TGLWM 22

Chapter 22

“…Y-yes, that’s correct. There is no limit on your betting amount, and you may participate in any game here without restriction on the number of rounds. The VVIP exclusive lounge is located on the left side of the second floor, where you can relax at your leisure.”

Shana recommended poker and blackjack, which were the most popular games at the casino, but Florence shook her head.

*Card games involve playing with other people, so I’d better avoid them. Today I’ll only play games I can do one-on-one with the dealer.*

Even though she was concealing her identity, one could never be too careful. The mask only changed her hair and eye color—it didn’t hide her voice or body shape, so it was better to be cautious.

What she chose was something called a “slot.” It was a square box with three windows, each containing a wheel with various pictures drawn on it. Pressing the red button in front of the table made the dealer turn the handle and set the wheels spinning. Then, when the player pressed the blue button, the dealer released the handle and they waited for the wheels to stop.

It was a simple structure—if the same picture appeared in all three windows, the player won money—and it seemed like a good way to pass the time leisurely.

“I’ll bet 3,000 marks.”

“…Excuse me? Are you serious?”

Normally, dealers were never supposed to interfere with how much a player bet, but betting 3,000 marks on a simple game like slots was something she had never heard of. But Florence ignored the dealer’s reaction, stacked her chips, and boldly pressed the red button.

And slots proved to be an excellent choice. For a while, Florence was so absorbed in the game that she kept losing money every time she pressed the button. It was a moment when she truly felt the Sinclair teaching that nothing led to ruin quite like gambling.

*It’s convenient since I just have to sit and press buttons, but… I should stop here for today. I feel like people keep staring at me.*

In a casino, you get attention for winning big, but you also get attention for losing big. The people who frequent casinos love watching others’ misfortune. Today was just a trial run, so this was enough.

Leaving the slot table, Florence quietly gave an instruction to Shana, who was following her.

“Shana, could you call the carriage?”

“You’re leaving after only playing slots? Won’t you try other games?”

“I’ve played enough. I’ll try more next time.”

“Understood, ma’am. Please wait a moment.”

The casino’s interior was so splendid and full of fascinating things that she did want to look around more, but there’s an old saying that places where money changes hands are the most dangerous. She felt nothing good would come from lingering too long in such a place, so she planned to leave as quickly as possible.

*I was so absorbed in the game that I didn’t even realize I was thirsty.*

While waiting for the carriage, Florence went to the bar counter to get a drink. As she reached for the menu, suddenly a blue-haired man popped up in front of her, blocking her view.

“Beautiful young lady, I happened to see you playing slots as I passed by. It seemed you were losing quite a lot—are you all right?”

“…”

This caterpillar-looking bastard? Who does he think he is, calling me “young lady” so casually?

When the man even tried to press his body against hers, her displeasure reached its peak.

Pulling back and ignoring him, Florence ordered raspberry juice from the approaching bartender. Of course, she didn’t forget to specify non-alcoholic.

But the moment her drink arrived, this crazy blue-head snatched it away. Florence’s anger flared at his rude behavior, and her voice rose.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Don’t be like that—I have an incredible investment opportunity for you. Not only can you recover your principal, I can double it—no, triple it for you. This is solid, guaranteed information!”

With a small sigh, Florence turned away. It was a shame she couldn’t drink after being so thirsty, but talking further with this kind of person would only bring out the temper she had honed from years of fighting with Clark.

More than anything, she had no need to recover her principal. She had lost far more money than she had aimed for, so she was thoroughly satisfied.

“It won’t take long—won’t you just listen for a moment? I’m not a swindler. Despite how I look, I’m well-known across the continent as a…”

He was truly persistent. With no sign of giving up, he kept following and talking to her. Florence had no choice but to return to the slot table and coldly snap at him.

“I’m going to play slots now, so please don’t talk to me.”

Since it was casino etiquette not to disturb a player in the middle of a game, he rubbed his hands together and reluctantly backed off.

*I’ll just keep playing until the carriage arrives. Ugh, what a scammer-like creep latching onto me.*

As Florence irritably kept pressing buttons, an unexpected disaster struck.

“Ma’am! J-jackpot! It’s a jackpot!”

All three slot windows had matched. Immediately, fireworks burst here and there, and flower petals began to scatter. The orchestra members, who had been playing soft background music, struck up an exciting celebratory tune, and the flashing lights focused on Florence. All the players stood up, applauding and congratulating the lucky winner.

“Oh, no!”

Florence’s cry was drowned out by the booming cymbals.

“She looks like a young lady—oh my, she must be so moved! My goodness, look at that amount!”

“Of course she’d cry if she won that much!”

Seeing Florence covering her face, people assumed she was weeping with joy, but in truth, she was in despair.

*All my hard work pressing buttons has gone down the drain…*

To make matters worse, people were shouting congratulations and crowding around her. Horrified, she started running toward the lounge on the second floor. She absolutely wanted to avoid facing people and desperately needed a quiet place to catch her breath.

“Haah, haah…”

Climbing the marble staircase covered in red carpet as if tumbling up, Florence rushed into the nearest lounge and locked the door.

Only after entering did she think to wonder if someone might be inside, but since it had been open, it must be empty.

“…What is this. I’m going crazy.”

She actually won money—how unlucky could she be! This was all that blue-haired bastard’s fault. Now when she returned to the Grand Ducal castle, the employees would be making a fuss saying “As expected of our Grand Duchess!”—just thinking about it was stressful.

But right now, she needed to think about how to slip out quietly without drawing attention.

“Should I just rest here comfortably and leave later? But I told Shana to call the carriage…”

As she tried to catch her breath and gather her thoughts, Florence caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and realized she was still wearing her mask.

Remembering that she had been wearing it since early morning, she suddenly felt suffocated. She took it off and tossed it onto the sofa.

“Whew, much better.”

Looking around the lounge, the interior was truly splendid, befitting a VVIP exclusive. The minibar was stocked with premium liquors and drinks, along with finger foods and desserts. There was a large, plush sofa, and a door that seemed to lead to a bathroom.

*Because of that blue-haired creep earlier, I couldn’t drink anything. After running, I’m so thirsty.*

As Florence was sipping a drink and sampling desserts from the minibar to calm her frayed nerves—suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and a man, wearing only a towel wrapped around his lower body, stepped out, dripping wet as if he had just finished showering.

“…?”

For a moment, Florence and the man stared at each other with blank expressions. Then, as if coming to their senses, they simultaneously shrieked.

“Kyaaah!”

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