Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: I Only Gamble on Winnable Bets (3)
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"Pretty confident, huh?"
It was a smile brimming with amusement and utter self-assurance.
"Fun. Let's get started."
People glanced at one another and at the princess, gauging reactions.
"......Think we can win?"
"Obviously, the one in the pitch-black mask will take it."
"Won't it just end with losing some chips for nothing?"
Drawing all eyes like that, the game that began ended in disaster.
"I lost......"
The clueless noble suffered a crushing defeat. He lost every chip he'd brought and had to slink away.
Watching the series of matches, I revised my assessment of Violet Princess.
'She's good.'
It wasn't that the nobles weren't trying their best, letting her rack up wins.
'She's card counting.'
She thought carefully before choosing and placing her cards. And she meticulously checked the cards laid down by the other players and the dealer.
That meant she was tracking all the revealed cards, calculating the probabilities of what would come next.
'As expected of the canon genius setting.'
Cool-headed and swift judgment, extraordinary memory to boot.
She was definitely superior to any noble who'd participated so far.
'Above all, she's enjoying the game itself.'
Losing or gaining chips didn't matter to her. Concentrating on the game, devising strategies, and utterly crushing her opponents to claim victory—that was the goal and the reward.
Victory seized entirely on her own, without anyone's help.
'Well, makes sense, being born the empire's First Imperial Princess.'
From birth, everything was within reach just by extending her hand, everyone bowing to her except her father.
Thanks to that, she barely blinked at ordinary thrills.
That's why she preferred card games over roulette. The latter relied purely on luck.
Arms crossed, I watched what was essentially Violet Princess's solo show.
"I'll...... stop here."
"M-Me too."
Nobles who lost money to her kept leaving the table one after another.
"Ah, boring."
Whenever a seat emptied, the princess openly showed her displeasure.
"Are there only idiots here?"
Or she'd hurl provocative words at the other nobles.
Then, unable to bear the pressure, others would grudgingly fill the spot, only to suffer at her hands until they'd lost everything.
No one could stop such a princess.
"......Next game, commencing."
Even the dealer just forced a mechanical smile and continued.
'Planning to empty every noble's wallet?'
Violet Princess was relishing the act of forcibly taking nobles' money. As long as she kept claiming sweet victories, she wouldn't leave that spot.
I eyed the two men standing by the princess.
Muscular builds that even fine tailcoats couldn't hide, and clearly well-honed, sharp auras.
'Her escort knights.'
Getting handsy with the princess on the sly would be impossible. Plus, focused on the game as she was, she hadn't touched a single drink.
'Time for me to step in.'
I approached the spot next to a noble whose chips were nearly gone. To take his seat the moment he stood.
"Excuse me, I'm leaving."
The noble man, face pale as a ghost, rose from his chair.
All eyes fixed on the empty seat. As people hesitated over who would claim it next—scrape.
"I'm joining."
I sat without a moment's pause.
"Oh ho."
Violet Princess's eyes sparkled toward me.
"You've been watching from the start. Finally joining?"
To her intrigued tone, I replied nonchalantly.
"Everything has its timing."
An odd silence descended over the table.
The escort knights standing like statues by the princess, the dealer sorting cards, the nobles seated or clustered around—
"-Gasp!"
"......!"
Eyes widened behind masks. They gawked at my mouth, stunned by the casual "you" I'd tossed out so impudently.
Everyone except one—Violet Princess.
"......Hmph."
Her lips curved deeply.
Far from offended by my brazen attitude, she seemed entertained.
Acting oblivious to the mood, I settled into position. I tapped the table with a finger and eyed the dealer.
"Not declaring participation? What're you waiting for?"
The dealer, who'd been staring blankly at me, flinched. No one but the princess had ever addressed him directly.
"......"
The dealer's gaze flicked to the princess.
*What should I do?*
She gave a quiet nod, and only then did he speak.
"The blue-feathered mask has joined the game."
He began dealing cards to the players.
Thud.
Two cards landed before me. I picked them up with practiced ease and said,
"If you're ready, let's start already."
A strange murmur rippled through the crowd. They were surprised I'd seized control of the table.
"......Then, let's begin."
The dealer quietly announced the start.
My cyan-purple eyes met the princess's violet ones.
Similar hues, yet different saturations. Imagining how they'd falter was quite enjoyable.
"Let's do this."
Hidden from others, I licked my lips.
❖ ❖ ❖
"Uh...... ahem. Excuse me."
The last participant slunk away from his seat.
"......"
The dealer swallowed hard. He glanced at the only two left on the table: me and Violet Princess.
"Shall we continue?"
Violet Princess's lips twisted slightly. She eyed the chips piled before me.
"......You're pretty good."
The stack in front of me was less than hers but still substantial.
I'd never lost once, sweeping up chips from the others. A huge portion, of course, came from the princess.
'Her spending is on another level.'
She bet double, sometimes five times what others did per round. Thanks to that, a good chunk of her stack had migrated to me.
'Roughly 300,000 gold, give or take.'
In no time, I'd more than tripled my initial exchange. An absurd win rate.
I leisurely lifted the champagne flute beside me and took a sip.
'The booze tastes like honey.'
Not just because it was premium champagne. The flavor of victory sweetened it further.
Violet Princess's eyes narrowed.
"You a former dealer or something?"
A pretty insulting remark for a noble, but I brushed it off.
"Nope."
No need to bite at such trivial bait.
"Hmm, really?"
She clicked her tongue faintly when I didn't take the bait. Then her eyes gleamed as she scrutinized my every move.
The angle of my wrist rolling the glass, my relaxed lean in the chair—noble graces that couldn't be hidden.
A sly smile crept onto Violet Princess's lips.
"You seem like a noble. But something's off about it."
"What?"
"You're way too calm around me."
I shifted the champagne flute aside from my face. Letting her see my curving lips fully, I retorted.
"No reason not to be, right? Just player versus player."
A refined way of saying, *Isn't that the casino's rule?*
"True. But that doesn't mean I'm blind."
"Oh, spot on. Gotta have eyes to see the cards, yeah?"
"See? Always with the backtalk. Cocky."
She said it, but didn't seem truly annoyed. Propping her chin, Violet Princess gazed steadily at me.
"Smart too, it seems. I like that."
Her eyes trailed over my hair, the masked face, brushing my jaw.
"Bet your face is handsome. Ahh, so curious."
Violet Princess slowly extended her tongue to lick her lips.
"About the face under that mask."
The nobles around tensed, staring at me.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"No idea, first time seeing him here."
"Any nobles with that hair color?"
"There are, but...... no way. Couldn't be, right?"
Their hushed whispers reached my ears clearly.
Violet Princess seemed to catch them too, her gaze probing me.
She probably suspected but wasn't certain. So she'd want the mask off to confirm.
Clink.
I set down the empty flute. Scanning around, most averted their eyes slyly.
Good. No more joiners, looks like.
Just the picture I wanted. To put the finishing touch on it, I spoke.
"Got a proposal."
"What?"
"Honestly, after all this, you must have a sense of my skill level."
Meeting her piercing stare head-on, I said,
"This round, all-in on the pot. What do you say?"
"A single decisive match?"
"Yeah."
"......Ha!"
The princess let out a hollow laugh.
"You know how much is in front of me right now? Wouldn't that be a bad deal for me?"
"Money's not the point anyway, is it?"
I held out my glass to a passing attendant.
"One more."
"Yes, sir."
The attendant glanced at my cheeks warily and poured a crimson champagne, different from before.
He'd been hovering by my side, so he knew I'd downed over six glasses already.
My body, of course, felt no intoxication.
"Right?"
I set down the full glass and chuckled lightly.
"You're in it for the thrill of winning."
Violet Princess didn't reply. Instead, she just scratched lightly at the edge of her mask.
'*Hit the nail on the head, huh.*'
That's the gesture she made when you'd read her perfectly.
"Same for me. Started 'cause winning itself is fun."
I laced my fingers, elbows on the table, chin resting on the back of my hand, head tilted slightly.
"Scared to lose or something?"
"How dare you......!"
The growl came from the escort knight beside the princess. He glared daggers at me.
"Stop."
Violet Princess waved him off. The knight reluctantly stepped back but kept his eyes locked on me.
"If you lack confidence, just fold."
Utterly unfazed, I pressed on leisurely.
"The winner gets whatever they want."
"Hmm."
"Just win. Easy, right?"
Thus, I lit a fire under Violet Princess's pride and fanned it wildly.
Her gaze was fixed solely on me. Not the chips on the table.
'*Yeah, money's not her thing.*'
She was the type to relish victory seized by her own power—and the despair it inflicted on the opponent.
So, she'd accept this bet.
"Fun."
At last, Violet Princess drawled in a languid voice.