Casino Wizard

Maria, a socialite who mingled among the elite under the title “Baroness Bonucci,” couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Winning money was exhilarating, but it still felt surreal.

“Playing poker with those assets of yours?”

The count’s vile sneer aimed at her drew a wry smile.

Before becoming the Second Prince’s consort, Maria had never endured such insults, even during her days lurking in social circles, hoping to catch the eye of a wealthy noble or royalty.

But Maria Bonucci wasn’t one to simply take such abuse lying down.

“Shall I inform His Highness, the Second Prince, about how you insulted me, dear Count?”

“Threaten me all you want. To the prince, you’re nothing more than a cheap plaything. Got it?”

“And you’re a count without land, sold out to the royal family by your ancestors, isn’t that right?”

Maria couldn’t understand how she ended up embroiled in this petty power struggle with the count, supposedly an ally.

This had started as a friendly poker game, with stakes as low as 10-20 silvers, to ease tensions between her lover, the Second Prince, and the Hero’s party.

Yet, here they were.

She chuckled under her breath as the game continued unabated.

“Fold.”

Once again, the wizard quietly stepped out.

“Our wizard dies again, huh?”

“Indeed, Count! He’s sharp when we’re holding good cards but loses his wits when ogling that massive hunk of flesh.”

“You two can ramble all you want. You’ve lost enough money already; I’ll let it slide.”

“This little punk—”

The banter flying over the table was sharp and crude.

Maria wasn’t exempt from the change. Everyone had become someone else.

The count, now chain-smoking and slouching, had transformed from a once-respectable noble into a boorish gambler. He was the head of a traditional house serving the royal family, the son of a former prime minister, and a key supporter of the Second Prince.

Yet now, he hurled insults at Maria over money.

“This hand, a straight—mine!”

Despite his boastful claims, Maria noticed how ridiculous the situation had become. The pot was swollen with sums that commoners could never dream of earning in their lifetimes, all reduced to mere chips in this game.

At some point, the stakes spiraled out of control because the participants had started ordering their attendants to bring additional funds.

The current minimum bet sat at around 10 gold coins. “Around” because the betting rules had already collapsed entirely.

“They’re all out of their minds, seriously.”

If this continued, something disastrous was bound to happen soon.

A catastrophic move of going all-in on impulse.

The fallout could ruin someone’s life irreparably.

In Mrs. Bonucci’s view, the men’s aggressive behavior stemmed from their unease.

Fear was taking hold of them, and they were trying to mask it with aggressive words and actions. She understood that much.

In truth, she herself was in a heightened state—but for different reasons.

“How much is this now?”

The tray in front of her was brimming with gold coins.

She had started with just 10 gold coins.

Forty hours later, her fortune had multiplied hundreds of times over.

“Call.”

“Fold… no, call.”

It looked like she was about to win this round as well.

Her hand consisted of a heart 4 and a club 7—a trash hand.

But the three community cards on the table formed a dream combination: ♦3, ♣5, and ♦6.

Combining those with her hand made a straight.

“I have to go for it. No matter what.”

Mrs. Bonucci suppressed her nervousness and smiled.

From now on, it was a battle to raise the stakes as high as possible before the showdown.

It wasn’t hard to manipulate Count Immobile, who had already lost his cool.

The only challenging opponent was the wizard Hyden, who, as the creator of the game, was the only player maintaining a perfect poker face.

Although luck seemed to have abandoned him today—his hands were consistently poor—he had managed to minimize his losses to less than 50 gold by folding wisely.

Still, Mrs. Bonucci was confident she could outwit Hyden.

He had been unable to take his eyes off her from the very start.

Especially a certain part of her resting on the table.

Whenever he tried to read her expression to assess her hand, his gaze would inevitably stray.

By now, he was making an effort to avoid looking altogether, but even a slight gesture from her would draw his eyes back.

He turned out to be surprisingly naive.

Despite his decent looks, had he never been with a woman? Then again, many wizards were known to be innocent in such matters.

At this point, Hyden’s poker face and wandering gaze made him seem almost endearing.

“I’ll raise to 80.”

Mrs. Bonucci raised the stakes and flashed a subtle smile at the wizard, adjusting her neckline slightly.

Hyden averted his eyes, but he wasn’t as composed as he wanted to appear. After a long hesitation, he finally said, “Call.”

Then came the reveal.

“Mrs. Bonucci wins with a straight!”

Another victory for her.

“Fine. At least I’m making money.”

Smiling, Mrs. Bonucci glanced at Hyden, who had just lost a substantial amount this round. She toyed with the idea of teasing him, perhaps as a token of gratitude for being so easy to deceive.

But then, unexpectedly, Hyden muttered, “Ha… damn it.”

His face twisted slightly in frustration, and the poker table went cold for a moment.

Even Haydin, who had been somewhat courteous, now revealed clear hostility.

“And what are you going to do about it, throwing a tantrum like that?”

Mrs. Bonucci sneered, mocking the men who lashed out in anger after losing money.

She, too, was no longer holding back.

****

“Phew. Hyden, you’re starting to feel it, aren’t you? Lost quite a bit now?”

“It’d be wise not to provoke me, Count.”

“Oh, don’t be so serious.”

Feigning anger was part of my act, a step in wrapping things up.

Forty hours into the game…

We hadn’t been playing poker the entire time. There were short breaks—an hour’s nap here, washing up with cold water there, or snacking while waiting for attendants to bring more funds.

But aside from that? Poker. Just poker.

By now, even the royal villa’s butler was ferrying cash for us—it had become too cumbersome to handle the sums ourselves.

Even at this moment, large sums of money were flowing into the game.

“My lord, here’s the money you requested…”

“Leave it here and get out.”

“But sir! This money is already allocated for important purposes… even the lady of the house is pale with worry—”

“I said leave it and get lost!”

The clinking of coins filled the air as the money was placed on the table.

Just listening to the exchange made it clear.

If the count lost this as well, the consequences for him would be dire.

And he wasn’t the only one replenishing his funds.

“Hyden, I’m here.”

“Ah, good to see you, Hero.”

Our middle-aged hero entered, carrying a small pouch.

Though the pouch itself wasn’t large, it was filled with 10-gold coins, the highest denomination in circulation.

“Hero, leave it there and wait outside, please.”

“Hyden… you’ve been absent for two days now. Is something going on?”

“I’m sorry, Hero. I’ll explain later.”

“Sigh. Fine. I’ll wait outside.”

Suppressing my emotions, I sent the hero to wait in the reception room.

I didn’t tell him to return to the casino.

Depending on the outcome of the final game, I might need him.

Though I could handle things myself, it was always wise to prepare for contingencies.

Now, with everyone except the knight fully resupplied, I took a few deep breaths and allowed a small smile to cross my lips.

“Mrs. Bonucci?”

“Yes?”

“Honestly, you’re quite captivating. I can see why the second prince holds you in such high regard.”

“Oh my!”

“You’ve given me a tough time over the past two days. But I think your charm has lost its power over me. I’ve seen enough blood myself.”

Starting with some self-reflection, I forced a smile and offered Mrs. Bonucci a suggestion.

“It’s not too late, Mrs. Bonucci.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Return the money you won from Sir Enrico and Count Immobile. Not all of it—just 70%. I’ll walk away without any complaints. In exchange, just put in a good word for me with the second prince. That’s all I ask.”

“Take only 30% of my winnings?”

Mrs. Bonucci placed her hand over her chest, appearing conflicted.

Count Immobile stared at her intently, clearly hoping she’d accept.

Sir Enrico, utterly devastated, looked at her with desperation in his eyes.

Would she agree?

Perhaps if their relationships had been more amicable, Mrs. Bonucci might have returned some of the money.

But that ship had sailed.

The bonds of trust had already been shattered—mockery, insults, open hostility, and threats of retaliation had exposed their true natures.

Her answer was decisive.

“No, I’ll just continue.”

“Sigh.”

“It’s my winnings. Why should I give them back? That wouldn’t be fair, would it? I doubt Count Immobile or Sir Enrico would approve either.”

Her refusal was no surprise.

After a brief pause, I smiled once again.

“Very well. Let’s see this through to the end.”

The game resumed.

…

An hour later.

“My… money. My… money.”

Unable to withstand the massive stakes, Sir Enrico lost everything.

He began banging his forehead against the wall.

Thud. Thud.

Ignoring him, I took the dealer button and began shuffling the cards.

Unlike the clumsy Hindu shuffles of the others, my movements were meticulous and dazzling.

But the cards weren’t actually being shuffled.

It was a blind shuffle.

To the untrained eye, it looked like I was shuffling normally, but the deck remained intact.

This time, I subtly arranged the cards to create a situation that would lead to an all-in game, tailoring it to the remaining players.

Of course, no one noticed.

Because my hands were faster than their eyes.

“Could you stop shuffling so loudly, Wizard? It’s driving me crazy.”

“Don’t pick a fight, Count.”

“Ha! The lunatic’s even talking informally now.”

Forty hours of unrelenting tension had driven Count Immobile mad and left Mrs. Bonucci intoxicated by her winnings.

I felt sorry for them, but ignorance had no place at the gambling table.

“Dealing the cards now.”

This was the final round.

***

TL Note :- Tl Note :- Again Happy new year to y’all, love y’all Mwwwaaaaa