The trolley chugged to a halt, its brakes screeching against the tracks as it reached the gates of the entertainment quarter. Odette stepped out of the carriage, accompanied by the stern-faced security guard from the casino. As she alighted, a group of weary travelers took her place, filling the seats she had just vacated. "Go ahead," the guard said gruffly, shattering the silence.
Odette took a deep breath, her mind focused on the task at hand. As she made her way down the brightly lit street, the dark veil that obscured her face did little to impede her progress. She had been here many times before, always on a mission to fix the mistakes her father committed. The familiarity of the place gave her a sense of purpose as she marched towards her destination like an armed solider.
When Odette approached the grand entrance of the casino, a burly man stepped in her way giving her a gruff nod, "You're good to go, woman"
Odette paused, her eyes scanning his face for any indication of what was to come. The man let out a long sigh, a sign that he had done this countless times before, even on their trolley ride here.
Odette, her voice barely above a whisper, asked, "Is the sum substantial?" The guard didn't hesitate before replying, his words carrying a weight that Odette couldn't quite place.
The Duke's daughter wasn't surprised when the casino's security officers broke through the door in the middle of the night because she was familiar with the techniques of a beggar. She simply asked for a moment to gather her belongings and gave them a resigned look before sighing heavily. She was aware that this was probably just another incident of her father's gambling debts coming back to haunt him like a nightmare.
"No" the guard spoke firmly, his composure regained. Odette's fate was not an exceptional one among the women sold to the gambling tables. He had witnessed countless wives and daughters of gamblers fall into the web of such dire circumstances and knew all too well their inevitable end. If luck was on their side, perhaps they could come to an agreement to repay their debts, but the group that had won Odette seemed not to be so merciful. Their intention was plain simple; to get the daughter of a beggar Duke, their noble trophy.
"Go up." With cold and emotionless eyes, the guard gestured towards the grand staircase that led to the second floor. It was a pitiful sight for a woman whose life had been ruined by her father's recklessness, yet Odette couldn't bring herself to be filled with anger and self-pity. With her head held high and her back straight, she began her ascent up the plush red carpeted stairs. The hem of her tattered dress, which bore no resemblance to that of a noblewoman, swayed gracefully with each step, as if she was walking on the swift water.
The guard, his mind made up, hastened to follow Odette. The beggar Duke's daughter, unaware of the tragedy that lay ahead, carried herself with the utmost dignity, even as she was sinking deeper into the mire.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Duke, the beggar, chose an alternative. He altered his posture and started threatening them after realizing that the river of the tears had flown to nothing.
"Do you recognize me? You will receive a sizable cut if you treat me in this manner." The cigar smoke that filled the card room and the trifling confidence that this kind of person lives like a habit dispersed in chaos.
"You will never be safe if the emperor learns of your careless touching of an imperial woman!" The Duke gambler now turns to the emperor as a weapon after previously lining up a variety of noble titles and households.
The officers watching him laughed hysterically all at once, as if he were a specimen on show. Erich Faber ultimately started crying as he was giggling as if he was having trouble breathing.
Erich sniffed and wiped his tears away with the palm of his hand, he uttered "Hey, Bastian! I heard you had a meeting with the woman who will be His Majesty the Emperor's niece?"
Bastian responded with a phony smile and made a slow approach to the window. He let a cool wind in by cracking it open just a little bit. He saw the pointless spectacle while leaning against the ledge. The derision of the onlookers increased in proportion to the beggar Duke's lies. He heard a knock at the door as the muck was about to become insufferable.
Bastian stood up and bit on the unlit cigar. The beggar Duke and the onlookers who had put an end to the commotion all cast their gazes toward the poker room's entrance.
The door pulled open amid the eerie darkness.
Whilst watching the commencement of the new performance with his arms folded, Bastian put the lighter down. Beyond the open door, a woman in an aged coat, gloves, and hat with a black veil covering it stood looking humble and worn-out. She was the beggar Duke's daughter, and the enormous man standing behind her, who was undoubtedly her guard, had likely come to get her.
The woman approached her father with steady steps, showing no trace of hurriedness as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings. In the oppressive quietness of the space, her steps silently reverberated.
"Tell me how much my father owes you," Standing in front of her father who was grieving, the woman spoke with a fierce conviction. She had obviously not realized the seriousness of the situation.
The room started to erupt in mocking laughter and jeers, but the woman remained unwavering and endured the barrage of humiliation with a haughty air.
As Bastain placed his cigar on the windowsill, he grinned, his well-defined eyebrows curved upward. The woman's clothing and platinum hair were highlighted by a soft glow created by the moonlight filtering through the window, aglowing the elaborate curtain.
"You seem to be under a misapprehension, my lady, but you were not summoned here to pay off your father's debt," Erich spoke softly as he approached the woman.
"Then I will leave with my father," the woman replied resolutely, her voice cold and clear, incongruous with the chaos surrounding them.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Even if your father leaves, you must stay," a noble interjected.
"What do you mean?" Odette asked, confused.
"Your father wagered you in a bet and, well, he won," the tall man by the window gestured towards Bastian, who stood near the window.
Odette's breath got trapped in her throat as she struggled to understand the gravity of the situation. It took her a few moments before she turned to her father with questioning eyes.
"I am so sorry, my dear. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I was sure I could win big," Duke Diessen's face contorted in pain as he lowered his head, unable to face his daughter. It was the cowardice he often displayed when confronted with the consequences of his actions.
Odette stole a glance at the group that surrounded her with frightened eyes. They were all in uniform and she, who knew little about soldiers, could tell they were officers in the admiralty. Most of the soldiers serving at the capital's headquarters were from the upper classes. It meant that they had the power to rectify any accident committed in the back alley gambling house. This was the beginning of the end of her life as she knew it. She was no longer the Duke's daughter but a pawn in a lost game of power and wealth, where a nobleman checkmated her father.
The card parlor shortly became saturated with the mocking whistle that someone had begun to blow. Then came jokes and laughter with obscene undertones.
Odette's own unsteady heartbeat was all she could hear, though. Her heart was beating with the speed of light. While it appeared that the blood throughout her entire body froze, the breath emanating from her trembling lips was becoming increasingly hotter like the scorching sun. When it became difficult to hold him owing to dizziness, the man standing at the window began to move.
Odette moved her head to stare at the locked door, knowing that it was futile to strategize a plan in no time. There would be guards waiting on the opposite side of the door even if she were lucky enough to get it there.
Why not just jump out the window instead? She thought to herself.
The shadow of a tall guy lurked over her head at the very moment she felt an unreasonable impulse.
In the shade, Odette slowly raised her head. Before she knew it, the person who had won the drawing was standing there right before her naked eyes.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
"Are you not ashamed?" The woman's inaugural speech was audacious and shocking.
Bastian dropped his eyes as he glanced at the woman who was being sold to him. Her face's outline loomed and was reflected in her black veil.
"To think that an officer of the Empire would participate in such a low-level gamble. You probably don't know that a contract to buy and sell people can't be established in the first place." Her voice began to tremble slightly, but the woman persisted in admonishing him. Bastian couldn't help but laugh, feeling a tinge of embarrassment at her bluff. "Searching for law and morals in a place like this doesn't seem like a very good solution," he said.
"When did the honor and dignity of a soldier become obscured by time and place?" The woman, who was unexpected to retort, threw back a provocative counter-question. Though she may not be wise in her conduct, she was at least praised for not weeping unseemly like her father. "Please forgive my father for his mistakes. In return, I will pay off your debt." The woman, who had already adjusted her posture sufficiently, made a bold request. Her attitude was incongruous with her predicament, but she stood tall and unyielding.
"What? Nah." Bastian answered humbly while clasping his head. His icy eyes were made even more noticeable by the stiff smile that was still on his lips.
She was fluttering with fear. Her body was stuffed with terror that she was no longer able to conceal. Although Bastian did not enjoy this form of repression, the sight brought him sadistic pleasure.
"Now, I'll give you the command, because you belong to me "Ready to put a stop to this ruse, Bastian declared. He was tired of making this woman look foolish. He lost the willpower to practice any more patience.
However, he knew that if he let the woman go, more problems would birth. Scanning the eager faces of the crowd, Bastian's gaze returned to the beggar Duke's daughter. The veil hiding her face suddenly irked him. It would have been quite satisfying to tear it off in a moment of insult. Of course, there was not a lot of cheap curiosity that wanted to check out the woman's appearance. But Bastian had other plans, he was going to make her his plaything and make sure she followed his every command.
Bastian commanded, interrupting the stillness, "Take off that veil, you. I have no desire for your cash. Also unwilling is the individual who received it in place of money. But since a one-sided defeat would be unacceptable to us, we'll put an end to it by just gazing into your face." Bastian continued his dry explanation without any enthusiasm as he continued to gawk at the apprehensive, bony woman.
"Come on, let's just do whatever they want and leave here," The Duke, who had been watching, began to grab hold of his daughter. He showed no remorse for insulting his daughter, his only concern was getting out of this predicament.
Swallowing the venomous anger that rose to the tip of her throat, Odette raised her tear-filled eyes and faced the man. It was a very infinitely humiliating, but she couldn't fight it. She knew very well that this was the best solution. For now, that man was Odette's only hope, as she had no other choice but to comply with his every command.
"Can you honor your word?" Odette posed a query while grasping the veil's tip. Even though her hands were trembling inside of her worn-out gloves, her voice sounded unexpectedly icy. Trust came later, respect and decency followed then. Although it was absurd to discover such high ideals at a casino, Bastian nodded pleasantly. He was exhausted from a hard day at work and was most annoyed by the indecent show.
"Get going, sweetheart." Odette continued to hesitate before the Duke moved forward, prepared to reveal her personally.
However, the woman adamantly rejected his contact and removed the veil on her own. She showed off her long narrow neck, pursed lips, and well-groomed nose. The excitement of the observers increased as the woman's face gradually emerged like a new moon from beneath her black lace.
Bastian studied the woman silently as she slowly lifted her veil, her eyelids drooping. The instant his bored expression twitched slightly, she revealed her face. The beggar Duke's daughter cautiously raised her head during the brief hush in the card room. She met Bastian's gaze directly and he eagerly returned it. The woman had stunningly beautiful eyes, deep as an ocean and a perfect blend of blue and green. Her big eyes had an oddly clear glow, like those of a frightened young animal under attack.
Bastian held a locked gaze on the woman in front of him as the officers who had been holding their breath began to move. Her long eyelashes and shadows of her inflamed eyes stood out starkly in contrast to the paleness of her face. Her appearance was even more exquisite, night-black hair and pale complexion was a rhyming poetry in itself.
Bastian's slanted mouth curved into a smile that was tinged with a hint of dejection.
Even though the beggar Duke was indeed a terrible cheater, it was obvious that he never lied about the stakes.
The beggar dude told the truth, she was indeed a magnificent woman.