Chapter 14
Violette Rascal was a child of luck that everyone acknowledged. The only problem was that she tended to waste all that luck in places like this.
“How many points did they say I need for first prize? Hmm… It’d be more fun if I grabbed the second and third prizes too.”
She flicked her tongue over her lips and narrowed her eyes toward the booth where the prizes were displayed. Hearing her mutter to herself, an employee turned pale and hurried over, whispering to her in a low voice.
“E-Excuse me, miss. We’re very sorry, but for the other guests’ enjoyment… could you please give them a chance now…?”
“Huh? Are you kicking me out already? I’ve only been here for 30 minutes.”
“But you’ve basically secured first place already. If you’d cooperate with us, we’ll provide you with unlimited free drinks for today, so please…”
“Oh? If you’re showing that much sincerity, I suppose I should honor your request.”
The bald man’s face looked pitiful in its own way. Violette actually liked this place quite a bit. Unlimited free alcohol! And she hadn’t drunk at all this week, so it wouldn’t violate the contract.
After deciding that, she nodded and obediently went to sit at the bar. When she gave up the game without resistance, the employee let out a deep sigh of relief.
‘We can’t lose any more money…’
Their goal was to let as many people as possible win prizes, but a woman had suddenly appeared and swept up all the points in just a few games.
Worse still, the other customers had stopped playing and were now just staring at her in a daze.
‘With that build, she can probably only handle about five drinks.’
He glanced her over as she sat at the bar sipping her ale. Her face was hidden by a deeply pulled-down hood, but just from her visible jawline, she looked like an incredible beauty. Still, she didn’t look like someone who could drink well.
Losing second and third prizes in exchange for a few mugs of ale would still be a good deal.
A sly smile spread across his face once he’d finished calculating.
“…Huh?”
However, the number of empty mugs in front of Violette began to grow — and the speed was increasing.
In no time, she had polished off five mugs of ale and casually ordered more, without a single change in expression.
“Three more ales! And bring them fast — don’t break the flow! This place is good!”
At the sight of her gulping down alcohol like water, the employee’s face steadily turned pale.
Soon, he squeezed his eyes shut. He could already picture the owner clutching the back of his neck and collapsing when he found out.
A little over an hour later, Violette, pleasantly tipsy, was in a very good mood. Of course, her table was covered in empty ale mugs, and the employee watching her now had the face of someone about to cry.
At that moment, a man holding a megaphone at the front drew everyone’s attention.
“Alright, everyone! It’s finally time to announce the prizes for our 10th Anniversary Mega Event!”
“Woooooah!”
Cheers erupted, and Violette slowly turned her head that way.
It had been almost a week since her last drink, and although she’d drunk a bit more than usual, her mind was still perfectly clear — only her steps were slightly unsteady.
The man started announcing the winners from the lower ranks upward.
The staff hadn’t been lying — there were some surprisingly expensive accessories, mixed in with a few low-grade gemstones.
Violette didn’t actually need any of those things, but wasn’t this a proper reward she’d earned by winning fair and square?
She waited for her turn with quiet anticipation.
Moreover, the first-place prize was covered with a dark cloth, piquing her curiosity even more.
“And the glorious first place goes to… ‘Bibi’ with 1,350 points!”
Using the alias “Bibi,” Violette walked toward the stage with confident gestures. Cheers and envious gazes followed after her.
When she took her place beside the podium, the man once again drew the crowd’s attention.
“Now, we will reveal the first-place prize!”
As the cloth was pulled away, a loud gasp spread through the crowd.
Violette, however, furrowed her brows slightly and tilted her head, not quite understanding the situation.
‘What is that? An egg?’
On the table sat a round egg placed carefully atop a square velvet cushion.
About the size of a small melon, it had a black base color with red blotches — and at a glance, it gave off an ominous aura.
Unlike Violette, everyone else there seemed to know exactly what it was.
“Behold — a demon beast egg! A flawless shell, and rare red markings! With this size, it’s impossible to even guess what kind of beast will hatch!”
“…Huh?”
Violette blinked in confusion.
A magical beast?
Something felt off.
No matter how hard she searched her memories, she couldn’t recall magical beasts being mentioned in the original story.
Was it something with such a small role that she just didn’t remember?
As she wondered, thunderous cheers and applause erupted.
The host shoved the egg into Violette’s arms.
“Please raise it with care! And with that, today’s event is concluded! Thank you all for coming!”
Still dazed, Violette held the egg and waved back at the customers who were cheering and staring at her.
Maybe it was because the buzz of alcohol still lingered — she couldn’t fully grasp what was happening, but seeing people cheer for her made her feel good anyway.
“Alright! To celebrate my first place, I’m buying everyone here a mug of ale!”
“Wooooaaaah!!”
As Violette rang the golden bell, the cheers grew even louder —
And at the same time, sly smiles bloomed across the employees’ faces.
* * *
Violette only returned to the mansion late that night.
All the way in the carriage, she kept thinking about what she should do with the egg she was holding.
She couldn’t think of any good solution, and she couldn’t exactly dump a magical beast egg on the roadside either.
In the end, she decided to hide it inside her cloak and bring it into the mansion.
By sheer luck, she managed to avoid the eyes of the head butler Adman and the maids, and only then, when she reached the front of her room, did she let out a sigh of relief.
On top of that, Narsia had said he’d start sleeping in the annex from today, so she wouldn’t have to worry about being seen by anyone in the room.
“Phew…”
“Welcome back.”
However, the moment she opened the door, the sight that greeted her was Narsia, already done preparing for bed, lying on the bed and reading a book.
At the unexpected situation, an awkward smile spread across Violette’s face.
“Oh? Yeah… but didn’t you say you’d sleep in the annex starting today?”
“It was colder than I thought. I told Adman to lay down some heating stones, but I guess it’ll take a few days. But why does your stomach look like that?”
“…Ah, well…”
At that moment, Narsia’s gaze moved to Violette’s bulging stomach.
Anyone could tell something was suspicious, and a faint frown formed between his brows.
More startled than anyone by the question, Violette frantically darted her eyes around, trying to come up with an excuse.
Then she thought of something.
With affectionate eyes, she gently stroked her stomach.
“I think it’s our baby…”
Exactly three seconds later—
With his face turning ghost white, Narsia panicked and threw the book he was reading.
“What nonsense are you spouting now?!”
“Tch. You didn’t fall for it.”
“Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe that?”
“You’re usually so dense, I thought maybe you would.”
Violette pouted her lips in disappointment.
And since Narsia was now urging her with his eyes to hurry up and explain, she lifted her cloak and pulled out the egg she had hidden inside.
“What is that? Don’t tell me you—”
Narsia, who had always been interested in plants and animals, instantly recognized what it was.
Running a hand through his hair in disbelief, he asked:
“A magical beast’s egg? You’re joking, right?”
“Sadly, I’m not.”
“Where did you— where did you even get that?”
“…I picked it up.”
Violette’s eyes quietly shifted to the left.
However, Narsia seemed too absorbed in the egg to notice.
Biting down on his lips, he stared intently at it.
“I heard rumors that some commoners had been raising baby magical beasts, but I thought it was all nonsense. I never thought you’d bring an egg home… Did another rift open? No, if it had, the Magic Tower would’ve moved for sure… Where in the world did this come from?”
Narsia muttered rapidly, looking unusually serious.
Seeing him react more negatively than she expected made Violette suddenly feel anxious.
People had been envious, and no one there had seemed all that serious about it, so she’d accepted it without much thought.
Now she felt like she’d taken magical beasts too lightly.
‘In most novels, they’re portrayed negatively… so I guess it’s the same here.’
At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder why a magical beast that never appeared in the original story had suddenly shown up.
