“What are you doing here, madam? I have been waiting for a while.”
The voice teasingly calling me “madam” could only be Ruth’s. So, without much thought, I softly murmured his name.
“Ruth.”
“Yes, madam.”
Ruth immediately replied with a voice that instilled a strange sense of security.
Being with him seemed to guarantee that no danger could ever occur. Thus, the anxiety that had risen to my throat gradually faded away, and a pleasant smile unconsciously formed on my lips.
“You’ve arrived not a moment too late.”
“I had a bad feeling, so I came looking for you, and it seems I made the right choice.”
“Indeed.”
“If that person had harmed you…”
“Oh, no. That’s not it. I was just finishing up the game and was about to go meet Ruth when I was suddenly stopped by this person. And nothing happened up to now. It seems I might have left something behind while playing the game.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
While we were quietly chatting, Kartan, who had regained his composure, brushed his lips and then approached me with hurried steps.
“Madam, I apologize for the impoliteness caused by my hasty heart. There is something urgent I needed to tell you.”
“It’s okay. So, what is it that you needed to see me for?”
“That is… if it’s alright with you, could we go to the staff break room to talk…?”
“Let’s talk here.”
It was the moment when Kartan, with a faint fear evident in his eyes, glanced around and subtly gestured towards the staff break room. Suddenly, Ruth, who had been silent for a while, cut in.
“Speak here.”
“Pardon?”
“I understand that this is the first time you are meeting my wife, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then there’s no need to avoid the eyes of others when having a conversation. If it’s the first meeting, there wouldn’t be much familiarity to warrant it, you see.”
“…”
“Moreover, as her husband is present here, I fail to understand why my wife needs to discuss something in a private, enclosed space with you. Aren’t you unmarried?”
“…”
“Being careless like this could lead to unnecessary scandals, impacting both my wife and you adversely, so I would appreciate if you could be a bit more cautious. Ah, if I’m asking for too much, please let me know. Unfortunately, all I can see is your careless behavior.”
As Ruth’s arguments continued, Kartan lost his words and gradually became silent. Eventually, unable to bear my anxiety, I gnawed on my lower lip as I watched Kartan and deeply pondered the situation.
Objectively, Ruth was right a hundred times over. Kartan and I were meeting for the first time today, and we didn’t have enough closeness to discuss matters away from the eyes of others.
Moreover, being a married woman, I should avoid being in a closed space alone with another man as much as possible.
However, I could understand why Kartan wanted to talk in the employee break room, away from prying eyes. Probably to keep his secret from being exposed to others. A secret such as manipulating games with magic to make money.
Having considered this, I intervened between Kartan and Ruth, who were still at an impasse.
“First of all, Ruth is right, Kartan.”
“But there are important matters we can’t discuss in such an open space. Even for a brief moment, please…”
“So, let’s have my husband come to the employee break room with us.”
“…Your husband as well?”
“Yes. My husband too. If that’s not possible, unfortunately, it seems I won’t be able to talk with you. As you can see, I have a companion, and I would prefer to spend even a little more time with this person than to have a conversation with Kartan.”
“…Understood.”
Kartan eventually backed down in the face of my firm opinion. Looking at him, I glanced at Ruth to seek his agreement. I felt somewhat guilty for making all the decisions by myself, but fortunately, Ruth seemed to have no complaints about my decision.
After we agreed to discuss things in the staff break room, Kartan led Ruth and me to the break room located in a corner. The staff break room, being a place truly meant for rest, was modest compared to the glamorous interior of the casino.
As I looked around the break room and sat down next to Ruth, who was already seated, Kartan seemed to have been waiting to start the conversation.
“What I want to tell the lady is…”
“Is it because of what I said earlier about your eye color changing? You’re worried that Kartan’s secret might be exposed to others.”
“…How did you know?”
Hearing my confident question, Kartan asked back with a face unable to hide his shock as if his secret had been unveiled. I quietly giggled and nodded.
“It seems the only reason you’d be this anxious is because of that.”
“Ah.”
“Anyway, I promise to keep Kartan’s secret. So, in exchange, could you answer my questions sincerely?”
“I will answer whatever you can ask.”
When I promised Kartan that I’d keep his secret carefully if he sincerely answered my questions, he replied briefly, but with a determination clenched in his voice.
Ruth made a meaningful snort nearby, as if to ask why I was making such a pledge, but I deliberately ignored it.
Of course, it might be advantageous for the moment if I could simply exploit Kartan’s weakness. It would prevent the frivolous flow of money into the pockets of the Duke Dright for a while by making it impossible for Kartan to act recklessly.
However, in the long run, it was much more beneficial to uncover the information he knew instead of exposing his secret. Above all, considering that I had to conclude all matters relating to the four ducal families before the 150 days promised with Ruth ended, this was even more crucial.
I organized in my mind the questions I needed to ask Kartan and then started the conversation.
“First off, how many people in a similar situation to Kartan are here?”
“Here, there are none.”
“If there are none here, does that mean there are some elsewhere? Then, where is your hometown?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Yes. I’ve been raised in a private facility since I was very young.”
“Private facilities…”
I struggled to corral the whirlwind of question marks swirling around a particularly evocative word. Had it not been for the busy footsteps surrounding me, I would have unwittingly drowned in my swirling thoughts.
Barely regaining my sense of reality, which had been fading away, I opened my mouth.
“Then, just one last question.”
“Yes.”
“Did people in a similar situation to you, who are not here but elsewhere, also grow up in the same kind of facility?”
“……”
Kartan, who had been answering smoothly until now, hesitated for a moment.
It was a silent affirmation.
Thanks to this, realizing the general scheme of Duke Dright, I felt the path ahead becoming clearer and drew a smile on my lips.
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer. You’ve already been a lot of help.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. Then, as promised, I’ll keep your secret, so may I go now?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for taking the time.”
I couldn’t afford to waste any more time dealing with Kartan when I was already short on it.
As I glanced at my watch and asked, Kartan greeted me with an untroubled face. Seeing his distinctly different expression, it seemed as if the worries eating at him had melted away like snow.
I shifted my gaze from the seemingly relieved Kartan to Ruth, gesturing with my eyes that it was time to leave. Quickly catching on to my intent, he rose from his seat and extended his hand to me.
Grabbing his hand, we left the staff lounge, only to be assaulted once again by the noise that I could never get used to, no matter how hard I tried. At that moment, as I slightly scrunched my nose at the noise, Ruth suddenly asked,
“What exactly was your purpose in asking him those questions?”
“Ah.”
I let out a sigh as I realized belatedly that I hadn’t yet explained anything to Ruth, and whispered in his ear while covering my mouth with one hand.
“You see, while playing blackjack with Kartan, I discovered he was using mental magic to manipulate the game. But since the casino has inhibitors that suppress mana application, it’s clear that someone running the casino is turning a blind eye to his mana application.”
“And that someone would be Duke Dright, I presume.”
“Exactly.”
Ruth, who quickly understood what I was trying to say, slightly lowered his eyelids in contemplation, causing the delicate shadows of his lashes to flutter at the corners of his eyes.
“If what you’re saying is true, then the ultimate goal of the documents the Duke of Dright submits to me isn’t just the operation of the casino, but rather, making money through the operation of the casino.”
“That’s correct.”
“But why? Dright, of all people, shouldn’t be lacking in wealth.”
“I’m not sure about that part either.”
The point Ruth raised was exactly where I was stuck.
The legitimate heir to the Dright family shouldn’t have been so lacking in wealth that he needed to resort to scamming people to accumulate money. On the contrary, he likely had so much money that spending it lavishly wouldn’t even dent his fortune.
So why would the Duke of Dright resort to scamming through the casino to make money? What is he doing that requires personal, not family, wealth?
No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t find an answer.
While I was silently contemplating, Ruth, having snapped out of his reverie, changed the topic.
“So, what’s the connection between this fact and the question you just asked Kartan?”
“Think about it, Your Majesty. Kartan is a means for the Duke of Dright to make money from the casino, and according to his response, there are others like him elsewhere. And they all grew up in the same private facilities.”
“Could it be…”
When I succinctly summarized and conveyed the information provided by Kartan, Ruth’s eyes suddenly shimmered with a different light. This light was murky with confusion like muddy water, but then became clear like a glass marble as enlightenment set in.
I stared blankly at the scene, which looked like a painting, and then my eyes widened into crescents.
People in a situation similar to Kartan, who uses his talent to procure money for the young Duke Dright, all grew up in the same private facility.
The implication of this, which might seem like an incredible coincidence, was crystal clear.
It meant that the victims of the massive fraud committed by Duke Dright were not only the poor.
