Chapter 2 (Part 5)

When she reached the gambling den within the Bazaar, she used the alias ‘Roxanne’. Although it was a place permitted by the imperial family, no noble who valued honor would ever set foot there. Thus, most nobles who visited the gambling den used aliases, and wearing masks to feign ignorance was an unspoken rule.

“Master, would you like to start with dice?”

“Well. Pierre, what can we do to make big money?”

Roshan frowned, finding it awkward when she called him by the alias ‘Pierre’.

“Don’t you already have enough money?”

“Roshan, there’s no such thing as enough money.”

At her words, Roshan tilted his head in confusion. Even the wealth of Baron Demori was enormous, and Therese’s share of the guild business’s profits was steadily saved up.

Roshan, unsure, added.

“Everything I have is yours, Master.”

“Why are you trying to make me the evil employer? Your wealth is yours.”

Therese, who was freely wandering around the gambling den, replied lightly.

“Pierre, let’s go over there!”

At Therese’s words, Roshan, standing behind her, wore a stern expression.

While the two wandered through various floors of the gambling den, they felt intense gazes. Therese, stopping in one spot, whispered softly on tiptoe.

“Roshan, you’re truly the most handsome in Pasa, aren’t you? Everyone seems to be looking at you.”

Since Pasa residents were rare in the Caspian Empire, Roshan’s skin color and unusual eye color stood out.

“…….”

When Roshan didn’t respond to her words, Therese glanced back at him.

“What’s this? Why is your neck so red? Are you embarrassed?”

“No, I’m not.”

Watching Roshan cover his neck with his large hand, Therese chuckled. Though he had grown in size, his behavior hadn’t changed much since they first met.

“Let’s go over there and try spinning that roulette. It looks fun.”

Humming a tune, she led the way, and Roshan, diligently following behind, didn’t forget to cast sharp glances at the men around them.

His brave and admirable master was quite ignorant of many things.

‘There’s no way those men are looking at me, Master.’

Roshan’s red eyes scanned Therese’s body.

The black velvet dress was sleeveless, emphasizing Therese’s slender, fair arms. The shawl she wore couldn’t entirely cover her daringly exposed neck and shoulders, revealing her fair skin whenever she moved. Though she wore a black mask, her prominent nose and red lips sparkled under the gambling den’s chandelier.

‘Why did she dress like that and make things difficult for me?’

Quickly averting his inappropriate gaze, Roshan stuck close behind his master. He had to block others’ gazes somehow.

Unaware of Roshan’s thoughts, Therese seemed to enjoy spinning the roulette.

“Ro…Pierre. Give me some chips.”

After spinning the roulette a few times, Therese’s shoulders slumped.

“How can this be?”

Except for the first time, she lost every time and almost used up all the chips she brought.

“It seems gambling doesn’t suit me. How about a drink then?”

Therese intended to try everything she never thought of doing before.

“……Master.”

A proper lady would never drink in a gambling den. Knowing this, Roshan couldn’t understand what his master was thinking.

“I am concerned it might harm your health.”

When Roshan cautiously tried to dissuade Therese, she gave him a bright smile.

“Roshan, I really want to drink today. Besides, with you by my side, what could go wrong?”

Roshan couldn’t say anything to Therese’s smiling face. Truly, his master knew his weaknesses too well.

“……Ha.”

Roshan ran a hand through his fallen hair and let out a long sigh.

“One glass of your strongest drink, please.”

Therese, with her back deeply against the chair, boldly placed her order. It was rare for a lady to come and drink alone, so she attracted the attention of all the men around her. From her flamboyant attire and carefree behavior, they all seemed to have similar thoughts.

A gambling den wasn’t just a place for gambling. All sorts of shady activities in the empire took place here. Alcohol and tobacco were nothing. Forbidden substances and all manner of lewd acts were secretly conducted here. The gambling den owner provided entertainment to the nobles and made a fortune by turning a blind eye.

Noticing the men’s gazes, Therese frowned slightly.

‘There are always such trashy people wherever you go.’

She tightened her shawl and suddenly turned her head sharply.

‘Why should only you be allowed to look at me?’

Therese fixed her gaze intently on one man. As she scrutinized him from his face down to his chest and lower body, just as he had done, he was the first to turn his head. It was laughable how he pretended to drink as if nothing had happened.

‘……Disgusting.’

As she waited for her drink, she carefully surveyed the interior, feeling a strange sensation. Normally, she would be listening to her mother-in-law’s nagging at the ducal residence at this time.

She had endured too much before. 

For the honor of the Duke’s family. 

To not disappoint her father. 

That’s why she left the guild after marriage and joined the ducal household. She had given up small yet precious things like reading, strolling, and wandering the streets for no reason.

She wanted to become someone who perfectly matched the Richard family.

“Ma’am, your drink is ready.”

In a small crystal glass was a colorless drink.

“Hmm, it doesn’t look like much.”

Since she didn’t intend to become a drunkard, one drink would be fine. 

As she downed the glass in one go, Roshan, watching her, covered his face with his hand. 

It was more than ten times stronger than the wine Therese usually drank with meals.

Therese, lowering her glass, grimaced.

“Pierre, bring me some water. It feels like my throat is on fire.”

“……M-Master.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Jeremy Richard was officially attending to knightly duties. However, he was currently riding a horse in plain clothes with Knight Commander Georges Dupont.

“Your Grace, do you really have to do this yourself?”

“Is there anyone trustworthy right now?”

“……My apologies.”

Under Duke Richard’s command were two knight orders. 

The First Knight Order was deployed for hunting monsters, and the Second Knight Order guarded and patrolled the capital. 

Georges was the head of the First Knight Order. He was one of the few people the Duke could trust, yet he couldn’t erase the displeased expression from his face regarding the current operation.

‘What if His Grace gets injured by any chance?’

Recently, a subordinate they had planted in the gambling den had disappeared without a trace, and only those within the knight order knew about it. 

The Duke, with indifferent eyes, surveyed the entrance of the gambling den they had arrived at.

“Today, I’ll just check the internal situation and leave, so there’s no need to make such a face.”

“Then I’ll stand by outside.”

“If you notice anything suspicious, send a signal.”

Leaving brief instructions, the Duke entered the dimly lit interior. Dressed plainly without expensive fabrics or flashy ornaments, he selected a mask hanging on the wall and put it on. The black mask perfectly covered the upper part of his face, helping to conceal his identity.

‘It’s noisy.’

It was his first time visiting such a place. Although he wasn’t particularly nervous, Jeremy, who originally disliked noise, felt a headache as soon as he entered.

‘Who dared to mess with our people?’

The informant they had planted here wasn’t just any informant. He was a former knight with skills to protect himself.

Since some time ago, harmful substances had started spreading in the capital, and they had obtained information that they were being traded here. 

Although it wasn’t originally his responsibility, the situation became troublesome when several members of the knight order got involved with the substances.

‘Duke Richard, boosting the army’s morale is good, but such methods are disappointing.’

He had heard such words from the Emperor when he went to report on frontier matters. At that time, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed as if he had caught a flaw.

‘If we don’t resolve this, our knight order will bear that disgrace.’

They had studied together at the academy and received their knight appointments around the same time, but he and the Emperor could never be friends.

It was then. The Duke frowned deeply at a scene he couldn’t believe even after seeing it.

“What on earth is going on?”

The woman throwing the roulette while wearing a mask was someone he knew well.

‘What brings the Duchess Richard to such a rough place?’

Moreover, her attire was so flamboyant and alluring that he doubted his eyes. He noticed a man glancing at the fair skin peeking through her fallen shawl.

‘Who dares to look at her?’

Duke Richard’s black eyes turned cold as he touched the sword at his waist.

Just then, the woman he was watching moved somewhere, and the Duke began to follow her discreetly.