The moment he felt Lucian’s sharp gaze, Eagle quickly composed his expression.
“Count Axios, Baron Greze, Baroness Greze. Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”
“I’m Valak Antoine.”
“Zenon Kamil. As the rumors say, the Baroness’s beauty is truly striking. And the baron looks quite resolute as well. You make a very well-matched pair. Ha ha….”
With Eagle’s introduction as the start, the two high nobles greeted them in turn. Count Antoine was a clean-cut elderly gentleman with a handsomely groomed white beard, while Count Kamil was a middle-aged man with a sturdy build. Unlike the seemingly cold Antoine, Kamil had a hearty air about him.
After gauging the atmosphere, Cassia placed a hand over her chest and gave a polite bow. A servant approached from afar, filled the teacups, and arranged the seats, completing the scenery of two royals and five nobles seated together.
Sitting between Bertol and Zester and facing the others, Cassia kept sensing Eagle and Zester exchanging glances and roughly grasped the situation. Judging by the atmosphere between the two which suggested they weren’t meeting for the first time and Eagle’s earlier look of surprise, they had likely crossed paths on the day the missing persons were rescued.
‘I would have thought seeing the Prince’s face among the pagans’ followers would surprise him so much that he would tell me about it but he didn’t.’
Cassia glanced at Zester sitting beside her. Whatever the reason, the fact that he remained tight-lipped was a good thing.
“By the way… where exactly is Greze?”
Count Kamil asked, tilting his teacup toward Zester.
“It is located between the Axios and Viche territories. It takes about half a day by carriage to reach the capital.”
“Ah, I see. You must be talking about that mountain valley that used to be an imperial territory.”
It wasn’t wrong, but it was inwardly embarrassing to hear. Still, it was some consolation that it was no longer a nameless mountain valley. Though the title was low, there was a lord who governed it, and it bore a name bestowed from his family name.
Watching Zester smile awkwardly, Cassia offered a strained smile of her own.
“And where are you from, Baron?”
Lucian asked, leaning back arrogantly with his legs crossed while sweeping together the deck of cards scattered on the table. Zester, who had been sitting bolt upright with his fists pressed neatly onto his thighs like a child being scolded, tensed and answered.
“I was born and raised in Bohem. It’s a village in the imperial territory behind the Basque Mountains.”
“Oh… I see….”
“I see.”
“Bohem, huh….”
Lucian, Count Antoine, and Count Kamil chimed in one after another. For some reason, all the embarrassment fell to Zester. He cleared his throat unnecessarily and his face turned red.
“So a treasure was hidden in such a place. To think it produced the star of the Imperial war. I was too preoccupied to personally commend your achievements at the time, Baron, but I’d like to offer my thanks now, albeit late. The Imperial family is deeply indebted to you for your service during the war.”
Eagle stepped in just as the atmosphere was becoming awkward enough to make anyone hesitant to speak. Unaccustomed to being praised as a ‘treasure’ or a ‘star of the imperial war’, Zester blushed and shook his head. His modest denial and Eagle’s insistence that there was no need for such humility made the exchange seem rather warm.
However, unlike Eagle, the Crown Prince Lucian and the two other nobles looked uncomfortable. And with good reason. Cassia nodded inwardly.
Cassia knew all too well how high-and-mighty the powerful high nobility could be. Her own father, Count Ruberno, was exactly that kind of person. Their only criteria for judging a person were title, wealth, and the size of their territory, and they divided ranks accordingly with cold precision.
It was the same now. Although Zester was here because Bertol had gone so far as to personally ask the Emperor to invite him, they were likely inwardly displeased.
Their thoughts were obvious.
‘Why are we even sitting with this poor, meagre noble, barely above a commoner?!’ or something along those lines.
“The Baron and his wife must be unaware of many capital affairs since they spend all their time in the North. When we spend time with His Highness the Crown Prince, we always discuss Imperial politics and the capital’s economy… Hmm, the Baron might find it uncomfortable.”
Count Kamil broke the silence among the nobles. Though he spoke with a smile, it was a blatant dismissal. He was essentially saying: We’ve exchanged greetings, but you aren’t at the level where we should be sitting face-to-face having a conversation, so read the room and leave.
Bertol looked slightly flustered, as if he hadn’t expected them to exclude Zester so openly. Cassia caught a glimpse of him rubbing his forehead and swallowing a sigh.
“Not at all. I will listen and learn diligently. Please, speak freely.”
However, the oblivious Zester didn’t pick up on Count Kamil’s intent in the slightest. He planned to follow Cassia’s advice to mingle with the nobles as much as possible, so he responded with a gaze full of enthusiasm.
Just as the atmosphere chilled as if doused with cold water, Lucian let out a laugh.
“Haha, how interesting. What a very passionate fellow. We were playing cards before you arrived, Baron, and we intend to finish. Would you like to join us?”
It was, of course, a question asked out of mere formality.
“I wonder if the Baron even knows how to play cards. It’s a pastime of nobles, after all….”
Count Antoine, who had maintained a silent, displeased expression, cut in.
At this point, the hints were more like blunt force. Lucian suggested a card game enjoyed by wealthy nobles, and Count Antoine all but declared that the baron wouldn’t be able to play anyway.
“Ah….”
As expected, Zester was at a loss for words. He hadn’t hung out with high-class nobles, but he had a few mercenary comrades who played cards in back-alley gambling dens. However, he had never held a card himself, so he knew nothing about it.
Surrounded by nobles signaling him to leave, the naively determined Zester thought for a moment before speaking with a look of resolve.
“Yes, I’ve never played before, so I don’t know the rules, but if it isn’t a bother, could you teach me? I will do my best to learn.”
Breaking the renewed silence, Lucian chuckled.
“Is that so? Well, teaching isn’t hard, but… since we’re taking on the trouble, shouldn’t you pay a tuition fee, Baron?”
“Pardon?”
“Well, a card game without stakes isn’t very fun. Might as well make it a betting game.”
Cassia, who had been quietly listening until now, narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. That was a final, unavoidable ultimatum to leave. A betting game among the wealthiest of the wealthy?
To them, a hundred or two hundred gold meant nothing, but for Zester and the Greze territory, it could be a matter of life and death. They were undoubtedly looking forward to the pitiful sight of him being unable to participate because he had nothing to wager. Unless they intended to bankrupt him for sport.
‘Bastards.’
Cassia cursed inwardly.
It was incredibly difficult to break into a high society where the bonds were already tightly knit. Since she had entered the imperial palace with some degree of expectation, Cassia’s sense of frustration was all the more bitter.
“Since you are suggesting a betting game, it seems it’s not a place for my Lord Baron to join. As you know, we aren’t in a position to match the betting stakes of such esteemed individuals like yourself… If you’ll excuse us, may we take our leave first?”
When Cassia spoke up instead of Zester, Lucian’s expression turned somewhat uneasy, even though it was the answer he wanted.
In his obliviousness, Zester might not have noticed, but Cassia, who had seen and heard much as a member of a great southern noble house, could not have failed to read the clear air of disregard. Even if she was smiling, it was obvious she was offended.
Greze might be one thing, but they needed to be somewhat mindful of Ruberno, the family home of the Baroness. Furthermore, Lucian, who was to ascend as Emperor, had to manage his image to some extent.
Recognizing Cassia’s belated displeasure, Lucian composed his face into a relaxed smile and replied.
“Well, I truly wish to enjoy a game with the Baron and Baroness. Of course, I’m not saying you need to bet at the same level. There are rules to betting, but the Baron may participate freely. I wouldn’t make such a heartless suggestion. Hahaha…”
‘Is he trying to manage his image after the fact?’
Cassia smiled awkwardly and was about to politely refuse once more and stand when—.
“Ah! Thank you for being so considerate. I will learn diligently.”
Zester’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes, yes. Let’s play together.”
Lucian nodded, looking at the oblivious Zester and the flustered Cassia with amusement.
“I’ll explain the rules.”
Bertol cut in tactfully. Lucian shrugged and handed him the deck of cards.
Getting called here out of the blue, ignored at every turn, and now, there was a betting card game. In a place where enormous sums would change hands, fiddling with cards without being able to stake anything would only invite further disdain.
Feeling her headache growing, Cassia watched Bertol lay out the cards and asked.
“In that case, Count, may I also hear the rules? Both my husband and I are new to card games, I’d like to look the cards together…. Would that be okay?”
“Oh, of course. Do as you please, Baroness.”
Lucian interjected with a magnanimous smile.
‘What is she thinking?’
Bertol narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge Cassia’s intentions, but under the impatient looks of the two counts urging him on, he began his explanation.
The rules of the Empire’s card game were both simple and complex.
“At the start, you’ll receive three cards. You reveal one of them, then receive two more. You start the first round of betting with five cards. Once everyone has bet, you receive another card to reveal, and bet again. At that point, you’ll have six cards in front of you, four of which are revealed.”
Bertol placed six cards in front of Cassia. Two were face down.
“Next, you receive the seventh and final card, then make the final bet. This one is not revealed either.”
Placing the last face-down card at the end, Bertol inclined his head kindly toward Cassia.
“Up to here, do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“…You understood?”
“Yes.”
Bertol thought his explanation might have felt unhelpful because he wasn’t good at it, but Cassia nodded with an expression that said there was no problem. Looking to the side, Zester’s expression looked like he was lost in another dimension. Bertol swallowed a groan.
“Baron, do you need more explana…”
“You understand, right?”
Cassia turned to Zester and asked.
Frankly, Zester didn’t understand even a lick of it, but seeing Cassia and the bored expressions of the nobles, he felt too embarrassed to ask for more explanation. Zester had no choice but to nod stiffly.
“You bet by roughly assessing your opponent’s hand using the four revealed cards. The rank of the cards determines their value. Here.”
Concerned as he watched Cassia merely nod along, Bertol summoned a servant. He asked for writing materials and painstakingly wrote down the rankings from highest to lowest, yet he still seemed uneasy.
“Thank you, Count. I’m sorry to keep you all waiting so long. You can start now.”
Honestly, Cassia thought Bertol’s explanation was tedious.
After all, card games had been a pastime she shared with her father back in Ruberno until she was sick of them.
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 89 - August 1, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 88 - August 1, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 87 - July 18, 2026