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Chapter 4
Intense Introduction (2)
“Hmm, that’s true.”
The woman in front of him would win the game if she got one more answer right.
Gale smirked.
“But aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself, maid?”
Unlike Gale, who enjoyed the game, she seemed eager to end this bet quickly.
Trying to rush meant impatience. And impatience meant poor judgment.
‘That’s not how you gamble.’
Gale let out a sneaky laugh in his mind and placed the dice into the middle cup again.
Then he began moving his hands once more.
Tap.
His hands stopped again.
“Then this time…”
“Right.”
There was still no hesitation.
The firm answer once again caused silence to fall over the surroundings.
But Gale was smiling.
Slowly, he lifted the right cup.
“Too bad, maid.”
Unfortunately, the ball was not in the cup Rachel had chosen.
Gale shook his head as if disappointed and flipped over the left cup.
Only then did the ball reveal itself in his hand.
“Puhahaha—!”
At that moment, everyone except the prince and the nanny burst into laughter.
Gale looked at her and relaxed his brows.
“My apologies, maid.”
“There are still chances left.”
Even after losing one chance, Rachel spoke calmly as if nothing had happened.
‘Pretending to stay composed, huh.’
Gale let out a low laugh as he watched her.
No matter which cup that woman chose, the result would be the same.
No one but him could win this stage.
‘Because it was designed that way from the beginning.’
Gale exchanged a glance with the orange-haired boy standing next to him.
Then he smiled confidently, as if already looking forward to Rachel’s defeat.
“Then this is the last one.”
Tap.
Once again, Gale’s fast-moving hand stopped abruptly.
“Which side is it?”
“Orange hair, left hand.”
It was strange.
Just moments ago, Gale had looked so relaxed—but now he froze as if cold water had been poured over him.
Rachel stared at him quietly.
In her green eyes, a strange light reflected Gale’s flustered expression.
“What? What does that mean?”
“Orange hair? There’s only one orange-haired person here.”
The group began to murmur.
Meanwhile, the only orange-haired boy among them broke into a cold sweat.
As if struck in a sensitive spot, he suddenly shouted.
“W-what are you talking about? I’ve just been standing here!”
“Do I need to check what’s in your hand?”
At Rachel’s words, the orange-haired boy flinched.
“Th-that’s not—!”
He stepped back as if trying to run away.
But Rachel had no intention of letting him go.
In an instant, she grabbed and twisted his wrist.
“Ah!”
With a short scream, strength left his left hand, and something fell to the ground.
A ball.
Even Edwin and the other boys opened their mouths in shock.
Rachel, the only one who remained calm, picked up the ball without a word.
She pressed it between two fingers.
Surprisingly, the squished ball immediately returned to its original shape.
“A rubber ball.”
“G-give that back!”
The orange-haired boy’s face turned red, as if his secret had been exposed, and he lunged at her.
But Rachel easily turned her body and dodged him, then continued speaking while looking at Gale.
“That boy was crouching right next to you earlier. When the cups were moved, he must have secretly caught the ball you flicked away.”
At her explanation, both Gale and the orange-haired boy looked uneasy.
The same question appeared in their minds.
‘How did she figure it out?’
As if answering them, Rachel continued.
“The person sitting opposite wouldn’t see it, so you flicked it toward your side. He must have grabbed it from beside you.”
With a blank expression, Rachel grabbed Gale’s sleeve.
Then an identical ball rolled out from inside his clothes.
“You must have prepared multiple balls. You needed to secretly place them into the wrong cups so the opponent wouldn’t choose correctly.”
The orange-haired boy bit his lip at her words.
Her deduction was completely correct—accurately enough to put the culprits in a tight spot.
“W-what?”
“Wait… so Gale was tricking us too?”
“He teamed up with that guy? What about my money?”
It seemed they hadn’t only deceived Rachel and Edwin.
Among the noisy boys, the orange-haired boy glanced nervously at Gale.
Gale silently glared at Rachel, then clicked his tongue.
It seemed he decided there was no benefit in continuing once the trick had been exposed.
“Take it. Let’s say you won the bet.”
Gale tossed a bracelet onto the box as if throwing it away.
“What bad luck. Tch.”
He spat in Rachel’s direction, then turned away.
Rachel’s expression twisted in disgust at his rude behavior, but he didn’t notice.
“What are you looking at?”
Instead, Gale shot a threatening glare at the boys behind him.
They shrank back and did not dare step forward.
After all, they were just common boys and could not oppose the youngest son of a count’s family—and a disciple of an artisan favored by the emperor.
Gale looked at them in disdain, then turned away.
But there was someone who further irritated him.
“Did you use the same trick against His Highness as well?”
It was Edwin’s nanny—Rachel.
“Quite impressive, deceiving an innocent child. How vulgar.”
“What did you say?”
Gale’s lips twisted at her sharp insult.
“If you dared to cheat a member of the imperial family, you must be prepared for the consequences.”
Enraged, he stormed toward her and grabbed her by the collar.
“Just shut up and leave, woman. Don’t act up.”
He growled into her ear.
“Shut up? With that cheap trick, who exactly do you think you’re fooling?”
At her unchanging confidence, Gale’s face changed.
Rachel, who had looked like an angel until now, slowly bared her teeth in a smile.
“Idiot.”
It was not an angel—it was a devilish smile.
She leaned in close to his face and whispered.
“Cheating an imperial family member is punishable by execution for insulting the royal house. You should’ve chosen your targets more carefully.”
Gale’s face trembled at her open mockery.
“That prince you insulted happens to be part of the imperial family. Surely you didn’t fail to realize something so obvious?”
It was a clear fact.
But Gale forced himself to stay calm.
“S-so what? He’s still a useless third prince. Everyone knows he’s treated worse than palace servants.”
Rachel clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“Do you really believe that? A member of the imperial family is always a member of the imperial family. You do understand that insulting royalty is treated the same as treason, don’t you?”
No matter how noble Gale’s status was, it was still lower than a prince of imperial blood.
That was an unchangeable fact.
“A mere noble child and an imperial prince.”
Looking at Gale’s now pale face, she curled her lips upward.
“Which one do you think you should choose?”
Grit—
Gale ground his teeth.
If this matter were ever brought up, he would be as good as dead.
“Tch!”
He shoved Rachel’s collar away in frustration.
Even with considerable force, she remained standing firmly and simply straightened her clothes.
That calm attitude only made him more furious.
“Just wait. I’ll remember your face.”
He turned and left with the boys behind him.
Rachel did not bother stopping them.
Without their leader’s trust, that group would not last long anyway.
At that moment, the orange-haired boy who remained approached her hesitantly.
“U-um… I’m sorry.”
At the unexpected apology, Rachel raised an eyebrow.
“I was just following Gale’s orders…”
It was more of an excuse than a proper apology.
Rachel said firmly,
“You should apologize not to me, but to His Highness.”
“Ah.”
The orange-haired boy quickly turned to Edwin and bowed.
“I’m really sorry, Your Highness. I swear I will never be rude to you again.”
Edwin looked visibly flustered.
As if it were the first time he had ever received an apology.
But only for a moment.
The young prince straightened his back and shouted proudly.
“I’ll forgive you this once. If it happens again, I won’t let you off. Got it?”
He puffed his chest out as if he had never been intimidated before.
The orange-haired boy, relieved, kept bowing and quickly left.
Only then did Rachel truly take a proper look at the prince she was supposed to look after.
Bright golden hair that shone like sunlight. Blue eyes like sapphires. Smooth, pale skin.
Up close, the prince was strikingly beautiful.
But despite his bright appearance, his thin frame and pale complexion were somewhat pitiful.
Then the prince’s gaze turned to her.
“Hey, what are you?”
A sharp voice and unfriendly eyes.
Rachel was momentarily taken aback.
