Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"...You mean for me to kill him."

The quiet voice cut through the forest like the wind.

Talinos's smile deepened.

"Quick-witted as ever."

He lightly raised the knight's chin with the tip of his sword.

"If we are to be in the same boat, surely a test is in order."

Richard lowered his gaze.

His heart went cold.

He wants me to choose.

He had to decide whose side he would take in the coming struggle between the Crown Prince and the prince.

"What do I stand to gain by joining you?"

His cold, watery-blue eyes turned toward Talinos.

Talinos gave a light shrug.

"I can prevent my brother from breaking off your engagement, just as you wish."

"How?"

"Once I ascend the throne, what could possibly be beyond my power?"

His golden eyes disappeared between elegantly curving lids.

"I promise that your engagement will remain intact. No, I will see the two of you married at once."

"......"

Richard did not lower his guard.

A promise was still merely words.

And words could be changed at any time.

"What reason do I have to trust Your Highness?"

"So suspicious."

Talinos chuckled as though watching a cat bristle, then drew a scroll from his saddle.

Rustle—

The scroll unfurled.

"Would you trust me if I gave you a magical contract?"

The contract came fully into view.

"......"

Richard's gaze fell upon the open document.

"The terms are as follows."

"......"

"Richard Friedrich shall fully support Prince Talinos le Regnantia in the struggle for the throne."

The corners of Talinos's mouth slowly curved upward.

"In return, Talinos le Regnantia shall guarantee the marriage of Richard Friedrich and Crown Prince Cailus le Regnantia."

...Guarantee.

Not merely assist with it, but guarantee it.

"Neither party shall ever betray the other's trust."

A chilling gleam passed through Talinos's golden eyes.

"Should either party violate the contract, that person shall be afflicted by the 'curse' bound to this magical contract."

"......"

"Well? Is that enough for you to trust me?"

"......"

Richard slowly raised his head.

Each beat of his heart reverberated heavily.

"......"

The forest was utterly still.

Talinos turned the sword slightly and placed it in Richard's hand with a smile.

"I look forward to your decision."

The weight of the sword settled into his icy fingers.

Richard accepted it without a trace of emotion.

...A test.

Without a word, Richard held the blade upright and immediately pressed the tip of his finger against its edge.

Slice—

The blade split his skin, sending hot pain spreading through it.

Red droplets fell from his fingertip, one after another, spattering across the saddle.

A faint light gleamed in Talinos's golden eyes.

"You decide quickly."

Satisfaction and excitement mingled in his voice.

Without changing expression, Richard extended his bloodied finger and pressed it firmly against the magical contract.

As the red mark sank into the paper like a fingerprint, the smooth magical pattern shimmered to life.

A cold current swirled over the contract.

"......"

At that very moment, the document rolled itself up and returned to Talinos's hand.

Talinos tucked it inside his coat with a satisfied smile.

"Now... we are in the same boat, Young Lord Friedrich."

"......"

Richard steadied his breathing, then turned his head.

Senin's eyes were wide and trembling.

The cloth gag prevented him from speaking, but his shoulders twitched intermittently.

Murder.

After living this life countless times, could Richard truly never have killed a man?

He had killed hundreds—thousands—of times.

At first, it had been merely to protect Lady Beatus.

Then it had been to take revenge upon those who harmed her.

Later still, it had been to eliminate anything that stood in the way of serving her interests.

Any hesitation had long since been crushed beneath the weight she held in his heart.

There is no other way.

He had already been driven to the edge of a cliff.

The cliff of having his engagement broken by Cailus.

This was now the only way to prevent it.

There was nothing Richard could not do for Lady Beatus.

"......"

Richard held the sword straight before him.

He drew a quiet breath.

Thrust—

The sharp blade pierced Senin's heart.

"...!"

A brief scream climbed the man's throat, only to be smothered by the cloth gag and vanish.

Blood streamed down the blade and dripped to the ground.

Talinos snapped his fingers once in applause.

"Excellent."

He looked down at the corpse with satisfaction.

"My choice was correct after all."

Richard silently pulled out the sword.

Then, without the slightest tremor, he merely flicked the blood from its blade.

"...So, what do I do now?"

Richard's voice was subdued as he wiped the blood from the sword.

Talinos's lips curved as though he were handling an intriguing new toy.

"Impatient, aren't you? But I do not dislike it."

He turned his horse and slowly pulled on the reins.

"First... there is something I want to show you."

"Something you want to show me?"

"You cannot play politics without first understanding the board, can you?"

Talinos gave a short whistle.

The knights who had been waiting at a distance swiftly rode toward them.

"We are returning to the Imperial Palace. Take us to the council chamber."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Richard narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...The council chamber?"

"The heart of the Empire—and its noisiest place."

Talinos laughed softly.

"My brother remains as quiet as ever... but the nobles do not. They are already calculating their every move and putting their plans into action."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"Let us take a look at who our 'enemies' are."

Richard drew a short breath.

As the silent forest receded, he could already envision the turbulence awaiting them at the Imperial Palace.

Talinos brought his horse to a stop with a smile.

"Let us go in."

He leaped lightly from his horse and led the way.

"Yes."

Richard followed him into the council chamber.

Beneath the majestic domed ceiling stood marble desks arranged in a circle. Dozens of heraldic banners lined the space above them, while nobles shouted at one another, their faces flushed red.

"The coronation must be held now! The Empire cannot leave the throne vacant!"

"Refrain from such outrageous remarks, Marquis Lenot. His Majesty the Emperor passed away only days ago!"

"Outrageous? The longer the coronation is delayed, the longer the government remains paralyzed!"

Their voices rose higher and higher.

Those demanding the Crown Prince's immediate coronation clashed fiercely with those invoking the mourning period as grounds to delay it by a month.

It was obvious to anyone that the two factions had already divided themselves into the Crown Prince's supporters and the prince's supporters.

"......"

Richard leaned silently against the railing.

Viewed from the second-floor gallery, the council chamber resembled a battlefield inside a beehive.

Amid the splendidly dressed nobles, rage and ambition erupted in their rawest forms.

"Do you see?"

Talinos whispered beside him.

His golden eyes swept over the chamber below.

"Those raising their voices belong to the Crown Prince's faction. They insist that my brother is the legitimate heir and seek to seat him on the throne as soon as possible."

Talinos smiled with his eyes and took a sip of the wine an attendant handed him.

"Those speaking of mourning, on the other hand, are mostly... on my side."

"......"

"Not one of them genuinely cares about grieving. They merely want to buy time."

His smile curved coldly.

"......"

Richard silently watched the nobles shouting at one another below.

"Young Lord Friedrich."

Talinos's gaze glided over the council chamber once more.

Slowly tilting his wineglass, he spoke in a low voice as though choosing his prey.

"Do you see the man shouting in the center?"

Richard followed his gaze.

A massive man with a long, handsome gray beard stood there, a dark crimson cloak draped over his broad shoulders.

"Marquis Lenot. They call him the standard-bearer of the Crown Prince's faction."

The smile in Talinos's eyes turned cold.

"Surprisingly devout, too. He is always speaking of 'the throne ordained by God' and the like."

"......"

Richard observed the man in silence.

"Do you see the blond baron seated to his right?"

He was a small man with sharp, hawklike eyes, passionately arguing as he struck the council table.

"Baron Calowin. He controls the Imperial Treasury. He funnels enormous sums to the Crown Prince while buying off my allies one by one."

"......"

"And..."

Talinos's golden eyes curved with faint mockery.

"The woman in the black formal uniform, sitting silently in the corner. Countess Peiran."

Despite sitting quietly, the woman possessed an unmistakable presence.

"The strategist of the Crown Prince's faction. She never steps into the foreground, but every one of their actual strategies is devised by her."

Talinos set down his wineglass and murmured,

"What you must do from now on is simple."

He slowly turned his head toward Richard.

His smile was gentle.

But the blade concealed beneath it was cold.

"Before the coronation, eliminate them... one by one."

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