Princess Luna sat idly at one of the decorated tables in the garden, her fingers thrumming against the surface glass surface. To others, perhaps her methodical tapping against the table revealed that she was thinking hard, but in reality, Luna was bored and had nothing better to do.
Their father had ordered that they try to get along; his old age must be making him sentimental, she thought, amused.
The Jesters were also exceptionally dull; the other princesses played safer-than-normal games, and there was no fun.
It was understandable, as whoever lost would be at the mercy of the other.
The sweet aroma of the red roses was at least soothing. The parasol above them kept the harsh sun away from their unblemished skin and fragile bodies.
"How long until Vivianne gets here? It's boring without her," Luna laughed at Dahlia's comment, but it was confirmed that Vivianne was entertaining in her unique way.
"You think she'll drag her new pets along? I truly hope so," Ophelia said, smacking her red lips together. She blew the smoke from her water pipe into the face of the maid serving her tea.
Luna had heard from Ophelia that commoners weren't as sensitive as her servants were, always shivering and crying after getting scolded. But, of course, it was expected, as all of them were lower aristocrats' daughters. So how much would it take for a low-class to start weeping?
Ophelia wanted to know desperately, so she attended the gathering. Luna, on the other hand, came to enjoy the sunny weather.
She kept thinking of Ophelia's hypothesis; it probably took something brutal. If they always were crying because of misfortune, the capital would've been submerged by now from tears.
Across the round table, Iris was savouring her tea in deep thought; she had heard from her lady-in-waiting that Vivianne's guard was one of the children Mrs Reeves had raised at her orphanage.
She wanted to speak to him, ask him how she was doing, but mostly, if she had ever mentioned her at all, that much, Luna could figure out without asking.
Her thoughts got interrupted by a figure emerging with two maids escorting them to their table. It was Vivianne's new secretary; he bowed profoundly and greeted them with a smile. The table whispered at the boy who had plopped himself down in Vivianne's vacant chair.
He swept his golden bangs out of his eyes and spoke in a melodic and soft voice: "Vivianne could unfortunately not join you all today due to illness. I have been ordered to act as her substitute until she recovers." he bowed again.
The princesses levelled Mio with their eyes, but he didn't waver. Luna leaned forward to grab the berries at the centre of the table, her bangles sparkling and jingling.
Her eyes never left him as she plopped grapes into her grinning mouth. Finally, something interesting was happening.
"Do you know why she's sick?" she asked casually. The physician had only ordered bedrest, nothing else. No official diagnosis was given, at least none that Juno mentioned.
"No, your majesty. I don't know." he settled on saying.
The other's eyes narrowed at his response before wordlessly rising to her feet. When she came to a stop, their bodies were merely a step away from each other, close enough to allow Luna to admire his face more; he was indeed beautiful but lowly, nonetheless.
Gazing down at his jade eyes, she had an epiphany, a Cheshire smile emerging. Mio had to tilt his head upwards to meet the other's haughty gaze. She walked back to her seat.
"Let's play a game," she said. The other princesses watched as the table got cleared the second Luna proposed the game.
"Let's just do it right here. Just the two of us," the Princess told Mio. She then cocked her head upwards, glancing at her knight.
"You got time to deal?"
The knight nodded his head. "Of course, Princess, as long as we have cards available."
"When do we not?" Luna replied with a flirtatious smile.
"Before we start, shall we place a bet or make a deal?" Luna leaned in as if she was telling him a secret. She was unnervingly beautiful, expected from an award-winning performer.
"We can make a deal if I get to propose what game we play," Diana and Dahlia laughed, thoroughly amused with the boy's antics.
Luna only raised her eyebrows at his request but agreed with a light shrug.
"Only if you answer this," Luna rose again and walked around the table to Mio, leaning in to whisper in his ear. The strong scent of oils and incense stung his nose.
"Do your friends know you're a eunuch? It's hard to tell; they must've cut you too late," she whispered sweetly. He stared ahead with wide-open eyes like the whole world was crumbling apart.
He hadn't even realized that Luna had sat down in front of him again with a scary glimmer in her eyes.
Diana and Daphne were loudly complaining about Luna's sudden secrecy.
"Tell us! Why are you whispering? So annoying." they huffed and groaned immaturely. Iris had a complicated expression on her face. She knew she could do nothing to stop them, so she resorted to keeping her silence.
At Mio's lack of answer, Luna laughed heartedly, her head flung back in crimson waves. He hadn't answered her question, but she had her answer regardless.
"I say we play Blackjack," Luna smiled and leaned her chin in her hand. Mio also smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes.
"If I win, you come with me to meet the director at the royal theatre." So she said; the other princesses wore confused expressions, but it was crystal clear to Mio.
She wanted him to work as a castrato in her opera performances. A heavy weight settled in his stomach, and he calmed himself down before it spiralled out of control. Why she wanted him, there wasn't clear.
"If I win, you tell me where you got that information from, and you keep it a secret as well."
"I'll do only one of those things if I lose, or do you want me to make two requests as well?" Luna asked, relaxed. Truthfully, she had many ways to put him to good use.
"Fine, you keep what you know a secret then," Mio would figure it out himself, whoever else knew, and who told the Princess.
Diana and Daphne caused a great fuss and had almost to be escorted out, demanding to know what was to be kept secret. But Luna kept her attention on Mio, nothing else.
"We'll play one round; is that okay with the both of you?" The knight asked, ceasing his shuffling and glancing at the two. They nodded in unison, and suddenly, the game began.
...
The knight-turned-dealer set down his first card, placing it face up in front of Mio: three—a low and good value.
When the dealer has served every player, the dealer's face-down card was flipped over, revealing a four.
The dealer must continue to take cards until the total is seventeen or more, at which point the dealer must stop.
Although the blonde agreed to the game, he had never played blackjack.
He did know the basics but would never admit that it was his first time playing and gambling.
Mio felt like an idiot; if he had answered, he would've instead picked chess—a game he was experienced in.
He hated it when he wasn't in control of the situation.
The next set of face-up cards was dealt to Luna: an ace and four, which made fifteen.
Mio was next—the knight sending him two cards in quick succession. The first one was a Jack—a face card valued at ten. The second was a three, making a total of thirteen.
Mio was nervous and anxious about what would come next. Was it supposed to be this intense?
Luna looked relaxed, leaning back on her comfortable chair under the shade.
It wasn't even a significant loss if Mio didn't win. Luna even considered it a win for the both of them since being an opera singer was better than being responsible for advising a royal.
The Princess knew the boy was a beginner at gambling and card games; she could tell just from his facial expressions.
But she would give the boy the benefit of the doubt. She'd admire Mio for at least trying.
The knight finally placed the last card -- face down -- in front of her.
Luna was first—choosing whether she should hit or stand.
To hit was an instruction player given to the dealer to request an extra card which could be indicated verbally or by simply tapping the table lightly.
To stand was to hold your total and end your turn, the knight explained to Mio, who tensely nodded in response.
The highest card the knight-dealer could've gotten was an ace, which would tally up to fifteen: the exact amount the raven head had currently. According to the player's choice, aces count as either one or eleven.
Luna grinned.
How exciting.
"Hit."
Mio watched intently as the knight dealt out the card for foul play, wanting more than anything for him to get busted.
For her to lose.
The only person left to beat would be the dealer: the knight. The card was flipped onto its front by skilled hands, gliding across the wooden table, the five diamonds coming into view.
Mio's heart sank as he witnessed Luna's total points accumulate to get the gr total of twenty.
He was finished. How was he supposed to beat a twenty? After finally getting free from his torture, he was to be on stage again.
The Princess smiled, satisfied at her final number. "Stand."
She sipped her coffee and took a bite of strawberry cake as a celebration.
The knight was now directed towards Mio, who was visibly fighting tears. The air was tense enough to be cut with a knife, and the pressure was gruelling.
Mio recollected himself quickly, straightening his back and removing the suffocation robe.
"Hit or stand, sir?"
"Hit."
An Ace emerged.
Mio was now at a total of fourteen.
"Hit."
Three. That made seventeen. Every single fibre in his body told him to stop now.
That seventeen was a high number; hitting again could get him busted. Of course, if he got busted, he would lose, but the boy needed control: he needed to win to escape Luna's grasp and earn her silence.
"Why do you want to win so badly?" Luna interrupted.
Mio wanted to ignore her but decided not to try that again; he lifted his gaze toward her sprawled body. Curiosity shimmered in her eyes.
"Because I can't lose."
"Oh, why's that?"
"I'll tell you if I lose." He said. "Hit,"
Well, Mio couldn't take back those words now. He sighed, repeating the exact three words repeatedly in his head.
I'm so stupid.
The Princess and the knight's eyebrows both raised at the same time.
Usually, people stopped at seventeen, not wanting to get busted. The chance of the dealer dealing out a number for Mio that was four or less was meagre, and a number any higher would finish the boy.
He looked blankly ahead, cursing himself for not refusing her offer.
Luna's smile widened. She was going to win as she always did playing cards. Damion was the only person who had ever defeated her, but he was a gambler, so that didn't bother her.
The shiny four of clovers came into view, gliding across the glass table and stopping in front of Mio.
Twenty-one.
Luna's jaw dropped to the floor, blinking a few times to ensure she saw the correct number.
Her eyes darted towards his knight, who seemed equally as shocked as he flipped over the face-down card he had, fingers almost trembling as it revealed a Queen. He had only fourteen.
"I won, right?" Mio said carefully, looking down at his cards and then back at Luna and the now trembling knight.
Luna huffed a breath out. The excitement within her body was hard to ignore after the thrilling game. It was a challenge she hadn't faced in such a long time, and it hit her squarely in the face.
"That is the first one I've seen in a while," Diana said with a smile as the maids re-collected the cards and piled them back to form a complete deck.
"You win."
The knight was glaring at Mio with burning hate. He was an older man, but he was well-built. It made Mio freeze in his place, all tension that had drained away returning in full force.
"Sister, since that old man caused you to lose, can we have fun with him?"
"Sure, I could care less."
His screams were deep and loud like he was being ripped apart. Knights dragged him away from the garden, and his screams stopped. Diana and Dahlia followed closely after, with their fans covering their grins.
"Now, Mio. Let's get to know each other better."