Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"I intend to break off the engagement as soon as the coronation is over."

That evening, Richard had asked Cailus once more to reconsider ending their engagement, but the answer he received had been cold.

The coronation...

How much time did he have left?

When he asked Dame Fenrir, her answer was simple.

"Do you happen to know when the coronation will be held?"

"I am told it will take place three months from now, following the period of mourning. Until then, His Highness the Crown Prince will assume all the Emperor's duties."

Three months.

That was all the time he had left.

"......"

Richard wandered through the Imperial Palace garden, gnawing at his fingernails.

Three months... I have to stop it somehow before then.

But no answer readily came to him.

A gentle breeze drifted through the garden, scattering crimson petals from the rose vines. The scene could not have been more peaceful, yet his heart felt heavy.

Then—

"We meet again."

A familiar voice broke the silence.

Richard flinched and looked up. At the end of the colonnade, a man was approaching at a leisurely pace with the sunlight at his back.

He wore black formal attire embroidered with silver, his expression composed and his stride unhurried.

It was Prince Talinos.

"...Your Highness."

Richard greeted him briefly, though his guard instinctively went up.

Talinos smiled as though greeting an old friend.

"Are you fond of this garden? It seems we are of one mind. The sunlight is pleasant, and the breeze is gentle. But..."

His gaze settled on Richard's fingertips.

"Why do you seem so anxious, Young Lord Friedrich?"

His tone was amiable, but his eyes were sharp.

Richard swallowed uneasily.

I can't read him.

He had no idea what the man was thinking.

Talinos did not appear hostile toward him. If anything, he seemed well disposed toward him.

Still, he clearly had an ulterior motive, and the fact that he never revealed what lay beneath the surface was troubling.

Talinos soon continued in a mild voice.

"Young Lord Friedrich. We are friends, are we not?"

Richard hesitated.

...I suppose we did become friends.

The problem was that Talinos was a member of the Imperial family, while Richard had never possessed the authority to refuse.

Even so, he could hardly show his displeasure to the prince's face.

Richard carefully composed his expression before answering.

"Of course, Your Highness."

At that, the corners of Talinos's lips curved upward gracefully.

As though that were precisely the answer he had wanted.

"Friends ought to spend time together often."

"...Yes, Your Highness."

"Would you care to go hunting with me? I have a favorite hunting ground."

"......"

As expected, Richard had no choice in the matter.

He took a moment to steady his breathing, then forced the corners of his mouth upward.

"...It would be an honor, Your Highness."

The hunting ground lay in a dense forest some distance from the Imperial Palace.

It was late spring. Sunlight poured between the verdant trees, and the breeze carried the scent of grass.

"This is the place."

As Talinos led the way, servants hurried after him to prepare the horses.

Before mounting, Richard glanced around the edge of the forest.

Rather than a place meant for an actual hunt, it felt like a stage prepared to "show" him something.

Why ask me to go hunting with him now, of all times?

He was reluctant, but he had no choice.

"There is no need to be nervous."

Talinos swung lightly into the saddle with a smile.

"Friends shooting bows, wielding swords, and sharing conversation—what could be better?"

Richard forced the corners of his mouth upward.

"...Just as you say, Your Highness."

Following Talinos, Richard mounted a white horse with practiced ease.

"Then let us be off."

Talinos raised a hand in signal, smiling with his customary nonchalance. The knights and attendants accompanying them bowed in unison.

"No one is to follow us. Wait at the edge of the forest."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The knights halted their horses and withdrew.

Richard narrowed his eyes at the sudden order.

...Just the two of us?

The forest was already filled with nothing but the wind and the chirping of insects. It was so quiet that even the possibility of someone secretly watching them seemed to have been eliminated.

Talinos rode on as though nothing were amiss.

"This is the first time we have spent time alone together like this."

Richard turned his head and watched the sunlight flickering between the trees.

"...I am pleased to have the chance to grow closer to Your Highness."

"You hardly seem the one to say that."

Their horses' hooves crushed the fallen leaves as they gradually proceeded deeper into the forest.

Small animals occasionally darted away through the trees, but there was no other sign of anyone nearby.

Richard suppressed a chill.

...Something is wrong.

For someone who had invited him hunting, Talinos had yet to draw his bow even once.

Only the steady sound of hoofbeats continued through the silent forest.

Still smiling, Talinos turned his head.

"Are you getting along well with my brother?"

Richard blinked once.

"...Yes, I am."

"No. That is not the sort of predictable answer I wanted."

Talinos's smile remained, but the blade concealed within it gleamed coldly.

"Even I know that you and my brother are not on good terms."

"......"

"Did you truly think I would be unaware that you made a contract with His Majesty the Emperor and forced the engagement upon him?"

Richard's fingers tightened around the reins almost absently.

"You will probably be cast aside soon. That is the sort of man my brother is."

The words were spoken quietly, yet they cut to the bone.

Richard pressed his lips together.

What did Talinos hope to achieve by bringing this up?

Was it a threat aimed at him? Or groundwork meant to draw him over to Talinos's side?

His watery-blue eyes turned cold.

"Is there something you want from me?"

"Ha."

Talinos let out a light laugh, though it quickly faded.

"Yes, there is."

Slowing his horse, Talinos moved closer to Richard's side.

"I want you to become one of my people."

Talinos was still smiling, but the smile gradually took on an unsettling quality.

"My brother may be capable of becoming a cold, unyielding emperor. But... he is not the man this age demands."

He tugged lightly on the reins and brought his horse to a halt, then gazed up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

"The Empire needs a gentler yet stronger monarch."

Richard silently studied his profile.

Behind Talinos's faint smile, his eyes shone with a strange light.

His naked hunger for power revealed the madness beneath it.

"You know it as well, Young Lord Friedrich."

His voice dropped lower.

"His Majesty the Emperor passed away not long ago, and the throne remains vacant."

Talinos turned his gaze toward Richard.

"Then who should claim it?"

Richard kept his lips sealed.

Talinos savored the subtle silence as he waited for an answer. At last, he allowed the thought he seemed to have long suppressed to slip free.

"...I intend to challenge my brother."

At that moment, the wind swept through the forest, shaking the leaves.

Talinos urged his horse deeper into the woods. Branches brushed against them as they passed, and scarcely any light penetrated the dense undergrowth.

"......"

Feeling the air grow steadily heavier, Richard gripped the reins tightly.

"Oh."

Talinos pulled on the reins and brought his horse to a stop.

"Our prey has finally appeared."

His golden eyes, gleaming with madness, stared ahead.

"...!"

Richard's body went rigid.

The prey Talinos had spoken of was neither a deer nor a rabbit.

"Mmph... Mmmph..."

A man's arms had been bound behind him around a tree.

A cloth gag filled his mouth, and the Imperial crest remained faintly visible on his bloodstained armor.

Richard's gaze trembled.

He had definitely seen that face before.

Was his name Senin?

He was one of the loyal knights who supported Cailus.

Talinos reined in his horse and gave a low, satisfied laugh.

"Would you care to try hunting him?"

As though testing Richard, a sinister gleam passed through his golden eyes.

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