The room was filled with soft evening light streaming through the wide windows of the study. The sturdy desk where Elizabeth sat was covered with papers, reports, and cups of still-warm tea. Opposite her sat Alex and Count Astarion, who calmly continued the conversation, his hands folded in front of him.

  "Now, let’s move on to the most important part," the count said evenly. "Over the past few days, about two hundred bandits, bounty hunters, and all kinds of rabble have arrived at Lorenzo’s gambling house. What his purpose for gathering them is—I cannot say."

  Alex crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes slightly.

  "About two hundred…" he repeated thoughtfully. "That’s far too many for simple security."

  "Quite so," the count agreed. "Especially considering he already has seventeen personal guards, each at least level fifty. On top of that, around a hundred more people work for him permanently. That’s more than enough to keep both himself and the building secure."

  "Maybe he’s just preparing to host some… special guests?" Elizabeth interjected, putting emphasis on the last two words.

  Alex turned his gaze to her.

  "You mean someone might try to kill him?"

  "Judging from Astarion’s information," she replied, "that’s the most logical assumption."

  "By the way," the count spoke again, "the celebration begins in three days. And this… ‘crowd’ is still arriving. So that number of two hundred may grow."

  Alex smiled.

  "No matter how many there are, if their quality is average, breaking through them won’t be a problem. Even if some are around level seventy, I can still handle it—it’ll just take a bit more time."

  Astarion smiled back.

  "I had no doubt I’d hear something like that. But please, be careful. We still don’t know what else Lorenzo is capable of."

  "Don’t worry. I’ll do everything quickly and cleanly," Alex assured him.

  The count nodded and opened his inventory, producing a roll of parchment. Unrolling it on the desk, he revealed the floor plan of the gambling house.

  "First and second floor layout," he explained. "Nothing particularly interesting, but there’s one thing…"

  He pointed to a small room deep in the second floor.

  "Here—a magical teleportation circle that leads to the dungeon beneath the building. We don’t have a map of the dungeon, but perhaps this will be of some use."

  "In this business, every little detail can be useful," Alex said, tearing his gaze from the map to look at the count. "Once I’m there, I’ll find my way."

  "Wise words," Astarion smiled.

  "This is all very impressive, but how did you even get a map of the duke’s entire building?" Elizabeth asked, her tone a mix of suspicion and admiration.

  "I didn’t just sit around doing nothing," the count replied with a hint of pride. "While Lorenzo was recruiting his people, I sent one of mine in. He drew this layout at my request."

  "Well done," Elizabeth said with a satisfied smile. "That’s actually quite clever."

  "Thank you for the compliment."

  "But there’s still the matter of how Alex will get to the second floor," she added. "It’s closed to guests, and guarded everywhere."

  "I’ve taken care of that," the count said. "That same agent will lead him to the teleportation room when the right moment comes. He’ll be in a completely brown suit, with a red shirt and a silver mask. In any case, he’ll find you himself."

  Alex nodded slowly.

  "Then it’s settled. The plan is clear, I know the landmarks. Now it’s just a matter of waiting—and starting the hunt for yet another rotten aristocrat."

  The voice came from somewhere at the edge of consciousness. Repeating… once, then again.

  "Alex… Alex?" Familiar. Firm. Female.

  The young man seemed to snap out of deep thought and glanced to the side. To his left, across the gaming table, sat Elizabeth. She leaned forward slightly, tapping her fingers on the table in an attempt to catch his attention.

  "Everything all right?" she asked, raising one eyebrow slightly.

  Alex rubbed the back of his head guiltily, then a soft smile crossed his face.

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  "Just got lost in thought…" he muttered. "So, where were we?"

  "At your turn, darling," said the woman in black with a touch of playfulness, slowly taking a drag from her cigarette.

  Alex lowered his gaze to the cards in his hands. Ace of hearts and jack of hearts. Then—a quick glance at the face-up cards on the table: king of hearts, ace of spades, three of clubs. He exhaled quietly. It begins…

  "Sorry for the distraction," Alex said. "What’s the current maximum bet?"

  "One hundred gold," Rogan replied from his seat to the right.

  "Thanks." Alex added forty gold to his existing sixty. "I call."

  "And me," Rogan added, immediately placing his gold on the table.

  The lady in emerald silently matched the bet, nodding to the dealer.

  "Bets are placed," the girl said with a soft smile, drawing the next card from the deck. Ten of hearts.

  Alex smiled inwardly. "Royal flush, if the queen comes next…" But at that moment, he spoke mentally:

  "Sirena, anything interesting?"

  Her voice came almost immediately—calm and even:

  "Everything remains unchanged. Guests are drinking, playing, laughing. The guards are sticking to protocol—no unnecessary movements."

  "I see…" Alex murmured in thought.

  "Are you getting caught up in the game again?" Sirena asked with mild irony.

  "No," Alex replied. "This time I was running our plan through my head. Making sure I haven’t forgotten anything."

  "Don’t worry, my Lord. Everything will go exactly according to plan. As always."

  "I’m not expecting any other outcome," Alex sighed, "but… Waiting for the real action to begin is already getting tiresome."

  "I think your thoughts have been heard," Sirena replied with a smile. "Look ahead."

  Alex lifted his gaze… and froze for a moment. Standing directly opposite him, just behind the dealer, was Duke Lorenzo de Carvalho—smiling, refined, cold. Beside him was the same man in a black suit who had introduced him to the public.

  "Miss Cassandra," Lorenzo said, bowing to the lady in black. "It is an honor to see you here."

  "The honor was mine to receive an invitation to such a luxurious celebration," Cassandra replied with a thin smile. "My husband, unfortunately, could not come, but he sends his regards."

  "A pleasure. I hope one day I will have the chance to host you both in my estate."

  "I’ll pass your words to him," she nodded. "We will be sure to visit."

  Lorenzo turned his gaze to Elizabeth, holding it on her longer than was proper.

  "Miss Elizabeth…" he said at last, inclining his head in a bow—this time less deep. "I never imagined I would one day have the honor of hosting one of the Seven Directors in my humble gambling house."

  "When I learned that Duke Carvalho was hosting such an evening," Elizabeth replied softly, "I couldn’t resist. And I do adore games of chance—especially in the company of worthy players."

  "Your words are like honey to my soul. I hope this is not our last meeting. I would be most interested to hear how things are going at the finest Academy on the continent," the duke said, giving her a small nod.

  "I will certainly consider such an offer," Elizabeth replied with a faint smile.

  At last, his gaze shifted to Alex.

  "And you are…?" he began, but—

  Alex didn’t hear him.

  His entire world had narrowed to a single figure—a woman in black, calmly smoking a cigarette. The lady noticed his gaze and, tilting her head slightly, asked:

  "Are you all right? You look as though you’ve drifted off into thought again."

  Alex finally tore his eyes away and, a little embarrassed, replied:

  "Your name… Did I hear it correctly?"

  Cassandra laughed softly, covering her lips with the tips of her fingers.

  "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. It’s just that, usually, when people hear my name, I get exactly the sort of reaction you’re having now. Yes, you heard correctly. Cassandra. Cassandra Valmont."

  She paused, then added just as lightly:

  "You probably don’t know much about me… but judging by your look, you’ve heard something about my husband. Or perhaps… you even know him personally?"

  "Unfortunately, I am not personally acquainted with the great Mr. Octavian Valmont," Alex said quickly, awkwardly turning his head. "But it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss Cassandra."

  "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Alex," she replied with a charming smile, taking a deep drag from her cigarette.

  Lorenzo rejoined the conversation.

  "By the way, I’ve heard that one of our players already managed to win a rather large sum tonight. And judging by the words of other guests—this lucky man is you," the duke said, smiling at Alex.

  "That’s true. And thank you for this celebration, Your Grace. The atmosphere is simply incredible," Alex replied, inclining his head slightly.

  "Glad to hear it," Lorenzo nodded. "Very glad indeed."

  "By the way, Your Grace," Cassandra interjected, "perhaps you would care to join us?"

  "With pleasure," Lorenzo replied. "However, you’re already in the middle of a game."

  "But we’re already at the final stage," she noted with a smile. "You’ll be able to join the next one quickly."

  "If no one minds…" Lorenzo paused briefly, slowly glancing around the table.

  When no objections came, the duke leisurely took the empty seat between Cassandra and the lady in the emerald dress. All eyes turned to the young female dealer.

  "Please, place your final bets," she said calmly.

  Cassandra moved first. She looked at her cards, took a slow drag from her cigarette, then lightly—almost playfully—tossed another hundred gold into the pot.

  "Raise by one hundred."

  "Call," Elizabeth added at once, not even glancing at her cards, with the quiet confidence she always carried.

  "Call," Alex said, matching the bet.

  "Fold," Rogan muttered, setting his cards aside.

  "I fold as well," the lady in emerald said with a light smile.

  "Bets are placed," the dealer announced. "Final card."

  She turned it over—the queen of hearts.

  "Show your cards, please," she said to the players.

  The emerald lady spoke first.

  "Not my night, it seems," she said, revealing the two of clubs and the six of diamonds. "Better luck next time."

  Rogan shrugged, revealing the ten of spades and the ace of clubs.

  Cassandra took her turn next. She calmly took another drag, then laid down the two of hearts and the four of hearts.

  "Flush," Lorenzo said respectfully. "It seems victory is yours, Lady Cassandra."

  "Don’t be so hasty, Your Grace," she smiled, raising an eyebrow slyly. "We still haven’t seen Mr. Alex’s and Miss Elizabeth’s cards."

  "I think the duke may be right," Elizabeth said with a smile, revealing the king of clubs and the king of diamonds.

  "Once again, the most interesting part is up to you," the lady in emerald remarked, turning her gaze to Alex.

  Alex gave a faint smile, then slowly, in a single motion, revealed his cards—the ace of hearts and the jack of hearts.

  "Royal flush," the dealer said calmly. "We have a winner."

  "It seems Lady Luck is clinging exclusively to your shoulder tonight," Cassandra commented with graceful irony, leaning back in her chair.

  "It would seem so," Alex replied, smiling back at her.

  "Congratulations on yet another victory," Lorenzo said, then turned to the man in the black suit standing behind him. "I’ll stay here for another round. You may go."

  The man nodded, gave a small bow, turned, and silently vanished into the crowd.

  "Well then, may we have a fine game," the duke said to all present.