It was still cloudy and hot in Milan.

It continued to rain everyday even after Marianne stayed overnight at the Imperial Palace.

The storm was so severe the first day, but the next day it died down. When she began to feel at ease, there was another thunderstorm filled with lighting.

On that stormy night, Marianne called Cordelli without exception and stayed up with her late into the night. She was not as scared as the first day, but she was still a little scared to sleep alone. So, like she did in childhood, Marianne chatted with her on the same bed until dawn before falling asleep.

When the rainstorm died down, she often visited the Imperial Palace to see the emperor.

Eckart always took time out to see her even if he was quite busy. Each time she met him, she pressed him to play a simple game with his hands on the pretext of helping him do rehab exercises such as chess, Othello game, poker, origani, hitting Petal, cat’s cradle, drawing pictures, or making mud sculptures.

“Oh, dear. That’s a mismatched card. ”

She checked the cards she had turned over and put them down with a sullen look.

Flipping cards was also one of the rehab exercises she devised.

“Now, it’s your turn, Your Majesty.”

He extended his splinted right arm over the table. It was a simple game played mainly by young children, but he just followed as she told. He had no objection even if she played more childish and easier games. If she enjoyed the game, he also enjoyed it.

She skillfully turned the cards over and found pairs of diamonds, hearts, clover, and spades. His stack began to pile up in front of him. It was a simple game, but it made him use his memory well and concentrate because he had to find the exact shape, color, and number to make matches.

She had a serious expression, watching the remaining cards going away quickly.

Eckart chuckled unconsciously, while turning the cards over.

These days he learned something new while playing games with her. It was Marianne’s strong determination to win. Although she admitted her defeat clearly, she pressed him to play the game again if she lost, even though she didn’t bet anything.

“Um.. I think I’m going to lose, as things stand now.” While she was murmuring pitifully, he finally turned over the mismatched card.

“Oh! That’s a mismatched one. My turn!”

Mariane quickly flipped the card again that Eckart turned over. Then, she began to carefully match the cards.

He looked at her earnest expression while she was immersed in the game.

When her dark green eyes glistened and rolled up and down to match the confused cards, she frowned like a child. Her red lips were curled a bit between the teeth and turned a bit white.

The light of the lamp, lit nearby, cast a dark shadow under her rich eyelashes. He looked closely at her lovingly sleek cheeks, cheerfully moving hands, and shoulders that softly shook with the cycle of her breathing..

“Wow! I’ve got them all matched!” She screamed, clapping with joy.

He came to his senses as if he woke up from a dream.

“Really? Let me count them now.”

The two counted their cards. She checked the number of cards, with them divided in both hands, while he spread them on the table and counted with his fingertips.

“Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven! I’ve won! ”

“Got it. You have won. ”

He collected twenty-six pairs. She smiled happily after winning by just one more pair.

“Is there anyone who has beaten you in this game yet?”

“Yes, there is only one.”

She looked sullen at his reply. Although the card game was unofficial, she felt really good because as a lady of a duke’s family, she beat Aslan’s most honorable man.

He couldn’t beat her in chess, so he lost five rounds in a row, but he won four out of nine Othello games. Of course, she lost, given the winning rate. He felt sorry about that, but it was okay.

He won six of seven games in a row in the poker game. In fact, he had never lost as far as the poker game was concerned.

He said she was the first person to beat him in the poker game in the empire. She wished she had beaten him in the card flipping game, too.

“Who beat you?”

“Colin.”

“Ah..”

But as soon as she heard the name, she didn’t feel any regret. There was no point in her having the desire to beat a player like Colin who could accurately recollect anything once he had seen it.

“Have you ever defeated Sir Colin?”

“Well..I lost mostly, but maybe, I won a few times. ”

“Really? That’s amazing. ”

“But I feel ashamed to say it’s my victory..”

“Why?”

“I was thirteen then, and Colin was seven years old. Even at that age Colin beat me several times. What a marvelous talent. Jed has never beaten Colin in terms of memorizing.”

She laughed heartily while tilting her teacup to quench her thirst.

“I have gained good information about him. Let me tease Sir Jed when I see him later.”

“Well, he won’t admit it. As he has never played the game as an adult, he would argue the game was invalid back then. Jed is as competitive as you. ”

“Really? As you say, I would like to play a game with him and beat him. Which game is Sir Jed good at? I want to win him in the game he is good at, if I have to play.”

When one wants to compete with someone, it’s common to look for the other party’s soft spot, not strength, in order to win. On the contrary, Marianne said she wanted to beat him in the game he played very well.

For reasons he didn’t know, Eckart felt ashamed before her clear eyes, just like he did in Roshan. In his case, he was always looking for someone’s weaknesses. To him, it was as natural as finding the answer to a certain formula, and he never thought it was wrong.

When he was faced with her righteous temperament, he felt very cowardly.

And that was comforting to him. On the other hand, it was a great comfort to him that such a good and kind woman was so frankly smiling and speaking to him up close. He had a vague but firm sense of responsibility that he wanted to keep her, so that she could continue to see the world in the same way as she does now.

Eckart hid his feelings with a light smile and said casually, “Well, there are certain things he likes. Alcohol, worry and jokes.”

“Then, should I compete with him in drink?”

“Drink?”

“Yeah. I like to drink a lot, too. ”

“You won’t beat him there. Don’t you know Mrs. Renault is such a heavy drinker?”

“Mr. Renault?”

“Yes. I hear that’s her unique talent that she inherited from her mother’s family, Earl Flemming. She never gets drunk no matter how much she drinks. Ironically, Jed inherited it from his mother Mrs. Renault. Ordinary drinkers can never beat him. He drinks alcohol like water without frowning at all,” Eckhart said in a threatening manner.

No matter how much Marianne liked to drink, how could she beat the drunkard?

Eckart didn’t want her body to get harmed with heavy drinking.

However, she let his expression of worry in one ear and out the other, as always.

“Wow, as you say so, I really want to beat him.”

“No.. You probably won’t ..”

“One needs to measure to see if something is short or long! I guess some of the things Sir Arthur has imported this time are expensive and tasty wine. I’d love to bet on that. Can you serve as a judge?”

The bookshelf in the library turned smoothly while the two men were chatting like that.

When Curtis slipped out of the secret passage and knocked on the bookshelf instead of the door, Eckart and Marianne looked at him.

“May the blessings of Airius and Anthea be bestowed on you, Your Majesty. Knight Curtis is honored to see you.”

“Stand up.”

Curtis stretched his bent knees and walked near the table where the two people sat.

“Long time no see, Sir Curtis. If I knew I would meet you today, I wish I brought Phebe here. Ah, thanks for hearing the bell on behalf of Cordelli the other night when it rained a lot. I will repay your kindness sooner or later,” she said with a bright smile.

Curtis agonized briefly over whether it was okay to appreciate her promise to repay him, but lowered his head when Eckart signalled to him.

“You don’t have to. Thanks for your kind words..”

“No, I feel uncomfortable if you refuse. My father and I have felt uncomfortable all along because we didn’t repay you properly enough when you have helped us on many occasions, including the Roshan accident. Oh, Phebe is the bird you trained, right? I owe it to you that I could control Phebe well. I asked the emperor what you liked, so wait for a few weeks. I’m preparing a nice present for you. ”

“..Thank you,” Curtis agreed to receive it reluctantly.

“Curtis.”

As soon as the two finished talking, Eckart quietly called him. There was no sign of anger or urgency at all in his call, but Curtis immediately knew that Eckart wanted to know what business brought him here. He got down to the point right away. His black eyes sparkled.

“I’ve found out who the guest from Faisal is.”