Casino Wizard

Why didn’t I let go of my greed when I had the chance?

Why did I insist on holding on so stubbornly?

“Should I swear loyalty, Princess Beatrice?”

“No need for oaths—just tell me what I need to know first.”

“What exactly…”

“You’re part of my second brother’s inner circle, aren’t you? Or do I need to spell it out for you?”

Baroness Bonucci, Maria, helplessly watched the scene before her.

The count and knight, immobilized and groveling on their knees, begged fervently. Meanwhile, the princess glared at them with disdain, towering over them with authority.

And then came the blatant betrayal.

“I will reveal all of the second prince’s weaknesses! I’ll do whatever you command, Princess!”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Use magic! Anything you wish!”

The princess raised her hand as if waiting for this, summoning her powers to cast a spell that compels the truth.

Immediately, the count and knight began to spill all of their master’s secrets.

Maria Bonucci had no room to mock them, either.

Clutched in her trembling hand were 20 gold coins.

A share of the loot—a sum double her initial investment.

Unlike the two who had recovered only half of their stake, she had walked away with a substantial amount, enough to be envied.

A fortune that even commoners could only dream of, yet as the mistress of the second prince and a celebrated socialite, it still left her unfulfilled.

Now, that 20 gold felt insubstantial, light as air.

She could have had it all.

No—if not all, then at least far more.

It was my greed that ruined everything.

As despair set in, Maria bit her lip, but her gaze caught someone leaving.

The magician, Hyden, walking away with his share of winnings.

The only winner of this maddened poker game.

Yet he too had suffered, losing half of his earnings to the princess when she intervened. His retreating figure appeared oddly lonesome.

Maria couldn’t let him go.

She sprang to her feet and followed him.

“Hyden, wait!”

He paused at her voice, eventually turning to face her.

“Do you have something to say?”

Maria’s breath caught. She didn’t approach him for her share—Hyden wouldn’t part with a single coin more.

Instead, she sought answers.

A question that haunted her.

“Hyden, why couldn’t I let go? Why did I refuse when you told me to settle for 30%?”

The magician tilted his head, considering her inquiry.

“It’s human nature, Baroness,” he finally said.

“Human nature?”

“Hardly anyone can walk away while they’re winning. Even when losing, as long as there’s hope, people cling on. Quitting at the right moment—it’s much harder than it seems.”

Hyden’s words were unexpectedly kind, but they felt hollow.

She wanted more, but he added with a smirk, “To be honest, I expected you to refuse from the start. It was all part of the game.”

“A psychological ploy, then?”

She chuckled bitterly, realizing she’d played poker against someone far more cunning than she’d imagined.

He handed her a single 10-gold coin, placing it directly atop her chest. The gesture was as audacious as it was demeaning.

“Take it however you will,” he said. “As an insult, or as a compliment.”

A compliment?

“The only time I lost my focus was because of Lady Bonucci. It was because of you. If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve won cleanly. The game wouldn’t have even escalated.”

Now that She think about it, He had been sneaking glances at her frequently until the end of the game.

Lady Bonucci also knew this and actively used her charm.

The ending was disastrous, but she had made it work, at least for a while. Now, with the shadow on her face, her charm was the least of her concerns.

“If it worked on me, it will definitely work on others too.”

“What… are you talking about?”

“When you’re sitting at a gambling table, you become more honest with your desires than usual. People act more boldly, trying to look confident, just to win… Lady Bonucci, if you change your thinking, you might find a way in the gambling world.”

“……”

“Let’s talk later, when the high-ranking officials’ political disputes are over.”

With that, the magician turned his back and walked away.

Left alone, Maria Bonucci stood there for a while, staring blankly, before carefully picking up the coin that had been placed on her chest.

With this, the total money she had secured was 30 gold.

It was nothing compared to her peak at the poker table, but it brought some comfort.

‘The second prince’s situation is already dire.’

Even now, in the drawing room, the princess was plotting how to dispose of her brother. Though Maria overheard part of the conversation, it seemed like they intended to make him suffer terribly.

The tide had already turned.

Her lover, the second prince, would soon be in trouble.

For Maria, who had once dreamed of making him king and becoming the royal mistress, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

The thought alone made her future seem bleak.

She wouldn’t be able to mingle in high society as before. The gifts and cash from the second prince wouldn’t come anymore.

People like her always fall once their lover’s favor fades.

‘Maybe there’s still a way out.’

Maria clenched the gold coin Hyden had given her in her hand, thinking that perhaps the future wouldn’t be entirely hopeless.

****

After finishing the clean-up, Hyden was on his way back to the casino, struggling against the heavy drowsiness that was quickly overwhelming him when he heard the voice of the Hero.

“Hyden. Still, that joke you made… didn’t you think Lady Bonucci would feel humiliated? There was no need to do that.”

The middle-aged Hero must have thought that I had mocked the prince’s mistress because of my anger toward the second prince.

It was understandable. I had placed a single coin mockingly on Lady Bonucci’s chest, knowing she was likely filled with humiliation.

But I didn’t think she would have taken it as pure mockery if she had any sense.

‘She’s useful.’

A charming woman at a gambling table had more power than one might think. Women with good physical presence were more powerful than those with just a pretty face.

At just the right moment, a female worker wearing lingerie could stir up a player’s desire, which was often a tactic used in gambling.

And Lady Bonucci was a famous socialite.

If she was nurtured, she would surely be useful in the future.

This wouldn’t be such a bad thing for her either. It would be more financially viable for her to be the madam of a gambling table than to live as the mistress of a noble or royal.

But I decided not to share this thought with the Hero.

“Actually, Lady Bonucci almost ruined my plans. I couldn’t help but keep glancing at her.”

“You made such a mistake?”

“Yeah. I think I ended up getting frustrated.”

“Well, yeah. She was definitely different.”

I was planning to spread a rumor that “Hyden almost got his money stolen because he was too busy looking at Lady Bonucci’s chest while playing poker with the second prince’s subordinates.”

If rumors spread that I had a weakness, I could later use that to my advantage.

‘What the hell am I doing?’

I realized that I had been strategizing and laughing to myself after all the exhaustion from the past three days of no sleep and food. I wasn’t obsessed with killing people.

The best outcome would be for such a situation to never happen again.

After forcing myself to clear my mind, I tried to catch some sleep.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the casino.

I thought I should at least check around before resting, but when I got there, it turned out to be unnecessary worry.

“Ah, Hyden oppa.”

The female archer who had been managing the casino in my place, and the shielded knight who seemed to sense the strange atmosphere, having started showing up at the casino these past days.

The latter was a bit of a failure as a law enforcement officer, but I appreciated his unasked-for help.

I nodded at the two of them and then announced.

“It’s going to get pretty noisy starting tomorrow. Don’t let it show, just act as usual.”

“Are you sending it off immediately?”

“There’s no reason to delay.”

The attention of the noble society was about to shift toward the royal palace tomorrow.

The second prince, Stefano Emanuele, who was still confined and living off luxuries, was going to have his breathing tube removed the next day. Officially, it would be reported as a purge led by the princess, but I was the one who orchestrated it.

Today would be the last day he would be called “Your Highness.”