CHAPTER 56……………
About half a month had passed.
At last, Marie’s special dress made solely for the Marchioness was completed.
“Oh my…”
The Marchioness gaped at the bright yellow dress, adorned with jeweled flowers and various gems, with a sparkling diamond rose fixed at the center of the neckline.
It was the kind of breathtaking garment one might only see in a dream.
Just imagining how people would look up to her when she attended a party in it sent thrills through her.
Seeing the greedy eyes that couldn’t leave the dress, Marie smiled.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, it’s truly beautiful.”
The Marchioness, caressing the dress, answered with a dazed expression.
Marie clapped her hands lightly, her smile oddly mysterious.
“Oh, by the way, did you know? Tomorrow Countess Gordon is hosting a party—without invitations.”
“Oh, really?”
At the unexpected news, the Marchioness widened her eyes.
No wonder—recently, the only places she’d been were Marie’s boutique and her home.
Marie was her main source of society gossip, and if she didn’t hear it from her, she often wouldn’t hear it at all.
Marie frequently delivered clothes in person to the Ravello household, which only strengthened this reliance.
Still, it didn’t matter; the information she provided was plentiful and useful.
“They say the Countess hopes as many people as possible attend. Why not wear this dress there?”
The Marchioness’s face brightened at once.
Countess Gordon, well known for her strong footing in society, was someone she secretly longed to befriend but had never had the chance to.
Worse, the Countess had recently grown close to her hated granddaughter, which had been driving her mad with jealousy…
“I remembered your worries last time, so I thought I’d find a way to help.”
“I’m touched, Marie.”
“As it happens, Countess Gordon is also a regular at our boutique. It would be nice if my dress became a topic of conversation between you two.”
“That is delightful news!”
If she could win the Countess’s favor, perhaps she could restore at least some of her and her husband’s reputation, which had plummeted due to Alex’s scandal.
They were of similar age, with plenty in common, so perhaps they could become close quickly.
Maybe even closer than with Claire.
Completely unaware that the news came from that very Claire, the Marchioness eagerly prepared to attend.
“For accessories, how about these? They’ll match the dress perfectly.”
Following Marie’s recommendation, the Marchioness adorned herself with colorful, extravagant jewels.
Hehe, everyone will surely shower me with praise when they see me.
And so, on the day of the party—
Wearing her reddish-brown hair pinned up with a red rose, she strode proudly toward the Gordon estate.
Through the thick greenery of the garden, she spotted several noble ladies already gathered.
Showing off her appearance, she approached confidently and greeted them.
“Hello, everyone.”
“…Marchioness Ravello?”
Only when she drew near did she notice that every one of them was dressed in dark, muted colors.
It puzzled her, but instead of worrying, she felt elated, thinking this would only make her stand out more.
At that moment, Countess Gordon, who had been seated beside a lady, holding her hand, rose with a strangely flustered look.
“How lovely to see you, Countess. I heard you were hosting a party, so I came dressed specially for you.”
“…Ah, I see.”
The Marchioness’s heart sank at the lukewarm response.
Eager for attention, she quickly boasted about her dress.
“Today I’m wearing a gown made of jeweled flowers. I had it made at Darling’s Boutique. What do you think?”
She expected envy at her use of the famous boutique, along with admiration for the jeweled flower trend.
But instead—
“Marchioness, what on earth are you doing here like this?”
The atmosphere turned icy.
“…What?”
“This gathering is to console Viscountess Connor, who recently lost her mother.”
Countess Gordon’s face hardened as she spoke.
The Marchioness glanced around nervously.
At last, the reason behind the guests’ dark, somber attire became clear.
Her dazzling gown, which she had been so proud of, now felt humiliating.
“How could you show up dressed like that to such an occasion…?”
“This isn’t just cluelessness. Wasn’t it deliberate?”
“What a mean-spirited thing to do. No matter how much you want attention, there’s a time and place.”
Murmurs of censure rippled through the crowd, all directed at her.
“N-no, I didn’t mean—”
Flushed and sweating, the Marchioness stammered.
But Countess Gordon gently took her arm and, in a quiet yet firm voice, said:
“Marchioness Ravello, I’m sorry, but please leave.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose, Countess! I only—!”
“That’s enough.”
At the Countess’s cold gaze, the Marchioness shivered.
In the end, she was shamefully expelled from the Gordon estate.
She could only imagine how society would gossip about today’s disaster—it was unbearable.
If only Marie had explained things properly…! This is all her fault!
Seething, she rushed to Darling’s Boutique, but the doors were closed and Marie was nowhere to be found.
The gemstones stitched into her dress glittered in the daylight like fleeting mayflies.
The 50,000 gold he had borrowed from Bear quickly ran out.
Such was the nature of gambling—winning was hard, losing was easy.
Especially since the disguised Jake had taken more than half of it, the Marquis was nearly losing his mind.
Perhaps I really should quit gambling…
But even the additional 50,000 gold loaned vanished in a single night.
Regretfully, he staked his last 100 gold for one final game.
And then—
“I-I won! I actually won!”
For the first time, the Marquis had triumphed.
“Ah, congratulations.”
Jake clapped lightly, smiling oddly.
His loss hadn’t been a mistake. Fearing the Marquis might lose interest if he only ever lost, Jake had deliberately let him win.
After that, the Marquis continued his winning streak.
Grinning ear to ear, he barely noticed as Jake rose from his seat.
“Seems today isn’t my day. I’ll stop here.”
“What? What are you talking about? You have to keep playing!”
“Ah, but we’ve played plenty. How about meeting again in two days?”
“Hm… fine.”
With no special plans, the Marquis readily agreed.
At that moment, Jake lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Let’s raise the stakes then, shall we?”
“Ha, feeling confident, are you?”
“Think of all the money I’ve made here already—with plenty of help from you too, sir.”
The remark pricked the Marquis’s pride, recalling how often he’d lost to Jake before.
Fire sparked in his gray eyes.
“Fine, let’s raise them!”
“Ah, splendid. How about five rounds, 50,000 gold each?”
A total of 250,000 gold would be required.
The Marquis thought it over. If he won, he could reclaim everything he had lost in one swoop.
Yes, I’ll win it all back!
Forgetting his past defeats, intoxicated by the promise of victory, he agreed.
But when he went to borrow from the Episteme Guild, their reaction was lukewarm.
“That’s quite a large sum this time. Are you sure you can handle it, when you haven’t repaid a single coin of your previous debts?”
Theodore asked coolly, crossing his legs. Irritated, the Marquis slammed the table.
“Don’t worry! This time I’ll pay it all back!”
“Hmm, still… we can’t just hand it over. How about adjusting the contract terms a bit?”
Claire interjected smoothly, as if she had been waiting.
“It’s only sensible to add safeguards, given the risks for both sides.”
“W-what? Well… how much of a change?”
Though he flinched, the Marquis nodded, pretending calm.
If he won, he’d pay back the loan with interest and still have plenty left.
If he won…
And I will win.
Claire slid the revised loan agreement toward him. His nerves dulled by greed, he didn’t even read it carefully before signing.
On the appointed day, he headed eagerly to the Dover gambling hall.
“Ah, there you are! Did you bring the 250,000 gold?”
“Of course. All in cash.”
“As did I.”
They converted their money into chips and sat at the card table.
At that point, the Marquis brimmed with confidence.
He told himself his previous setbacks had been mere flukes, and now he would show his true skill.
But—
“Straight flush. I win.”
Round after round, his chips dwindled rapidly.
“Four of a kind. Luck’s on my side again.”
To make matters worse, Jake kept winning with hands just slightly better than his.
At the final round, the Marquis, having already lost 200,000 gold in mere hours, nervously checked his cards.
He had come to pay off debts, but was instead drowning in them.
Yet as he looked at his hand, the corner of his lips twitched upward.
Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 of hearts.
“Straight flush! This time I win!”
With ecstatic triumph, he slammed down his cards and reached for the chips.
But—
“Oh dear.”
Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 of clubs.
A royal straight flush—one rank higher.
“R-royal straight flush…!”
“Unfortunate, isn’t it?”
Jake revealed his hand leisurely, speaking with feigned sympathy.
But the Marquis was too stunned to respond.
The first royal straight flush he had ever seen in his life—and it had appeared against him.
He had been so certain of victory.
In the end, he lost the entire 250,000 gold.
Then my total debt is now…
His vision went dark.
“This is absurd! The game doesn’t count!”
“Sir, please don’t make a scene.”
“Ridiculous! I’ll never pay! Give me back my chips!”
The Marquis shouted, thrashing wildly.
Jake calmly gathered the chips.
“I’m sorry.”
“Give me my money, you cheat!”
“We played fair. Losing doesn’t give you the right to do this. Guards, please.”
At Jake’s call, gambling hall staff restrained the raging Marquis.
Jake exchanged his chips for cash and strolled out unhurriedly.
By breaking Dover’s rule of honoring one’s losses, the Marquis was thrown out the back door in disgrace.
As he trudged home, he calculated bitterly.
So now I owe 350,000 gold…!
He might even have to sell some of his lands, not just possessions from the manor.
With a heavy sigh, he tried to comfort himself. At least, as long as he still had his title and family name, he could recover.
But that was only until the demand letters began arriving for him and his wife.
