Yuri glared coldly at the three gamblers sitting across the table.
One was Pamia, and the other two were gamblers she had met at the casino.
“I see everything.”
The middle-aged man with a cigarette dangling from his lips was the type who constantly threw out dirty talk to distract his opponents.
He leaned forward and stared intently at the back of Pamia’s cards.
“I noticed a scratch on one of your cards earlier.”
“Huh?”
“That means I know what the card on the far right is. Heh heh heh…”
“Uh…?”
“If you’re curious, why don’t you check?”
Yuri glanced at the dealer, who just shrugged.
It seemed this was all part of the game.
Pamia’s face fell.
“You’re not going to check?”
“If I do, you’ll see the front of the card…”
“Now that I look, you’re not completely clueless. Heh heh…”
“That was cheating, wasn’t it?”
“Depends on how you look at it. Heh heh…”
This time, the man turned his attention to Yuri.
“Let’s see about you, Mr. Poker Face…”
Yuri shook her head.
“Be careful there.”
“Nah, isn’t this how cards are played? Chatting while you play? You’re a bit prickly. I bet you play cards like a sardine. Die, die. Right?”
“No, you flipped one of the cards upside down.”
“What?”
He looked down at the table in surprise, but all the cards were placed correctly.
Realizing Yuri had just teased him, the man let out a dry laugh.
“Got me there.”
The quiet middle-aged woman finally spoke up.
“Ugh, so noisy. You’d be better off just keeping your mouth shut.”
“Why am I ‘honey’ to you?”
“Why wouldn’t you be? You keep bringing me money.”
“When did I ever give you money?”
“Every time we meet, you take care of me.”
“Isn’t that the opposite?”
“Oh, what a bluff…”
The woman chuckled and pushed her chips forward.
“Anyway, let’s go. I’m betting. If you’re not confident, die. And if you die, keep your mouth shut.”
The man rolled his eyes but matched her bet. Yuri nodded in agreement.
Pamia raised the stakes.
“I’ll add chips.”
“Oh ho…”
The dealer dealt the cards again.
From the cards each player revealed, no clear winner had emerged yet. Still, Pamia kept raising the bets.
“Hey, buddy.”
The man grinned.
“You two seem to be together. Is it okay to let that girl play like that? Looks like it’s her first time here…”
Yuri said nothing. Pamia’s face fell.
“Uh, isn’t this how you play…?”
“Look at her. She’s going to lose all her money. Not that I mind.”
“That’s a good hand…”
He burst out laughing.
“Cute little lady. Yeah, just think of it as paying your tuition.”
He revealed his cards.
They were pretty strong.
The middle-aged woman sighed deeply and flipped her cards over.
“Ugh, not ‘honey’ anymore. Let’s stop calling each other that.”
“Why, sister? Heh heh…”
“Don’t laugh. It gets too familiar.”
The man gestured for Yuri and Pamia to reveal their cards.
Yuri flipped hers.
The man’s expression stiffened. Her hand was one rank higher than his.
“Wow, that came out?”
“Just happened.”
“No way. Aaaah…”
His reaction was as loud as his words. He clutched his head and whimpered. The middle-aged woman smacked his arm, telling him not to make a fuss.
“Calm down, calm down.”
“I lost a fortune here, of course I’m upset.”
“Is this the only game today?”
So when Pamia quietly revealed her cards, no one but the dealer paid much attention.
“Player two wins.”
The dealer’s low announcement drew the others’ eyes.
Pamia’s hand included a joker. It was a very strong combination—one that rarely appeared even after a whole day of dealing cards.
She covered her mouth and laughed.
“Guess I was lucky…”
The man looked uneasy.
“This girl’s actually scary…”
The rest of the game followed a similar pattern.
Pamia toyed with the other players, feigning innocence. She kept losing, then suddenly bet everything, causing everyone else to fold—only to reveal it was a bluff.
“Heh heh, I didn’t think you’d fall for it…”
As the game went on, the winners and losers became clear.
The man sank into his chair and sighed.
“Just keep losing…”
“Same here. My luck’s terrible today.”
“It’s not luck, it’s her skill…”
“No, that girl was the real gambler.”
“Heh heh…”
Pamia won a lot, and Yuri barely lost anything—thanks to her initial caution.
From the moment she suggested coming to Basregas, Yuri had suspected Pamia was skilled with cards.
“What now? Keep going?”
Checking her chips, Yuri suddenly looked up. A familiar face was scanning the casino.
“I’m done here.”
Yuri stood up. Pamia’s eyes widened.
“Oh, you’re leaving…?”
“I have an appointment. You’ve probably gotten used to the casino, so keep playing on your own.”
“No, I’m coming with you.”
Pamia stood and followed Yuri, then bowed politely to the two gamblers.
“Thanks for the game. See you next time.”
“Yeah, honey, take it easy next time.”
“Sis, you said you have to make money for ‘honey,’ right?”
“But I made the money for you. Who’s ‘honey’ here? You’re not the only one.”
“True that. Heh heh…”
After the game ended, neither of them cared about how much they lost.
Hwangseong was the place where the most money flowed on the continent. The fact that these two were gambling here meant they were probably wealthy.
“I’m done here too.”
“Me too…”
As the four stood, the table was left empty.
Just before parting, the middle-aged woman reached out her hand to Yuri.
“Next time we meet, let’s say hello properly.”
Whether she recognized Yuri or was just being polite, Yuri accepted the handshake.
“Sure.”
They exchanged light greetings and parted ways.
Pamia asked Yuri,
“Why did you get up?”
“I was meeting someone. They came looking for me here.”
Yuri had left a note at the reception for Dale. If she wasn’t at the hotel, he was to come to the Basregas casino.
Dale was nervously looking around, searching for Yuri.
“Dale.”
When Yuri suddenly appeared, he jumped back in surprise.
“Wow, Your Highness?”
“Why so startled?”
“You just appeared out of nowhere. Haha…”
“I’m wearing a mask, yet you recognized me immediately.”
“Of course. How could I not recognize you?”
His eyes darted quickly, glancing at Yuri and then at Pamia standing behind her.
Yuri summoned her manamethod, sharpening her senses.
In a brief moment, a signal passed between Dale and Pamia.
Dale licked his lips, then smiled brightly at Yuri.
“And who might this beautiful lady be…?”
“Wait.”
“Hmm?”
Yuri ignored Dale and raised her hand.
At that moment, the casino manager appeared again and bowed politely to Yuri.
“You seem to need something.”
“The private room you mentioned earlier—I need it now.”
“Understood.”
Without asking any questions, he immediately led them away.
Dale and Pamia quietly followed Yuri.
They climbed a hidden staircase to the upper floor of the casino. The dark hallway was lined with unmarked black doors.
Dale whispered,
“Your Highness, what business do you have here?”
“I have something secret to discuss. Is this uncomfortable?”
“No, not at all.”
The manager stopped in front of a door.
“This is the room. Please enter.”
Inside, there was complete silence. It felt like a magical barrier had been set up.
“No one can open this door from outside until you leave.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The manager bowed again and went down the stairs.
Yuri opened the door.
The room was spacious, with a large round bed in the center. It was obvious what the room was designed for.
“Come in.”
Dale and Pamia followed inside.
The door closed behind them.
Yuri sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two.
Dale was stiff with tension, while Pamia tilted her head with a curious expression.
“Why did you come here…?”
But her usual smooth act felt off this time. She sensed Yuri’s mood had shifted.
Ignoring Pamia, Yuri turned her gaze to Dale.
“Dale.”
“Yes…?”
“If you’re from the Avers family, which territory do you govern?”
“The Baronship of Maron…”
“Good.”
“Yes, yes, that’s right…”
Yuri smiled faintly and looked around the room.
It was silent inside and out, with no windows.
“So quiet.”
She stood up. Dale and Pamia looked up at her.
“In other words, if we want to end this quietly, we can.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You wouldn’t have planned this alone.”
Yuri’s eyes shifted to Pamia.
“Who connected you to this?”
“Huh…?”
“Stop pretending.”
Pamia’s face slowly changed. The innocent, clueless expression darkened into a scowl.
“We’re screwed…”
Dale stared blankly at Pamia.
She pressed her forehead, said nothing for a moment, then sighed.
“When did you find out…?”
“From the start.”
“Ugh…”
Yuri had never trusted Pamia. Though caught off guard for a moment, it was obvious if you thought about it logically.
A mistake like assigning the same room in a high-end hotel like Duforia just wouldn’t happen so easily. From the start, it didn’t make sense that both of them had received keys to the same room.
And Yuri had already unpacked her things. They were placed right where anyone entering the room would see them immediately. Yet, Pamia acted as if she hadn’t noticed a thing—she started undressing and headed toward the bathroom.
Everything about the situation felt forced.
But above all, there was one crucial hint.
As Pamia tried to stop Yuri from leaving and apologized, she made a huge slip-up.
“You expect me to believe I could just dry my hair and leave? Who in that situation would say something like that? Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Pamia’s face twisted in disbelief.
“No, that was the most natural part…”
“And then suggesting we go to a casino? It was like you’d done some background check and knew exactly what I liked. That made me even more suspicious.”
“Usually, people call that a fateful meeting…”
“Too bad. I don’t believe in fate.”
“You’re the worst type…”
Dale’s face went pale as a sheet. He took a step back and shouted at Pamia.
“I-I told you I could do it!”
“There was a flaw in your analysis.”
“Ugh…”
“I thought you were a fatalist who believed in natural meetings because you rejected the princess, but you’re just a stone-cold guy with no interest in women.”
Apparently, he had done a lot of research beforehand.
Yuri corrected her.
“More precisely, he didn’t reject the princess—he refused the introduction.”
But neither of them cared about such details. Dale scolded Pamia again.
“Th-then you should have prepared properly!”
“Prepared? That’s not that important. First impressions are everything. If it doesn’t work with this face, there’s nothing you can do.”
“You’re shameless!”
“I’m serious.”
Yuri found herself agreeing with her to some extent.
Because he felt nothing for Pamia, he could see the truth clearly.
But that was only possible because it was Yuri.
Objectively, Pamia was beautiful.
Emotions cloud judgment. If he were an ordinary man, he might have believed all these coincidences were fate, just as she said.
“Enough talk.”
Yuri stepped forward.
“Dale. Who’s behind this?”
“I-I…”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“Huh?”
“But you’ll die here.”
He drew the Fire Seal Sword, one of the four-wheel swords, from his side.
“I just arrived in the empire today. I’m exhausted. I have no patience left.”
“Th-that’s…”
Yuri twirled the Fire Seal Sword as she approached.
Dale’s terrified eyes darted around.
He looked at Pamia pleadingly, but she just closed her eyes and stood still.
Dale’s mouth opened.
“The chairman…”
“Who?”
“Th-the chairman of the Hyangwoo Association. The chairman of the Briol Hyangwoo Association ordered me to do this. I was just following orders.”
Tears began to stream down Dale’s face.
He was clearly a coward. Yuri gently patted his shoulder to soothe him.
“Right. So who exactly is this chairman?”
Yuri’s curiosity was piqued.
If there was an association gathering people from Briol in the imperial capital, the leader must have been someone memorable, someone with real leadership.
So when Dale said the name, Yuri felt a complex mix of emotions.
“Why the hell is that guy involved here?”
Gott Barkvar.
The chairman of the Briol Hyangwoo Association and a student studying abroad at the Academium—Gott Barkvar was the mastermind behind it all.