It was precisely because of the strange attitudes of the three gentlemen that not only Duke Lucas himself, but even the other guests invited this time, were all somewhat impatient to find out what they had just seen.
"Very well, the game begins."
Mr. Mark adjusted the bow tie at the collar of his white shirt and black formal suit, then made the announcement loudly.
The two Middle-aged Men from the Seer Association stood beside Mr. Mark as dealers. Superstition existed in this era; people believed that women brought Bad Luck to Rhodes Cards, so there were no attractive ladies dealing cards here.
Shade received his first card and felt slightly nervous. He did not actually know how to play Rhodes Cards at all. Over the past few days, between reading and teasing the Cat, he had learned some Rhodes Card techniques, but he was absolutely no match for seasoned players.
Therefore, the "luck brought by Founding Series cards" that Miss Annette had mentioned was probably Shade's only hope of winning.
Although he had said before that he did not care whether he won or lost this game, now that he was really sitting here under so many gazes—especially with Miss Bayes, who for some unknown reason was dressed as a maid, watching him—he inexplicably felt pressured.
Just play casually. Try not to ask for too many cards. After all, this is mainly a game of luck.
He consoled himself inwardly. This time, his opponent's deck was not stained with blood, so this was a very fair game.
It won't be a big deal if I lose. I'll just apologize to Miss Galina. It can't be that every time I help her, I lose.
Once his mood returned to normal, he lowered his head to inspect his first hole card: