally been reduced to considering even that.
If he fled only for the few days surrounding the Imperial hunting competition, perhaps he would not have to face that bastard.
“Just for a few days....”
Muttering to himself, Richard abruptly stopped at the end of the corridor.
The more he considered it, the less terrible the idea seemed.
Escape.
Yes. He would run away for only a few days.
Of course, this would not allow him to avoid Cailus forever....
But for now, he wanted to.
Desperately. So fucking badly.
“......”
Richard slowly opened the window.
A frigid wind brushed his face.
...I don’t know what floor this is, but it probably won’t kill me.
He could only laugh now.
Yes, it was perfect.
This is a fairly sensible decision. It isn’t running away. It’s a strategic retreat.
Richard drew a deep breath, his eyes taking on a deranged gleam.
“Jump.”
And then
he actually stepped onto the windowsill and threw himself out.
The air split around him.
“────?!”
For an instant, time seemed to slow in midair.
The scenery overturned, and there was nothing beneath his feet.
Then he realized.
Ah. I’m screwed....
It was higher than he had expected.
Richard instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.
At that instant—
Thud—!
Someone caught him in their arms.
A pair of solid arms wrapped around his waist
and supported his back.
“...Have you lost your mind?”
A familiar voice, low and cold.
And then—
Cailus.
His brow furrowed,
he held Richard in a princess carry.
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