The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

‘I’ll be fine if I take a day off tomorrow.’

So she thought she would have to take a good rest for a day or so. She still had time until summer anyway. It was okay not to rush.

Aria, who was determined to stay just today, squeezed her last remaining strength and headed for the casino. Annie, who got used to it after only three tries, ordered the drink herself. Unlike Annie, however, Aria just wanted to finish the game quickly and go back as soon as possible. She was about to fall down right away.

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t drink too much and wait.”

“Uh, wait! Miss! I’m coming with you!”

“No, I’ll be back soon so wait.”

So Aria left before her drink even came out. If she took Annie, she would lose her time because of Annie’s useless remarks. Aria hurriedly walked away, and Annie looked at Aria’s back with a disappointed face.

Spectators flocked to the arrival of Aria, who had won for two consecutive days. Although she covered half of her face with a mask, her unique blonde hair and fascinating lips made her special.

‘I’m going to take a rest for a while even if I’m not tired.’

With this attention, there would be restrictions on her behavior. Someone might suspect her identity and investigate her.

“Diamond 8.”

She turned over the hourglass, and as she picked a card, the voices of spectators and game players around her became noisy.

“She’s not going to win three times in a row.”

“Maybe! It’s been like that all this time.”

“If she really wins three times in a row, we can choose her card from now on!”

“That’s the way! You’re smart, aren’t you?”

Aria clicked her tongue at the remark. She hadn’t thought so, but if so, everyone would win and her dividend would be low. She put the hourglass back in the box, thinking she might have to wear a wig next time.

“Diamond 8!”

No one had won three consecutive games in the entire history of the casino. Unlike other card games in which each round a winner would come out, it was hard to win even once. Unlike bead roulette, it was impossible to manipulate the game with employees.

“… nonsense!”

“What the hell happened?!”

“I’m sure she did some magic! For example, the magic of clairvoyance!”

Aria, who confirmed her victory, got up from her seat.

“Is she leaving now again?”

“She’s not playing another game, is she?”

“Let’s follow her.”

“Good idea! Let’s ask her to tell us how to do it!”

Unlike before, there were a bunch of people that followed behind her. They were faster than she thought. It would be best for her to leave the casino quickly, but she couldn’t increase her distance between her pursuers even though she was quick on her feet. In the first place, it was almost impossible for Aria, who was in high-heeled shoes, to elude men in soft leather shoes.

“Hey! Wait a minute!”

“Let’s have a conversation!”

“Hey!”

Whenever they felt that Aria was about to flee, their voices would break out from the following crowd. It was bizarre to see several men chasing a young woman even though she had won the game.

In addition, the growing voices of those who followed her were enough to instill fear in Aria. They looked ferocious; it was as if they found out the way of how she had won the game, and they would shatter her body into pieces if they caught her.

As she hurried to avoid them, she entered a strange place and saw a dead end in the distance. The group that followed also checked it and slowed down.

‘What do I do?’

It was then. A hand that popped out of nowhere snatched Aria. She could see the door closing behind her before she realized she had been dragged somewhere.

“…?!”

The person, who snatched Aria, closed her mouth to prevent her from screaming. “If you don’t calm down, people will come in. Will that be all right?”

Unlike Aria, who had half of her face covered, the man’s voice buzzed because of the animal’s mask covering his entire face and hair. Then Aria nodded when she realized that he was actually trying to save her. His hand, which was covering her mouth, slowly descended.

“Where am I…?”

“It’s a private room. I just rented it for a while.”

When she rolled her eyes around, she saw a big table, a few luxurious chairs, organized cards, etc. As he said, it was a private room where VIPs could play games with high stakes.

“… I don’t know what your intention is, but thank you for your help.” Aria expressed her gratitude gently.

Then the man warned quietly. “You’ve been a little rash. This is a dangerous place for a woman to walk around alone. Except for your gender, this is a tough spot for anyone who wins the game for three straight days. There are crazy people who have lost their money.”

She couldn’t answer back because his advice was reasonable. She just nodded quietly. “Thank you. I’ll go now.”

“It’s still dangerous. They’ll be waiting outside.” As if to back up the man’s claim, someone banged on the door. Surprised, Aria crouched and trembled, and he helped her sit on the sofa.

“I think you’d better wait for a while even if it’s inconvenient.”

“… I suppose so.”

The man sat in front of Aria. She was so absent-minded, and she thought that he was wearing an animal mask, but it turned out to be a mask of a lion. The mask’s golden mane shined whenever the light was reflected from it just like a real lion.

For a while, the eyes of the lion were on Aria. Unlike Aria, whose mask clearly revealed her mouth and both of her eyes, the man’s mask covered his whole face, and she was not sure if he was really looking at her, but it was clear that he was facing forward.

“You told me you rented this room, but others aren’t coming?” It was Aria who broke the silence first, unable to overcome the burden.

The man replied, “Yes. Luckily, I only rented a room, but I haven’t decided on what to do yet. I opened the door to deliver it, and I noticed you stood there.”

“Oh, I see.”

If the man’s words were true, then that was going to be favorable for Aria. She thanked him again.

“I don’t know if I can ask this question to anyone who’s been suffering until now, but… May I ask the secret of winning consecutive games?”

“… that’s not hard to answer since you saved me.”

And it was very simple because she wasn’t going to tell him the truth. Perhaps, it might look like an unexpected answer for him. He put his arms on the table and brought his upper body close.

Aria, who regained her composure, smiled softly and replied, “I just left it to luck.”

“… Haha, oh my. I tried to get it too easily.” He took his arm off the table again and straightened himself as if he understood what Aria meant.

This time, Aria asked, “Don’t you feel uncomfortable with a mask covering your entire face?”

“It’s uncomfortable, but I can’t help it because I don’t want to show my face.”

It was a meaningless question with a fixed answer. Since then, the two, who had nothing else to say, kept quiet. A very long silence ensued.

The time felt longer because she didn’t know when to go out. In addition, the eyes of the lion, which replaced the ones of the man, were also burdensome. It was time to overcome such a long silence that would never end.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door outside. Aria, who had barely recovered her composure, took another breath. The man, who made a gesture of silence, brought an index finger to the lion’s fierce mouth, quietly approached the door, and asked someone outside.

“Who is it?”

“I came to check because you haven’t spoken what to do since you rented this room.”

The man opened the door and checked another person who had the voice and speech that appeared to be an employee.

“What will you do?”

“I’ll think a little more and decide.”

“All right.” The staff bowed politely and disappeared.

He closed the door again and said, turning around, “It’s like they’re all gone.”

“Whew…”

Then Aria took a deep breath, as if relieved. They seemed to have left, exhausted. So there was no reason for her to stay here any longer.

“Thank you. I’ll go now.”

Aria, who rose from her seat without regret, moved to the door. Then the man, who was standing with his back facing the door, opened it for Aria.

‘This man is so kind that he would suffer a loss.’

He had saved her from danger and had laughed it away even though she had not told him how to win consecutive victories. Moreover, as soon as the threat disappeared, he opened the door to see her off. He was a good-natured person.