Chapter 90: The spirit of the Empire (3)

He let his guard down for a moment.

Yuri was exhausted from the long journey, and upon arriving at the hotel, memories from his past had distracted him.

That’s why he had focused solely on relaxing his mind and body, submerged in hot water from head to toe, without noticing that someone had entered the room.

While resting in a lotus position under the water, he suddenly picked up a faint sound with his ears.

It was a humming. As soon as he recognized it, Yuri’s body tensed.

He felt the melody getting closer and wished the voice would deepen. But contrary to his wish, the tone only grew higher.

Additionally, the soft, dragging sound of fabric didn’t resemble a man’s clothing.

It was a woman’s. More precisely, undergarments.

That could only mean one thing—his reputation was about to go down the drain.

Yuri calmly considered the situation. There were two possibilities.

First: the hotel staff had guided the guest to the wrong room.

In other words, this room wasn’t his.

That was the worst-case scenario.

No one cares about the truth behind a scandal. If there’s a party, only the fireworks matter. All the merit he had accumulated would scatter like the tide receding.

Just imagining such a situation made Yuri want to cry. But there was still another possibility.

Second: the person humming had entered by mistake.

In that case, his odds of surviving were much better. But he didn’t have enough information. He couldn’t tell which was true.

What was the smartest course of action? Yuri hesitated, afraid of impending disaster.

At that moment, a voice crossed his mind.

‘Do not fear your enemy.’

Yes, that was it. He was a heir of Briol. Not someone who fled in fear of what might happen.

‘Act according to your convictions.’

As he envisioned the withered skull of some unknown ancestor who spoke those words, Yuri, without opening his eyes, surfaced just enough to lift his face above the water.

Fortunately, his back was facing the entrance.

Yuri spoke.

“I believe you’ve entered the wrong room.”

His voice echoed in the bathroom. He said it with absolute certainty, as if he were the rightful owner of the place.

The humming stopped. Silence fell.

Yuri, like a whale breaching then diving again, submerged once more with perfect composure. He held his breath, waiting for the person to leave.

Only the bubbles escaping his mouth floated to the surface.

Just when it was becoming too difficult to hold his breath any longer…

“Excuse me…”

The visitor not only hadn’t left, but dared to speak.

“This is… my room…”

Yuri felt as if his soul had hit the floor.

If the one who had to leave wasn’t her but him—how much worse could it get?

He didn’t think he could endure the humiliation of standing up, drying off clumsily, dressing awkwardly, apologizing, and packing his things to leave.

The woman spoke again.

“It seems you’re the one who made a mistake… I’ll leave you the place…”

And the bathroom door closed. Yuri wished he could die right there, never taking another breath, but he changed his mind.

If he had to die, it would be after killing the employee who had guided him to this room.

He stood up abruptly.

Someone—probably her—had left clean clothes near the entrance for him to change into.

Since everything was already ruined, he decided to at least finish his bath quickly. He dried off with a towel and got dressed. He stood in front of the mirror and mentally prepared himself.

It was time to face his fate.

‘Briol never abandons its honor. Even at the cost of life.’

He calmed himself. He had to act with absolute composure. Yuri ran a hand through his damp black hair and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Fuu…”

He exhaled, as if merely annoyed by an unfortunate situation. He was no longer the man who had wanted to die underwater.

What remained was a cold, elegant knight calmly confronting an unexpected mishap.

He lifted his gaze with an indifferent expression and saw a woman standing next to the bed, clutching a robe.

Her face, which had been stiff at first, began to soften little by little. Perhaps because he at least looked like a decent person.

Yuri blinked, then bowed politely.

“The staff brought me to this room, so it must’ve been a mistake. It wasn’t intentional. I sincerely apologize for what happened.”

His bow was flawless. As dictated by the protocol of the Royal Palace of Briol—inhale deeply, maintain the bow for the length of one exhale, and then slowly rise.

His damp fringe fell forward, briefly revealing his well-shaped forehead and dark brows before covering them again.

“I hope you can accept my apology.”

Yuri gave the softest smile he could muster.

The woman, who had been watching without reacting, finally opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Yes, yes…”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait a moment…”

“Is there still something left?”

“Well…”

She hesitated, then bowed her head deeply and said,

“You can dry your hair before you go…”

Thanks to her kindness, Yuri didn’t have to go complain to the staff with dripping hair.

He dried his hair in front of the mirror and then thanked her again.

“I owe you one.”

“Yes…”

She asked that he not be too hard on the employee.

“Anyone can make mistakes. I’m pretty absent-minded myself…”

“I understand. You have a kind heart.”

“It’s nothing, really…”

Yuri wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

He took his luggage and left immediately. His earlier polite demeanor vanished, replaced by an infernal expression as he marched to the reception desk.

The staff member bowed so low it seemed his head might touch the floor.

“Ah, such a terrible mistake! I sincerely apologize. Please, kill me…”

He nearly got on his knees, and Yuri had to lift him up by force.

“Be more careful next time.”

“Yes. I’m truly sorry. There’s no excuse.”

“Luckily, nothing serious happened.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean it.”

“Ah, understood.”

They assigned him a new room. Curiously, it was right next to the one he had entered by mistake.

“Hmm…”

He didn’t like it, but there were no other rooms available.

The new one was identical to the previous. After putting his things away, Yuri locked the door and sat on the bed.

Since arriving in the Empire, strange things kept happening to him.

“I guess that’s to be expected when entering the tiger’s den.”

He lay down on the bed to rest a bit. But the world had no intention of leaving him in peace.

Knock knock.

He sighed deeply and opened the door reluctantly. The person standing there was unexpected.

“Is there still something left?”

It was the woman from the room he had mistakenly entered earlier. She smiled awkwardly.

“I heard a noise and… it seems you’re right next door.”

“I see.”

“My name is Pamia.”

She avoided Yuri’s gaze while speaking incoherently.

“Sorry to appear out of the blue, but I wanted to ask you something…”

“You want to ask me something?”

“Actually, maybe it’s not quite a favor…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… since you saw my body, I thought a small request might be justified…”

“I didn’t see it. I didn’t get the chance. You saw for yourself, the place was full of steam…”

“There’s no way to be sure of that, is there?”

“I swear on my honor.”

“Your honor?”

“My honor is worth more than a thousand treasures.”

“Ah…”

Pamia looked at him and smiled.

“You’re Prince Yuri, right?”

“Yes.”

“I knew from your hair. I’d heard you arrived in the capital…”

On the way to the hotel, Dale had told him that the news of Yuri’s arrival in the capital was already spreading fast.

To the citizens, who got excited over any rumor, Yuri had already become a subject of admiration and attention. That was probably how she recognized him too.

“In any case, since you entered a lady’s room without permission…”

“Hmm…”

“I hope you’ll grant a small favor.”

Yuri nodded with resignation.

“All right. As long as it’s reasonable.”

“Could you come outside with me for a moment?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something I’ve wanted to do since I arrived in the capital, but I’m too scared to go alone.”

“And what is it?”

“Basregas…”

She said it so quietly at first that he didn’t catch it.

“I want to go to Basregas, but I’m scared to go alone…”

Yuri’s eyes widened. He had completely forgotten.

The largest casino on the continent, Basregas, was in this city. They said it was as large as a royal castle.

“Basregas…!”

“Don’t you like casinos?”

Pamia asked softly. Yuri answered as if he were hypnotized.

“No, actually—I love them.”

“Really?”

Hernando had once told him he had seen Basregas inside one of Erich’s dungeons. For any card player, it was a dream setting.

And Yuri was no exception.

“If it’s just a quick visit…”

It was the table where the high-rollers of the continent staked their fates, and the winner took all.

Who wouldn’t want to see it at least once?

Besides, he still had time before his evening meeting with Dale.

Yuri nodded.

“No helping it. Let’s go.”

***

The largest casino on the continent was located on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

They took a carriage to get there. In broad daylight, the signs shone brilliantly. So many magical crystals had been used that the exterior lights outshone the sun itself.

The driver stopped the horses.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Thanks.”

Yuri got out of the carriage and opened his arms toward Basregas, letting out a breath filled with awe.

“So this is the smell of Basregas…”

“Seems the prince likes it more than I do…”

“I only came because you asked.”

“Right…”

Yuri stepped inside. Unlike the dazzling exterior, the atmosphere inside was dim.

A man in a tuxedo approached to greet them. Though formally dressed, he wore gaudy jewelry.

“Welcome to the casino, Your Highness. I’m the manager of Basregas. May I personally guide you?”

Each time he smiled, the piercings in his ears and brows jingled. Yuri shrugged.

“Seems like you were expecting me.”

“Not exactly. I recognized you when you got out of the carriage.”

“I’m that easy to recognize now?”

“Your Highness, the third prince of Briol, is already very famous.”

The manager looked at Pamia and cautiously asked,

“And this young lady is…?”

Yuri didn’t know anything about her beyond her name. He looked at her, and Pamia responded softly.

“Just a companion…”

The manager nodded with a smile.

“Understood. And, Your Highness…”

“Yes?”

He leaned closer and whispered in Yuri’s ear.

“I’ll keep the secret about this lovely lady.”

Keep what secret, exactly? Yuri tilted his head, confused. The manager smiled mischievously again.

“Don’t worry. No one will hear about you and the princess of the Holy Kingdom. Hehehe…”

Yuri suddenly remembered.

To reject Ragnar’s marriage proposal, he had lied and claimed he was dating Sybilla.

Apparently, that story had already spread. This city had too much curiosity about other people’s lives.

Yuri shook his head.

“There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Still, I never imagined the prince would come with such a beautiful lady. What a stunning woman! Haha…”

As the manager started getting too forward, Yuri was about to cut him off—but then the man suddenly handed him something.

It was a mask that covered half the face. A magical current shimmered across its surface.

“Our casino values client privacy. We offer these to those who need it. Only to distinguished guests, of course.”

The mask was an artifact for concealing identity.

“Would the young lady like one as well?”

“No, thank you.”

“Of course, it would be a waste to cover such beauty. Hehe…”

Yuri put the mask on. His face changed—eyes and nose were concealed, and even his hair and eye color transformed.

The manager smiled ambiguously and led them inside. Just before parting, he whispered again.

“If you ever need a private room, don’t hesitate to ask. What happens in Basregas stays in Basregas.”

Then he showed his neck. A magical circle was tattooed there.

“I’m under a silence spell. Even if I wanted to talk, I couldn’t. Hehe…”

Under the dazzling lights, his smile looked almost decadent. Yuri frowned.

“I doubt I’ll need that.”

“As you wish. Hehe…”

Yuri didn’t want to keep talking to him, so he turned away immediately. Inside the casino, there was an enormous variety of gambling games. Just trying each one would take the whole day.

“There’s so many types.”

“They’re all the same. Cards are what really matter.”

Because what Yuri loved was just one thing. And apparently, so did Pamia.

“Uh… Do you know how to play cards, Prince?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s play together.”

“You know how to play too?”

“Of course I do!”

Pamia smiled shyly and took Yuri’s arm.

“Don’t be surprised if you end up losing to me.”

The manager had called her a beauty. But Yuri didn’t see it at all. It was the same with Sybilla or Maryrose. Despite their attractiveness, they stirred no emotion in him.

Maybe he had seen so much beauty that his sensitivity had dulled.

Yuri sighed. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

But at least, this time, it was useful.

“Why are you walking so slowly? Let’s go play. Hehe…”

Thanks to that, he could see right through this woman’s act.