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TL's: To think that Rowell cannot un-alive so fast makes me kinda angry. What you guys think? If you're loving this novel, give it a review in NU! Thank you guys ~
Jonok’s lips twisted into a vile smirk. It was the same today. Usually, he would spout some pointless conspiracy theories about monsters in the local newspaper. But today, the very important topic of the Duke Orchid arson case appeared.
It seemed that even the people on the streets had quite an interest in the Duke Orchid family.
But Jonok was nervously tapping the table with his palm, glancing around. It was today. I need to win money on a day like this, when luck is on my side…
Then the door to the gambling hall suddenly burst open. Jonok quickly lifted his head. The tall figure and the atmosphere around him made it clear he was from a noble family. He even looked like a novice, awkwardly glancing around, making him seem almost naive.
Soon, the naive noble’s eyes landed on Jonok.
He furrowed his brows for a moment. Why does he look so familiar?
But as the noble smiled and walked towards him, Jonok internally sneered. Of course, it’s today of all days.
Today was the day his luck had finally turned. A naive person like this noble would surely place a lot of bets at the start and lose it all in one go.
And he’ll keep fighting a losing battle. Jonok quietly waited, smirking to himself.
Then a voice rang out. “Is it alright if I sit here?”
The innocent green eyes shone brightly. His handsome face looked like someone who had never set foot in such a gambling hall.
Well, that doesn’t matter. He’ll lose a lot of money soon. Jonok gave a sly smile and politely offered a gesture of respect for a dead man. “Please, sit here. You can exchange your money over there.”
“Oh, I have to exchange money too?” The man elegantly rose from his seat again, pulled out some bills, and slipped them into a small hole.
Soon, a large amount of gambling chips poured out of the hole.
Jonok silently cheered inside, happily eyeing his own chips. Soon, these will grow exponentially.
He snickered inwardly and waited for the fool to sit down in front of him.
Moments later, someone came over carrying a whole sack of chips and placed it on the table with a loud thud.
Jonok was momentarily startled, but then he smiled. “You’re betting all of this?”
The naive man nodded. He smiled too, a confident grin just as relaxed as Jonok’s. He’s looking at me like that, but he doesn’t even remember me.
Ardion stared blankly at Jonok in front of him. The sharp gaze from back at the mansion was still vivid in his mind. Jonok’s hands were now trembling with excitement.
Just as the dealer was about to shuffle the cards, Ardion stood up, his sack of chips full. “I’ll be leaving now.”
Jonok’s mood soured immediately. He furrowed his brows, his face twisting with frustration. “Are you saying you’ve won enough? The game has just started!”
“Isn’t that enough for you too?” Ardion replied calmly.
“What?”
Ardion gestured at the chips in front of Jonok. “Seems like you’ve won more than usual.”
He smiled and met Jonok’s gaze. His green eyes were chillingly cold, while Jonok furrowed his brows and stared at his chips. A rough calculation showed that it was about the cost of the retrial fee.
“No, this is…” Jonok was about to protest, but before he could say anything, Ardion had already turned away.
“Hey!” Jonok shouted, but Ardion didn’t even look back as he walked out of the gambling hall. Jonok slammed the table, cursing under his breath.
As soon as Ardion exited the hall, he climbed into the waiting carriage. He tossed the sack of chips down as if it were nothing and leaned back in his seat, exhausted.
Jonok, as expected, was throwing a tantrum after playing around for nothing. If the retrial didn’t require the party concerned, Ardion wouldn’t have done this.
At least for now, Jonok needed to personally request the retrial of the Duke Orchid case for any progress to be made.
Ardion chuckled softly as he looked at the sack of chips. If it hadn’t been for today, Jonok would never have earned even the retrial fee.
What a pathetic human. Ardion shook his head. Jonok still seemed to think he was the young master of the Duke Orchid family. The mansion had been burned down three years ago.
Clearly, a life of lawlessness didn’t change overnight. Jonok, who had carelessly killed animals, was still a reckless person.
I wonder who will win, Rowell or Jonok?
If it came down to a bet, Ardion would side with Jonok. After all, he knew he could manipulate the situation in Jonok’s favor.
And if the full secret of the Duke Orchid case came to light, both Rowell and Jonok would fall into ruin. Rowell would find a way to escape, but Jonok wouldn’t.
At least for now, Jonok had no one supporting him, and with his current mental state, he wouldn’t rise again.
This should be easier than I thought. Ardion crossed his legs and smiled faintly.
Just then, the coachman opened the side door and asked, “Your Highness, where shall I take you?”
Ardion glanced at his wrist. The point he needed to stay still at was subtly moving. It wasn’t far from here. “Go to the fruit shop near the palace.”
“Isn’t it dangerous? I heard that there are knights and soldiers stationed around there.”
“I told Delzion, so the area is fine.”
The coachman nodded and closed the middle door.
❋ ❋ ❋
I went to the market for the first time in a long time. More than anything, I wanted to be of help to Ardion. First of all, I had to check if the newspaper was being distributed well, and I thought it would be helpful to hear stories from the people.
If most people didn’t know about the incident at the Duke Orchid mansion, I would have to find another way to get their attention. Maybe stirring things up like that would be enough to hit Rowell.
I looked around with a refreshing feeling. My body hadn’t fully recovered yet, but I felt better looking around.
Derol also seemed to be feeling energetic after a long time because he was looking up despite the crowd.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been here, Derol?”
“Yes, I think it’s been over a year since we’ve been here.”
Derol's excessive joke made me laugh.
"Well, there have been too many incidents lately."
Since we had seen many things, it felt like a long time had passed.
After looking around the lively streets, I headed to a fruit shop near the palace. I wanted to see the fruit shop owner for the first time in a long time.
He was the one who gave me a lot of work while I was wandering around here. In a way, it was thanks to the fruit shop owner that Derol and I didn't starve to death.
As I entered the street where the fruit shop was, I noticed the surroundings had changed a little.
The sculptures on the street had become a little cleaner, and a few of the statues that used to look so ugly had disappeared. And the only thing on the ground was newspapers. I couldn't see any other trash.
"Was this place always this clean?"
While I was looking around, I saw a familiar face.
The fruit shop owner was outside.