Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 14

***

One day earlier.

“Is that true?”

“What are you trying to say by calling me again?”

Duke Bishwaltz discreetly sighed at the man sitting in front of him.

Liandore was his childhood friend and the Crown Prince.

He often called for Bishwaltz, but no matter how many times he came, the palace never felt familiar.

“I mean the rumors going around about you these days.”

“It seems the rumors are slower to reach the palace than I thought.”

Liandore tapped his fingers on the chair.

He had called Bishwaltz himself out of curiosity about his reaction, but he didn’t like how unexpectedly calm he was.

“Is it about Serhin?”

“Bishwaltz, why don’t you realize who I am?”

“……Well, it might be a bit late, but if the rumors have reached the imperial palace, I guess I can’t let it go on any longer.”

He clutched his throbbing head.

He had expected it would die down soon. There were always many rumors circulating about him.

“But why did such rumors suddenly start spreading?”

“How would I know?”

That’s what he wanted to ask. Why on earth would they spread such rumors?

He had managed his reputation quite well. He never thought his perfectly cultivated reputation would crumble like this.

While he wasn’t without selfish aspects, he had never shown them.

He had never failed to get what he wanted, so he never particularly coveted anything.

He had done dirty work in secret to rise to the position of Duke.

No one suspected the reason for his lack of siblings or how easily he became a Duke.

That’s how meticulous he was about himself.

“I told you to behave better usually.”

“I didn’t come here to hear such things.”

Bishwaltz clicked his tongue as he looked at Liandore, who was teasing him when he already had a splitting headache.

At times like this, he wanted to grab him by the collar, Crown Prince or not.

“No, I was thinking I might help you out a bit.”

“……Help with what?”

Liandore waved his hands at Bishwaltz’s distrustful gaze. His expression was full of composure.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

He didn’t want to know, but he didn’t have any other options. Finally, he asked Liandore for alternatives.

“Before you say anything, tell me what you want from me first.”

It felt too suspicious to accept his help without question.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just have a bill I want to propose at the next meeting, and I need you to lend me your support.”

“……Is that really all?”

“That’s right. Come on now. How could I just stand by and watch my childhood friend suffer from scandal?”

Liandore shrugged, putting on a benevolent expression.

In the end, Bishwaltz accepted Liandore’s proposal.

“It’s simple. Just do as I say. It might require some acting skills on your part though.”

And so, the Duke listened intently to Liandore’s words as they devised a plan.

It was the beginning of a drive hunt.

***

‘How did I end up having to do this?’

Bishwaltz clutched his throbbing head.

In the past, he would have given up immediately, but given his position, he couldn’t ignore it now.

Even the families that had been friendly to him were now looking at him with suspicious eyes.

It was more comfortable when people didn’t approach him, but he didn’t want these unpleasant stares either.

‘When did they ever try to use their daughters as bait to get close to me?’

Tsk.

Thanks to their transparent attitudes, he was able to filter out certain people, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

And now, to talk friendly with other people?

Liandore must have gone mad.

But since he couldn’t think of any other ideas, he reluctantly attended the party.

“This is all fine and good, but why me too?”

Serhin, who had been dragged along by Bishwaltz, frowned.

“You’ll be tied up in this too, don’t you mind?”

“That’s why I’m asking, why me?”

“Why don’t you ask Crown Prince Liandore directly?”

If he were to tell Serhin exactly what Liandore had said without any filter, he would surely fly into a rage.

It would be fortunate if he didn’t rush off to confront him right away.

‘Fearless bastard.’

There was no particular need for him to fear Liandore, but couldn’t he at least acknowledge that he was the Crown Prince of a country?

Bishwaltz shook his head.

“If you cooperate this time, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“……You won’t regret saying that?”

“I won’t.”

Since what Bishwaltz asked wasn’t particularly difficult, Serhin quickly became docile.

He stood against the wall with a forlorn expression, sipping wine from his glass.

Serhin’s whole body shuddered at the sight of Bishwaltz.

‘Has this bastard gone mad?’

As he tried to quietly move away out of embarrassment, Bishwaltz quickly caught his eye and gestured.

In the end, Serhin tightly shut his mouth and stood by his side with a gloomy expression.

With two attention-grabbing figures standing in the ballroom with sad faces, people’s curiosity naturally stirred.

The young ladies inwardly rejoiced at the combination of these two who rarely attended parties.

“Oh my, Duke, you look so sad.”

A young lady approached and asked Duke Bishwaltz.

She was Belita, known for her love of gossip.

The rumors about the investigation were also started by her, so this would surely spread well too.

“It’s nothing.”

“What’s the matter…?”

Belita carefully offered him a handkerchief.

Serhin quietly observed Bishwaltz’s actions.

He was curious about what thoughts led him to request such help from him.

“I’m just thinking about the woman who left.”

“What? The woman who left?”

Bishwaltz turned his head, pretending to shed tears that weren’t actually flowing.

Belita’s heart sank at the sight of his moist eyes.

She felt a strong urge to comfort him right away and pinched her thigh to resist.

“Ahem, D-Duke, did you have a hidden lady? But from what I’ve heard, you were……”

She lowered her voice, looking around.

‘I can’t say “you’re gay” to someone who looks so sad.’

“Different from others in that……”

“It’s truly a misunderstanding. In fact, I had been secretly nurturing our love to protect her from others. But as I spent more days with Serhin……”

“Did your heart turn to Master Serhin Kabel?!”

Belita exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

A startled Serhin shook his head and placed his index finger on her lips.

“My lady, please listen to the end.”

Belita nodded at Serhin’s words. Bishwaltz continued speaking, trying hard to hide his twitching brow.

“While there was this misunderstanding, something got in this friend Serhin’s eye, and I briefly blew it out, but it seems she saw it from a different angle and misunderstood.”

“Then……”

“Yes, I’m not gay.”

Bishwaltz lowered his head with the most wistful expression anyone had ever seen.

His appearance was so much like that of a man who had lost his loved one that Belita couldn’t say a word.

At this, Serhin didn’t stay still and gently lifted Belita’s chin.

“My lady, look closely.”

Before Bishwaltz could stop him, he stood in front of him and tilted his head slightly.

As he cupped his eye with his hand and blew into it, Belita’s face turned red.

“Oh my, oh my…!”

Serhin had demonstrated what Bishwaltz had said, believing that showing it through action was faster than words.

A sudden silence fell over the ballroom.

And after this day, as Bishwaltz had wished, the strange rumors about him quieted down.