TPNSIA-04

CHAPTER-04

Chapter 4: A Fierce Initiation (2)

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

If the woman in front of him guessed correctly just one more time, she would win.

Gale smirked.

“But aren’t you a little too quick to assume you’ve already won, Miss Maid?”

Unlike Gale, who wanted to enjoy the game, she seemed eager to finish it as quickly as possible.

Being impatient meant being anxious.

And anxiety clouded one’s judgment.

That’s not how gambling works.

Gale sneered inwardly and placed the ball beneath the middle cup.

Then he began shuffling the cups once again.

Tap.

His hands stopped.

“Then this time—”

“The right.”

Once again, she answered without hesitation.

Her firm response was followed by silence.

But Gale was smiling.

Slowly, he lifted the cup on the right.

“That’s unfortunate, Miss Maid.”

Unfortunately, the ball wasn’t beneath the cup Rachel had chosen.

Gale shook his head in mock sympathy and lifted the cup on the far left.

Only then did the ball appear.

“Puhahaha!”

Everyone except Rachel and the prince burst into laughter.

Gale gave her a patronizing smile.

“What a shame, Miss Maid.”

“I still have one chance left.”

Despite losing one round, Rachel remained completely unfazed.

She’s trying hard to pretend she’s calm.

Gale chuckled quietly.

It didn’t matter which cup she chose.

The result would always be the same.

This was a game in which no one except him could possibly win.

Because it was rigged from the very beginning.

Gale exchanged a glance with the orange-haired boy standing beside him.

Then he gave Rachel, who was about to lose, a leisurely smile.

“Then this is the final round.”

Tap.

Once again, Gale’s lightning-fast hands suddenly stopped.

“Which one?”

“The orange-haired boy’s left hand.”

Something strange happened.

Gale, who had been so confident only moments earlier, froze as though someone had dumped ice water over him.

Rachel stared directly at him.

His startled reflection appeared in her strangely shimmering green eyes.

“What? What does she mean?”

“Orange hair? He’s the only orange-haired one here.”

The boys began murmuring among themselves.

Meanwhile, the only orange-haired boy in the group broke into a cold sweat.

As though he had something to hide, he suddenly shouted,

“W-what are you talking about?! I’ve been standing here the whole time!”

“Do I need to personally check what’s inside your hand?”

The orange-haired boy flinched.

“I told you, I don’t know—!”

He backed away as though he might run.

Rachel had no intention of letting him escape.

In an instant, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

“Agh!”

With a short cry, his left hand went limp.

Something dropped from his palm.

A ball.

Edwin and the other boys stared with their mouths hanging open.

Rachel alone remained calm.

Without saying anything, she picked up the ball.

She squeezed it between two fingers, crushing it slightly.

To everyone’s surprise, it immediately returned to its original shape.

“A rubber ball.”

“G-give that back!”

The orange-haired boy’s face turned red as though his most embarrassing secret had been exposed, and he lunged at her.

Rachel effortlessly turned aside and avoided him.

Then she looked at Gale.

“This boy was crouching right beside you earlier, wasn’t he? When you shuffled the cups, you deliberately flicked the ball toward him, and he hid it.”

Gale and the orange-haired boy looked increasingly uncomfortable.

The same question appeared on both of their faces.

How did she notice?

As though answering their unspoken question, Rachel continued.

“You flicked it toward your own side so the person sitting opposite wouldn’t see it, and he secretly caught it beside you.”

With an expressionless face, Rachel grabbed Gale’s arm.

Another identical ball rolled out from his sleeve.

“Of course, you prepared several balls. You needed extras so you could secretly place one beneath whichever cup your opponent didn’t choose.”

The orange-haired boy bit his lip.

Rachel’s deduction was completely accurate.

Painfully accurate, as far as the culprits were concerned.

“W-what?”

“Wait. Does that mean Gale was cheating all of us too?”

“He was working together with that guy? Then what about my money?”

Apparently, Rachel and Edwin weren’t the only ones Gale had deceived.

Amid the murmuring boys, the orange-haired boy nervously glanced toward Gale.

Gale silently glared at Rachel before clicking his tongue.

Now that his trick had been exposed, he apparently realized there was nothing to gain by continuing to deny it.

“Take it. We’ll say you won the bet.”

Gale tossed the bracelet onto the box as though he were throwing a coin to a beggar.

“Damn my luck. Tch.”

He spat in Rachel’s direction and turned away.

Rachel’s brow twisted at his disgraceful behavior, but Gale didn’t notice.

“What are you looking at?”

Instead, he shot a vicious glare at the boys staring at him.

Intimidated, none of them dared confront him.

They didn’t have the courage to challenge the youngest son of a count—especially one who was also the apprentice of a craftsman favored by the Emperor.

Gale looked at them with contempt before turning to leave.

But there was one person who wasn’t willing to let the matter end there.

“Did you use the same trick against His Highness?”

It was Rachel, the prince’s nanny.

“Quite impressive, cheating a young child who didn’t know any better. Exactly what I’d expect from a vulgar street thug.”

“What did you say?”

Gale’s expression twisted at the biting insult.

“If you were willing to cheat a member of the imperial family, I assume you were prepared for the consequences?”

Enraged, Gale rushed toward Rachel and grabbed her by the collar.

“If I’m letting you off because you’re a woman, take the hint and leave. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

He growled into Rachel’s ear.

“Letting me off?”

Her polite speech abruptly disappeared.

“Who exactly did you think you could fool with such a pathetic trick?”

Gale’s expression changed at her sudden informal tone and unwavering confidence.

Rachel’s angelic face was now smiling with her teeth exposed.

“You idiot.”

It was a wicked smile more befitting a demon than an angel.

She leaned close to Gale’s face and whispered,

“Cheating a member of the imperial family is an offense against the Imperial House. The punishment is beheading. You should’ve thought more carefully about who you were messing with.”

Gale’s face trembled at her blatant mockery.

“Unfortunately for you, the prince you looked down on happens to be a member of the imperial family. Don’t tell me you were too stupid to realize even that.”

It was an undeniable fact.

Still, Gale desperately tried to maintain his composure.

“S-so what? He’s still the worthless Third Prince! Everyone knows the Third Prince gets treated worse than the servants in the Emperor’s palace!”

Rachel clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“You actually believe that?”

She stared at him coldly.

“Royal blood remains royal blood no matter how badly its owner is treated. Surely you know that insulting the imperial family can be punished as severely as treason.”

No matter how privileged Gale might be, his status could never surpass that of a prince who carried the Emperor’s blood.

That fact wouldn’t change even if the heavens collapsed.

“A mere nobleman’s son… and a prince of the empire.”

Seeing Gale’s face turn pale, Rachel’s lips curled upward.

“If you were the one deciding, which of the two do you think would matter more?”

Grit—

Gale clenched his teeth.

Rachel was right.

If someone decided to formally pursue what had happened here, his life could genuinely be at risk.

“Damn it!”

Furious, Gale released Rachel’s collar and shoved her away.

He used considerable force, yet Rachel remained standing firmly in place.

She simply dusted off her collar.

Her composure only made him angrier.

“Just you wait. I’ll remember your face.”

He fled with the boys who had been following him.

Rachel made no effort to stop them.

Their trust in their leader had already been shattered.

That little group probably wouldn’t last much longer.

Then the orange-haired boy, who had remained behind, hesitantly approached her.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow at the unexpected apology.

“I was only doing it because Gale told me to….”

Of course, it was more of an excuse than a proper apology.

Rachel spoke firmly.

“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me. Apologize to His Highness.”

“Ah.”

The orange-haired boy quickly bowed to Edwin.

“I’m truly sorry, Your Highness. I promise I’ll never disrespect you again.”

Edwin looked visibly startled.

Almost as though no one had ever apologized to him before.

But his surprise lasted only a moment.

The young prince straightened his back and declared loudly,

“I’ll forgive you just this once! If you ever do it again, I really won’t let you off! Understand?”

Edwin puffed out his chest, all traces of his earlier intimidation seemingly gone.

Having been forgiven much more easily than expected, the orange-haired boy repeatedly bowed before disappearing into the distance.

Only then could Rachel properly examine the prince she was supposed to be caring for.

Brilliant golden hair.

Bright blue eyes that looked as though sapphires had been embedded in them.

Smooth, snow-white skin.

Up close, the prince was extraordinarily beautiful.

But in stark contrast to his radiant appearance, his thin frame beneath his clothes and his pale complexion made him look rather pitiful.

Then the prince turned his gaze toward her.

“You.”

His eyes were unfriendly, his voice sharp.

“What are you?”

For a moment, Rachel was caught completely off guard.