Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

The woman known as the Rose of High Society.

The villainess, Princess Cesica, had always craved greater power.

"Father, I want to marry His Highness the Crown Prince."

She could never be satisfied with the mere status of a princess.

Higher.

She had to rise even higher.

She would marry the Crown Prince, become a member of the Imperial family, and ultimately—

Claim even the highest position in the Empire—

I can do it.

No.

I have to.

But perhaps the Crown Prince had seen through her intentions.

He never spared her so much as a glance.

"...Princess Cesica. Where is Daphne?"

He only ever pursued that foolish woman.

.......

She disliked him for it.

At the same time, she found it laughable.

How much longer did he think he could ignore her?

Princess Cesica had powerful backing.

Her father, Vilmar Cesica, was a man capable of outmaneuvering even the Emperor.

"Please help Lady Beatus break her engagement to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Very well. I will help you."

Her father readily agreed, despite the unreasonable request.

"......Are you satisfied now, Princess?"

In the end, the Crown Prince informed Daphne that he was breaking their engagement.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Princess Cesica believed that, at this rate, she would stand beside the Crown Prince and become Empress.

And if she attained the highest position in the Empire—

Father will cherish me too.

Princess Cesica had known since childhood.

Her father did not truly love her.

He had simply married a suitable woman for appearances, and she was merely the child born of that union.

Her father had little interest in her.

But it will be different.

She repeated the words to herself.

If I marry the Crown Prince, become Empress, and rise as the foremost woman in the Empire... Father will love me too. He will be proud of me.

She had believed it without a doubt.

Then, one day—

"I am already very interested in you."

Her father unexpectedly began taking an interest in Richard Friedrich.

And—

"This is a contract."

He presented Richard with a contract, offering to help him win the Crown Prince's heart.

"......."

When Princess Cesica heard the news, she bit her lower lip until it bled.

Her father had clearly promised to help her.

So why, after coming this far, was he entering into a contract with Richard Friedrich?

Why...?

"Father. What could you possibly be thinking, entering into a contract with Richard Friedrich?"

Several days later, she confronted her father on a bridge spanning a pond.

Her grip involuntarily tightened around the hem of her dress.

"You clearly... promised to make me the Crown Prince's consort. So why did you make such a contract with Young Lord Friedrich?"

"...Hmm."

Her father tilted his head slightly, then covered his mouth with one hand as though suppressing a smile.

"I am afraid I owe you an apology, Eugenia."

"......!"

Her heart plummeted.

"I changed my mind."

"Father!"

Her throat constricted painfully. He meant to abandon her.

No matter what else might be true, she was still his daughter.

"It was after I saw that boy."

Richard Friedrich.

Those words wiped Princess Cesica's mind blank.

Do you truly intend °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to abandon me?

No matter what, I am your only flesh and blood.

One thought followed another. Her father approached without a word and gripped her shoulders.

"......Father?"

His gaze was neither cold nor warm.

It was simply set and unwavering, as though he were making a declaration.

"Eugenia, listen carefully."

As though he were granting her mercy.

As though he knew how desperately she craved power.

"Before long, you will—"

Just as she listened intently—

"Become the head of House Cesica."

Shocking words left his mouth.

"......Father?"

Princess Cesica froze where she stood.

Her father was the current head of House Cesica.

For him to say he would hand that position over meant....

"Have you not always wanted greater power?"

"...Father."

"This much, at least, I can do for you before the end."

With those words, her father smiled and walked past her.

"......."

Princess Cesica remained there for a long time, staring vacantly into space.

She knew he had not merely meant to step down as head of the family.

He had said it was the last thing he could do for her.

This isn't what I wanted....

She collapsed where she stood.

She did not know why, but her father intended to die.

Princess Cesica had craved power and sought to rise to the highest position in the Empire....

Not because of ambition or vanity.

She had simply....

I only....

Wanted her father's love.

What use was inheriting a dukedom, one of the highest positions in the Empire, if her father was no longer there?

The emptiness and anguish were unbearable.

"From this moment forth, Vilmar Cesica is declared a traitor."

When her father was arrested at the banquet celebrating the Emperor's birthday, it felt as though her entire world had collapsed.

Her father—the most cunning and experienced man in the entire Empire—had allowed himself to be captured so futilely.

She did not want to believe it.

But the scene before her was merciless reality.

Then came the day of his execution.

The execution grounds were already packed with a vast crowd. The nobles watched the center in solemn silence.

"......."

Princess Cesica stared at the platform, feeling as though something deep within her chest were burning away.

Her father, Vilmar Cesica, stood bound in chains.

His violet eyes remained dignified and proud, but his body was badly battered and covered in wounds.

"Guilty. Death. The criminal Vilmar Cesica shall be executed by guillotine."

The Emperor's order was issued, and the blade soon flashed.

Her heart seized, leaving her unable to breathe.

Then—

Whoosh!

An arrow tore through the air.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

It lodged in the Emperor's throat.

At the same moment—

"Good heavens! Duke Cesica has escaped!"

"He assassinated His Majesty...!"

Her father vanished into black smoke.

The Imperial Guards surged beneath the platform, but they could not find so much as a trace of him.

Princess Cesica stood frozen in place.

She felt neither relief nor joy. Only confusion sinking into her very bones.

......What happened? Where did he go...?

Her father disappeared from the Empire after that day.

She did not even know whether he was alive or plotting another conspiracy somewhere.

"Do you truly know nothing of the Duke's whereabouts, Princess?"

When Young Lord Friedrich asked her that question in the secret shop—

"No, regrettably."

There was only one reason she could not answer him.

She knew nothing either.

"Haa...."

Her long sigh echoed heavily through the office.

Documents were piled across the desk like mountains: tax reports, petitions from each territory, and accounting records from the army and merchant guilds.

All of them awaited her approval.

But her hand would not move.

The tip of her pen kept trembling, and the words refused to register.

"Vilmar Cesica is a traitor."

"Princess Cesica has been left with nothing but the hollow shell of a ducal house. All that remains is for her to fall."

The rumors circulating among the nobility were merciless.

Once called the Rose of High Society, she was now treated like a weed already beginning to wither.

"......."

Swallowing a sigh, she forced herself to turn another page. But the letters scattered like grains of sand before her eyes, impossible to comprehend.

She leaned back in her chair and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Her father had vanished, and her reputation continued to plummet without end.

It felt as though everything had fallen apart.

Then—

"......You have been working hard."

A familiar voice echoed through the room.

Princess Cesica's entire body froze.

She slowly raised her head—and a familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows.

A piercing gaze and the same overwhelming presence as ever.

"......Father?"

The man who had vanished from the execution grounds.

Vilmar Cesica, whom she had believed dead, stood before the door.

Princess Cesica's breath came out ragged and tangled.

"......That can't be."

But her father's unmistakable smile told her that this was no dream.

It was real.

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