I quietly flipped my cards over. When people are too shocked, they tend to become eerily calm.
The slight twitch at the corner of the Duke’s lips told me he had a good hand.
Ah, how fickle human greed is.
Just moments ago, I had already won a significant amount of money and thought it was enough. But the instant I saw the Royal Straight Flush in my hand, my petty calculations vanished into thin air.
Right now, I was no longer just Vivian Roha—I was a legendary gambler, possessed by the spirit of the greats.
Scenes from famous gambling films flashed through my mind. Yet, none of them carried the intensity of this very moment.
They say you never know the outcome until the end, but in this case, I knew the moment I saw my cards.
A Royal Straight Flush was absolute. The strongest, the most unbeatable hand in poker.
“We agreed to go all the way this round, didn’t we?”
The Duke, looking particularly pleased, must have thought I was surrendering as I flipped my cards.
I spoke weakly. “I’ll check.”
The Duke clicked his tongue and chuckled.
I felt the tiniest twinge of guilt, but he was the one who suggested we play without folding. If anything, he had no one to blame but himself.
“A young person like you should have more guts! I’ll raise.”
“Call.”
“Raise!”
“Call again.”
“Raise!”
What started with just one bronze coin quickly skyrocketed into a relentless exchange of raises and calls.
When the pot neared 200 gold, the Duke, seemingly satisfied, finally called.
It seemed he was cautious not to lose more than I had already won—perhaps worried the Duchess would scold him.
“Unlucky this time, young lady. Don’t take it too hard. I could have shown you an even harsher lesson, but I decided to be generous.”
“You must have had a strong hand to keep raising like that.”
“Indeed! Behold—Straight Flush!”
The Duke proudly revealed his hand: 9, 10, J, Q, K of Hearts.
“If only I had an Ace instead of a 9, I could’ve had a Royal Straight Flush myself!”
“Ah, I see.”
I grinned.
The sudden shift in my expression made both the laughing Duke and the sympathetic Duchess pause in confusion.
Then, before I knew it—
“Dun, daradan~ Daradan~ Daradan~ Clap~ Clap~ Clap~”
A tune slipped from my lips as if I had been possessed by a mischievous spirit.
Humming the melody of Spring Waltz, I placed my cards down one by one.
First, the black 10.
Then, J.
Then, Q.
The Duke’s eyes grew comically wide.
“No way!”
“Ahh~ Thank you for the sweet meal, Your Grace.”
I couldn’t help it.
I completely forgot I was sitting in front of the Duke Grey and bounced in my seat like an overly excited child.
“You fell for it, didn’t you? I was worried I’d eat too fast and get indigestion!”
I patted my chest as if I had something stuck in my throat and said,
“Could someone bring me some sparkling water?”
Of course, there was no one to actually bring me sparkling water, but I still dramatically looked into the air as if I were addressing an invisible servant.
Maybe it was because the Duchess was beside me, or maybe I felt too much inner familiarity with the Duke, who looked just like Armin. Either way, I had completely abandoned all restraint and acted far too playfully in front of the most powerful noble present.
When I gathered up all my winnings, including the money piled in front of me and the pot at the center of the table, it added up to about 400 gold.
I took only half of it and coolly declared, channeling my favorite movie protagonist:
“I’ll only take half of my winnings.”
The Duchess burst into laughter, completely ignoring the embarrassment of her husband. She seemed genuinely curious about my reasoning.
“Why? Does that mean something?”
The Duke, however, seemed more offended by my decision than by losing the game.
“Come now! If you’ve won, you should take it all! Do you think I don’t have enough money to pay you? Why take only half?”
I tilted my head.
Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t actually remember why that movie character only took half of his winnings. I had just blurted it out because it sounded cool. But somehow, it didn’t feel as legendary as I’d imagined.
That was when reality hit me.
I had not only acted playfully in front of the Duke but had drawn attention to myself in the worst way possible.
I could easily be seen as mocking a high-ranking noble.
Feeling a wave of regret, I forced a sheepish smile and hurriedly scooped up the rest of the money, pulling it toward me.
“You know what? That was silly of me. I’ll just take it all.”
The Duke gave me an amused yet skeptical look.
“Hah! No one has ever told me I look like I’m struggling for money before… This is a strange feeling.”
Then, suddenly, he stood up and walked over to a safe.
I watched in surprise as he opened it, took something out, and returned to me.
With a grin, he placed it in front of me.
“Take it. Winnings are winnings, but showing me a Royal Straight Flush? That deserves a prize!”
“W-Wait! No, really, this is more than enough—”
“Ha! Do you even know who I am? I am Taylor Grey, the head of House Grey!”
Once, I might have been terrified by the way his eyes widened.
In the past, I might have thought he was furious and scolding me.
But not now.
His expression was far too similar to Armin’s whenever he pretended to be upset but was secretly pleased.
Relieved that he wasn’t actually angry with me, I smiled.
“Did you say you needed money?”
“Yes. There’s something I want to do.”
“Your father, the Viscount, would surely provide for you, wouldn’t he?”
I shook my head and explained.
“No. My father would never give me money for something like this.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“He has a strict rule—aside from my monthly allowance, I am not allowed to ask for extra money under any circumstances.”
The Duke’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Now that is interesting.”
I wasn’t sure how other young ladies lived their daily lives, but I knew well enough that they were used to wearing extravagant dresses and indulging in luxury. My parents were no different when it came to spending money on appearances.
The problem was I had no interest in that lifestyle.
Having memories of a past life, I found the clothing of this era to be nothing but cumbersome and uncomfortable.
Besides, in this society, it was considered improper for women to take the initiative and do anything on their own. My father’s strict financial control was like a drastic measure to ensure I didn’t develop an interest in business. He probably worried that if I started looking into trade or commerce, I’d become even less interested in marriage—or worse, that men wouldn’t see me as a desirable bride at all.
“Anyway, thank you for the money, Your Grace. I’ll make good use of it.”
I bowed politely.
Since I had no way to carry a pile of heavy gold coins, the Duke kindly wrote me a bank note instead. To my surprise, the amount was not just the 400 gold I had won—but an additional 100 gold on top of that.
“I think you’ve written the wrong amount.”
The Duke simply smiled.
“Use it for whatever it is you want to do.”
“What…?”
“You are an interesting person, my Lady. I can tell that whatever you’re planning is bound to be something entertaining.”
The way he looked at me with amusement reminded me of Armin once again.
Seeing the resemblance made me imagine what Armin would look like in the future—would he grow up to be like the Duke? The thought made me feel strangely sentimental.
The Duke then held out something else.
“And this is a bracelet with House Gray’s insignia.”
“Pardon?”
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, just show this bracelet. House Grey will assist you, no matter what.”
My jaw dropped open.
I had already won 500 gold, and now I was receiving a priceless jeweled bracelet.
Not only was it expensive, but it was also a free pass to wield House Grey’s influence whenever I wanted.
“Are you sure it’s okay to give me something like this?”
The Duke chuckled.
“You’re making me shy. Just take it.”
“I feel like if I accept this, I’ll actually get a stomachache this time.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine. If you do get an upset stomach, I’ll have someone bring you sparkling water.”
He quoted my own joke back at me, then burst into laughter.
Just then, the door opened and Sasha returned.
That meant it was time to leave.
Clutching the bank note and fastening the bracelet around my wrist, I turned to the Duke and Duchess and gave them a deep bow.
I hadn’t meant for things to turn out like this, and in hindsight, I felt a bit embarrassed at how carried away I had gotten.
“Come visit again next time. I won’t lose then.”
“Oh? Next time, you have to have tea with me first.” The Duchess interjected.
“Now, now, dear. That’s unfair. Next time, she’ll have tea with you, and then she’ll have a rematch with me.”
“Really now. Lady Vivi is Armin’s friend, not yours, dear. She can play cards with her friends instead of you, can’t she?”
The Duchess’s sharp words cut deep, and the Duke flinched.
I decided to take his side—after all, he had just given me 500 gold and a priceless bracelet. Ignoring him now would make me the worst kind of person.
“I’ll have tea with the Duchess first, and then I’ll come see the Duke afterward.”
The Duke immediately puffed up with confidence, as if I had just validated his argument.
“See? It wasn’t just me forcing her, my dear wife!”
“Ha… honestly.” The Duchess shook her head with a smile.
The Duke turned back to me, looking genuinely pleased.
“Come visit again, alright? Promise?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to say the next words. Then, throwing caution to the wind, I spoke up.
“Make sure to practice a lot and wait for me. Also, work hard and earn plenty of money.”
Normally, I would never speak so casually in front of anyone outside my family. But for some reason, knowing that the Duke held a certain fondness for me made me feel at ease, as if this place had become a second home to me.
The Duke stared at me with wide eyes before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“Hah! Hahaha!”
Finding my bold remark amusing, he laughed for a long while before giving Sasha a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“You have quite the remarkable little sister.”
“…That’s too kind of you, Your Grace.”
“I bet you never have a dull moment with her around. To be honest, I thought you might have been exaggerating a little before.”
“I always speak the truth.”
“Indeed. In fact, I’d say you even downplayed things a little.”
Just what exactly has my brother been saying about me?
I let out a sigh and shot Sasha a look. Then again, it was thanks to him that I didn’t have to pretend to be reserved in front of the Duke’s family.
The Duke and Duchess even came all the way to the entrance to see us off—an extraordinary level of hospitality.
To be personally sent off by the Duke and Duchess? This was an honor beyond belief.
As we settled into the carriage, I turned to Sasha, lifting my wrist to show him the bracelet.
“Is it really okay for me to accept something like this? It feels a bit overwhelming.”
Looking utterly exhausted from work, Sasha gave me a faint smile and replied,
“You should start getting used to it… probably.”
I’m so sorry about the long wait everyone! Truthfully, I had planned on releasing this every day but then I got sick again and went to the hospital and it slipped my mind that I had a schedule planned so I’ve been stockpiling the chapters until I can post with my other novel. But daily updates should continue from now on depending on my editor’s schedule. In the meantime, enjoy these chapters.
Thanks for your hard work! I hope everything is okay with you!