Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 83

“You called, Sir.”

“Yes, you know what to do, don’t you?”

“Of course. How will this game proceed?”

The man turned to me and seeing that, I began to think. The only game I was confident in was card games.

I was confident because card games are what the priests played late at night back at the temple.

If we only played once or twice, I wouldn’t be so sure but the priests, having lived their entire lives in the temple, barely knew how to play anything else so all they played were cards.

“Let’s go with a card game.”

“Excellent. A card game it is.”

Seeing my opponent agree so quickly, I chuckled.

The cloying scent in the air kept tickling my nose and it was annoying me.

Like Alois said, I wouldn’t be intoxicated by such scents, but they were enough to make my mind feel sluggish.

I cleared my throat a few times to gather myself and sat up straight.

“Since it’s a card game, I’m fine with any rules. While we’re at it, let’s a game you’re confident in.”

“What?”

The man heaved harshly like he was pissed. There are too many simple-minded people in this world.

“It’d be no fun if you lost too easily, no?”

And such simple-minded people always followed the same pattern. They overestimate themselves, flare up in anger and start yelling.

Sure enough, at my word, the man shot up from his seat and jabbed a finger at me.

“Hahahaha! What a funny thing to say! I don’t know what precious noble house you’re from, young miss, but now that you’ve said that, I can’t let you off easy!”

His words were so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but scoff.

“So, you recognize I’m a lady of an esteemed house? Indeed, I am the precious young miss of a Noble House that can throw away a castle on a game like this.”

I was about to tell him to pick his opponents wisely, but that felt a little too arrogant, so I closed my mouth.

Instead, I smiled gracefully.

“And, for the record, my lover is also very rich.”

I tilted my head back slightly and needlessly brought Alois back into the conversation.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Alois letting out a resigned sigh.

He really was a national treasure in terms of looks.

Meanwhile, the man, who still looked upset, finally sat down, grinding his teeth.

“It’s been quite the long opening. Shall we start the game?”

The game that Alois told me to just enjoy but clearly had deeper implications, had begun.

***

It seems there was no room for trickery in this place.

Considering the staggering amounts of money involved and the fact that all the guests were nobles, the rules seemed to be strictly enforced.

“Well, it looks like I’ve won this round too.”

As a result, the game was rather dull.

I had initially planned to lose a few rounds here and there just to freely spend Alois’s money, but…

It turned out to be embarrassingly easy to win.

“I won the first round, but you insisted on three games, didn’t you?”

However, my opponent seemed to be a well-known figure here. Everyone was surprised that I had defeated him.

“…Why do you look like that, Alois?”

Noticing that even Alois looked surprised, I glanced at him and whispered under my breath.

He looked down at me.

“I didn’t think you could play card games.”

“I can’t. I always lose when I play with the priests.”

I laughed, admitting that I had never really won before, only for Alois to place a hand over my mouth.

“I’d love to play a round with those priests someday.”

“You won’t win that easily.”

I meant that even I couldn’t win against them so I doubt even Alois could win that easily.

Meanwhile, across the table, the man wobbled to his feet.

The excitement he had before the game started was now completely gone.

“…Money…money…”

He muttered in a daze, fumbling through his inner pocket.

I propped my chin on my hand and tilted my head, watching what he was doing.

“Ah…there…there it is.”

He had come off pretty strong earlier, yet he was obediently handing over the money. Seeing that, I thought the brainwashing was really well done.

I’m talking about how there didn’t seem to be any enforcement, but he was obediently following the rules.

However, he wasn’t entirely obedient.

He dropped the coins on the floor with trembling hands and spat on the platinum-gold coins with anger.

“If you want them, take it!”

“Haha.”

“What’s so funny?! Let’s see you kneel to pick it up!”

The sigh was so ridiculous that I burst out laughing and pointed at the coins he tossed onto the ground.

“If you kneel and pick it up, I’ll return the five platinum-gold to you.”

The man, who had been seething and ready to storm off, suddenly froze.

Watching him, I traced my chin with my fingers.

“So, kneel.”

Imagine how humiliating it would be to pick up the gold coins you spat on yourself.

But what did it matter?

This was five platinum-gold.

“If you kneel and pick them up yourself, I won’t say a word. Hm? This is why…”

Alois grabbed my shoulder, but I shook off his hand, extended my leg and stepped hard on the coins.

“You should have chosen your opponent more wisely.”

Who did he think he was spitting in front of?

Even when the Emperor was using me, he still chose his words very carefully when we spoke.

In the end, even as he was trembling, the man lowered himself and picked up the platinum-gold coins. It was if those five coins were more important than dirtying his hands or trampling on his dignity.

Then again, the cost for renovating the entire temple didn’t even amount to a single platinum-gold coin.

“Now, Alois. Shall we have the next game?”

“My, I suppose you’re having fun.”

Alois replied in a meaningful tone, and I looked up at him then I acted like I didn’t understand and curved my lips into a smile.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

Alois seemed to reach his own conclusion once he saw my expression.

Having fun, he says. I think I’ll need to play a few more games before I can say for sure…

“Who knows…”

“Now then, the attention is on you.”

“…?”

“If you win, the rewards will be huge but if you lose, more people will start targeting you.”

“Ha…”

“Humans are inherently foolish. They only see what they have to gain not what they stand to lose.”

“You are exactly right.”

As if on cue with Alois’s whisper, the green-haired woman who had been hesitating so far briskly approached.

She was a charming woman with big, innocent-looking eyes that made her seem almost out of place here.

I guess you could say it’s same sense of incongruity I felt seeing Alois here?

She took a seat across from me and skillfully spread out the deck of cards.

“Now then, shall we start the game?”

“…I’ll be in your hands.”

She looked like the type of woman who smelled refreshing, like a tree. But appearance and gaming had nothing to do with each other.

I felt like Alois would laugh if I lost now so I didn’t plan on giving in that easily.

I planned on losing early on just to spend Alois’s money, but I guess that’s not quite my style.

“How about I bet a castle just like last time?”

“…Then I’ll wager…the lake in Ferulyene Royal Castle.”

“Hmm…”

“You might think it’s modest compared to a castle but…even the king desires the lake of Ferulyene.”

The woman greedily licked her lips.

Sure enough, people shouldn’t judged by their looks.

“Good. Start the game then.”

***

‘Winning is so easy that losing feels impossible.’

That is exactly what I thought once we reached out 7th game.

“Alois, I’m bored.”

“…”

He was right.

People are foolish and thanks to that, I won enough games to feel sick of it.

The only thing that interesting me in this game was what I would gain from playing along.

“Please give it a little more time.”

“Hm?”

“I promised to let you have fun and I don’t plan to break my promise.”

In the end, I had to finish this seventh game.

Judging by Alois’s unchanged expression, he clearly had something in mind, but I didn’t have enough information to figure it out.

“Oh drats.”

I flipped a card and needlessly groaned like an old man.

Alois gave a note of exclamation while the young lord sitting across from me was delighted.

I threw that card to make Alois flustered, but he only made sounds of acknowledgement so I got annoyed and threw another card.

“Lady Emilone.”

It was only after three more bad draws that Alois finally called my name in a low voice.

It seems he could clearly tell I was playing around.

I made a playful expression with a smile on my face.

“Dear me, I blundered.”

Just like the time I spilled wine on myself, I nonchalantly turned over my final card.

“…Ha.”

Alois seemed to see right through me and sighed without saying a word, then he took out the neatly folded document from his coat.

Thanks to my tiny prank, the castle that many had been coveting foolishly now had a new owner.

“What brought on this sudden change of heart?”

“Just…boredom?”

“…Lady Emilone.”

“Hm? Ahh, are you upset to lose a castle for my enjoyment?”

The attendant rang the bell.

With that, the game was officially my loss and the guy playing against me easily obtained a castle.

“So it was enjoyable then?”

“I thought it would be, but it wasn’t.”

“How come?”

I was about to say that I expected to see some reaction on him after losing such a huge amount of money but on a second thought, I decided to not to share.

“Anywho, did my loss complicate things?”

Rather than answer, I sounded him out and Alois replied effortlessly as if my attempt to sound him out was amusing.

“Of course not. I didn’t know Your Holiness was good at games in the first place.”

“…”

So, he had expected me to lose?

I wasn’t that confident at card games, but I wasn’t so dim that I would lose to people far less competent than the temple priests.

“Well, in any case, it doesn’t matter.”

“…?”

*.*.*

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