TEFM 23

Chapter 23

No Limit

Pale Hite, his anger rising, firmly grasped Lauren’s shoulders.

“Did you hear that, Lauren? That Alexander has insulted our Hite family! You need to clean out his vault tonight. Teach him a lesson!”

“Oh, my impossible brother. You’re the one who lost, so why are you telling me to win it back?”

“Because you’re a Hite, just like me!”

“Oh, please. Could you stop dragging me into this? It’s embarrassing.”

The people burst into laughter at the bickering siblings’ conversation. Margaretta von Drake, who was sitting next to Renee, also laughed along, then suddenly reached out and patted the back of Renee’s hand.

“Card games are like that; sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Don’t worry too much about it, Renee.”

Margaretta von Drake was the fiancée of Prince Noah. As the eldest daughter of the illustrious Duke Drake, she was older than Prince Noah but carried herself with an air of composure and elegance.

Above all, she was one of the few nobles friendly towards Renee, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“That’s right. The game is only fun if you enjoy it.”

“The money we’ve lost so far is nothing compared to what the men have squandered. So don’t be too hard on yourself, Mrs. Chambler.”

“That’s right. We all saw it. Renee did her best to protect her husband’s fortune.”

Perhaps because of the significant losses, or because Renee looked so gloomy, the other participants started to comfort her.

‘Oh no, I must have ruined the mood.’

Renee, who had been thinking, quickly tried to resolve the situation by smiling and moving her lips, but Miss Hite, who had finished organizing the chips, chimed in with a refreshing voice.

“Doing your best doesn’t always lead to victory, does it? Especially in games like these, where it’s more about which side the Goddess of Victory decides to favor.”

For every group of people who were friendly to Renée, there was undoubtedly another group who were hostile to her.

Lauren Hite was definitely one of those unfriendly groups. She attended the same reading salon as Nina.

“To think I had the privilege of sitting at the same table as the Cinderella of Kaliba and still managed to claim Goddess of Victory for myself… It’s truly an honor.”
She was clearly smiling, but her sarcasm was unmistakable. Lauren Hite’s deep violet eyes flicked to Renee with disdain before turning away. An awkward silence fell over the table.

Moments like these made Renee keenly aware that she was an outsider here, a foreign element in this glittering society.

While there were people like Margaretta who unexpectedly showed her kindness, they were few and far between. Most either extended a grudging politeness out of deference to the Chambler name or openly displayed their scorn, like Lauren.

‘Not that there’s anything I can do about it.’

Fortunately, Renee wasn’t the type to be particularly offended by this atmosphere.

She felt a little uncomfortable, but not exactly hurt or angry. She was slightly worried about Alexander, though.

Renee glanced at Alexander. He was watching them with the same faint smile as before. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking, but he didn’t seem particularly happy.

‘Is it because he thinks I might lose all the money?’

It seemed like a good time to wrap up the game. They were supposed to play five rounds, and three were already over. After only three rounds, Renee felt like she’d aged ten years. Gambling clearly wasn’t for her.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll—”

“…Interesting, Miss Hite.”

A low voice cut through hers unexpectedly. Alexander, who had been leaning casually against the wall moments before, was now standing directly behind her.

“Since you’ve captured the Goddess of Victory’s favor, take as much as you want, Miss Hite. If you have the confidence…”

His voice was low and intimate, a deep resonance that seemed to stir hidden desires.

“I’ll gladly open my purse like a spring that never dries.”

At that moment, a green chip rushed in front of Renee’s eyes.

“…!”

Each chip was worth over 10 million renins, and there were dozens of them.

The moment she saw them, the breathing of the people surrounding the table became rough. There was excitement in their busy whispering voices.

Renee froze, staring at the enormous pile in disbelief, while Alexander’s large hands settled lightly on her narrow shoulders.

Something had shifted.

Noah and Pale, Alexander’s old friends, instinctively realized it. Noah grabbed his forehead with a look of defeat and winked at Pale.

“Stop it now. End this, immediately!”

But before Pale could ruin the mood, Lauren Hite opened her eyes and banged on the table.

“Really? You’re sure you won’t regret letting me take everything in front of you, Mr. Chambler?”

“As much as you like.”

‘…Wait, were these two out of their minds?’

Playing with chips worth 10 million renins each? The stakes had grown so absurdly high that Renee couldn’t even process it anymore. She looked back and forth between Lauren and Alexander, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being used in the two’s war of nerves.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not the type of person to play this kind of game. I’m going to get out of here.”

“Oh my, are you conceding defeat, Mrs. Chambler?”

“Miss Hite, it’s just a game. I don’t see any great honor in winning, so I’ll give it all up to you. You don’t have to return it, just enjoy it. I don’t need it.”

For once, Renee who had always been relatively polite, spoke in a firm voice for the first time. A chilling atmosphere swept over the bustling table.

Just then, Margaretta, who had been watching with amusement, tossed her chips onto the table, breaking the tension.

“This bonus game is proving to be quite the spectacle,” she said with a laugh. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen stakes rise this high. Renee, Mr Chambler is backing you up. Why not enjoy it? It’s just two more games, after all. Besides, I’d love to see who the Goddess of Victory ultimately favors in the end.”

Margaretta gently wrapped her arms around Renee’s shoulders and whispered intimately.

“Don’t worry too much. Trust your husband. Noah always says that Alexander Chambler may seem reckless, but he never plays a game he knows he can’t win.”

“…Margaretta”

“Men throw away billions of Redins in a month on business deals, so why can’t we?”

Margarreta laughed playfully and kissed Renee on the cheek. Hearing Margarreta say this, Renee found herself weakening.

Prince Noah, who had been observing the situation, quietly intervened and tried to mediate.

“This, if this escalates like this, what we started for fun will turn into a fight to the death. Instead, how about the ladies play the fourth round and the men who proposed this game play the last round? Instead, these two games will be no-limit. It’ll be exciting.”

Prince Noah winked at Lauren Hite, who was blushing with excitement, and declared no-limit.

All eyes turned to Renée. Some gazes were expectant, others carried veiled threats, as if daring her to ruin the mood or forfeit the game.

‘…These nobles.’

“Time in abundance, little to do, a fear of change—but always craving something new and thrilling.”

They have plenty of time and nothing to do. Change can be scary, but new things are fun.

Alexander’s words echoed in her mind, along with a memory of her near-marriage to a depraved divorced man for about 34 million Renins.

Perhaps, forever.

Yes. Perhaps forever, it seemed, she would never understand them. Just as she would forever be nothing but a outsider to them.

Renee let out a faint sigh and reluctantly picked up the card again.

The crystal beads on her dress swayed and rippled with her movements. Beneath the chandelier, it shimmered as the most radiant gold.