Chapter 05
At this rate, Su might easily win a hundred thousand gold.
“Aaah.”
Su groaned, pushing the stacked chips toward the duke. The duke, who had been watching her quietly, slid the chips back toward her.
What is he thinking?
Seeing the chips returned, Su made a puzzled face. The duke smiled slightly and spoke.
He had a habit of lifting only one corner of his mouth when he smiled. Was this a smirk turned habit?
Even if the smile could look cruel on someone else, on the duke it was radiant.
Su, captivated by his rose-like lips, recoiled sharply at his voice.
“You’re done.”
“Eh? Why?”
“Just don’t tap your heels like that anymore.”
Su’s gaze shifted from his lips to his eyes. The moment their eyes met, she shivered—his gaze was distant, cold, and razor-sharp.
Ah… so that’s why.
Su realized clearly. His cold eyes were the reason his handsome face never seemed weak.
Those were the eyes of a predator—a Shantak, a Willethan blade that could tear apart someone like her in an instant.
“I… when did I…?”
Flustered, Su stammered slightly, but her face remained calm.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about”—that was her expression.
“I have sharper hearing than most.”
The duke’s crooked smile returned as he met her gaze. Su’s smile faltered.
I knew this guy had a twisted personality.
After winning several consecutive rounds, the duke remained unmoved by praise.
He looked like he thought, What’s so great about being good at this? Su was stunned.
“Hey, you.”
The duke turned and pointed at a neatly dressed man behind him.
The man jumped at the unexpected attention.
“Go fetch some water.”
Impossible.
Not only had the duke noticed Su’s heel signals, but he had also identified Ludante’s gang, who had been signaling her during the last few Recatt rounds. Su’s face went pale.
This was no coincidence.
He knows everything.
How could he know? Su panicked internally. This was impossible.
Her signals had been perfect, smooth, and even Veronica, with her clear social status, was part of the gang.
The probability of the duke noticing their deception was zero. And the game hadn’t even progressed to the point where her team had won money yet—so he wouldn’t even be suspicious due to losses.
How… how did he figure it out?
Had Veronica subtly given him a hint?
Not me!
Su glared sharply at her, and Veronica quickly shook her head.
“You play Recatt exceptionally well.”
Su took a deep breath and calmly looked at the duke. She couldn’t show panic.
Her team hadn’t even started their real cheating yet. If caught, she could always deny it: What are you talking about? I haven’t lost any money. It wasn’t a truly bad situation.
“Didn’t you say you play like a normal noble?”
Normal nobles aren’t all professional gamblers!
Su’s temper flared, and she wanted to jump up, but she controlled herself.
The opponent was the duke. One word from him could easily take her head off.
“You’re worse than I thought.”
“I’m just not used to it.”
“If you want, I could give you private lessons.”
He whispered the offer, and nearby women gasped and stepped back, envious and dizzy with longing.
Su realized the duke had never shown any desire to be alone with a woman before! She even heard the faint sniffles of jealousy.
“Oh, I’d be truly grateful then.”
She looked around innocently, pretending not to notice the atmosphere.
The duke seemed satisfied with her answer and stood up, his black coat flowing like a dark wave as he moved away.
Su stared at the dark ripple, then hurried to follow him.
He led her to the VIP room of the gambling hall—the most luxurious in Ardel, the city with the largest flow of money in Willethan. Even the door handles were solid gold.
Su hesitated, then grabbed a handle and stuffed it into her pocket. At least I get this today.
The duke, sitting arrogantly on a crimson velvet sofa, gestured to the opposite seat as she entered.
“Sit.”
Su quickly obeyed.
“Have you seen me before?”
“What?”
“Have you ever seen me cheat?”
If not, he couldn’t have noticed her schemes. She asked as if it were obvious, full of arrogance. The duke nodded, clearly amused.
“Yes. About last week.”
“But I didn’t cheat today.”
“You were going to, weren’t you?”
“Nope.”
Su rolled her eyes, feigning innocence. Her bright brown eyes made her look like a child, and the duke studied her with interest.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Since I know you’re a cheater, don’t lie now.”
The duke frowned slightly at her bold expression.
She really was twenty-four, so she felt a bit wronged. Does he think I only lie?
“I really am twenty-four.”
“…Older than I expected.”
Su wanted to protest, but kept her mouth shut. The duke seemed pleased that she was older than expected.
“Yes, you’re just the right age.”
“What do you mean?”
He muttered to himself, then opened a Shakaspel set on the table.
More complex than Recatt, nobles avoided this game unless clever.
The duke lined up tiny knight pieces and asked Su:
“Do you know how to play?”
“Of course.”
There was no gambling game Su couldn’t play. Shakaspel was even one of her favorites.
“I don’t play games I have nothing at stake in.”
He pushed the game pieces toward her. Su shook her head. He probably wanted to test her skill.
“When did I say I had nothing at stake?”
He smiled—a refreshing smile, unlike his earlier crooked one, making Su uneasy.
The duke was dangerously beautiful and intelligent; Su could tell he was twisted inside. Right now, he was just indulging her slightly to get what he wanted.
“What shall I wager?”
“Whatever you want from me.”
“What?”
“Exactly that. Anything you want from me.”
Su’s heart skipped. It felt like gold raining from the sky.
But she was cautious—this offer was too good to be true.
“What should I wager?”
“Nothing serious.”
“Nothing involving my life or wealth.”
“You think what you want from me is worth as much as your life?”
“Of course.”
The duke laughed in disbelief.
“Fine. I want you to work for me. I need a skilled trickster.”
“For how long?”
“One or two years.”
“Okay. Let’s finalize details after the game.”
Su was confident. She hadn’t lost since she was thirteen. But six hours later, she would regret her arrogance deeply.
At first, things went smoothly. She was winning, her pieces controlling the board, the duke’s falling one by one.
Then disaster struck.
Damn it! How could this happen?
Su glared at the Shakaspel pieces.
Insane! I, Su Rolanne of Ardel, losing at Shakaspel?!
In twelve years of gambling, she had never seen anyone play like this. Each move from the duke made the pieces feel alive, as if she were fighting a real war.
“Who are you!”
She yelled, forgetting who she was facing. The duke chuckled and shrugged, not scolding her.
“Dioner Shantak del Casa Miramonte. Remember it.”
She swallowed the shock at his long, elegant name. Calm down, Su. The bold gambler before her was the duke himself.
“What… you weren’t a knight but a gambler?”
“Of course not. I only learned Shakaspel yesterday.”
“Impossible!”
No way could he beat her with only one day of practice.
“Well, it’s a tactical game. Winning is easier if you know strategy.”
Su bit her tongue. She should have realized—if she was a gambling genius, he was a tactical genius.
Shakaspel was a war simulation game, preferred by skilled commanders. No matter how much she gambled, she couldn’t compare to a real battlefield veteran like the duke.
“What do you want from me?”
If he had prepared a game he could win completely, there had to be a reason for needing her. Su grimaced, realizing she’d fallen into a trap.
“You’re not running away, are you?”
