Red hair neatly tied up without a single strand falling out.

A bright red dress boldly revealing the body’s contours.

Heavy makeup and flashy accessories to top it off.

All of it reminded one of Adelia Blanche, known as the Queen of the Casino and the Red Queen.

Because of this, Holio belatedly recognized the identity of the person before him.

“Well… I didn’t know Lady Blanche was interested in cards.”

He cleared his throat, not hiding his discomfort.

Holio was such a huge fan of Adelia Blanche that he had written several books and papers about her.

So, in his eyes, Belinda’s appearance disguised as Adelia couldn’t possibly be satisfactory.

‘I admit she’s more beautiful than the original, but to dare dress up as Lady Adelia in this Red House!’

To gamblers, Adelia Blanche meant more than just the founder of the Red House.

She was a benefactor who built a paradise for gamblers and practically a goddess of victory they sought before a life-changing gamble.

So, it was quite irksome to see someone who had never set foot in a casino, seemingly not even knowing the game rules, imitating the goddess of victory.

“I appreciate your offer, but I’m out of chips, haha.”

“I’ll lend you that 1000-gold chip.”

“…My lady, you don’t seem to understand. In gambling, the more investment you have, the bigger the game and profits you can make. How many rounds can one enjoy with just one gold chip like this?”

Belinda snorted at Holio’s attitude of scoffing even at the most valuable gold chip, and sat down next to him.

“Spouting excuses like a loser with no skills, it seems you’ve become a has-been while I wasn’t looking, Baron.”

“W-What! When have you ever seen me to say such things, m-my lady!”

“You can tell ten things by looking at one. It’s frustrating that you can’t even recognize the value of a gold chip.”

Clack.

Belinda placed a 1000-gold chip in front of herself, and Holio fell for her provocation.

The table before them was for Blackjack.

It was a simple card game where the person whose cards sum up closest to 21 wins.

At first glance, it might seem that luck plays the most important role, but in fact, among all card games, this one had the biggest variance in win rates depending on skill.

‘She should have chosen a game where a beginner could rely on luck. To think she chose Blackjack where skill is crucial.’

She’ll surely be knocked out soon.

Holio sneered at Belinda and willingly bet his gold chip.

Soon, the game began under the dealer’s guidance.

“Hit.”

“Stay.”

“Bust.”

“Hit.”

For the first few rounds, all participants enthusiastically exchanged Blackjack terms and enjoyed the game.

However, it didn’t take long before one by one, they exhausted all their chips, leaving only Holio and Belinda.

By now, even the voices had disappeared, and only hand gestures were exchanged in the tense situation, but Belinda merely flicked her fingertips with a bored expression.

And finally.

“…Bust.”

When Holio lost even his last 10 gold chip, a mountain of colorful chips was piled up in front of Belinda.

“Well, you held out quite well, Baron.”

Belinda said sarcastically, looking at Holio’s empty table.

Then she took out a pocket watch to check the time and elegantly bet all her chips.

“Let’s end this round quickly, shall we?”

With only the dealer and Belinda left as participants.

The spectators who had gathered around by now couldn’t hide their gasps at Belinda’s seemingly reckless bet.

Click. Click.

After checking the cards dealt by the dealer, Belinda tapped her cards with the tip of her fan.

An A card means 11 and a K card means 10.

A total of 21.

“Blackjack, it seems.”

The crowd’s cheers erupted a beat late at such a clean victory.

Amidst the cheers of people rejoicing at Belinda’s victory as if it were their own, shouts of ‘Red Queen’ began to mix in one by one.

Holio looked up blankly at Belinda rising from her seat, his face a strange mix of emptiness and awe.

“W-When did you, you acquire such s-skill…”

Belinda answered coldly, waving her fan in the air as if shooing away a fly, with a somewhat annoyed expression.

“Don’t forget, Baron, that you now owe me 1000 gold.”

***

‘To think he kept such a person by his side, I can now guess what a hopeless character Belinda’s father was.’

A bitter smile formed on my lips as I recalled Belinda’s biological father.

The fragments of Belinda’s memories are all information seen and heard from Belinda’s perspective, so they inevitably contain her subjective interpretation.

To young Belinda, her father seemed so busy that he didn’t even have time to eat with his daughter, but his jovial nature always drew people around him.

However, from my perspective, Belinda’s father was just a pathetic man who neglected his family due to his gambling addiction and was surrounded only by con artists after his money.

Holio Rechel, who claimed to be his gambling buddy, was equally hopeless.

While her father at least had all the money he lost in gambling returned to his own pocket eventually, Holio didn’t even have that, yet he poured all his earnings into gambling.

‘I wonder if it’s fortunate or terribly unfortunate that such a person has the ability to plan incredible shows.’

I was pondering how to approach Holio Rechel to gain his favor, as it would be necessary to become the family head later.

<Bel! This time it’s over there, over there! I smell gold coins from over there!>

Sugar, who had come to the casino after a long time, was absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t keep her wings still for even a moment.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, she circled the casino once and shouted out the next destination from above my head like a siren.

<Right at that table! Sugar’s gambler’s instinct is screaming at her!>

You’re not a gambler, you’re a fairy, get a grip…

Unable to resist her persistence, I finally headed towards the table Sugar was pointing at.

After taking a seat, I didn’t forget to discreetly scatter 100 gold under the chair and whisper ‘100 gold settled’.

I thought I had made quite a noticeable entrance, but it seems my notoriety was considerable as no one dared to sit next to me.

At that moment, someone carefully sat in the seat next to me and addressed me.

“Um, my lady.”

An outfit that lagged behind the capital’s fashion trends and a strange accent mixed with southern tones.

As if she had just arrived from the countryside to the capital and had never heard the name Belinda Blanche, the woman continued with an innocent attitude.

“I was deeply impressed watching you play cards earlier. This is my first time playing… Could you teach me a thing or two from the side?”

I silently observed the gentle-looking lady for a moment, then nodded with a slight smile.

“Of course.”

***

[The Return of the Red Queen! Is Belinda Blanche the reincarnation of Adelia Blanche, or a cunning con artist!]

[Life-changing reversal in just three hours! The amount Belinda Blanche won at the casino overnight is…!]

[The trend that keeps coming back, it all started with the dress Belinda Blanche showcased at the casino…]

It had been a week since I started frequenting the casino.

From morning newspapers to third-rate magazines and tabloids, it was hard to find a publication that didn’t feature my name.

It was a testament to how impactful my appearance, reminiscent of Adelia Blanche, had been.

‘With this, I suppose it’s safe to say that phase one of the plan is progressing smoothly.’

Dealing with Sybel means dealing with the Blanche family, which he currently has full control over.

The Blanche family’s greatest power stems from money, and that money comes from the casino.

So, it was important to first tie up the Blanche family’s money flow and cut off Sybel’s hands and feet.

Most of the assets that could be immediately liquidated were tied up in my dowry, so Sybel would have quite a headache when he realized the situation.

<Bel, what does it say that’s making you smile so wickedly?>

“It says that Adelia Blanche and I look very much alike.”

“…!”

At my words, Sugar started to protest as if she had heard something terribly insulting.

<How could everyone say such terrible things! Apologize to Edie right now, Bel!>

“….”

You’re the one being too harsh with your words, Sugar.

I lightly flicked the head of the fairy with the foul mouth and prepared to diligently head to work at the casino once again.

Before leaving, I gave Leo a tight hug to charge up my daily dose of Leo, then gracefully boarded the carriage with Terry’s escort.

When going to the casino, I didn’t need intimidating guards, so I chose Terry, who could flexibly handle any situation, as my escort.

“Well then, Sir Penadel, I leave the mansion in your care while I’m gone.”

“Have a safe trip.”

How reassuring that simple phrase was.

I set off in the carriage without worry.

The carriage sped along and quickly arrived at the casino.

As I was about to cross the threshold of the glamorous casino, exchanging light-eye greetings with people trying to recognize me here and there, the casino’s security guards blocked my path.

“I’m sorry, but we’ll need to search you.”

Their attitude was very high-handed as if I was using some kind of trick to sweep money from the casino.

I raised my hand to stop Terry, who was about to step forward.

A body search for a noble lady. It was an incredible insult.

But on the other hand, this meant that the casino side, that is, Sybel, was cornered.

I twisted my red-painted lips into a smile and willingly nodded.

Let’s see you try.

“Fine. But I’ll receive the body search in front of everyone.”

“Y-Yes? Are you sure that’s alright with you?”

The guard asked, surprised as if he hadn’t expected me to react this way.

“Why should I hide like a rat to be searched when I have nothing to hide? Lead the way.”

Soon, my body search took place. There wasn’t much to check in the first place.

Adelia enjoyed wearing revealing clothes to show that she didn’t use petty tricks like hiding cards.

In the end, the female dealer who carefully conducted the search had no choice but to declare in front of everyone.

“…She’s clean.”

People who thought I might be using some kind of trick let out strange exclamations of admiration.

I followed Sugar, who was vigorously flapping her wings in front of me and looked up towards the balcony of the second-floor secret room.

It was too far to see his expression, but I could clearly recognize that the person standing there was Sybel.

I smiled at him defiantly.