KFBRV Ch 108
- Mar 9
- 6 min read
A rule set by the host of a salon is absolute within the salon, no matter what it is. This was an unwritten law among the nobility.
The salon was considered not merely a place for socializing but the future of Barzeha. Thus, anyone who disregarded the host or the rules was forever ostracized from aristocratic society.
The host of this salon, "Lady Karin," gracefully tapped a glass with a spoon to draw attention, then announced the rule.
[Karin] "Whatever happens in this salon, no matter how trivial, must never be spoken of outside these walls."
Typically, salons had about 20 rules, so presenting just one was unusual.
Furthermore, the host was none other than Lady Karin, the only daughter of a Duke in the Empire and, along with Odette, the most famous lady in the land. Therefore, no one would dare break this rule. Breaking it would be akin to turning the entire social world into an enemy.
Sitting at a poker table, Damian pondered.
I should have just stayed in my room. Did I come here for nothing?
He was merely mimicking a gentleman; he possessed not a shred of the culture required to participate in the discussions.
If he hadn't overheard gossip this morning claiming Lady Odette was actually an empty-headed woman, he wouldn't have come near the salon.
Since the rumor reeked of malice, he attended the salon to find its source, but everyone was babbling in difficult words he couldn't understand.
Deflecting with poker talk has reached its limit.
Just as he decided to read the room and leave, the salon doors opened, and a late arrival entered: Odette.
His eyes widened.
Damn it. Why is she coming in here?
Before coming to Athena Island, Damian had received a detailed explanation of Odette's plans. She had clearly stated she would have no business attending the salon!
Our lady has fallen into a trap. How am I supposed to rescue her?
He felt helpless. If this were a thug's den, he would know what to do, but he had no idea how to rescue a woman from such a formal setting.
[Guest A] "Wow, it's the first time I've seen Lady Odette appear at a place like this."
Beside the troubled Damian, a middle-aged gentleman murmured in admiration.
[Damian] "Is that so?"
[Vogel] "She famously dislikes mixing with others, after all. And she has such an arrogant and vicious personality."
[Damian] "You speak as if you know her, Baron Vogel, yet you haven't even conversed with her."
[Vogel] "The gossip rags have been so consistent about it because it's true. It's not easy for a maid working in a Count's estate to constantly report to the tabloids, is it?"
He smacked his lips lightly and continued.
[Vogel] "But, I heard from a servant yesterday that she's terribly stupid. Always lifting her chin arrogantly and ignoring everyone's conversation."
[Damian] "......"
[Vogel] "She just didn't want anyone to find out her head is empty."
His words dripped with the bitter regret of sour grapes.
Whether her head is empty or not is none of your business. You should worry about your own empty scalp.
An old bachelor—no, an old man—harboring such presumptuous greed toward Odette.
[Vogel] "Let's return to what we were discussing earlier, Lord Köndel. What was the name of that casino where you had such fun?"
[Damian] "It's the Wolfgang Casino."
[Vogel] "Hmm, it doesn't sound like a noble's name. Is the owner a commoner?"
[Damian] "I wouldn't know. As long as I win money, it doesn't matter to me."
He shrugged shamelessly at the Baron's question. After all, it was the alias he had given his uncle.
It was then.
[Odette] "Lord Köndel, Baron Vogel."
A soft voice reminiscent of a flute reached them.
[Odette] "It's a pleasant afternoon. May I join your conversation?"
[Vogel] "L-Lady Odette?!"
The salon erupted in murmurs, stunned that she would initiate a conversation.
Baron Vogel, who had just been badmouthing Odette for her arrogance and viciousness, looked shocked to the point of ugliness.
[Odette] "I enjoy poker as well."
But the person most shocked in this vast hall was undoubtedly Doly. Her face had gone completely pale.
Damian, tasked with mimicking a gentleman, had to struggle to suppress his laughter at Doly's world-collapsing expression.
The source of the rumor must have been that maid.
Damian, quick on the uptake, realized it instantly but felt no need to report it to Odette. Judging by the corner of her lips, the lady already knew.
[Vogel] "O-Of course!"
The Baron excitedly offered his seat on the sofa, but another voice intervened.
[Karin] "I would also like to join this table."
[Vogel] "Heavens. L-Lady Brentano?"
He looked ready to faint. The honor of being with the two most famous ladies in the Empire was suffocating.
[Vogel] "B-But. Wasn't Lady Brentano famous for disliking Lady Odette?"
He whispered into Damian's ear.
True. It's a rumor even a commoner like me knows.
The nobles gathered in the salon openly stared at the table, shocked by the historic sight of Lady Odette and Lady Karin sitting together.
Vogel began to shuffle the cards clumsily.
Conversation should have flowed naturally, yet no one opened their mouth.
Recalling the bad reputation of 'Arrogant Flower of Society' from the quest window, she spoke first.
[Odette] "What were you discussing?"
[Vogel] "Ah, w-we were talking about the Wolfgang Casino. Lord Köndel said he had a very enjoyable experience there."
At his words, Lady Brentano spoke in a stiff tone.
[Karin] "That place looked entirely vulgar from the entrance. Gambling is inherently a noble pastime. What pleasure could there be in a place filled with commoners red-eyed for money?"
Damian frowned almost imperceptibly, but she smiled faintly.
Her personality is the same as in the game. High-handed and aristocratic.
Quite consistent.
Lady Brentano was the only daughter of a Duke in the Empire. Originally, there were four ducal families, but the current Emperor had eliminated all but the Brentano family through political maneuvering.
The Emperor had tried to destroy the Brentano family as well, but their integrity was so absolute that no dust could be found no matter how hard he shook them. In the end, it concluded without bloodshed, with the Emperor merely seizing their entire fortune under various pretexts.
Now, she was the daughter of a ducal family left with only honor and history, stripped of all wealth and glory.
And Charlotte's rival in the game.
If Odette was the 'villainess,' Karin Brentano was the 'rival' who competed fairly with Charlotte, a formidable opponent vying for the position to rule the social world.
[Odette] "I also agree with Lady Brentano's opinion."
She said as she drew a card from the deck. Damian wore a betrayed expression at her words. Lady Brentano also bit her lip, seemingly surprised that she agreed.
But Odette couldn't miss this opportunity.
Lady Brentano is the polar opposite of pleasure. An image that is upright and exemplary, but boring.
The mere fact that she dislikes it promotes the Wolfgang Casino as a symbol of pleasure.
In Odette's case, since she had the 'villainess' image, saying she disliked it actually had a better promotional effect.
[Damian] "This is quite embarrassing. Perhaps I am not noble enough. Although it is shameful to admit to two ladies, it was a genuinely enjoyable memory for me."
[Karin] "What pleasure did you find in such vulgarity?"
Damian pretended to meet Brentano's cold gaze, but he was actually scanning the other attendees focused on this table. Among those listening, three matched the illustrations Odette had drawn and sent.
[Damian] "Of course, the pleasure of flattening the dealers' noses."
[Odette] "Ah, I heard the rumor. Lord Köndel won a huge sum with a Full House? They say the Wolfgang Casino almost went bankrupt?"
When she asked lightly, he answered a beat later.
[Damian] "The thrill of 1 Atasha becoming 3,000 Atasha in an instant was incredible."
[Vogel] "Gasp, 3,000 times?"
[Guest] "Hiek."
3,000 times. At that absurd number, gasps of admiration flowed from the people pricking their ears toward the table. Even the stiff-faced Lady Brentano looked very surprised for a moment.
Only Damian wore a relaxed expression, but Odette knew he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.
"Full House."
That word was the code she sent to him.
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