Chapter 161
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161
‘Hmph, unbelievable! What is that pretty-boy brat doing?!’
‘What the—? Why is he holding another man’s wife’s hand?’
‘He’s undoing his tie completely now? And why can’t that woman Magran take her eyes off his chest? She’s falling for it just because some young punk is flirting with her? What a loose, faithless woman!’
‘Wait, what?! She’s letting him touch the hair by her ears? Is she insane? How can a married woman—a Duchess, no less—act with such a total lack of dignity?’
‘This is exactly why I can’t stand staying at home!’
Just as Tulia had predicted, Duke Hitman was busy fuming internally. He was absolutely livid.
He tried his best to endure it, wanting to see who would break first, but the Duke eventually reached his limit.
Exploding with rage, he shook off the young, beautiful woman he had been dallying with and bolted upright.
This fury was by no means because Duke Hitman loved his wife.
It was envy, jealousy, and a deep-seated inferiority complex triggered by the fact that a male who was clearly younger, more handsome, and physically superior was wooing his unremarkable female.
Duke Hitman immediately moved to the table with the fourth-highest stakes in the gambling hall.
“Ahem.”
“Welcome, Duke Hitman.”
He stole a glance back at his wife, Magran.
Just as she was about to look his way...
That pretty-boy brat he wanted to pummel started wiping the back of Magran’s hand with a handkerchief.
The Duchess’s attention was instantly pulled back. Her cheeks even flushed a faint pink.
‘Dammit!’
His blood boiling, Duke Hitman stood up again and moved to the table with the third-highest stakes.
“Welcome, Duke Hitman.”
Just as Magran was about to look his way again...
That damned bastard dropped to one knee and began smoothing out the creases in her dress. Her cheeks began to turn as red as an apple.
‘Those shameless sluts!’
His face turning crimson with rage, Duke Hitman made a deliberate move to the table with the second-highest stakes.
From this point on, even the chairs were made of gold. The buy-in was so astronomical that even high-ranking nobles or wealthy merchant tycoons rarely sat here.
“Welcome, Duke Hitman.”
“We are honored to have you.”
Just as the Duchess was about to look his way once more...
That obnoxious, golden-boy piece of trash suddenly started undoing a few buttons as if the gambling hall had grown too warm.
As his collarbones and a hint of his pectoral muscles were revealed, the noblewomen nearby let out involuntary gasps.
And what of the Duchess, who was closest to him? Her face was now burning as bright as a sunset.
‘Ha, they’ve lost their minds!’
Duke Hitman was no longer capable of rational thought.
If he undid his tie or buttons, all anyone would see was a heap of fat. No noblewoman would ever let out a sincere gasp for him.
Least of all his wife.
Ultimately, his face hardened into a mask of fury, Duke Hitman took a seat at the most extravagant spot in the entire establishment.
It was a seat that saw action perhaps once a month.
The Royal Seat—the highest-stakes position in the entire gambling hall.
Even as a gambling enthusiast, Duke Hitman had never sat there before. The stakes were so massive that a single wrong move could wipe out half of his family’s fortune.
But then again, it was a way to tighten the leash on that loose woman, Magran.
Just as Duke Hitman was about to turn around triumphantly...
“...?!”
Suddenly, that madman respectfully cupped the Duchess’s cheeks with both hands and leaned his head down slightly. It looked as if they were about to kiss.
‘Is he insane?!’
Normally, he would have screamed and grabbed that pretty-faced punk by the collar.
He was her husband, after all.
However, Duke Hitman had come here and pointedly surrounded himself with several women specifically to spite the Duchess.
Countless nobles had already witnessed that scene. If he ran over now to express his rage just because his wife was playing around with some youth, what would that make him?
It wouldn't just be losing face; it would be dragging his reputation through the mud. By tomorrow, Duke Hitman would be such a laughingstock that he wouldn't be able to step foot outside his estate.
“Hey! Set the board!”
His tone was so harsh it sounded like a curse.
Naturally, the nearby nobles had read Duke Hitman’s mind and were laughing their heads off.
“Why is it okay for him but not for his wife?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“How pathetic. In so many ways.”
But none of these comments reached Duke Hitman’s ears.
“How much would you like to exchange, Your Grace?”
Since he was sitting in the Royal Seat, the deputy manager of the gambling hall came out to serve him personally.
As his mood lifted slightly, his mind began racing with calculations.
“Hmm.”
Right. Just enough to make his wife’s face turn pale.
‘How much would be good?’
She was a Duchess, but she was greedy and a total miser. She acted like a stingy penny-pincher with no regard for her status, so it was only natural that he detested her.
Since money was what she loved most, he would give her a proper shock today.
“5 billion Gold.”
Murmurs erupted from all around. Duke Hitman’s shoulders instinctively squared with pride.
‘It’s a bit of an excessive amount, but if I think of it as the tuition fee to teach that woman to fear her husband, it’s manageable.’
Besides, he had a safety net even if he lost this money.
Just as the deputy manager was hurriedly bowing and bringing over the exchanged chips...
“Oh my, Duke Hitman. You’re only betting 5 billion Gold?”
Duke Hitman truly had no idea.
He never expected a dazzlingly beautiful lady to take the seat opposite him.
She had a face as white as wax and thick, pink hair. Her eyes, which slanted upward artistically, were strangely brimming with venom and murderous intent.
Yet, her exquisite beauty aggressively neutralized the countless blades radiating from her gaze.
Duke Hitman asked, half-doubting his eyes.
“Lady Tulia Frezier.”
“This is our first time meeting privately.”
As she moved to bow while remaining seated, Duke Hitman immediately stopped her.
“Ah, no need for formalities. Please, sit comfortably.”
Wait.
‘But why is she sitting across from me?’
Since he was in a Royal Seat, the seat opposite him was also a Royal Seat that required a massive wager to occupy.
As if to resolve the question filling Duke Hitman’s mind, Lady Tulia Frezier smiled.
“I heard Duke Hitman was famous in these circles, so I came to place a bet as well.”
‘Place a bet? With money?’
The amount he had just put up was 5 billion Gold.
“But Lady Frezier. Didn’t you just ask if I was betting only 5 billion Gold? I’m sorry, Lady, but you seem to be mistaken. I didn’t say 5 billion; I said I would bet the enormous sum of 5 billion Gold.”
5 billion.
He expected her to be shocked by the staggering amount, but Tulia looked even more intrigued. He saw the light in her eyes shift.
Duke Hitman knew that look well.
It was the expression of a novice gambler burning with a competitive spirit!
Surely, this young lady would insist on betting in this round just because her pride was wounded by his subtle provocation!
‘What a stroke of luck!’
He had been feeling a bit sick at the thought of losing 5 billion Gold even as he bet it.
But now...
If a young lady who had never been seen in a gambling hall before stepped up to challenge him?
Wasn't that basically asking him to devour her whole?
He felt like his mouth was going to split from grinning, but Duke Hitman first reminded himself that his opponent was the lady favored by Grand Duke Frezier.
If he fleeced her too openly, he might earn the Grand Duke’s ire.
Duke Hitman offered a polite discouragement.
“This is a very large game with 5 billion Gold on the line. Why don't you stand up and just watch, Lady? That would be better for a fledgling gambler.”
“Since you put it that way, I want to stay even more.”
As expected. Tulia Frezier fell for his goading disguised as a warning.
However...
“Duke Hitman.”
Tulia Frezier moved her hand, clad in a long black glove, to cover her mouth and chuckled.
Then, she threw a provocation that Duke Hitman never could have anticipated.
“You’re much more...”
“...?”
“...stingy than I thought, aren't you?”
“...!”
* * *
Benjamin smoothly escorted Duchess Magran Hitman to her carriage.
While Duke Hitman had been busy cursing Magran in his head, calling her faithless and loose, she and Benjamin had actually been discussing business.
“Ah, so you’re the Prince coming from the Sorsen Kingdom!”
“That is correct. If it isn't an imposition, might I know your name, beautiful lady?”
“You’re quite the mischievous one for someone so young. I am Duchess Magran Hitman.”
They were bound to find out each other's identities at the Victory Banquet anyway. There was no need to hide his status.
Furthermore, Benjamin was skilled at winning over older women.
His social prowess was part of the reason he had amassed such immense power in the Sorsen Kingdom.
After a brief conversation, Benjamin and Magran entered into a verbal agreement for a contract that would benefit both their businesses.
Duchess Magran was highly encouraged. Her face was no longer gloomy. Instead, she wore a healthy smile at the unexpected good news.
And Benjamin liked seeing older noblewomen wearing such smiles. That was why he had reached out to her without hesitation.
When Benjamin returned to the gambling hall after finishing the escort, the atmosphere had completely changed.
It had become incredibly noisy, as if someone had poked a hornet's nest.
The nobles had already stopped the games they were enjoying and were standing in a massive circle around the central Royal Seats, buzzing with excitement.
“How much did Lady Frezier and Duke Hitman each bet just now?”
“5...”
“500 million? 5 billion? Surely not 50 billion? No, right?”
“500 billion Gold...!”