Episode 28
At the Baroness’s words, the people at the party began to move as if they were used to it. The grand hall doors opened, and servants brought in large tables.
The tables were unusual. They didn’t look like regular dining tables at all. Most looked like gambling tables meant for card games. A couple looked like billiard tables, but the rest were obviously for gambling.
‘What the heck is this now?’
The beautiful hall suddenly turned into a casino. My brain raced to catch up. Maybe this wasn’t sudden at all.
Everyone seemed to know this was the real reason for the party. They moved naturally as the Baroness called out with elegance.
“Well then! As everyone knows, please enjoy yourselves!”
I was confused and clenched my fists. Just then, I heard Theodore’s voice softly behind me.
His voice was low, almost lost in the noise, but it came through clearly to me.
“You’ll be fine.”
I swallowed and let out a big breath. Yes, Theodore was behind me. Just thinking that made me feel calm again.
‘It’ll be fine.’
I didn’t know what kind of trick the Baroness had planned for me, but at worst, she’d only try to embarrass me. That wasn’t scary at all.
‘And if she tries something worse, Theodore won’t just sit back and watch.’
Just hearing that one line from him made me feel stronger.
Even while moving around and talking to guests, the Baroness stayed near me. The other guests quickly paired up and sat down at tables like they had done this many times.
‘Whatever she’s planning, I’m not going to just take it.’
Finally, a table was set between the Baroness and me. Neatly dressed servants placed the chairs down. The Baroness sat naturally and gestured for me to sit opposite her.
“Come on. Let’s choose which game to play.”
She looked very excited, her eyes curved and her cheeks puffed with a smile. I sat down, and one of the servants stood between us. With their uniforms, they looked like casino dealers.
The servant spoke in a serious voice.
“We’ll flip a coin to decide the game. The one who chooses the game goes second.”
He held a silver coin. The side with the feather pen was the front.
“You’re the guest, so I’ll let you choose.”
“Then… I choose the back side.”
“That means I get the front. Flip it.”
The servant tossed the coin. It spun and landed with the feather pen showing.
“Wow, unlucky already.”
The Baroness laughed.
“Do you know how to play card games?”
“It depends on the type.”
That was a lie. The only card games I knew were silly ones like “One Card” or “Find the Thief.” I’d heard coworkers talk about Blackjack and other games, but I didn’t know how to play them.
“Really? Then I’ll teach you the rules.”
She didn’t fall for my bluff and kindly offered to teach me. At her order, a servant brought out cards.
The back of the cards was blank, and the front looked like regular playing cards—except instead of K, Q, and J, they used local titles like King, Noble, and Knight.
The Baroness laid out some example hands.
“The rules are simple. You get 10 cards. Each round, you keep one and throw one away. You can change as many cards as you want. The one with the stronger hand wins. Easy, right?”
“So there are hand rankings.”
At her signal, the servant placed examples on the table in order from strongest to weakest.
It was similar to normal card games. Matching suits and sequences formed stronger hands. Nobles were higher than knights, and kings were the highest.
“How long does it go on?”
“Until all cards are used.”
Just as I was about to nod, Theodore spoke up.
“May I deal the cards?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
At her permission, Theodore moved beside the servant. Because he was much bigger, the cards looked tiny in his hands.
“Shuffling and dealing now.”
“You’re good at this.”
“His Majesty personally taught me.”
He shuffled the cards expertly, like a dealer in a movie. His big hands rolled and flipped the cards smoothly.
‘Wait… is he trying to deal me a good hand?’
I silently cheered him on. Theodore carefully shuffled over ten times before finally dealing.
Ten cards to me. Ten to the Baroness. Each card landed perfectly.
“Let’s make this more fun with a bet.”
She hadn’t even flipped her cards yet.
“Do I really need to tell you how much money I have?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not after your money. I want a favor.”
“Alright.”
Ah—this must be what Mari meant when she warned me. Her words from the party came to mind.
“But nothing that dishonors the Great One’s name.”
“Of course.”
She shrugged and flipped her cards. I followed suit.
I stared hard at my cards, but found no tricks. The game was fair.
Even though it was just switching cards, my hands were sweaty. Finally, we revealed our last cards—and I lost.
“Looks like my hand is stronger.”
I lost badly. I had hoped Theodore might cheat a little for me, but he didn’t. Each new card I got was useless.
‘Seriously?’
Even Theodore looked awkward. I mouthed a question.
‘Didn’t you cheat?’
He silently replied. I couldn’t understand everything, but I caught the words “prevent” and “cheating.”
Ah—he shuffled to prevent others from cheating.
Of course. Why did I expect him to do something sneaky?
“I lost.”
Admitting defeat quickly can throw off your opponent. The Baroness blinked in surprise.
“You accepted that faster than I expected.”
“What’s the point in denying it?”
I raised my chin slightly, offering her a chance to name her favor.
“I have a request.”
Her tone changed. She now spoke politely and calmly.
“As the winner, go ahead.”
“Please let my servants work in your casino. Ten of them. No, even five is fine.”
Her eyes darkened. The confusion from my quick surrender turned into something else: anger.
It wasn’t even directed at me.
“They won’t interfere with your business. I promise.”
“……”
“I’ll pay their wages.”
She nodded slightly. This was no regular bet. It was a request, a favor, disguised as a game.
And I realized something: the Baroness hadn’t been hostile from the start. What I thought was a test… was just the setup for a favor.
“Send as many as you like—ten, twenty, it’s up to you.”
If this would earn me a favor from her, why not?
“You’re not asking why I want this.”
“I figure you’ll tell me when the time is right.”
“Ahh~ is that so? Carla, have I told you? I really like you.”
She smiled again, her tone back to being casual and cocky. Her golden necklace shimmered.
“…How kind of you to say.”
Not that I was happy. This Baroness was seriously strange.
Even though our game ended, everyone else was still deep into their own games. They were so focused, I didn’t know where I could fit in.
Each table had a blonde servant beside it.
“Yes, I love gold. That’s why I only hired blondes. They’re pretty, aren’t they?”
I didn’t even ask, but the Baroness answered like she read my mind.
“You’re good at hiding your expressions, but not your eyes.”
She tapped her eyes and laughed. Her amber earrings sparkled painfully. She noticed I had been watching her servants and started teasing me more.
“When you get nervous, you look at the Holy Knight. Didn’t you realize?”
“I must have glanced by accident.”
She had a habit of turning denials into confirmations.
“Well then, keep that in mind next time.”
She giggled, looking around. The room was still lively, with people focused on games.
“Want to play a different game? Let’s go to my room—it needs a little setup.”
“I think the hall is fun enough, don’t you?”
When I refused her private invitation, she blinked rapidly, a rare sign of anxiety. Her brown eyes flickered, then froze. She smiled playfully and whispered—
“It’s about your husband.”
