Casino Wizard

TL Note:- Happy New year everyone  on this occasion of New year imma upload bonus chapters for every novel I translate (Casino Wizard , Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster And A Night of Desperation {you should try this one its pretty good} ) love you all and thank you for reading my translated novels.

***

After hearing my explanation, the princess remained silent for a while.

Could it be because I’m her older brother?

Both of the princes were her full-blooded brothers.

The kingdom was originally a monogamous society.

Children born from concubines other than the queen were rarely recognized as the king’s bloodline, and even if recognized, they had no claim to succession.

Fortunately, Beatrice wasn’t hesitating because she didn’t want to involve her older brother.

“I understand what the plan is. But there seems to be one flaw,” she said.

It was a question of whether this would actually work.

“I clearly said it was possible…” I started.

“I can’t just go along with your words. If things go wrong, it might give my second brother a chance to retaliate.”

“What’s troubling you?”

Her sapphire eyes stared at me directly. Up close, they were almost too dazzling.

“You see, for your plan to succeed, you must know when to lose and when to win. You need to be able to manipulate the game freely… and you have to avoid raising suspicions from your opponent. After all, you can’t force someone into the game,” she continued.

It was a reasonable doubt.

Without hesitation, I took the cards out of the box. It would be better to show her with my eyes rather than explain in detail.

“Do you know how to play poker?”

“I learned it as part of my education last year.”

Education, and last year. Those were key terms.

In the upper echelons of society, poker had come to be recognized as an important social game.

Here, poker meant Texas Hold’em.

When I first introduced it five years ago, it was barely known, but by about three years ago, poker clubs were popping up everywhere, and by last year, even women were playing it.

‘It’s less stressful.’

Baccarat and blackjack were fun but seen as frivolous games, while Hold’em was a game for socializing and friendship.

That’s why Hold’em was played not in my casino, but in noble drawing rooms or galleries.

Even the princess, who had never stepped foot in a casino, knew the rules. She must have either learned it or had to learn it in order to socialize with nobles.

Anyway, it was time for a poker game. The princess naturally agreed.

“I’ll deal the cards.”

One card for me.

One card for the princess.

Then one for me, and one for the princess again.

These two cards were the ‘hole cards.’

These cards were not shown to the other players.

The game of Hold’em was a contest based on the hand you made by combining these two hole cards with five community cards that were shown to all players.

The real betting started once everyone had seen their hole cards.

If a hand seemed strong enough, one would call, raise to increase the pot, or fold if the hand was weak.

Of course, it wasn’t just about the hole cards, but that’s where we began.

The princess stared carefully at her two cards. And then…

“Fold.”

She gave up without a fight. And I knew exactly why.

“Clover 9 and Heart 4. Am I right?”

“Eh?”

“Your hand isn’t good. Folding was the right choice.”

The princess looked at her cards in surprise, flipping them over.

It was exactly as I had said.

♣9, ♥4.

The princess froze for a moment, but after a brief pause, she let out a soft sigh.

“Did you memorize the card order already?”

“You could say that.”

“I’m not asking for a reason… I see what you’re trying to do, but it’s not enough. The cards get shuffled every time, right?”

“Well, you can shuffle them if you like, Princess.”

“Alright.”

The princess shuffled the cards with a practiced hand.

She used the Hindu shuffle, also known as the Go-Stop shuffle.

From her expression, it seemed she was confident that I wouldn’t be able to guess correctly this time.

After receiving my two hole cards, I stayed silent for a while.

But as soon as the first three community cards were placed on the table, I gained some confidence and spoke up.

“Ace of diamonds, 3 of diamonds. Those are your cards.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve got a good hand this time. In a 1v1 situation, that combination gives you a 75% win rate. When the fourth community card appears, you’ll have a pair, and you’ll likely raise the bet once you see that.”

“….”

After a long silence, the princess placed her cards down.

◆A, ◆3.

Once again, I was correct.

The princess had certainly shuffled the cards thoroughly, but honestly, even after multiple shuffles, the cards weren’t a challenge for me. However, I didn’t feel the need to explain that in this moment.

“Princess Beatrice, if the game had continued to the end… our hands would have been the same, but I would have won by one kicker.”

“Ah.”

“I can do this. It’s not the only thing I can do.”

The princess’s brow twitched slightly.

She was probably curious now.

I didn’t want to go into too much detail. If I did, it might make her think less of me. It would be like forcing someone to confess magic as soon as we met and then asking for my secrets right after.

Fortunately, the princess wasn’t that unreasonable.

“So once this ‘operation’ starts, there will be multiple players, right?”

“Then it’ll actually be easier.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll explain simply. When it’s just two players, the area you need to defend and the area you need to attack is very wide. But as the number of people increases, those areas shrink. Once there are four or more, it gets significantly easier.”

Instead of asking ‘why,’ Princess Beatrice closed her eyes slightly.

There were no further questions.

‘She’s not hesitating… she’s gathering her thoughts. I can wait a little longer.’

There was a brief but comfortable silence.

The princess slowly opened her eyes.

And, unexpectedly, she apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“…You’re strange. When someone apologizes out of the blue, most people either refuse it or ask what they’re apologizing for.”

“Were you apologizing for the confession magic?”

“Confession magic, huh.”

“Then, I’ll call it a magic that makes you want to speak honestly. Either way, you don’t need to apologize to me.”

After all, we had met with the purpose of carrying out an operation.

The ultimate target was the second prince.

She was the house manager, and I was the player who had participated from the beginning.

Money was a secondary goal… the true objective was the complete removal of the second prince. First, we’d make his closest subordinates poor and threaten them, then use them to drive him away.

After that, we would simply go our separate ways. Honestly, I didn’t want to see her often.

“Alright. I understand what you mean.”

Princess Beatrice nodded calmly, her expression serious.

Now, she had a task.

She was to lure the second prince’s closest subordinates,

those who, despite the prince’s downfall, still stuck by him and protected him, in a way that looked good.

The script was already written, and all she had to do was follow it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy,

but if she couldn’t handle this, she wouldn’t be worth working with.

****

Fortunately, the princess did not disappoint me.

She contacted me again four days later.

“Hyden Oppa? Tonight, the royal villa in the Spada district.”

“Looks like a messenger came.”

“Yeah, someone came and discreetly gave me the message. They said they followed your orders exactly.”

It was a message from the bowwoman.

I nodded and stood up.

It seemed like it was time to play the role of a player, not a casino owner.

In the early days of my business, I rented a tavern for a few months, set up two tables, and started playing cards with customers. I had to spread a few card games that I had created (or were known to be created by me).

At that time, I, of course, used tricks.

But the purpose of those tricks wasn’t money.

Most of the time, I intentionally lost to create interest. I also sometimes let the other person win by frustrating them to get them to come back tomorrow. After collecting the chips, I would reward them with tips and use it as a marketing tool. … Five years later, things are flashy, but back then, it was pretty shabby.

But the scheme I was setting up this time wasn’t for soft, trivial purposes.

“I’ll be back soon, Lucy. While I’m gone.”

“I know. I’ll pay extra attention to everything.”

“And the Hero?”

“He looks better after a few days of rest.”

That was a relief.

I handed over the casino to my colleagues and went outside.

…

I headed to the royal villa on the outskirts of the capital.

The official reason was just attending a social gathering.

Social gatherings are a regular occurrence hosted by the royal family or nobility.

Nobles gather to eat, talk, and introduce people, having fun together.

Poker was just a part of those social activities.

Today was no different. Officially, at least.

“Hyden, the casino owner. Have you arrived?”

As soon as I arrived at the villa, a servant of the princess greeted me and guided me.

He led me to the villa’s reception room.

It was far too cozy and elegant for something serious to take place here.

“Well done. Exactly as I ordered.”

In one corner of the reception room, snacks for the poker game and wine were neatly displayed. The table in the center was not meant for card games. In the corner, eight decks of cards were carelessly stacked in boxes. Of course, these were the cards I provided.

There were sofas to rest on if people got tired from talking and servants stationed in a nearby room to run errands.

It was a scene far removed from gambling.

The official purpose of today’s meeting wasn’t even poker. It was just a casual statement like, “It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy poker while clearing the air.”

The real reason for the gathering was reconciliation and compromise.

It was about resolving the conflict between the Second Prince’s faction and our casino, which stemmed from a misunderstanding.

The one who arranged the meeting was Princess Beatrice.

She had used her maternal family’s influence to lure the Second Prince’s closest allies. Since the Second Prince’s maternal family was also the princess’s family, it probably wasn’t hard. It looked like she was also helping her brother clear his name.

“The guests will arrive soon.”

Soon after, word came that the marks were arriving.

Lady Bonucci, who once dreamed of becoming a royal mistress, the Second Prince’s lover.

Count Imobile, the head of the Second Prince’s faction and the one in charge of managing the funds.

Sir Enrico, the commander of the Second Prince’s guards.

These were the people who handled the Second Prince’s affairs, finances, and protection.

As soon as they entered the room, I greeted them politely.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.”

At the same time, the servants quietly closed the door.

From now on, this wasn’t a reception room, but an operating room.