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I made a motion to draw cards—right, left, right—but the expression on the face of the handsome young boy sitting in front of me didn’t budge. Honestly, does this classic Old Maid psychological warfare even work?
The prince, who was already out of cards, looked thoroughly amused as he watched our one-on-one duel.
“Could you hurry up and draw already? Either way is fine.”
I glanced over at Schwarz, who sounded completely fed up, only to meet his expressionless gaze.
And to think, I’m technically the prince’s fiancée…
“At least change your expression a little before saying something like that.”
“The odds are the same either way.”
“Ugh… Fine, this one!”
I eagerly pulled a card, only to find a jester grinning mockingly right back at me. My shoulders slumped in despair, and the prince—sitting off to my front left—burst out laughing. The fact that Schwarz remained completely expressionless somehow made it hurt even more.
“Well then, I suppose it’s my turn.”
He hid the two cards behind his back, mixed them up, and presented them to Schwarz. The moment he did, Schwarz drew one without a single moment of hesitation. Wait, seriously? Already?!
“Ah, I win.”
Given the sheer speed of his move, my eyes darted back and forth between the two cards in Schwarz’s hand and my own little jester card.
I lost again.
“I lost again?!”
“You’re terribly weak.”
“Well, maybe Schwarz is just that good?”
He says Schwarz is good, but let’s be real—the prince is plenty good himself.
I shot them both a glare, but they both casually averted their eyes.
“Let’s play something else next time! There’s no winning at Old Maid!”
“Oh, did you finally give up?”
“You made us play five rounds, after all.”
Having suffered defeat after crushing defeat, I had ended up demanding four rematches. Since even the two boys seemed to have had their fill of Old Maid, their eyes lit up with excitement the moment I suggested a new game.
Well, I say their eyes “lit up”—the prince was just smiling, and Schwarz remained completely expressionless. But I certainly wasn’t going to let them claim they were sick of playing with cards.
“Still, Bell, you’re amazing. Coming up with such an elaborate game all by yourself.”
My shoulders gave a slight jerk.
However, completely oblivious to my reaction, Schwarz simply nodded in agreement.
Sensing something off as I sat there breaking out in a cold sweat, I felt the prince’s gaze piercing right through me. It’s just my imagination. Probably.
Realistically speaking, there is no way a normal nine-year-old girl could invent a game like this. What kind of prodigy would she have to be?
Lifting my head to laugh it off, I found myself locking eyes with the prince. He slowly narrowed his eyes.
“Did you really come up with this, Bell?”
“U-U-Um, well…”
“Ah, so you didn’t. I figured as much.”
Completely unfazed as he casually dropped such a rude remark, I decided to ignore Schwarz entirely.
“Y-Yes, that’s right! Actually, I didn’t come up with it myself—someone taught it to me.”
“Someone taught you? Who?”
“F-Father.”
I am so sorry, Father.
“He apparently learned about this pastime when he went abroad for work.”
“I see. A foreign game, then.”
That explanation seemed to satisfy Schwarz, but the prince was still smiling faintly, looking as though he meant to interrogate me further.
It was all lies, after all! Not a single shred of truth was mixed in, so of course he was suspicious. If he decided to probe into weird details, I had zero confidence I could talk my way out of it in front of the prince.
As the prince continued to gaze at me, Schwarz looked between the two of us in confusion. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, the prince broke into a gentle smile once more.
“Well, whatever. So, Bell. Care to teach me this foreign game?”
“Eh? Ah, sure! Shall we play Daifugo next?”
““Daifugo?””1
The moment they heard the name of the game, both of them blinked in surprise before echoing it in unison.
So cute…! I silently screamed inside, quickly hiding my thoughts as I offered them a bright smile.
“Does ‘Fugo’ mean it’s a game for filthy rich people?”
“Are we gambling money?”
“It’s not that kind of shady game…”
I really wish the prince wouldn’t bring up money so casually. At least call it “funds” or something. Meanwhile, Schwarz was actually rummaging through his pockets.
Daifugo is a completely different beast compared to Old Maid. Would these two be able to grasp the rules right away? I let out a single sigh and began explaining the true rules of Daifugo.
Five minutes into the explanation.
“Wait, am I allowed to play this card right now?”
“Go right ahead, please.”
“Then I’ll play the Joker.”
“Hehehe, be my guest.”
The two of them shot a suspicious glance my way at my sweet… no, rather crafty smile, but soon dropped their eyes back to their hands.
I put on a calm face while inwardly letting out a triumphant cackle.
To play the Joker at this early stage!
Muahaha, you two are done for!
Gloating inwardly, I steadily worked my way through my hand. I’ll admit, my rule explanation might have been a tiny bit malicious. I certainly wasn’t sweet enough to offer tips like “You should do it this way” or “How about trying that?”
Figure it out yourselves! While you’re doing that, I’m taking the win!
“Hehehe.”
“You look awfully confident.”
“Ah, I’m out.”
“What?!”
I snapped my head toward the prince to see his hands completely empty, waving them around playfully.
“H-How…!”
“You know, Bell’s face of absolute despair is just adorable.”
“Whoa… you’re really enjoying this, aren’t you…?”
Is my frustrated face really that entertaining?
Schwarz looked at the prince as if he had lost his mind, but the prince merely chuckled, his shoulders shaking with amusement.
“I’m not done yet…!”
“Where on earth do you get that kind of drive?”
Just one… just one card left!
Only one!
How many matches had we played by now? And how many times had I lost? Playing cards belong in my world! As a former Japanese person… no, as an Earthling, there was no way I could afford to lose to these otherworldly cheats!
Schwarz had five cards left. If he dumped three or four at once, it was over…
The prince was out, so the next turn would start with Schwarz. I gripped my precious Two of Hearts, the one card I’d saved until the very end.
Just one card… come on!
Clack.
What Schwarz laid down was a 6 of Hearts, a 6 of Diamonds, a 6 of Clubs, and a 6 of Spades. Four cards in total.
Oh, come on. You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t tell me, right here—
“Revolution.”
The expressionless Schwarz smiled brightly. The prince was grinning happily beside him.
Is a revolution really allowed right here and now?!
I stared resentfully at the Two of Hearts, which was now worth less than scrap paper.
“Am I just fated never to win at this rate?”
“Hmm, isn’t it just bad luck?”
“Well, your opponents are us, after all.”
“Was that supposed to be comforting?”
Lacking even the energy to shoot them an unimpressed look, I let out a heavy sigh.
“And to think I was the one who brought the game…”
What is this curse where I can’t win even once? We tried Speed, Memory… well, I knew Memory was hopeless, but still, not a single win?
“Maybe I should play with someone else…”
“No.”
I had meant to mutter it to myself like a passing thought, but the prince apparently heard it loud and clear.
“Because you wouldn’t win against anyone else either, you know.”
“Well, since you two aren’t going to let me win anyway.”
“Then I’ll keep you company until you finally win, so playing with anyone else is out of the question.”
So expecting them to throw a game so I could finally taste victory was entirely out of the question. Experience was everything, apparently.
“Though, I suppose I might be able to win against Father.”
The moment I said that, the prince narrowed his eyes as if driving in a final nail.
“You are not allowed to play with anyone except your family and us.”
“I don’t have any friends other than the two of you…”
“Then it’s fine.”
It is entirely not fine.
I really need to make some friends soon.
“Ah, Lord Schwarz, you’re my friend already, right?”
I quickly flashed a bright smile toward Schwarz, causing him to furrow his brow in visible distaste.
“You don’t have to look that disgusted…”
“It’s not that I’m disgusted, but—ow!”
Averting his eyes and scratching the back of his head, Schwarz suddenly clutched his foot and winced in pain. Startled, I watched as he glared tearfully at the prince. The prince had clearly done something.
“Please give me a break… Prince Dylan, just how strong is your possessiveness…? Ah, never mind. Ignore that, I spoke out of turn.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Schwarz turned back to face me.
“That being said, I cannot become your friend.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
I stared in exasperation at the two of them acting like a pair of bickering kids.
It looked like some sort of dark aura was practically leaking out of the prince as he smiled sweetly right next to Schwarz.
“Whatever the case, I’d rather not die young.”
“It sounds like Lord Schwarz has some firm plans for an early grave…”
I gave Schwarz a slightly disgruntled look as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Still… I had fun.”
Our eyes met behind his spectacles.
“More fun than I’ve had in years.”
He was still expressionless, but that genuine sense of happiness somehow managed to cross over. The prince stopped leaking his dark aura and stared intently at Schwarz.
“Then… we can just play again sometime.”
“Eh?”
Schwarz reacted in surprise as the prince spoke up out of nowhere.
“Our secret base was discovered anyway, and games are always more fun with more people. Right, Bell?”
“That’s right. Please feel free to come over whenever you like.”
“Don’t your aides need some time off, though?”
For a split second, Schwarz’s eyes widened at the sight of the prince and me smiling softly at him, before a truly heartfelt, radiant smile finally broke across his face.
TL/N: Translates literally to "millionaire" or "very rich person" in Japanese. In the context of Japanese card games, it is the name of a popular, highly strategic climbing card game (also known internationally in some regions as Tycoon or President), where players race to get rid of their cards by playing higher combinations than the previous player, with the winners enjoying status perks in the next round. ↩️
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