Chapter 2
***
“If your wife is that precious to you, shouldn’t you avoid betting her as a stake?”
“Huh? No, that’s not—”
“Are you messing with me?”
When Deckard swept the chips piled high on the table aside with a single finger, his opponent’s face flushed bright red. No matter how famous the Duke’s second son was for his wild partying, the fact remained that he was Hellkaiser’s mad dog.
“Go on.”
He smiled. His golden eyes, with pupils so concentrated they seemed to block out all light, resembled those of a real beast—enough to send chills down the spine of anyone facing him.
“A joke? That’s preposterous, Lord Helkaiser!”
“Well, I suppose I can’t ignore your good faith here at this sacred gambling den, can I?”
Deckard, who was clearly being sarcastic, tilted his head slightly and added.
“And honestly, I bet your wife would rather see me win, too. Don’t you think? Hah!”
The tension that had hung in the air for a split second scattered like dandelion seeds as he burst into laughter. Deckard’s jet-black hair swayed playfully, and the audience joined in his merriment.
“Wahahaha! Whoosh!”
Amidst the cheers and whistles erupting from all around, Elain was the only one who couldn’t bring herself to laugh along. It seemed there was no one here brave enough to stop him from crossing the line.
“So, Lord Helkaiser, how much are you going to bet?”
“Ah. So that’s what matters, isn’t it?”
As someone raised their voice, Deckard leaned back in his chair and put a cigarette in his mouth. His hair slightly obscured his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. Then, the glamorous beauty sitting beside him lit his pipe with an exaggerated gesture.
“Oh my...”
As he exhaled a long stream of smoke, the women beside him couldn’t help but let out sighs of longing. Elain was standing behind Deckard, so she couldn’t see his face. But she could imagine just how seductive his gaze must be.
His skin was smooth and deep, like fine tanned leather. His gaze, with those deep golden eyes—a rarity in the kingdom—narrowed slightly, was the spitting image of his mother, whose very presence had been sensual.
Deckard Helkaiser, the dangerous and ill-fated illegitimate son of a duke.
“Lord Helkaiser. Given the scale of today’s game, shouldn’t we bet at least 500 gold?”
Elain let out a faint sigh at the mention of a sum equivalent to the annual salary of a typical knight commander.
But then again, it didn’t really matter. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t matter if Deckard Helkaiser lost a year’s salary and ended up penniless, or if the man, blinded by gambling, grew old and died a widower. She simply had to seize the moment while him was alone to negotiate.
Deckard picked up a glass from the table and spoke.
“500 gold is nothing.”
“Ooh! Then what?”
“How about my house in Mudrow?”
It was only natural that Elain’s unfocused eyes widened silently.
“Whoa!”
Elain clenched her fists, her teeth gritted tight. Then, declaring him a true big spender, she pushed her way with all her might through the crowd of people cheering for Helkaiser. She could barely breathe amid the mingled stench of sweat, alcohol, and perfume, but her life depended on it.
“Ah. I have one last question.”
“Huh? Just a moment, Lord Helkaiser. You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
That’s right. Back off, Deckard. No matter how wild you’ve gone, that’s your home!
But Elain’s silent command didn’t reach Deckard. Resting his chin on his hand and narrowing his eyes, he shattered Elain’s hopes.
“What if your wife isn’t my type? I’m picky.”
“Wahahaha!”
With a throbbing headache, Elain finally reached right behind Deckard. She waited for the knights guarding him to lose their focus.
“You’re taking this too far, Lord Helkaiser. That’s not something a man who’s dragged every woman in the kingdom into his bed should be saying!”
“I can’t deny it. Haha. Jeremy, another drink.”
It was the moment the bodyguard turned his back to refill his glass. Elain crouched down and moved closer to him. As she identified the card Deckard was holding and the one he was about to discard, her breathing quickened involuntarily.
“Lord Deckard.”
She didn’t want to get involved in an illegal gambling ring, but she couldn’t just let him lose the mansion like this. Deckard absolutely had to win this game.
“What are you doing?”
Just as the bodyguard was about to drag her out, Deckard chuckled and picked up a coin.
“Leave her be.”
Elain watched the coin clatter to the floor in front of her and pressed her trembling lips together. It seemed it would take a little more time for her to get used to being treated like a beggar.
“If you want to keep the mansion, you’d better hold onto that card until the very end.”
She managed to force the words out while suppressing her boiling anger, but it was in vain. Deckard didn’t even glance her way, casually ignoring her as he took a deep drag on his cigarette.
“Well? A house isn’t that important to me.”
Seemingly completely absorbed in the thought of bringing another man’s wife into his bed, Deckard’s attitude remained as light as a feather, without the slightest change. It was clear he hadn’t even heard her voice.
“There are plenty of people in Mudrow who’d put me up for the night.”
Was that supposed to be a boast? Elain’s mouth went dry. She had come to him, having failed to find a single person willing to hide her.
“Think about the rules of Pique (*a card game*) again. Defense is more important than offense.”
“Shut up now, and I’ll forgive you.”
It wasn’t working. Feeling all eyes turn toward her, Elain pulled the hood over her head even tighter. Her slender fingertips turned deathly pale.
“Hey… Lord Helkaiser hates being interrupted more than anything.”
People whispered, glancing at Deckard. No matter how reckless his style might be, the fact remained that he was a high-ranking noble who could cut off someone’s head right here and now without facing any punishment.
“If you want to stay alive, you’d better shut your mouth. Take your money and get lost. Shoo, shoo.”
But Elain had no time to heed their advice. She’d already nearly lost her head two hours ago. If she missed this opportunity, who knew what would happen.
“I’m serious, Lord Deckard. If you want to sleep with another man’s wife tonight without getting into trouble, don’t take that card—take the one on the far right…”
Elain couldn’t finish her sentence. Deckard slammed his fist down on the table, then stood up and grabbed her by the collar. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“There are exactly two things I cannot forgive. What are they?”
“…Huh.”
“One is boredom, and the other is a lack of fun.”
What’s the difference between the two? Elain’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t ask the question.
“I’ll hold you fully responsible for ruining a good game. We’ll resume later.”
Deckard, who had frustratedly crushed out his cigarette, dragged Elain like an old piece of luggage into a back room of the bar. The crowd clicked their tongues at the unlucky soul who’d provoked his temper, then began to get heated in their conversation over their drinks.
“Did you see that? Lord Helkaiser’s lower half looked like it was about to burst through his pants just thinking about sleeping with someone else’s wife. No wonder he’s pissed off after being interrupted.”
“They say once you’ve tasted Helkaiser, no woman can walk out of there properly.”
“Will you all shut up? You’re talking as if I’d lost the bet or something. If it weren’t for that bum earlier, I would’ve—!”
Bang!
Elain, who had been shoved into the room, heard the sound of the old door slamming shut as if it were about to break. Immediately after, she heard Deckard Helkaiser’s voice—slightly lower in pitch, but still trembling with excitement.
“Who’s this?”
“….”
Deckard’s long fingers swept away the scrap of cloth covering her head.
“You look quite amusing, Ellie.”
With her face now exposed, Elain finally looked him in the eye and took a deep breath.
“You look better than usual, though.”
Through her tousled black hair, his golden eyes—like those of a beast—stared at her intently. The corners of his mouth turned up lazily, his features striking. Through the open collar of his shirt, she could almost hear the thudding of his heartbeat against his copper-colored skin.
Yeah. Just how ridiculous do I look right now, Deckard Hellkaiser?
Elain counted to three in her head, then spoke.
“… Lord Deckard. My name is Elain."
***
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