Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: I Only Take Winnable Gambles (4)
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"You know how to provoke people."
Her long fingers detached from the edge of the mask.
"If you were trying to get my attention, I'll say you succeeded quite well."
Not really.
I nodded with a sullen expression.
"So, are you in or out?"
"Let's do it."
Despite my grumpy attitude, Princess Violet just smiled faintly. She gestured toward the dealer.
"Start."
The dealer gripped his cards with a pale face. He'd been sweating bullets ever since the princess arrived, and now he looked desperate to escape this spot.
But none of the fellow dealers around him seemed willing to switch places.
"Hoo."
The dealer swallowed a long sigh and spread out the cards.
"Distributing the hands."
Tension began to ripple around the table at the same time.
"A one-on-one with Her Highness..."
"That takes some guts."
"Which family is he from?"
Most people didn't know who I was.
But at least the princess, and those from families of a certain standing, seemed to have a rough idea of my identity.
"Who do you think will win?"
The murmurs among the crowd soon shifted in another direction.
"If it were me, hmm, I've never seen Her Highness lose."
"But that guy's pretty good too, hasn't lost a single coin so far."
They were betting on who would win between Princess Violet and me.
As always, the nobles whispered with lowered voices, but I could hear everything.
And the same went for Princess Violet, queen of high society, whose hearing wasn't quite as sharp as mine but was still exceptional.
Those who linger long in high society pick up all sorts of special skills.
Insulting someone just with lip movements. Or conversely, reading what someone says just from their lips.
"Tch."
Princess Violet's lips twisted upward.
"Daring to bet on me."
The crowd fell silent at her quiet remark.
Only then did people realize who they'd been gossiping about and shrank back.
"Why, it's fun."
I grinned, thawing the frozen atmosphere.
"How about we open a betting pool on the outcome, since we're at it?"
"Hmph. Why bother? It's an obvious result."
Princess Violet snorted as if it were absurd.
Oh dear. She seemed to be under a big misconception. The fun of betting is flipping the seemingly obvious results.
I stared straight at the dealer.
"Can't you open a betting pool right now?"
"Uh, th-that..."
The dealer hunched his shoulders and glanced at Princess Violet. She dismissed it coldly.
"Enough nonsense."
"Hmm, well, if you're going that far."
I shrugged and took a step back.
"Th-then, let's begin."
The dealer, who had been clutching his chest in relief, declared the start of the game.
I looked at my cards and began pondering my play. Princess Violet carefully examined hers as well.
"7."
"5."
The game proceeded smoothly. More and more cards piled up on the table.
The people around us made no sound, careful not to disturb me or the princess.
"Want to stop now?"
The only ones speaking were Princess Violet.
And me.
"Nah? Why would I?"
Sneering as I let out a chuckle.
This hand was a bit different from the previous ones.
"Hmm."
Princess Violet was taking much longer to decide which card to play.
With the stakes and her pride on the line, she clearly had no intention of losing.
"Hmm..."
But even so, this was taking too long. Nearly twice as long as my turns.
"Still?"
"Be quiet. I'm thinking."
"Yeah, yeah."
I replied half-heartedly and leaned back in my chair. I subtly hid the faint smile rising on my lips.
'This must be tough for her.'
The delay wasn't just due to her caution.
"Hmm..."
Princess Violet showed an oddly unstable demeanor.
One hand clutching her cards, the other incessantly tapping the edge of her mask. It was enough to worry the mask might come loose.
"Are you alright?"
Her guard knight approached and asked. He gazed anxiously at her forehead.
A sheen of cold sweat glistened on the smooth forehead visible above her mask.
The guard knight silently offered a handkerchief from his pocket. Princess Violet realized where his gaze was fixed.
"...I'm fine."
She quietly accepted the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The guard knight stepped back and asked.
"Shall I fetch some water?"
"No, no need."
Even with her firm refusal, the guard knight continued to fidget restlessly.
'He looks just like a loyal dog guarding its master.'
The sight of the much larger knight fussing over the smaller princess stirred an odd emotion in the onlookers.
Well, to me, it just looked like he was being overly cautious not to upset her.
In any case, even to the naked eye, the princess's condition didn't look good.
"Why is it so cold?"
Princess Violet set down her card and hugged her arms. Her lips, hidden by red lipstick, were undoubtedly turning purple by now.
"Doesn't anyone else feel cold?"
She cast puzzled glances around. Everyone else seemed perfectly fine.
"...Why am I the only one cold?"
Indeed, she was the only one feeling the chill in this place.
"I'll fetch a shawl."
One guard knight, unable to bear it, stood up. Another signaled a passing staff member.
"How about some champagne..."
"No, that's fine."
Princess Violet ended up draping an extra shawl over herself to continue the game. But she still seemed to feel that inexplicable cold.
"Too nervous, huh?"
I chuckled and tossed a remark at Violet.
"Shut your mouth."
Princess Violet glared with narrowed eyes and growled. She tried to play it cool, picking a card and tossing it onto the table.
But.
"Urk."
Her sweat-slicked hand caused the card to miss its mark. It just flopped pathetically in front of her.
"What's wrong with this?"
Princess Violet grumbled as she picked up the card again.
'Poor thing, trying so hard.'
I lifted my champagne glass to hide the smirk creeping out.
And for good reason—her current state was my doing.
'First time feeling killing intent like this, right?'
I was subtly emanating a hidden killing intent to threaten her.
Ordinary people who don't walk the path of the sword rarely sense such auras.
But who am I?
The owner of Requiem itself. Having spent time with it, I unleashed my honed(?) skills.
I released a level of killing intent that a normal person might feel—just enough to make their skin crawl faintly.
Princess Violet was repeatedly feeling chills, tension at the nape of her neck, and sweat beading on her palms.
'No way she can focus on the game like that.'
Composure crumbles, judgment falters. Memories of the cards played fade.
Her chances of victory were plummeting drastically.
'She's more sensitive than I thought, huh?'
I'd released it so faintly, yet her reaction was dramatic. I figured it'd just make her a bit uneasy.
'Is it the imperial bloodline?'
Like father, like daughter. Imperial family members are always hyper-aware of threats to their lives.
I had no intention of using strong killing intent anyway.
'Can't have the guard knights noticing.'
I was doing all this while gripping my cards, calculating the next ones, and sipping champagne.
Using Requiem's aura to generate killing intent had become that effortless.
"Getting to the endgame, isn't it?"
I set down my half-finished champagne glass.
I'd tried a different flavor since entering this room, and it was pretty good. Clean on the tongue, with a sweet aftertaste.
'As expected of a casino run by the imperial family.'
I swirled the champagne in my mouth and looked at Princess Violet.
"Your turn."
"...Hoo."
Princess Violet let out a quiet sigh and tried to play her next card.
This turn was the last. After we both played, the winner would be decided.
Gulp.
In the extreme silence, someone swallowed audibly. Even the dealer and the crowd held their breath.
"..."
She seemed unable to decide easily; Princess Violet hesitated to play her card. Her lips twisted in agony.
'No way she remembers all the cards played so far.'
I stared at her with a relaxed smile.
'The longer she agonizes, the worse it gets.'
The longer I gazed at her intently, the longer my killing intent gripped her nape.
Finally, after biting her lip hard in deliberation, Princess Violet played.
"Spade."
She'd made a crucial misplay.
'Yes!'
I had to restrain myself from cheering aloud. But I couldn't stop my lips from curling up slightly.
Reading my expression, Princess Violet's mouth tightened.
"Wai—"
"Now my turn."
My finger placed the next card on the table.
"Blackjack."
A perfect victory for me.
"No way!"
"Oh my god."
The crowd gasped.
Such a clear, absolute win. An irreversible result.
The table now displayed an unbeatable outcome.
"...This, this..."
Princess Violet clenched her fist on the table. Veins bulged blue on the back of her hand.
"Now, time to declare the result?"
Pretending not to notice, I addressed the dealer.
The dealer alternated glances between me and the princess, his face full of agitation, as if divining whether his head would remain after announcing.
"Hurry."
Urged by me, the dealer finally squeezed his eyes shut.
"The mask of the blue feather... wins."
Murmurs spread through the onlookers.
"Oh my god, he really won?"
"Princess Violet..."
"How much was on the line here?"
Female nobles fanned themselves, male nobles peered from behind their glasses, all staring at me.
"Well then."
I stood and approached Princess Violet.
"..."
She lifted her face and glared at me. Her violet eyes boiled with rage, looking almost crimson like twilight.
'She won't flip the table, will she?'
Her eyes burned so fiercely that the worry crossed my mind for a moment.
'She looks furious.'
Her undefeated streak, built on victory after victory, had been shattered mercilessly. It was understandable.
Up until now, with multiple players, losses weren't as noticeable, but this one-on-one made the defeat hit especially hard.
'With that pride of hers, will she stay quiet?'