Chapter 86
40 minutes ago.
I manipulated the bad horse number 1 as if it was a popular horse, in order to increase the dividend on horse number 3.
I had heard about it during my psychology class in my past life.
Gamblers induce people to bet on horses with a low chance of winning.
There are actually not many people here who know horses as well as Thierry.
‘Most of them are people who come to enjoy gambling in moderation or people who go with their rough instincts.’
Ordinary people who don’t have an eye for this are expected to bet on the most popular horses.
And I invested a lot of money in the early stage, making the illusion that horse number 1 was the most popular.
“If they’re not sure on which horse to bet, they will bet on the horse that most people have bet on.”
“Ahh, that’s why the dividend rate for horse number 1 has been lowered like that.”
“Exactly. Even if they get a little less money, they’re still making a safe choice.”
Understanding my explanation, Guillaume’s face turned red with excitement.
“Then what if horse number 3 that Sir Thierry picked wins?”
“Fifteen times.”
“The Princess is really a gambler… I mean, a genius. I can’t believe you manipulated the dividend rate.”
Thierry muttered with a look of admiration.
“It’s starting.”
Soon, the horses began to appear in the starting line one after the other.
My throat tightened because I had bet a lot of money and it was my first horse race.
Bang!
Red flags fluttered with the sound of the firecracker, and the huge racehorses, enveloped in strong muscles, began to rush through the field.
In the beginning, horse number 1 quickly began to lead, and the stadium rattled with shouting.
Probably because there were a lot of people who had bet on horse number 1.
“Thierry, what the hell happened? If we lose when Princess Deborah has amazingly set this up for us, we…”
Guillaume was nervous, but Thierry was calm.
“Just wait. It’s warming up.”
“Huh? Oh oh oh!”
Reminiscent of a hare, the horse number 3, with a bright red mane, galloped fiercely like a flame from halfway through the match.
“Oh oh oh oh!”
As it outran three horses in an instant, Guillaume clutched his chest and screamed as if he was going out of breath, and Thierry clenched his fists.
‘Will it really be first place?’
In the end, horse number 3 was the first to reach the finish line, with a very small gap.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it, but I was surprised that Thierry was so perceptive when it came to horses.
He also played the piano well and had a lot of talent, so I couldn’t understand why he was living like that.
“We won! First place!”
“This is why I can’t stop gambling!”
With quick money in their hands, the rascals were in a festive mood.
They even sang strange songs, jumping around with excited faces while putting their arms around each other’s shoulders.
‘Is it that good?’
No wonder. It was like they were being revived as they were in a situation so complicated to the point they were going to forge a holy beast egg.
As I grinned without realizing it, thinking how absurd it was, Thierry and Guillaume stopped moving and blinked their eyes with stunned faces.
“Huh…?”
“What is it? Is there something on my face?”
I rubbed my cheeks with the back of my hand.
“I-it’s nothing.”
“What was it, j-just now…”
After being slightly embarrassed for some reason, the two suddenly calmed down.
‘They’re high-ranking nobles, so they know how to save face.’
Thinking so, I quickly calculated the gold coins I had earned today in my head.
After the match, it was time for the spectacular settlement!
We split the hefty stack of gold coins into three equal parts.
Seeing that their expressions were bright, it seemed that they were going to have money left even after recovering their collateral items.
‘I’m the real deal.’
Although I also made some money, I had finally acquired the holy beast egg that I had been coveting the whole time.
It was a good thing that I bragged like a con artist in front of those immature young men.
“I will give you at least five times the amount of money!”
Curiously, on the day of the afternoon tea party, I received a promise from Thierry, saying that he would hand over the holy beast fossil.
Actually, this is a really super-rare item! Idiots.
Thierry approached me as I was touching the white stone and grinning.
“Princess Deborah.”
He looked at me with a serious look, as if he were going to fly away with a blow.
When his good-for-nothing and careless atmosphere disappeared, his unique and handsome features were clearly revealed.
“What is it?”
Whether it was because I had seen Isidor many times, or because my mind was stronger due to the men of the Seymour family, I was not at all nervous even when I had a tall handsome man that looked like a Milan runway model in front of me.
“I had a dream with a golden rose in bloom. Thinking about it now, I think it was a dream that symbolized the Princess.”
“…”
“I’m sorry… for being so suspicious and perverse all the time.”
He gazed at me, with his eye rims slightly red. With a pale flush on his white cheeks.
“Thank you.”
It was a straightforward apology and a thank-you, even though he was a high-ranking aristocrat.
‘He must have been so close to the edge of a cliff that he was moved to tears.’
No wonder, what if he got caught gambling and using his valuables as collateral when his allowance had been cut off?
In the least probable and worst-case scenario, an unfortunate event like getting cut off from the family register could have happened.
“Princess Deborah, you’re still calm even though you hit the jackpot. As expected, gamblers… I mean, experts are built differently….”
Guillaume muttered with admiration.
Was it because I have earned a lot until now? Although I was happy to have made a lot of money through gambling, I was able to stay calm on the outside.
The reality was that I wasn’t even halfway through to the 10 billion.
“This much is not a big deal for me.”
I said goodbye to them with a cold expression, pretending to be a competent gambler who read the game, and showing off to the end.
‘The white turtle!’
As soon as I came home, I ran to the study of the separate building, feeling excited.
‘How should I name the cute holy beast baby?’
I took out a key, opened the firmly closed last drawer, and took out the iron sword that I had won at the auction house.
The sword was shining brightly because I had wiped it hard in the meantime.
“Come out.”
I lightly struck the stone with the sword.
Kang!
And nothing happened.
***
“Why is Sir Thierry stretched out on the floor like that?”
“Was it a day or two?”
Looking at Thierry, who was lying down with a stunned face after throwing his sword on the nearby lawn like it was trash, the members of the White Knights clicked their tongues inwardly.
The world was really unfair.
Although he made a fuss like was missing a screw, he achieved a high level at a young age because he inherited the talent that ran in the Orgo blood.
Diera was the most respected swordsman, but Thierry was the answer when asked who you would want to live as.
Because he was the best among all the knights of the Empire, as a result of his efforts.
“Ahh.”
Thierry sighed deeply and stared blankly at the sky.
‘They’re all too mean.’
He should have been told in advance that Princess Deborah had a lethal charm.
Only Isidor and the 5th Princess knew about it.
‘And her smile, of everything.’
He jerked up from the lawn.
When horse number 3 won, the moment his heart beat violently and was filled with joy, he saw the princess smiling faintly.
He was also confused about what made his heart beat in the past.
‘She’s even prettier when she smiles.’
In fact, he thought she was pretty even when she frowned or looked expressionless.
Her features were as gorgeous as a rose, as expected from someone who was from Seymour’s direct line of descent.
But when she gave a faint smile, he felt like he had been beaten with a hammer in the back of his head.
Even Guillaume, who was a little scared of Lady Deborah, thought that at that moment, when she smiled with curved eyes, becoming a eunuch wouldn’t be so bad.
‘It was so intense that I keep thinking about it.’
He violently ruffled his black, curly hair.
It was the first time in his life that a woman manipulated the odds at the racetrack.
Being slapped out of the blue on the street wouldn’t be so shocking.
And, one more thing…
If it hadn’t been for those last words, it may have just ended with the discovery of her viper-like charm, feeling a sense of camaraderie as an accomplice.
Thierry felt strange and recalled Princess Deborah’s final advice.
“When you go to the pawnshop to recover your collateralized items, ignore it if someone tries to lure you to a gambling house. They’re more likely to engage in fraudulent gambling.”
She said in a cool voice.
“You mean there’s going to be a decoy in that alley?”
“Exactly.”
In fact, as soon as they went to the alley where the pawnshop was located, they saw bad-looking men boasting about winning twenty times the amount of money through casting dice, as per Princess Deborah’s advice.
As everything went according to what she had predicted, Guillaume was astonished.
“As expected, the Princess must be one of those expert gamblers whom we have only heard of. Maybe it’s because the Seymours are famous for their brains, but she’s in a different position from ordinary rascals like us.”
‘Really, I could have been tempted if I wasn’t aware of it beforehand.’
Perhaps because of the princess’ advice, he came to his senses as if he had been slapped on his back by a nanny.
If it weren’t for her words, he would have acted impulsively, as he did at any moment.
Thierry dodged going into a place as addictive as inertia. As self-disciplined as he was, he was swept to the provocative side and forgot about reality.
Because he got sick and tired whenever he remembered the fact that he had to hold a sword every day.
‘That’s how I coped with it last time.’
Although he made money from horse racing, the reason he wasted his entire fortune at the gambling house was also because he fell for the atmosphere surrounding the racetrack.
He received her help twice.
It was quite a large price for handing her the holy beast fossil, which was no different from a dusty stone rolling around in Diera’s sword storage.
‘Considering Princess Deborah’s personality, she didn’t advise me because she was worried about me, but…’
He rubbed his heated neck.
