Chapter 17

“Because three managers have already come and gone, the budget set for operating expenses has long been used up.”

His indifferent tone as he expressed regret was shameless.

Diana’s face turned pale.

“If you want, I can introduce you to the last manager in charge of the casino. But I doubt it will help much. He’s probably busy looking for staff right now.”

“Repair this place with no money? That’s impossible!”

The ridiculous demand slowly sank in.

Don’t just throw around such difficult conditions so easily!

“Just by looking, there’s more than one place that needs fixing. Is there really no budget left at all? Not even a little?”

“Yes.”

Ian pulled over a nearby chair with a loud scrape.

When he leaned back, dust rose in a cloud.

“Think about it. Even though the casino looks like a market street ruin, would they really stop operating just for that reason?”

What is he talking about?

“The real reason the royal casino was shut down was that the dealers were colluding with the players.”

“…What?”

“When I first put my subordinate in charge of the casino, it was in somewhat decent condition. But since it deals with foreign nobles, managing it was more difficult than I thought.”

Ian pulled out a square case from his pocket.

He took out a brown cigar and inserted his finger into a peculiar tool.

Diana realized late that it was a cigar cutter.

“That’s why they appointed a specialized manager. At first, he worked somewhat sincerely, but later he started embezzling the budget and keeping sloppy records.”

Snip.

The sharp sound of the cigar cutter was unusually vivid.

What could that mean?

Each time the well-manicured fingers moved, the cut cigar tip weakly dropped to the floor.

The intimidating feeling from the cigar cutter made Diana’s expression harden.

“They cut him off quickly and brought in someone else, but this time the casino’s expensive items started disappearing little by little. They filled the place with antiques, and that’s how it ended up like this.”

“…”

“I carefully chose someone last time, but maybe the dealer had other plans and got involved in match-fixing. Whether the manager was in on it or not, I don’t know.”

“So that was the real reason the casino closed.”

Fairness.

More important than shabby interiors or lost budgets—the fundamental principle of a casino.

Only then did Diana realize the identity of the man who came to Ian begging at the garden party.

“Please, just wait a little longer… next time, I promise…”

He was the last manager in charge of the casino.

She clearly remembered his desperate face begging Ian after failing to find the dealer involved in cheating.

‘I might be in a similar situation.’

No sooner had she realized that, another snip of the cigar cutter echoed in her ears.

She got goosebumps down her spine.

“A month. I’ll give you one month.”

The man cloaked in shadows laughed in the darkness.

Ian inspected the cleanly cut end of the cigar one by one before putting it in the case.

“It would be best to finish reopening the casino within that time. Aside from the budget, I’ll prepare to help as much as possible within reason.”

“You do know that if there was a budget, I wouldn’t really need any other help, right?”

“I trust you won’t beg for what doesn’t exist.”

His tone drawing a clear line was firm.

“What if I can’t do it?”

“Look over there.”

Ian smiled coldly and pointed to one side of the casino.

“I found out recently there’s a lot of empty space behind the walls.”

“…”

“Even if one or two people went in there, it wouldn’t be noticeable.”

Wanna go in?

Instead of asking, Ian smiled slyly.

It was an obvious lie. As a young duke, he surely knew easier ways to hide a body.

But the chill was unavoidable.

‘I’m crazy.’

The threat was so skillful it made Diana silently glare at him.

“I’m quite curious to see what means Miss Diana will use to solve this situation.”

“…”

“I’m personally very much looking forward to it.”

Ian stood up.

The cigar end crushed under his shoe was ground into unrecognizable pieces.

“Shall we head back now?”

Inside the silent casino,

The man standing tall and looking down was still smiling nonchalantly.

The carriage ride back was as quiet as if by agreement.

More precisely, Ian talked a lot, but Diana kept her mouth shut, so silence naturally settled in.

‘Being involved with a squinty-eyed villain means getting hurt even with eyes open.’

No budget, just deal with it yourself.

Ian’s lengthy bombshell announcement only made her angrier the more she thought about it.

‘Am I Cinderella’s magician? I can’t even turn a pumpkin into a carriage, so what do you want me to do?’

How was she supposed to fix the ruined interior with no money, and how could she reopen the troublesome casino inside and out in just one month?

‘I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but this is too much!’

All Diana could do was desperately control the boiling lava-like anger inside her.

Until just thirty minutes ago, she wanted to sew her mouth shut for ever saying Ian was surprisingly cooperative.

She silently glared at him, and Ian just kept smiling as time passed.

“I’ll get off here.”

Fortunately, the silence didn’t last long.

Ian stopped the carriage near a private carriage station.

“I’ll send the casino’s ledgers to you through someone by tomorrow morning.”

“…”

“Since many eyes were on us today, no one will suspect Miss Diana and me for a while.”

His tone, now unrecognizably businesslike, was so different from the sly actor from earlier.

Ian tidied up and prepared to get off.

“I hope you’ll bring me great news that will open everyone’s eyes soon. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Diana gave him a stunned glare for a moment.

Her eyes softened.

In a tone very different from their constant bickering, she called him,

“Lord Ian.”

“Yes?”

“It’s better to cut cigars just before smoking them. If you cut them early, the scent and flavor all escape, and you miss their true value.”

“…”

“For a satisfying experience, don’t forget to wait until they’re properly matured.”

Their intense gaze lasted only a moment.

The man, smiling politely at her gentle reproach, replied with a calm tone that was almost teasing.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

His voice was soft like a mix of wax and honey.

But only Diana seemed to know the dangerous wasp-like edge hidden beneath.

The next morning.

After a late breakfast-lunch, Diana settled her thoughts.

‘I’m angry, but there’s nothing I can do. Time to face reality.’

She glared at the casino ledgers Ian had sent like they were enemies and took a deep breath.

If she blamed Ian for revealing there was no budget now, would Ian Crawford suddenly change his mind and provide funds?

‘No matter what happens, that will never happen.’

At best, she’d just get more sarcasm.

Although angry, she had already decided to become Ian’s helper, knowing it wouldn’t be an easy path.

Complaining wouldn’t change anything. If she wanted to change something, she had to act herself.

Diana didn’t hide her displeasure as she flipped through the ledgers.

The wider her furrowed brow was at first, the narrower it became like a small stream as she turned the pages.

“Huh…”

After discovering a few unsurprising facts, Diana closed the ledger and made up her mind.

‘With my current strength alone, I can’t solve everything.’

Then there was only one path left.

‘I don’t plan to ruin the original story, but there’s no need to treat this place like a sanctuary either.’

Now that it had come to this, she’d just take all the useful information from the original story and use it.

After deciding that, she felt more at ease.

Diana left the manor without hesitation.