Chapter 18

“Please show some decency!”

“Shut up.”

The heat he brought with him scorched my cheeks. Instinctively, my eyes traveled to his firm, muscular calves, the sharply defined thighs, and the intimidating presence between them…

I shut my eyes.

It was for the sake of my mental health.

A droplet of water fell on my already crumpled, embarrassed face. Without a word, Tessarion began removing my cravat and brooch, then started unbuttoning my jacket. I recoiled in shock.

“W-what are you doing?”

“You should wash up too.”

“Huh?”

“After I’m done, you’re going to be clattering around wiping up spilled water, rearranging everything, and putting up the screen, right? I’ve got a mountain of delayed paperwork, and I want to rest soon. But you’ll just make things more chaotic. So let’s just bathe together and save the trouble.”

I screamed in protest.

“Whaaat?! No! That’s… people might misunderstand!”

“Misunderstand?”
Tessarion raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“What kind of misunderstanding?”

An icy chill crept up my throat.

“T-that you… that His Grace the Duke might, um, prefer men…”

“Oh, that.”
He responded nonchalantly.

His lukewarm reply—like he’d heard it before—caused a visible crack in my burning expression.

“Oh, that…?”

It was one of the nasty rumors people spread while trying to explain why he kept delaying marriage to Princess Berieta and staying on the battlefield.

Right. He was the male lead suspected of being gay. And here I was, stuck to him 24/7, basically pouring gasoline on that rumor.

“You said you’d get me married off! Why are you making me the center of such indecent gossip?! What about Princess Berieta?!”

I shoved him away, raising my voice. Tessarion just scoffed with a snort.

“Well, then the emperor would probably launch a preemptive strike. On the grounds that I insulted the imperial family.”

So you do want war, you battle-crazed maniac! How the hell am I supposed to get you and the female lead together?!

Damn it, I need medicine. Blood pressure meds, now.

“Even if the emperor preemptively strikes Claremont, he wouldn’t act rashly until he has solid evidence. If Crown Prince Heliote—who’s hot-headed—moves first, all the better. I can just accuse him of slander and insulting nobility. In the meantime, if you get married, that’ll clear your name and mine.”

“Don’t do it! Just don’t create misunderstandings in the first place!”

“Ever heard of ‘offer the flesh to take the bone’?”

He spouted nonsense while looking directly into my eyes.

“Sounds more like you’re trying to take my bones and marrow with the flesh you’re offering.”

“Roy Dover. What do you take me for?”

He yanked off my jacket and pulled down my shirt.

“Just like you said you never caught a cold even after bathing in ice water, I’ve never lost a single fight.”

…That part was actually true.

As I scrambled to find a retort, I grabbed the sagging collar and tried to pull it back over my shoulder.

A chilling aura emanated from Tessarion as he seized me by the neck.

“Your overreaction is what makes this situation seem indecent. I’m just trying to save time. That’s all. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

I whimpered, grabbed his forearm, and lifted myself to my toes.

Tessarion abruptly let go and turned away.

“Scrub my back, Roy.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I climbed into the fancy bathtub with him, pretending we were just innocent brothers. Childhood friends. Nothing more. Just bathing.

I desperately rolled my eyes away from his front. But even then, the shame and humiliation came flooding in.

After the bath, still fuming, I glared at my Plan A tucked among his stack of paperwork.

I knew it probably wouldn’t work on war-obsessed Tessarion, but my rebellious streak burned bright. I hoped he’d be so flustered after reading that book, he’d leave me alone out of sheer embarrassment.

I had to escape.

From this madman—and from this cursed romance fantasy world!

So please, take the bait!

While drying his damp hair, I glared at the back of his head, cursing under my breath.

Then finally, while mechanically signing documents, the gray bear reached for 101 Positions for Excellent Childbearing tucked among the files.

“Hm?”

He casually opened it, raised an eyebrow at the cover, and flipped through it again. Then he crossed one leg and began reading it like a serious academic.

What…?

I froze mid-drying, eyes shifting from his forehead and eyebrows to the explicit illustrations in the book.

“……”

Wow.

“……!”

Oh my…

“G-goodness. Do Dukes really go that far?”

Ah! My thoughts slipped out!

I clamped a hand over my mouth and blinked rapidly, trying to clear my throat and deflect.

Tessarion made a soft pfft sound. His beast-like golden eyes narrowed as they stared me down. The faint chill sent shivers from my face down to my neck.

“What did you say?”

“N-nothing! Just… it’s a bit… shocking…”

His sharp eyebrows twitched. His parted lips curled as he pressed them together and began trembling with laughter.

“Pfft—this… this is what shocks you?”

Tessarion burst out laughing.

He wiped the corner of his eye with his finger, then looked from the book to my face, back and forth. Clutching his fist, he stifled his laughter behind it.

“……”

I was seething. Could I kill the male lead? My shame boiled into murderous rage.

“I was wondering why this kind of trashy book was hidden in my paperwork… Were you curious about my sex life? Wondering if I know all these moves? What I prefer? Or maybe… you wanted to know about my parents’ or ancestors’ bedroom habits?”

“W-what?! No, I didn’t—well, I did put it there, but! It’s not because I’m curious about your—!”

“Not curious?”

Does this man have eyes in the back of his head?! I thought I was being subtle and swift…

Damn it. I had no backup plan for when Plan A failed. I was just doomed.

“If you weren’t curious, then what is it?”

The longer I stayed silent, the heavier the tension grew. The plot was veering dangerously far from the original. I’d soon be launched into the narrative stratosphere, never to return.

I covered my face and mumbled.

“Y-you said… you’d personally oversee my groom training, so… I thought maybe, um, physical intimacy and marital relations were things I should ask you about too…”

“……”

“I figured it’d be better to learn from you than from Madam Mores… so I found this in the library… I didn’t know the Duke’s library had such books. So…”

Tessarion, who had been staring daggers, suddenly chuckled and gave me a sly smile.

“Good question.”