MHBBM 25

CHAPTER 25…………………………………………..

Trisha sat inside the moving carriage, gazing out the window. Her thoughts drifted back to the distant past.

It was when her reputation had plummeted to rock bottom in the social circles of her previous life, due to Regina’s schemes.

As Trisha hid alone on a balcony, tilting back a glass of alcohol, an uninvited guest appeared.

“Oh my, someone was already here?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere else to sit—may I trouble you for a moment?”

A black-haired man wearing a mask that completely concealed his face.

Before Trisha could even respond, he had already settled himself on the balcony.

“If there’s a problem, one way is to eliminate the problem itself.”

“As long as you know the code I just mentioned, you should be able to request anything.”

As if he absolutely had to be on that balcony, the man said only what he needed to say and then disappeared.

‘In my previous life, I never ended up going to the information broker he mentioned.’

That was because she believed Edwin wouldn’t go so far as to cast her aside.

If he truly intended to discard her, he would have divorced her long ago and made Regina the Grand Duchess.

At least, that was what she had thought.

‘What a ridiculous belief.’

Knowing Edwin’s fickle and arrogant nature, failing to prepare for the future had been truly foolish.

“Your Highness? What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“It’s nothing.”

At that moment, the carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at their destination.

A small café located in the southern part of the capital.

Jane, who had felt something odd about its ordinary exterior, soon followed quietly behind Trisha.

As they opened the door and stepped inside, a staff member approached them.

“The first and second floors are available. Do you have a preferred seat?”

“The third floor,” Trisha said.

“…Pardon?”

The employee looked flustered by her answer.

Jane also couldn’t hide her confusion.

From the outside, the building clearly appeared to be only two stories tall.

“I’m sorry, miss, but our café only has two floors.”

“I’d like to use both the first and second floors, so I’ll go to the third.”

Despite the staff member’s explanation, Trisha didn’t budge.

“…Very well. Please follow me.”

The employee led the way.

After passing several doors, they came upon a spiral staircase leading underground.

It seemed that “the third floor” was merely a code. Jane followed behind Trisha and the staff member.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a massive iron door that didn’t suit a café at all.

“From here on, I recommend wearing a mask. A wig as well, if you like.”

As he spoke, the employee gestured toward masks and wigs hanging on the wall.

Both of them chose white masks that completely covered their faces.

Jane declined the wig, while Trisha put on a brown one.

“And the moment you enter, you’ll each be assigned a number.”

He handed them cards with numbers written on them.

“Once assigned, your number cannot be changed. It’s mainly used for bets and games inside.”

“…I see.”

Jane didn’t quite grasp it, but she nodded anyway.

“Shall we proceed?”

After confirming they were ready, the employee opened the door.

“Goodness…”

The moment the door opened, noise poured out, along with the stifling heat unique to a crowded, enclosed space.

Looking around, they saw people drinking at tables, playing cards, chess, and other games.

‘This atmosphere feels less like an information guild and more like…’

“Like a gambling den, right?”

Jane flinched at Trisha’s question, then nodded.

“It really does.”

“And I don’t think this is the end of it.”

“The end?”

“To make an official request to the guild, you probably have to pass one more test here.”

Otherwise, there would be no reason to run an information guild in such a dangerous way.

If they wanted a space like a gambling den, they could’ve opened a tavern instead of a café from the start.

“Isn’t this place too dangerous? A gambling den, of all things…”

“It’s fine. Since it’s not a real gambling house, anyone who causes trouble will be thrown out immediately. Look over there.”

As Trisha said, a drunken man shouting loudly was dragged out before he could even lay a hand on his opponent.

“They manage security properly. Why do you think they assign numbers?”

It meant they could identify troublemakers and permanently ban them.

Conversely, it also meant they would track down anyone who cheated or ran off and make them pay the price.

‘Inefficient in many ways.’

That was her impression of how this place was run.

Still, it wasn’t without its advantages.

‘This setup makes it much easier to conceal what really matters. Perfect for hiding the guild master’s identity.’

Information would also be gathered faster and in greater variety.

After all, someone deliberately seeking out an information guild and someone drunkenly chatting during a game produced vastly different amounts of information—the latter far more so.

“Right this way.”

They had expected to part ways after passing the main tables, but the employee guided them even deeper inside.

“Is it really okay to keep following?”

At Jane’s wary question, Trisha hesitated briefly before deciding.

“It’d be better to bump into that man coming this way.”

“…What?!”

Before Jane could protest, Trisha turned her body toward the man approaching from the opposite side.

“Whoa! What the—?”

The man spilled his drink as Trisha suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”

“I apologize.”

As the man snapped irritably, Trisha pretended to be flustered.

“Apologize? What are you going to do about my clothes?”

“I’ll compensate you.”

“Hah, are you messing with me right now—”

“Then how about a bet?”

Trisha cut him off.

“If you win our bet, I’ll compensate you five times the cost of your clothes.”

“…What?”

“And let’s make it a bet everyone can participate in.”

Trisha boldly pulled out her numbered card and showed it.

At the words “a bet everyone can participate in,” the surroundings fell momentarily silent.

Dozens of eyes turned toward Trisha.

The man swallowed hard, a chill of anticipation running down his spine.

“Well then, what kind of bets do you usually make?”

Behind his mask, the man’s eyes gleamed.

He was convinced she was a novice.

‘If she were a regular, she’d know exactly what kinds of bets I make.’

And a woman with such a beautiful silhouette would be memorable—yet he didn’t recognize her. Even the number on her card was unfamiliar.

‘Meaning she’s either here for the first time today, or at least a first-time bettor.’

The man’s lips curved gently beneath his half mask.

“Over here! Huh? Why are there so many people—”

Jane had called for the staff, but the crowd blocked her way.

People excited by the mention of a bet swarmed in, making it hard to even get close to Trisha.

“You’re a bit late,” the employee said awkwardly.

“Once a bet begins, no one can stop it—unless violence or verbal abuse occurs.”

“What exactly is the bet about?”

After a moment of thought, the employee apologized briefly, grabbed Jane’s wrist, and pulled her into the crowd.

“It’s better if you see for yourself.”

By the time they reached Trisha, the man was already explaining.

“How about we bet on information?”

“Information?”

“Things like investment prospects or scandalous rumors.”

It took longer than a simple card game or chess, but nothing was more thrilling than a successful prediction.

‘More importantly, this is my specialty.’

The man traveled frequently between places like Epelverno and Solton.

To defeat him in an information battle, one would practically need to be a god.

“Sounds fun. Let’s do that.”

When Trisha agreed, the man cheered inwardly.

The bet proceeded.

“These days, the topic drawing the most interest is mining, wouldn’t you say?”

“So we guess which mine will yield the greatest profit?”

“Exactly.”

“Fine.”

Once the bet was set, spectators began writing down the masked contenders’ names, their predicted winner, betting amounts, and their own unique numbers. Only those who bet on the eventual winner would receive rewards.

Soon after, staff members collected the slips one by one.

“I’ll go with the Petro Mine,” the man declared after long consideration.

The crowd buzzed.

“Petro? Isn’t that the one where the diamond veins are nearly exhausted?”

“Is he desperate to lose?”

“No way. Haven’t you seen how many times he’s pulled off dramatic wins? He must’ve uncovered something.”

Despite their confusion, people subtly trusted the man’s judgment.

“And you, miss?”

“I’ll go with…”

Trisha rested her chin in her hand briefly, then spoke confidently.

“I’ll choose the Argyle Mine.”

Once again, murmurs spread.

“Argyle Mine?”

“Where’s that?”

“Doesn’t sound like anything’s even been found there yet.”

“Rookie bets, what can you expect.”

Since most people had already bet on the half-masked man, no one made much of it.

“This might be the dullest bet I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, you never know. If Petro really is tapped out, she might actually win.”

A few people had placed their bets on her side as well.

‘Please win, miss!’

Jane had bet on Trisha not out of confidence in her victory, but simply to support her.

“When will we check the results?”

“Mining developments take time. How about around the time of the Adeline Count’s banquet?”

“The Adeline banquet? That’s after the New Year celebration—won’t that take too long?”

Trisha tilted her head.

“Or are you lacking confidence?”

“What did you say?”

“If that’s the case, I’d be happy to withdraw the bet.”

She spoke arrogantly, as if doing him a favor.

“It’s no fun betting against a frightened opponent.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! When have I ever been scared?”

With that, he pulled an invitation from his pocket.

“Then the banquet hosted by Viscount Wedein should be perfect. What do you say?”

“Oh, that’s in about a month, right?”

At Trisha’s words, he nodded.

“If you’re worried about revealing your identity, I can even spare an extra invitation I have.”

“If you’re offering, I won’t refuse.”

Trisha accepted the invitation he handed over.

“Then on the day of the Wedein banquet, the person who chose the mine with the larger reserves wins.”

“Agreed.”

As he nodded, Trisha motioned for a staff member.

Following the employee’s guidance, they recorded the details of the bet and wrote down their card numbers.

They also signed a notice stating that if the loser failed to pay on time, the guild would withdraw the money directly from their account.

Those who had bet on the outcome went through similar procedures before dispersing.

With that, the bet concluded.

“L-Lady…!”

“Jane.”

Trisha approached Jane, who was standing with the staff.

“You even placed a bet on your first visit.”

“So it seems.”

“Then may I continue guiding you?”

At Trisha’s nod, the employee resumed walking ahead.

Keeping a slight distance from him, the two followed behind.

Lowering her voice, Jane asked,

“Are you really going to be okay? If you lose the bet…”

“At worst, I just pay five times the cost of his clothes.”

The man hadn’t been wearing particularly expensive clothes for a noble.

“Everyone got excited and blew things out of proportion because of the bet. The burden on me is practically nothing.”

“…!”

Jane’s eyes widened.

Now that she thought about it, it was true.

Even if Trisha lost, the compensation would be pocket change to her.

Yet she had made it look like an enormous wager, drawing a huge crowd.

‘I was nervous, thinking things had gotten out of hand.’

Jane was genuinely impressed by her mistress’s capability.

“But why did you suddenly make a bet in the first place? Were you confident you’d win?”

“My goal wasn’t to win the bet.”

She showed Jane the invitation she’d received earlier.

“It was to obtain an invitation that allows anonymous entry.”

Jane’s eyes widened once more.

To think the purpose was the process, not the result—the realization caught her completely off guard.