Chapter 111
At her gentle voice, it was as if water had been poured over the room—everything went quiet. The man, who had been rolling his bulging eyes while calculating, finished his mental arithmetic, straightened his posture, and sneered.
“Do you even have five million gold to pay?”
A spark of life flickered in his dull black eyes, like an octopus that had bitten firmly onto bait.
To reel him in more securely, Isabel added more detailed “background.”
“He’s my ex-husband. I handle the money. Is that explanation enough?”
“You don’t look like a couple at all. You seem to hate each other.”
“Looks like you’ve never been married even at your age. Don’t you know married couples are usually distant like this?”
Apparently struck right where it hurt, the man cleared his throat and openly showed his irritation. While he was distracted, Hutman—shocked by Isabel’s unscripted remarks—hurried over and whispered urgently.
“What are you trying to do? Didn’t you see what happened to me? That bastard uses some weird trick to win!”
“Hutman. Please, don’t say anything—just trust me once.”
Her unusually serious gaze stopped him cold, and Hutman had no choice but to step back.
The man, who had been watching their whispering with annoyance, asked stiffly,
“Is what that woman said true?”
“…Yeah. It is.”
At the reluctant answer, a spiteful smile crept back onto the man’s lips.
Already bitter about being an old bachelor, now he’d even been mocked. He resolved to wring every last coin out of Isabel.
“Fine. Don’t expect any mercy this time. We’ll play the octagonal dice game again.”
“Sounds good.”
The dealer, watching cautiously, stood up and began preparing the game.
“T-Then we’ll begin. What about the wager?”
“I’ll go with the five million gold we discussed.”
The man immediately followed up.
“I’ll bet all the money I have now, plus what I’ll collect from your husband. That should be about four million gold.”
Four million gold was more than enough to recover not only what Amanda had lost but Hutman’s money as well. Even if she couldn’t take all of it, it would still be enough to knock that arrogant nose down a notch.
After getting burned this badly, he’d never set foot in a place like this again.
“It’s a bit short, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
Despite Isabel’s haughty reply, the filthy grin on the man’s face didn’t fade. His confidence that he would win was written all over him.
Let’s see if you can still smile in a moment.
Isabel nodded, signaling she was ready.
The game moved quickly. The dice slipped from the dealer’s hand and rolled across the table. The cover was placed, and the moment of choice arrived.
At that instant, Isabel caught the dealer and the man exchanging glances. When the man gave a slight nod, the dealer subtly pushed the edge of the table. As if to cover it up, the man slammed his hand down—bang!—drawing everyone’s attention.
It was exactly like when Hutman had played earlier. She’d wondered why he’d been pounding the table for no reason—so it was to divert attention.
Now that she was sitting here, the trick she hadn’t noticed before was obvious. Something installed at the table’s edge was likely activating a magnet.
After fiddling in the corner for a while, the dealer glanced sideways at the man and blinked twice. The man responded with a wide grin, flashing his gold tooth.
“I’ll choose first.”
“Go ahead.”
Pretending to deliberate for a moment, he snapped his chubby fingers.
“I’ve got a strong feeling about this. I’ll go with six!”
Six. The higher the number, the lower the odds—but the reverse was also true. From a probability standpoint, it was a ridiculous choice.
Just then, Chester suddenly appeared, sticking his head into the game table to peer under the cover. After checking the number, he flew back to Isabel and whispered exactly what he saw.
「2, 2, 2. Six is correct.」
Isabel clenched the hem of her dress to suppress a dry laugh. He’d said there’d be no mercy—apparently that wasn’t a lie.
Triple numbers, then demand ten times the wager. No shame at all.
For those without money, this place offered many ways to “repay debts.” Borrowing against property was the mildest option; in the shadows, people sold organs or were quietly sold into slavery.
“How long are you going to stand there thinking? You’re not backing out now, are you?”
The man pressed her impatiently, tapping the table and shaking his leg. Even knowing the outcome, the size of the wager clearly made him nervous.
“There’s no rush. Let’s take our time.”
Isabel answered deliberately slowly and gestured beneath the table to Chester. Chester winked as if to say leave it to me and slipped a finger under the cover.
After moving his finger around inside, he spoke with a satisfied expression.
「3, 3, 3. Go with nine.」
Even knowing the answer, Isabel didn’t respond right away. She let the silence stretch until the man reached the peak of his anxiety before finally speaking.
“I’ll choose nine.”
“That’s quite a difficult number.”
His half-lidded eyes were filled with certainty of victory. Without hesitation, he barked at the dealer.
“What are you waiting for? Reveal the result!”
“T-Then I’ll open the cover.”
As the dealer lifted it, everyone’s gaze locked onto the octagonal dice.
As expected, the result was unmistakable—3, 3, 3.
Isabel’s victory.
After confirming the numbers, Isabel rested her chin on her hand and chuckled softly.
“Looks like I won.”
“Ugh… This makes no sense! This is impossible!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Unable to contain his fury, the man slammed the table and glared murderously at the dealer. The dealer shook his head frantically, backing away as if he knew nothing.
“You bastard! You dare cheat me!?”
“N-No! I don’t know anything!”
Watching the man grab the dealer by the collar, Isabel finally spoke up.
“Why take it out on an innocent person? Anyone watching might think the two of you were working together to scam people.”
“…Ghk.”
“If that’s not the case, there’s no reason to get this angry, is there? In gambling, you win some and you lose some. Looks like your luck just ran out this time.”
She rose from her seat with a bright, deliberate smile.
“Dealer. I also won with triple numbers, so I should receive ten times the payout, correct? That would be forty million gold.”
“W-What!? Who do you think you are, you little—!”
The rage that had been aimed at the dealer turned on Isabel. The man yanked a dagger from his waist and lunged forward, his massive body hurtling at her. The blade was at her nose before she could even dodge, freezing her in place.
But the blade never reached her—it clattered to the floor. The man’s face slammed into the table, and he gagged, choking for breath.
“Ghk!”
“I let you go, and now you won’t stop acting up?”
With one hand, Hutman effortlessly pinned the man down, then immediately checked on Isabel, who had gone stiff with shock.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
“Tch. Anyway, you won.”
Hutman undid the money pouch hanging from the man’s back pocket and tossed it over. As Isabel hugged it to her chest, the heavy weight coursed through her body, color returning to her face.
This weight… and this lovely smell of money! Is it because they’re gold bars? It even smells better.
A rush of dopamine surged through her. As always, she roughly gauged the weight in her hands, then sighed regretfully and threw the man’s own words back at him.
“What a shame. Since I won with triple numbers, I’m supposed to receive ten times the payout—but this isn’t nearly enough.”
