Starlit night, castle corridors.
A large group of soldiers and knights, holding shields, surrounded Yilin as they quickly advanced. Whenever they encountered someone—be it patrolling soldiers or castle maids—they instantly subdued them.
"Miss Yilin! What are you doing?" someone screamed.
There was no answer. Yilin just strode forward.
From a distance, they could already hear music and laughter.
With a crash, the soldier at the front slammed open the large door.
In the castle hall, the music and laughter came to an abrupt stop, and the guests were frozen with shocked expressions.
Sitting in the main seat, holding a glass of wine, with a balding red-bearded face and dressed in luxurious black attire, Count Caspar's hand halted in midair, maintaining a smile on his face.
"Dear Uncle Caspar, long time no see," Yilin greeted him with a smile.
"Oh, it's Yilin. Hahaha, I was just about to look for you," Caspar said, giving a sideways glance to his attendants, "Everyone, leave us. I need to talk to my niece Yilin."
The guests set down their wine glasses, stood up, and left in an orderly fashion with the attendants.
Yilin turned and quietly said to Huoersi, "You should all leave too."
"Yes."
Soon, the door closed with a loud bang, leaving only Yilin and Count Caspar in the once crowded and chaotic hall.
They stood far apart, several meters in between.
...
Two dice cups, each with two dice. The two of them would roll the dice, competing on the outcome, while others placed bets.
A very simple gambling method.
For a Lich, who mastered thousands of spells and could sense the surroundings without eyes, this was a breeze.
Gray squeezed through the crowd, slamming silver coins onto the table left and right, winning round after round. Slowly, the money on the table all ended up with him.
"Do people gamble underground too?" the Black Cat whispered.
"No, the underground doesn't gamble. Liches hate uncertainties. Of course, they don't mind assured wins. Unfortunately, there are no humans underground."
"So, how did you learn to gamble?"
"I just picked it up. They were so loud, I could hear everything clearly from over there and quickly grasped it."
"You could hear that?"
"Of course. A Lich has no sight or hearing, but perceives everything through magic. The range depends entirely on magic power."
"Alright, sometimes you seem quite clever. But I advise you not to win too much. You're drawing too much attention."
When the Black Cat said that, it seemed it was already too late. Most of the money on the gambling table was already in Gray's hands.
The whole tavern suddenly fell silent, even the music stopped, as everyone gathered around. Even the red-haired mercenary Pas was part of the crowd, eyes wide with curiosity, staring at Gray.
Gray, holding a pile of silver coins, stared back at them.
One of the dice rollers, clutching his last bit of money, squeezed out of the crowd, vacating a seat. The remaining red-bearded bald man gestured towards Gray, indicating him to sit down for a direct gamble.
His eyes clearly showed malintent.
Gray continued to stand motionless, as if nothing had happened.
The red-bearded bald man gestured once more.
Soon, a group of what were clearly the bald man's thugs surrounded Gray.
Unperturbed, Gray stood still, seemingly oblivious to the threat.
One of the thugs, unable to bear it, forcefully pressed Gray into the seat.
"What do they want?"
"They want you to gamble directly. You've won too much."
"Is there a rule against winning too much?"
"No, but how do I explain this... Anyway, I advise you to start losing."
"Why? Why should I lose money I've rightfully won?"
"You can keep winning if you're prepared to fight them later."
"I think I can take them," Gray said confidently.
*To a Lich, anyone without magic was insignificant.*
The Black Cat sighed silently.
The red-bearded bald man stood up, propped his foot on the chair, grabbed the dice and cup, blew on them, and shook them vigorously, finally slamming the cup onto the table.
"A bet of ten silver coins! Your turn!"
Gray said nothing, covering the dice with his cup, lightly shaking it twice before stopping.
Others placed their bets, mainly on the opposite side. Only three silver coins were placed on Gray's side, one of which came from the red-haired mercenary Pas.
"Reveal!" The red-bearded bald man uncovered the dice cup, "Ten points! Hahaha!"
The bettors on his side cheered.
Gray revealed his dice, eleven points.
The tavern fell silent again.
"Again!"
...
"Reveal!"
The red-bearded bald man, six points; Gray, eight points.
...
"Reveal!"
The red-bearded bald man, seven points; Gray, eleven points.
...
"Reveal!"
The red-bearded bald man, eight points; Gray, twelve points.
The game couldn't continue as everyone bet on Gray, nullifying any odds. The onlookers could only watch for fun.
The red-bearded bald man wiped his sweat furiously, his face twitching. He was down to his last eleven silver coins, while Gray's side of the table was piled high with no less than seven hundred silver coins.
The bartender squeezed in and whispered something to the red-bearded bald man. After much hesitation, the bald man grunted, took his last eleven silver coins, and left with his seven or eight followers.
The tavern burst into boos, turning the red-bearded bald man red with shame.
The gambling concluded, and the crowd dispersed. The once packed table now left Gray sitting alone, motionless.
"Well, now you can prepare for a fight. Your opponents will be at least twenty strong men. Are you sure you can win without revealing your identity?" the Black Cat sneered from within the armor.
Pas seemed to want to say something to Gray, hesitated, then walked away. He took his small bag of winnings back to his spot and conversed with his group.
The music resumed, but the joyful atmosphere didn't return. Everyone in the tavern glanced at Gray, either deliberately or unintentionally.
...
Taking a deep breath, Yilin looked up and smiled, "Uncle's men said you were busy, but I didn't expect a banquet. What are you celebrating that you didn't invite me to share the joy?"
"Just...small matters," Caspar, drunkenly propping up on the table, smiled, "Why are you here?"
"Wasn't it you, Uncle Caspar, who wrote to me? We desperately need your help."
"Oh, right. I did write to you. Hahaha," Caspar suddenly remembered, "I wanted to tell you to stop fighting. You can't win, so just give up."
"Give up? You called me here just to tell me that?" Yilin's eyes widened.
"Would you have listened if I didn't?" Caspar laughed, "You're too young. Even if your father's will names you the heir, so what? You have no army. Whether the will is genuine, the King decides. Your brother…"
"He's not my brother!" Yilin's face darkened, her voice rising.
"Alright, your father Duke Beisher's illegitimate son," Caspar shrugged.
"I'll repeat, he is not my father's illegitimate son. My father never mentioned having an illegitimate child when he was alive!"
"Then…I don't know what to call him," Caspar smiled helplessly, shook his head, and continued, "But you must understand, if the King says he is, then he is. I've discussed it with the King, he will inherit the Duke's title. You can keep the property inherited from your mother, but you must marry my son and completely renounce the Beisher name."
Yilin silently stared at Count Caspar, clenching her teeth.
"How about that? Not a bad deal, right? You get to keep some wealth, stay safe, and avoid bloodshed. Your people need not bleed for this. It's a brilliant plan."
With a deep breath, Yilin looked down and said, "You promised my father that you would remain loyal to me after his death."
"I'm sorry, I promised loyalty to the Beisher Family, and you're not yet Duke Beisher."
With a crash, the door behind her opened again.
Turning around, Yilin saw her soldiers storming in, shields raised in protection. Soon, more soldiers under Count Caspar also flooded the hall, surrounding Yilin and her knights.
The not-so-large hall was instantly filled with armored soldiers.
Slowly rising, Count Caspar smiled, "Niece, this is for your own good. You can't succeed with this ragtag group."
"You underestimate them?"
"I don't mean that, hahaha, maybe I do."
"Would you dare have your men compete with mine?" Yilin asked.
...
Just as Gray left the tavern with a hefty bag of silver coins, before he could mount his Bone Horse, a gang of ragged ruffians surrounded him.
*"See? I told you this was going to happen,"* the Black Cat said indifferently, *"Now what do you plan to do? Reveal your Lich identity and use magic? Maybe a bunch of knights will storm out of the church then. That would be quite a scene."*
The red-bearded bald man, holding a dagger, stepped forward menacingly, "I don't care who you are or if you cheated. Leave the money and get lost! This is your last chance!"