Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks

Princess Sibilla lifted the tablecloth, revealing a chessboard below, engraved with rows labeled "Melee," "Ranged," and "Siege" across from each other.

At the center, there was a weather row reminiscent of "Chu River and Han Border," used to apply various beneficial effects.

The initial version of Gwent cards had simplified rules, aiming for easier circulation, allowing the largely illiterate knightly class to easily grasp it.

Not only were Losa and Sibilla playing cards, but knights and nobles below also gathered around to drink and watch the card game.

People seem to have immense wisdom and perseverance when it comes to entertainment, overcoming numerous obstacles.

The speed at which Gwent cards gained popularity truly surprised Losa.

The two exchanged moves.

To Losa's surprise, Her Highness the Princess's card skills were indeed as superb as she claimed, not merely relying on sheer card power.

It seemed her self-proclaimed "enthusiast of Demon Hunters" wasn't just a political lie to deepen relationships but contained some genuine sentiments.

"Two out of three wins, sorry, I won."

Sibilla gathered her Gwent cards, putting them back in the card box, a hint of pride on her face: "I know you never thought I would be a wise ruler. But as it turns out, you were wrong."

Being a smart person doesn't necessarily mean being a wise monarch.

Losa thought to himself.

His bad impression of Sibilla came from the historical Princess Sibilla of his past life.

She and Guy brought Jerusalem to a perilous state once on the throne.

But Princess Sibilla of this world doesn't seem as hopeless as Losa initially thought; she demonstrates distinctive skills in managing territories and steering vassals.

Losa talked with Princess Sibilla for quite a while longer.

As long as she gives up the idea of recruiting him as a henchman, Losa is quite willing to establish good relations with Princess Sibilla.

He currently adheres to the neutral stance similar to Baron Goffrey.

The King's Faction suits him just fine.

The present King's Faction isn't as weak and bullied as before; at least politically, it can now rival the Empress Faction.

And a triangle is most stable.

A three-way standoff can keep Jerusalem's political situation stable for a significant time to come.

Princess Sibilla suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, by the way, I have a guest here you might find interesting."

"Your Highness, please speak?"

Sibilla took a sip from her silver goblet, then frowned and said, "A man claiming to be a Demon Hunter said he came to the Holy Land tracking a nefarious werewolf. I'm not sure if he's a fraud, but if there's truly a werewolf lurking in the Holy Land, it's a threat to everyone."

Losa furrowed his brow slightly: "Werewolves again—honestly, there seem to be a lot of dark creatures in Jerusalem recently."

Sibilla nodded and said, "That's also my concern. The Demon Hunter said it's because dark creatures are skillful at hiding. Many times, they brush past us on the street, and we're still completely unaware."

Losa remembered what the Witch Anna had once told him—the number of wizards is far greater than you imagine.

Both statements had a similar sentiment.

"A very reasonable explanation; I'll meet with him after the banquet."

At this moment, the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly turned a bit eerie.

The noisy conversation suddenly quieted down a lot.

Losa and Princess Sibilla instinctively looked up to see Furinjira and Prajna, dressed glamorously, walking into the banquet hall together.

Prajna wore a long red palace dress today; the skirt should have been long enough to drag on the ground, but because of her exceptionally tall stature, it revealed a bit of her ankle instead.

This vibrant color on her looked particularly unusual to Losa.

Like a delicate, dewy rose, dazzlingly beautiful, instantly drawing all eyes to her.

Beside her, Furinjira was in a light green dress, strikingly different from her usual style, appearing rather plain yet undoubtedly outstanding.

Red with green…

Losa couldn't help but lament internally how these two's appearance was so striking that they could pull off such a poor color combination.

At the banquet, the servants, knights, and nobles collectively fell silent, with only the sound of gulps rising and falling.

Sibilla gently clenched her fist, her sharp nails slightly pricking her palm.

That helped her regain some composure.

"I apologize."

"I must excuse myself for a while."

Losa smiled as he spoke.

Sibilla feigned indifference and said, "It's okay."

Losa stood up and walked down. He felt that if he didn't stand out in time, those who overestimated themselves and tried to flirt would put on a good show of jealousy and drama.

...

Furinjira held Prajna's arm, somewhat proudly saying, "See, I told you we should change into pretty clothes — did you notice those women's jealous eyes?"

"Big silly, you must thank me properly. This princess doesn't always want to be a green leaf complementing others."

Prajna slightly pursed her lips; initially, she hadn't planned to dress like this.

It was Furinjira who, after hearing about the banquet, took her to a guest room to change her clothes.

This little girl, who loved to show off, carried luggage full of pretty clothes.

"Yes, I really need to thank you."

Prajna said softly.

Furinjira was uncharacteristically generous:

"It's nothing. Anyway, we must thoroughly suppress that Princess Sibilla this time, leave her disgraced, and make her abandon unrealistic ideas about the master."

Though Losa had promised several times that he wouldn't politically marry Sibilla, Furinjira remained vigilant.

After all, it's a great chance to rise to the top. Even Furinjira herself found it tempting.

Losa walked up to them: "Were you two acting all secretive just now, just to change clothes?"

Furinjira snorted lightly: "Yeah, seeing those men's eyes full of envy, doesn't it greatly satisfy your vanity?"

"Ha, do you see me as a vain person?"

Losa responded.

His gaze quickly fell on Prajna, somewhat unable to look away.

This bright color made Prajna's fair skin even smoother, like jade, greatly dispelling her cool demeanor.

Prajna slightly turned her cheek, her soft black hair hanging down on his shoulder: "Do I look good?"

"You look good!"

He said softly, "Miss Prajna, may I have the honor of inviting you to be my companion at the banquet?"

Prajna hesitated for a moment before Furinjira interjected: "Master, she doesn't want to; let me go instead!"

Losa reached out and ruffled Furinjira's white long hair: "Be good, next time for sure."

Even as Furinjira wanted to speak, Prajna nodded with a smile on her lips.

"Okay."

...

Beside them, a Knight itching to make a move was sharply stopped by his companion: "Are you courting death, you fool? These two are women close to Count Losa; it's not your turn to make a stir."

"Both of them?"

The Knight showed an astonished expression: "This Count Losa is really too greedy, isn't he?"

"Don't you dare treat these ladies as ordinary people. One is a mysterious Witch, the other a renowned Iron Knight. For people like you and me, just watching from afar is enough of an honor."

"No wonder, so these two are the legendary Iron Knight and Red Witch."

The legends of the Witches under Losa were never a secret in the Holy Land. People were very eager to spread such rumors, especially those Knights who had once served under Losa.

Otto looked at Losa, walking hand in hand with Prajna towards their direction, unable to show a hint of a smile.

He had to admit, he felt a bit defensive.

Originally, he thought Losa had paid the price of "unable to marry" for the family and for expanding his power.

Making Otto determined to finish his pilgrimage and return to Algo to complete the engagement with the second daughter of Duke Lorraine.

But looking at it now, what kind of price is that!

"This is Otto, my older brother."

Losa introduced in succession: "These two are Prajna and Furinjira, both my most trusted comrades."

Otto showed a bitter smile: "It's a great honor to meet you, ladies. I've heard Losa mentioned that because of you, he can't get married — but what I want to say is, if one can be with such beautiful ladies as yourselves, marrying or not really doesn't matter at all."

Furinjira was very satisfied with this outcome, yet she said, "I never asked the master not to marry; it's his own choice."

Otto showed an expression of "I completely understand." If he knew Losa really chose voluntarily, he would surely question his life even further.