Casino Wizard

“Raise, 8 bronze.”

“Fold.”

“Are you dying again, Hero?”

“Yeah…”

At the time just before the opening of the casino.

I was playing a casual poker game with my party members.

The coins circulating on the table were in bronze denominations.

Small change, which had become rare since the business got on track.

This wasn’t just a casual game to bond; there was another purpose behind it.

It was, in fact, an attribute education.

“Lady Bonucci, you didn’t happen to complete a top pair on the flop, did you?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“I told you to control your expression.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Right now, there was one more guest besides us.

Maria Bonucci.

The mistress of Stefano Emanuele, who had entered the monastery as a novice and severed all ties with the secular world.

The future waiting for a mistress who had lost her patron was obvious.

If she was old enough, she would return quietly to her hometown.

If she hadn’t yet withered and still had attachments to society, she’d find another lover and settle down.

If neither, she’d probably turn to the brothel.

But Lady Bonucci had chosen none of those paths; instead, she had entered the gambling world.

“Mr. Hyden, you said to discard any hands ranked 60th or lower, right?”

“Yes, ideally.”

“Though, depending on the situation, they might still have value.”

“Lady Bonucci, don’t get too absorbed in individual games. Remember, you lost over two thousand gold in one go before… What you need to focus on is building the game and manipulating the emotions of those participating.”

It was, of course, a path she had chosen herself.

The truth was, I had subtly encouraged her by provoking her with a 10-gold coin.

But it was also her decision to visit the casino after the Second Prince left and to learn basic skills from me.

‘Honestly, she’s not particularly talented.’

Her observation skills were decent, her memory average, and her hands a little slow.

She wasn’t cut out to be a player.

But Lady Bonucci had another quality.

“Ah… Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“No need to apologize, Hero. You can speak comfortably.”

The middle-aged hero hastily turned his gaze away while looking at Lady Bonucci.

She wasn’t the delicate, pure beauty type—she had a more seductive style, far from innocence. Plus, she had built a reputation in the social scene thanks to the Second Prince.

That reputation had faded since the Prince’s downfall, but she was still famous.

And that fame had its uses.

“Lady Bonucci, don’t get too fixated on the pot in front of you.”

“But you’re teaching me poker, aren’t you?”

“It’s a necessity. But start by getting invited to aristocratic poker gatherings. Eventually, you’ll need to host them yourself.”

She wouldn’t need to get her hands dirty.

After the business was set up, my plan was to help her manage things without embarrassing herself by comforting losing customers with a line like, “You’ve had a rough day, didn’t you? I suppose your luck wasn’t with you.” If she focused solely on losing large sums, it wouldn’t last long.

Lady Bonucci nodded, as though she understood, and I began giving more detailed tips.

This time, the instructor was the female archer.

Her hands were faster than mine, so she was the youngest member of the group.

“When working with a Dealer, it’s best to establish hand signals in advance. That way, at least you won’t lose.”

“Like what?”

“Touching a fan means a good hand, licking your lips means a weak one. You just need to observe the situation and either fold or raise accordingly.”

“Ah…”

Since we were teaching while playing, progress was relatively quick.

‘At this rate, I can send her into the field soon.’

But this wasn’t a free lesson.

After all, I wasn’t teaching Lady Bonucci to do something good for her.

And so, I was about to give her some direction when—

The female archer suddenly spoke.

“But, Hyden oppa?”

It was still before business hours, so she was dressed more casually.

Her shirt had a couple of buttons undone, and her hair hung loosely, framing her tanned skin.

Normally, she was always smiling at work, but now she had a neutral expression, perhaps because we were on break.

I waited for her to continue, as it seemed like she had something on her mind.

After hesitating, she suddenly pointed a question at Lady Bonucci.

“Do you trust Lady Bonucci, Hyden?”

“Huh?”

“Until recently, she was one of the closest aides of the Second Prince. Not just an aide, but… so I’m curious, what makes you trust her enough to provide her with a means of livelihood? I can ask you this much, right?”

“Lucy.”

The atmosphere subtly chilled after the female archer raised that question.

Lady Bonucci, who had been quietly studying hand rankings, lowered her gaze, while the middle-aged hero stiffened, holding his sandwich.

The female archer didn’t seem to mind and blinked while staring at me, clearly expecting an answer.

‘Honestly, it’s natural not to trust her.’

Originally, the female archer had a strong aversion to women like Lady Bonucci.

The influence of the saint played a significant role in that.

When the party was still in its early days, the female archer had been far more affectionate, being in her teens at the time.

She’d always made efforts to lift the mood when the party was feeling down.

But at some point, the saint began to berate the youngest member.

“Lucy, as an orphan, you need to be more careful about your behavior. If you flirt like that, people might think you’re cheap.” Unlike her treatment of the middle-aged hero, the saint would constantly chip away at her self-esteem under the guise of advice.

Although I had protected her, it was impossible to block all of the saint’s malicious influence. She would direct her attacks at everyone except me.

Of course, the female archer wasn’t simply acting out of dislike.

Her question made sense, so I decided to answer honestly.

“Lucy, I’m not teaching Lady Bonucci because I trust her.”

“Huh?”

“If I truly trusted someone, I wouldn’t teach them these tricks. No matter how careful you are, you’d still be exposed to risk. If I were to give Lady Bonucci a means to make a living, I would have hired her at the casino instead.”

“Uh, Mr. Hyden, is it okay to say that in front of her?”

“It’s fine. Lady Bonucci knows too.”

I gave Lady Bonucci a glance for confirmation.

She nodded solemnly, her expression serious.

I then quietly warned her.

“Lady Bonucci, I’ll be honest. You’re more like a mercenary now.”

“A mercenary?”

“When I need help with business I can’t carry out inside the casino, or with those I shouldn’t be dealing with, I’ll ask for your assistance. I’m teaching you these things so you can be useful then. Of course, you’ll also need to be an informant for me.”

I needed a woman who could set up the game the way I wanted and stir up the emotions of the players.

She could be a sidekick or a troublemaker, whichever role I required.

That was the kind of role I wanted Lady Bonucci to play.

It was a dangerous job in some ways…

But I intended to compensate her appropriately.

“I’m not asking you to work for free, Lady Bonucci.”

“Then?”

“If you work as a sidekick, you’ll get 40% of the profits. If you’re involved in the planning, you’ll get 50%. If it’s a project with other objectives besides money, I’ll give you a separate fee.”

“……”

“I’ll make sure the money is guaranteed.”

Living as the mistress of a prince?

That must have been a glamorous life in some ways.

But the royal family was pragmatic, and they wouldn’t lavish gifts on an ordinary mistress (legally, an affair partner). Even the royal mistress would often struggle after the death of the king.

Compared to that, working as a madam in a gambling den was better, at least financially.

‘She came here for the money, after all.’

Lady Bonucci nodded, now serious.

I wondered if this would clear up any misunderstandings with the youngest member.

“I get what you’re thinking, oppa.”

“Thanks.”

“Still…”

“You don’t believe me just from my words, right? I haven’t told you, but I already have your weaknesses.”

The poker table returned to normal.

The middle-aged hero, who had been nervously watching the situation, finally seemed to relax and offered food to the two women. If we could go back to the game after eating, that would be great, but the casino opening time was already fast approaching.

As I tidied up the cards, I addressed Lady Bonucci.

“Lady Bonucci, guests will be arriving soon.”

“The line has been long since this morning.”

“Leave as soon as the guests enter. I’ll tell everyone that I invited you here to smooth over the rumors from the last poker game. And that once again, I couldn’t win.”

“So, I’ll just take your money and leave, Mr. Hyden?”

“That’s right.”

It would be a good story for Lady Bonucci to tell at social gatherings, especially after having defeated the inventor of both Hold’em and mini-poker in a casino.

The nobles who would invite her to their social events or parties to hear about her victory were bound to increase.

“Now, go ahead, Lady Bonucci.”

With a smile, Lady Bonucci slowly stood up and walked toward the exit of my office.

Many customers, eager to secure a spot at the baccarat table, would likely take notice of her. As soon as she started talking, the rumors would spread.

“Hyden oppa, what should I tell the guests if they ask?”

“Just act embarrassed and laugh it off. Say it’s just a false rumor.”

“That should be enough.”

Finally, the female archer smiled brightly, contributing her part.

This was my plan to eventually transform Lady Bonucci into a madam.

Though not immediately, one day, I would definitely use her for something.

…

The next day, fresh-faced guests in new attire began wandering around the casino.

Sweetheart necklines, plunging necklines.

Women dressed in gowns with deep cuts around the chest were bustling around the gaming floor. Some were slightly lacking, but mostly they were glamorous.

‘It’s really starting now.’

I had no intention of losing money by playing poker with them.

However, it was clear that Bonucci’s transition was going smoothly. The rumors had spread convincingly, and seeing people actually believing them was proof of that.

“Wow, her chest.”

“Wait, what… Oh!”

Some of the customers, who had been troubled by the recent events, were now becoming more lively again.