READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 66
Meanwhile, Sophina rushed to the office and called Jane to prepare.
The informant had been there already, visiting as a guest and exploring the gardens, using the clock as an excuse.
Once she was thoroughly dressed, she summoned the informant to the parlor.
Sophina greeted her casually, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.
“Welcome to the house.” “It’s been a long time, my lady.”A familiar butterfly waited behind a mask and fine hair.
A long blonde.
Unlike the last time I’d seen her, she was wearing a dress with a bright flower pattern.
As if she wanted to look good for someone.
Sophina nibbled needlessly on her earlobe.
“By the way, what should I call you? I don’t even know your name yet.”The informant sipped her tea leisurely as she answered the question with a subtle nudge to test the truth of the sloth’s information.
“Ailli, that’s my last name, but you can call me anything. It’s not important.” Mai L AilliThe same name as the contract the sloth showed me.
‘I guess he didn’t scam me.’
Sophina munched furiously on the plate before her and then spoke up.
“There are so many things I’ve been wanting to ask you.” “Feel free to ask, my lady.”As if she’d known that would be the case, Sophina’s voice grew slightly raspy as she doled out the information.
“If I ask, will you tell me the truth?”The informant didn’t say anything, just savored the tea.
The answer was no.
Frowning slightly, Sophina baited the question,
“Do you want to make a bet?”There was an unmistakable twinkle in the informant’s eyes at the word bet.
She smiled coyly and continued,
The game is poker. The prize is anything the winner wants.”She jingled the gold bracelet on her wrist. Trying not to look too tempting.
“You do realize that my business has taken off this time, right?” “Hmm, are you going to hand over the whole thing?”The informant replied with a provocative tone.
‘That would be…’
Sophina hesitated for a moment. This wasn’t a business she’d worked hard to build by giving away its skins.
Then she remembered what Ririela, the woman who had taught her to play poker, had said.
— Poker is about momentum, and momentum is the stakes.Yeah, it’s a tough fight for me to lose, honestly.
In fact, there was a part of Sophina that believed.
‘Telekinesis specializes in holding things down!’
Sophina retorted, crossing her legs in an attempt to look confident.
“So you can have it, then?” “You’re coming on strong, miss.”The informant tilted her head, a wary look on her face.
Sophina pressed her opponent with more confidence.
“Can I take that as an indication that you’re going to lose? It’s always better to avoid a fight if you know you’re going to lose.”Their gazes clashed in the air.
Sophina’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t back away like she was giving it a try.
The informant’s mouth twitched, visible through the gap in her mask.
The informant relented.
“All right, let’s do it.”And so the wager began, ‘I will show you the true art of undermining!’
Sophina’s eyes shone with determination.
Click, clack, click—Cards lined up on the table, eyes darting around.
With a quick flick of her hand, or rather, a tease of her powers, Sophina intercepted the cards.
The informant, who was watching the spectacle closely, asked in a questioning voice.
“Stop the motion, are you trying to undermine me, miss?” “Me?”‘Good eyesight.’
But Sophina didn’t flinch, just stood tall and proud.
The informant ran a finger lazily across her chin, then leaped to her feet and grabbed her hand.
“Ha, do I look stupid to you?” “Do you have proof?”Sophina snapped the informant’s arm away, shaking it off.
‘If I say yes here, it’ll ruin the plan.’
There was no point in denying it, given that she might be a threat in the first place.
Sophina ate her words bitterly.
But the informant was shrewd enough to realize it wasn’t her job to sell information for nothing.
“I heard you saved a lion cub with your mystical powers during the Autumn Tour.”Again, she wasn’t impressed.
‘Still, what’s the harm in catching her without realizing it?’
Sophina shrugged, unmoved,
“I’m sure you’re just being smart pants, so why don’t we get back to the game?” “You’re using your powers to cheat. You’re going to lose your fingers playing poker like that.”At this response, the informant suddenly smirked ominously.
“So I’ll call this one null and void.”With that, the informant picked up the cloth under the poker cards and threw it down.
“What do you think you’re doing, you?”Sophina sat up, stunned. Her gaze lingered on the mangled poker cards.
At that moment, a low, muffled, murmur of the informant crept into her ears.
“We’ve turned it back to the beginning, so that anything is possible.”The voice sounded like a dream. The green eyes of the informant contained Sophina.
Her eyes, however, were not those of Sophina, but of someone else.
“I’m grateful.” “What do you mean?”I don’t think she’s talking about the current situation.
Why are you talking about something else…
Sophina frowned at the strange feeling, and then the informant smiled broadly.
“Start over, you bet.”What the hell, a beast?
Stunned and speechless by her domineering demeanor, Sophina inhaled slowly.
Then her eyes glowed ferociously.
“If you lose this time, don’t come back to me and accuse me of using my powers.”The wise bluebird had twelve nests. Even if it wasn’t a trick, there were a few more I trusted.
Game 2 reset.
Click, clack—The sound of the cards being shuffled echoed through the air.
Seven cards were dealt.
The informant confidently showed her hand.
“Full house.”It was an unusual hand, one that doesn’t come around very often.
And right behind it, Sophina flipped over her hand…
“Royal straight flush, in honor of the queen.”Top of-the-line. A clean win for Sophina.
“Oh no, did I win again?”Sophina’s voice broke through her teeth in exultation.
I was still a little surprised. It was a good thing I’d made a mark on the top of the cards that only I could recognize.
She memorized the order of the cards in the entire deck.
I was worried that I would make a mistake, but I managed to do it.
She let out a small sigh.
Sophina glared back at the informant and said,
“You’re not going to tell me it’s because of my abilities again, are you?” “I will submit to the outcome neatly, my lady.”Unexpectedly, the informant conceded the victory to Sophina.
But then, as casually as breathing, she made a casual remark.
“I like people who are good at poker. I was attracted to you then, but I’m more interested now.”Why are you doing this to me?
Suddenly, even if you compliment me, I won’t give up my wish.
“…Miss, I am a married woman,”said Sophina.
Sophina was stunned and quickly pulled her chair back.
She succeeded in getting the wish. Ducking her head to avoid the persistent informant’s stare, she spoke with determination.
“So, let’s try out the wishes, shall we?”She only wanted two wishes.
To get to the bottom of the mystery. And to get a promise that she wouldn’t do anything damaging in the future.
The best way to make sure of that was to use Thanatos.
Sophina raised her head and stared directly at the informant.
“The Thanato Contract. Swear to it.”The Informant’s expression changed strangely at those words.
She warned in a deep, resonant, oddly hushed voice.
“You still don’t understand the dangers of the Thanatos Contract. You’re the one who knows firsthand its power.” “What do you mean, that?”Sophina’s eyes rolled,
‘Does she realize that I’m under contract to Jane?’
But I wasn’t in any danger…
Just as she was thinking about it, the Informant tapped her fingertips on the table, catching Sophina’s attention.
“There are two kinds of Thanato contracts, the common ones, and the special kind.”Sophina’s eyes widened at the mention.
She hadn’t seen anything in the books about there being different types of contracts.
“I’ve never heard that before?” “It’s not even in the books.”‘It’s not in the texts,’
the informant explained, her complexion a little flushed as if she were being chased by something.
“The latter is a contract so powerful that it connects to the soul. One proof of this is that the other person’s body scent permeates yours, and the color of the markings is slightly different.”Sounds romantic, right?
The informant smiles and cracks a lame joke.
Although it was weird because it sounded like something with substance.
She continued,
“If we make a deal, you’ll become the latter because that’s what Awakened does.”Awakened.
That was the last word the sloth had uttered.
“Between the Awakened, does that include me?So I’m an Awakened?
What the hell are you talking about?