Casino Wizard

It started with Lucy.

Because the plan could only be executed with complete trust in her.

…

First, I returned to the casino…

Lucy, still unaware of anything, greeted me with a bright smile.

“You’ve got a hair stuck here.”

She reached out to remove a strand of hair from my shoulder, making light physical contact,

and smiled with narrowed eyes, avoiding the staff’s gaze.

That’s what Lucy had been doing regularly since giving me a grace period.

She never made me feel pressured while expressing her affection.

Just a light psychological game?

A deliberate slow roll.

She probably wasn’t in a hurry. Our emotional temperatures were different anyway.

“The vice leader of the Scorch caravan is in the VIP room right now. He’s quite…”

“Lucy.”

“Yes?”

“Wanna play a round of mini poker?”

Lucy chuckled as if she thought I was joking.

“What’s the stake?”

“You decide.”

“10 gold per round? Or 100?”

“100 gold isn’t nearly enough.”

Hearing that it wasn’t enough, Lucy frowned in confusion.

Mini poker with two cards and no betting round, 100 gold per game…

Far from insufficient, it was brutal.

I’d played bigger with close aides of the Second Prince and Dragon Ear, but they were enemies. That kind of money wasn’t even mentioned in casual poker.

Lucy also seemed to take it as a joke at first, but then—

“Oppa. Are you…?”

She bit her lip, sensing something was off.

She seemed to interpret the sudden mention of poker in her own way.

Especially since it was two-card poker—Sutda—a game we used to enjoy together during short vacations in the countryside. After dinner, even the inn workers would join us.

“Let’s forget it. This isn’t the way.”

“What do you mean, not the way?”

“Just let it go.”

I excused myself and headed upstairs to the office.

That was enough.

Because Lucy was just as perceptive as I was.

****

Oppa is acting strange.

Even as she dealt damage like usual, Lucy couldn’t stop thinking about Hyden.

“I’ll deal the cards. May Gaia’s blessing be with you all.”

Hyden’s eyes carried a heaviness, his hand that reached toward her shoulder but then faltered midair, and the way he returned to his office with his hands clasped behind his back.

It didn’t seem like something related to personal safety.

He was the type to become sharper in dangerous situations. Which meant… it had to be something else. But what?

“One more card.”

“Yes, understood.”

Despite the unease, Lucy fulfilled her duties as a dealer flawlessly.

Business was business.

That perfect professionalism was her leverage.

It was what gave her the confidence to boldly confess her feelings to Hyden.

The subtle tug-of-war that followed the confession…

Honestly, it had been fun. Even work didn’t feel exhausting.

But now, the anxiety outweighed the fun.

What on earth was going on with him?

She couldn’t stop worrying, even without answers.

These days, her mind was consumed with thoughts of Hyden.

Not just vague longing, but strategizing how to win him over.

Playing mental games, trying to make him see her not as a capable business partner, but as a woman. Maybe that wasn’t exactly pure-hearted, but still…

“Such a rich man with no dowry needed? If the rumors are true, that’s a jackpot.”

It was then she heard something strange.

“Mrs. Buchicardi? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Just something I heard.”

“Now I’m curious.”

The conversation came from two middle-aged women.

One of them was a well-known widow and marriage broker. Judging by the mention of a dowry, they were discreetly talking about someone’s arranged marriage.

No way…

Lucy’s expression slowly stiffened.

“Ah.”

A bolt of realization struck her, yet she kept the game going.

Only after she finished her current shoe was she replaced by another dealer.

Then, she put the pieces together.

A rich man. A marriage that didn’t require the bride to bring a dowry… A match where the male side’s background held all the weight.

Combined with Hyden’s suspicious behavior and his troubled expression—

There was only one possible conclusion.

Marriage. To be precise, an arranged one.

She wanted to deny it, but the circumstances were too obvious.

“Was I too complacent?”

Back in the dealer’s lounge, Lucy stared down at her hands.

The hands that had stroked Hyden’s shoulder, covered the back of his hand, pressed against his broader-than-expected chest—ever since her first confession.

She thought there was no need to rush.

There wasn’t a lot of time, but if she just kept at it steadily, she believed she’d get there.

She even told herself she was being considerate so he wouldn’t feel pressured…

A bit arrogantly, too.

“And this is how it ends.”

It was the price of letting her guard down.

Forgetting that there was one group that didn’t need permission to force its way into someone’s life…

The royal family.

She hadn’t even gotten Hyden’s answer yet, and she’d been enjoying a power game.

But now wasn’t the time to analyze her defeat.

“I need to go to him.”

In the end, what mattered most was Hyden’s will.

Nothing had been decided yet.

****

It was just after business hours when Lucy came to see me.

“Can we talk?”

Judging from her cold expression, she must’ve figured something out.

Still, at a glance, she looked calm.

She wasn’t trying to seduce me in a provocative outfit, nor did she storm in with a furious face, demanding answers for betrayal.

Aside from having her hair down, she looked no different from how she did during the day.

Lucy pointed at the playing cards on the desk.

“I’ll do it. That game you mentioned earlier.”

“Alright.”

Of course I agreed.

“One round, 100 gold. Cheating?”

“Whatever you want. But if you get caught using a technique, you grant a wish.”

“A wish… anything?”

“Yeah. Anything.”

Lucy said, “Good,” and sat across from me.

The first few rounds, we played normally.

No tricks. I just memorized the card order, that’s all.

“Was it the royal family who brought up the marriage?”

“Yeah.”

“And you agreed?”

“I didn’t agree or refuse. The matchmaker hasn’t officially come yet. …I’ve got a 9-pair.”

That’s when Lucy paused for a moment.

“I’ve got top card. I lost. Then, if a formal proposal does come, are you willing to turn it down?”

“……”

“So… you haven’t decided.”

I didn’t answer.

“Who’s the other party?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Well, I guess the other person doesn’t matter. Their goal is to put a leash on you anyway. But do you want to wear that leash?”

Again, I didn’t answer and revealed my cards.

I lost with a flush.

Even though she’d made up the 100 gold loss, Lucy didn’t look the least bit pleased.

Her hands trembled slightly as she gathered the cards and shuffled them Hindu-style.

She didn’t even mix the bottom part properly—just gave a lazy shuffle and dealt.

It was obvious why she’d lost focus on the game.

“Lucy. You call it a leash, but…”

“Well, the one holding it can’t let go either, so it’s like both sides are bound. That’s what a political marriage is, right?”

“You know it well.”

“I know it well enough to work with you. …I lost again.”

We played a few more honest rounds after that.

Lucy was down 300 gold.

But she didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned.

Was it because she had plenty of money? Probably—Lucy could afford it.

And since there was no actual money changing hands and we weren’t keeping a record, maybe it felt less burdensome.

But that didn’t seem to be the reason she didn’t care.

‘She doesn’t care about winning or losing at all.’

She wasn’t even looking at my hands.

Even when I started palming cards.

And despite agreeing to the condition that she’d grant any wish if caught cheating—

Lucy just stared at my face.

“So what about me?”

Eventually, she asked.

Maybe it was the most important question. For both her and me.

I needed Lucy. And she needed me too. But that didn’t mean we were looking at the same thing with the same feelings.

“Oppa. Just to be clear, don’t try to justify this to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“…For the sake of business. Or for getting along with the royal family. Don’t tell me you wish I’d just compromise. If I were the kind of person who’d accept that so easily, I wouldn’t have confessed to you in the first place.”

It sounded like a declaration that she had no intention of staying by my side just as some unofficial mistress.

To anyone listening, it might have sounded like she was threatening me.

But I could see the worry in Lucy’s eyes as she peeked at me while holding her two cards.

Was she afraid I’d say something like, “Still, I hope you’ll compromise,” or “Then let’s just stay colleagues”?

Some might mistake her for putting on a brave front.

Lucy was an orphan.

Unlike illegitimate children, orphans were often treated as charity cases—but honestly, the treatment was about the same. Sometimes worse.

She had genius-level talent as a scout, but due to her time spent with the Pierrot Party during her formative years, she never reached her full potential.

The public’s view of her now? Just my right-hand woman.

She actively approached me as soon as I became a noble—probably because of that.

“Lucy.”

When I lowered my voice, Lucy’s eyes widened and locked onto mine.

I paused for a moment and started dealing cards.

And then—

For the first and last time, I cheated.

Holding the cards loosely, I slid one from the bottom for myself.

Then one for Lucy, also from the bottom.

Again, one for me… and one more for Lucy.

Then I asked,

“Lucy. How much are you willing to bet?”

She didn’t say anything silly like, “It’s a 100-gold game, remember?”

She seemed to understand what I meant.

Or maybe she’d been ready to answer, and I was just finally asking.

After a short silence, she replied—

“Everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes. I’ve already staked my life once, haven’t I? You’re the one who doesn’t trust me.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her—it’s just that I didn’t trust her enough.

I was afraid of what would happen if I allowed her to become more than just a comrade.

But now I could answer.

“So you didn’t notice, huh? Lucy.”

“What?”

“You didn’t see what I just did.”

“Seriously, what are you talking about—”

“Did you forget? You said if I got caught cheating, you’d grant any wish.”

Lucy almost burst out in anger, but stopped herself.

She was trying to recall what grip I used and how I dealt the cards.

Just moments ago, I blatantly used a Robinson bottom deal on her.

The first card, I clumsily slid out.

Still no reaction, so the second time, I made it even more obvious.

“I didn’t see anything. At all.”

You didn’t notice.

I looked at her for a moment and told her to check her cards.

Only then did she slowly flip them over.

She had A and K of the same suit.

A royal flush.

I just had a regular flush.

“I… won?”

Lucy had won.

I looked at her dazed expression.

She didn’t even lose her composure during the high-stakes gamble against Dragon Ear, when she had to bet her right arm.

And now, she’d become so distracted that she didn’t even notice a childish card trick.

I’d even baited her with a tempting condition on purpose.

As a gambler, it was a foolish display…

But thanks to it, I was finally able to let go of my last hesitation.

I now knew how serious Lucy was about me.

That when she said she was willing to bet everything, she truly meant it.

“…Yeah. You won.”

There was no denying it anymore.