The Ambassador Offer
The heat inside the Gaopen (7) Casino was scorching. Cheers exploding from the craps tables shook the ceiling, and the sound of the roulette ball clattering along its track made hearts race with anticipation. Mikhail surveyed the scene with a satisfied expression. His gaze suddenly drifted toward the bar tucked away in a corner of the casino. There, he spotted two unexpected figures.
‘Why are those two over there?’
Victoria McKenzie, with her glamorous golden-blonde vertical curls, and in stark contrast, Erika Cage with her neat black bob. The pair who should have been glued to a Texas Hold’em table were instead sitting side by side on bar stools. As he drew closer, he saw that each held a cocktail in one hand while they chatted. Or rather, Victoria was chattering nonstop while Erika merely wore a bored expression and occasionally offered short replies.
The funny part was that despite her clear annoyance, Erika made no move to push Victoria away or leave her seat. Mikhail smiled faintly and approached the two women.
“Miss Apocalypse, and Lady McKenzie. How… are you two enjoying yourselves?”
At his voice, Victoria jumped in surprise and turned around. A bright smile instantly bloomed across her face.
“Ah! Your Highness! Hellooo! Of course we are! We’re having suuuch a wonderful time!”
Her bouncy way of speaking was the same as ever. Erika, on the other hand, frowned slightly, clearly displeased at hearing her nickname. She gave a reluctant nod in greeting.
“…Yeah. Sure.”
“Y-Your Highness! Thank you so much for agreeing to supply our McKenzie family’s Vyakh and whiskey!” Victoria bowed deeply as she expressed her gratitude.
“Ah, that.” Mikhail nodded. “You cleaned up pretty good with Toto during the Texas Hold’em event, didn’t you? It must’ve left an impression. Both your name and your family’s.”
Of course, that was a lie. The truth was that her ridiculous, over-the-top jumping and squealing when she realized she’d guessed the winner had been so memorable (and hilarious) that it stuck in his mind. But saying that outright would almost certainly be taken as flirting, so he offered a convenient excuse instead. He had zero interest in unnecessary misunderstandings.
Victoria blushed at his words and waved her hands frantically.
“That’s not true at all! It was all thanks to Miss Cage! The Toto bets, this deal—everything!”
At her words, Erika downed her cocktail in one swift gulp. She set the empty glass down with a loud clack and shot Mikhail a piercing glare. Her cold eyes burned with blatant competitive spirit.
“Texas Hold’em. Let’s play a round.”
“……”
“And don’t run away this time.”
At that provocative tone, the corner of Mikhail’s mouth twitched upward.
“Watching you get all worked up after I refuse would be pretty entertaining… but I’m in a good mood today.”
He shrugged.
“I’ll need to gather some people. Sitting at just any table feels… a bit off, doesn’t it?”
Mikhail glanced around briefly before asking something that had been bothering him.
“By the way, how did you even get here? I sent the invitation, but I thought the Academy was still in session.”
Victoria was the daughter of the prestigious McKenzie family, so skipping classes wouldn’t affect her graduation. But Erika was different. No matter how wealthy her factory-owning father was, as a commoner admitted to the Academy, she was supposed to be focused on her studies. Attending the Texas Hold’em tournament was one thing, but showing up at this soft opening event was unexpected.
In response to Mikhail’s question, Erika spoke.
“What does the Academy matter?”
She continued as if stating the most obvious truth in the world.
“A woman just needs to cook soup well and pop out babies. That’s enough.”
For a moment, it felt as if all the noise in the casino had vanished. A suffocating silence fell.
“Cough! Koff, hack, hack!”
The first to break it was Victoria’s violent coughing fit. She must have choked on her cocktail; her face turned bright red as she kept hacking away. Erika patted her back with a completely indifferent expression. Once the coughing finally subsided, Victoria shouted in disbelief.
“M-Miss Cage!”
Only then did the laughter Mikhail had been holding back burst out.
“Pfft! Hahahahaha!”
It was a masterpiece. His shoulders shook with uncontrollable laughter.
‘She’s right. There’s not a single thing wrong with what she said.’
Erika Cage. The reason she attended the Academy was obvious. Her parents had sent her to build connections with nobles. She would likely be sold off in a political marriage within a year or two of graduation to some suitable family—high status but short on cash. After that, she could retire and become the flower of high society, or use her in-laws’ influence to climb the bureaucratic ladder. With her looks, brains, and now even an Eternal Special Membership Card, that cold and prickly beauty would manage it with ease.
Of course, whether she actually wanted that kind of life was another matter.
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Mikhail cheerfully fired back at Erika’s blunt remark.
“But do you even know how to make soup? Or have you at least tasted the soup your mother made? What would a rich young lady who leaves all the housework to the servants even…”
“That’s exactly why…”
The moment Erika tried to retort, Victoria panicked and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Mikhail could easily predict what she was about to say next. Victoria, desperately trying to salvage the situation, shouted urgently.
“Come on, come on! Your Highness! Miss Cage! Let’s go gather people for Texas Hold’em!”
Gathering people wasn’t difficult for Mikhail. In fact, it was almost too easy. The moment word spread that he was about to play a round of Texas Hold’em against Erika Cage, every skilled gambler in the casino swarmed over like clouds. When he thought about it, it was only natural. One was the creator of the game and the businessman shaking up the entire Far East Maritime Province. The other was the overwhelming champion of the first tournament. No gambler would pass up the chance to sit at a table with such a legendary pair.
The problem was… that was as far as it went. Instead of taking the match seriously, people seemed to enjoy the mere fact that they were playing with two celebrities. There was money on the table, but it was just pocket change for fun. Everyone was far more focused on watching Mikhail and Erika play. There was no strategy, no psychological warfare. The cards simply moved around in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
For Mikhail, it wasn’t bad. After all, this would make for excellent promotional material for his casino. But Erika was clearly not pleased. Noticing the faint irritation etched between her brows, Mikhail quietly rose from his seat.
In the end, the poker game fizzled out without much fanfare. A short while later, the three of them left the noisy main hall and moved to a small table tucked away in a quiet corner.
“Alright, the rules are simple. You play a card with the same number or suit. If you can’t play, you draw one. The first person to get rid of all their cards wins.”
Mikhail explained the straightforward rules of the game called One Card. The two women quickly caught on. When he added the special rules involving the joker for attacks and the spade ace, Erika’s eyes sparkled for a brief moment.
And so their modest second game began.
Click. Click.
The only sound was the quiet placement of cards. It was a completely different, almost relaxing atmosphere compared to the chaos of the poker tables.
When his turn came, Mikhail played the seven of spades and spoke casually.
“Miss Erika.”
“……”
“If you’re okay with it, how would you like to become the ambassador for our Far East Maritime Province Tourism Special Zone?”
At his words, Erika’s hand froze mid-motion. Victoria’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Mikhail and Erika. Erika stared at him for a moment before calmly placing the seven of hearts from her hand on top of his card as if nothing had happened.
“Ambassador? You mean like a diplomat?”
Her voice was as cold as ice.
“Are you seriously telling a little girl who hasn’t even graduated from the Academy to represent the Far East Maritime Province in the capital’s council? Are you drunk?”
“Miss Cage! That’s so rude!” Victoria exclaimed, flustered.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Mikhail said, waving his hand to calm her. “I like honesty. It’s refreshing.”
He grinned and played the seven of diamonds.
“It’s not that grand. Think of it as being my exclusive promotional model for the Far East Maritime Province. Of course, you’d also be promoting ‘Mikhail’.”
“Ah!”
It was Victoria’s turn. She looked at the cards in her hand, pondering for a moment before shouting in a playful voice. She played the queen of clubs.
“That’s not fair, Your Highness! Miss Cage is already the exclusive model for our McKenzie family’s Vyakh and whiskey! I can’t let you steal her!”
“Is that so? I had no idea,” Mikhail replied shamelessly. With no card to play, he drew one from the deck and continued.
“My apologies. But since the McKenzie family’s liquor and ‘Mikhail’ are completely different categories, I don’t think there’d be a conflict.”
Mikhail paused in thought.
“Actually, this might be a good opportunity. What if the McKenzie family partnered with other small regional producers to create a joint company? A trading firm specializing in alcohol. Thanks to economies of scale, it could work nicely.”
Both Victoria and Erika stared at him blankly at his sudden business proposal. It was Mikhail’s turn again. He lightly tossed down the diamond king he had just drawn and asked.
“So, will you take the Tourism Special Zone ambassador position?”
“…What exactly would I have to do?” Erika asked, looking down at the cards in her hand. Her voice sounded slightly less guarded.
“Exactly what I said—be a promotional model.” Mikhail explained. “You’d compete in the tournaments I’ll be hosting and deliver good results. Occasionally participate in promotional events at the Tourism Special Zone. And when you do interviews with magazines or the press, you’d mention our Tourism Special Zone a bit. That’s about all I can think of for now.”
Erika said nothing and simply fiddled with the cards in her hand. She blinked several times, seemingly organizing her thoughts. A quiet moment passed. Finally, she spoke.
“So… you’re saying you want to become my sponsor?”
“……”
“If that’s the case, please speak with Victoria. She’s the representative of my sponsorship group.”
At Erika’s words, Mikhail turned to look at Victoria. Her face had turned bright red all the way to her ears. Her wide eyes trembled, completely at a loss for what to do.
‘This is just…’
A mischievous smile spread across Mikhail’s lips. He deliberately stared straight at Victoria. When their eyes met, her shoulders flinched.
“Uh… ah, um…”
Incoherent sounds leaked from her mouth. Unable to handle the embarrassment, Victoria hurriedly averted her gaze. Her eyes wandered aimlessly through the air before she finally hung her head. As if that wasn’t enough, she raised her left hand—the one holding the cards—and completely covered her face with it.