After testing that the detective's hand strength was no weaker than his own, the old duke finally released his hand in satisfaction:
"I heard about the match at Lake View Manor last Sunday. It was truly marvelous. It is a pity I was not there. But merely from their descriptions, I knew that Tobesk finally had another master of Rhodes Cards."
Though elderly, he spoke with great vigor. Shade could clearly sense the military bearing about him, even more pronounced than Captain Rades's.
"Good, very good! Playing Rhodes Cards is only fun when you play against young people like you."
The sincere smile on the duke's face could not have been faked. It was like the difference between a fake smile and the genuine smile that appeared when someone secretly read a knight novel during class and reached an exciting part—one could tell them apart at a glance. Shade already understood roughly what sort of person the man was. He was another hopeless Rhodes Cards enthusiast.
There was no more idle chatter. Salons, wine parties, and socializing were for after the match. Since both players had arrived, they began directly.
Most of the people here had come for Rhodes Cards. Probably only a few knew that the meaning of the match lay in naval personnel transfers, so the atmosphere was quite lively.
The old duke sat in the chair on the left side of the long table, a servant pulling it out for him. Shade sat in the chair on the right, with Miss Black-haired Maid pulling out his chair.
The guests who had come to watch the match gathered around, but rather than crowding directly around the table like rude gamblers, they stood in groups of two or three some distance away, where they could still see the cards