The Grand Ducal Palace, located in the heart of the Empire, was dazzlingly luxurious. Grand Duke Russell was a man praised by the citizens as the epitome of a noble who was always composed and dignified.

However, he had a secret so scandalous that even his closest aides did not know—a secret he intended to take to his grave. He was a passionate fanatic of a certain bestselling adult novel author who was secretly causing a sensation in the Empire.

One lazy afternoon, the maid Guest headed to the Grand Duke's office with cleaning supplies as usual. Thinking the Grand Duke was out, she opened the door and stepped inside, only to stop dead in her tracks as if she had tripped over a stone.

In the middle of the spacious office, Russell, whom she thought had gone out, was hunched over his desk, intensely reading something.

His usual upright and neat appearance was nowhere to be found. His shirt was messily unbuttoned, his cheeks were flushed deep red, and he was breathing heavily with a deep frown. To make matters worse, a red nosebleed was streaming down from the tip of his sharp nose, soaking the documents on his desk.

"Gasp...!"

A sharp intake of breath escaped Guest's mouth in shock. Startled by the sound, Russell snapped his head up. Clutched tightly in his large hands was the special limited edition hardcover of the Empire's most popular adult novel, 『The Night the Forbidden Rose Was Slaughtered』—a book with a cover illustration so scandalous it made one's face turn red just looking at it.

The Grand Duke with blood dripping from his nose, and the maid frozen on the spot. In the silence that settled over the office, their eyes locked in mid-air. Russell's trembling pupils turned toward Guest, and his face began to turn a bright, explosive crimson.