VDKPTN

Episode 9: A Battle I Can't Lose

I made a gesture to draw right, left, and right, but the facial expression of the handsome boy in front of me did not change. And would the often used flustering strategy in old maid(babanuki) be effective?

The prince who already had no cards in his hands amusingly looked at our one-on-one battle.

"Any card is fine, so please draw already."

Glancing at Schwartz who had the voice of hassle, my eyes met with his cold eyes.

I'm more or less the prince's fiancé, you know...

"Please change your expression before saying that."

"The chances are the same."

"Moou(frustrated noise)...Then this!"

Drawn in the card I vigorously picked is a ridiculously laughing clown. When I dropped my shoulders, the prince on the left side in front of me burst out laughing. It was inadvertently painful how Schwartz still lacked expression.

"Then, my turn next."

I mixed the two cards while hiding them behind my back, and Schwartz drew without hesitation when I showed them in front of him. Eh, so fast!?

"Ah, I win."

I alternatively looked at the cards on Schwartz's quick-moved hands and the clown card on my hand.

I lost, again.

"I lost again!?"

"You're weak."

(Note: He says it not in an insulting way but rather in a respectful way. I don't know how to properly explain this but, basically, he's stating it like a fact or a thing he notices. Like identifying something. The raw is '弱いですね'.)

"Isn't Schwartz just strong?"

I'm saying Schwartz is strong (in this game) but the prince is also sufficiently strong.

I glared at the two but they swiftly averted their eyes.

"Let's do something different next! I can't win with babanuki(old maid)!"

"Oh, have you finally given up?"

"Because we've been playing 5 times."

After succumbing to my loss, I ended up doing revenge games 4 times. The two boys who seem to expectedly had enough of babanuki, shined their eyes when I said a new game.

Naturally, they only looked shiny as the prince is smiling but Schwartz is expressionless. I can't let them say that they're tired of playing cards.

"Even so, Bell is amazing. To come up with an elaborate game like this yourself."

Startled, my shoulders shook.

However, Schwartz nodded in agreement without noticing it.

With my cooled head and me profusely sweating I felt something, perhaps I feel the prince's piercing gaze. It's just my imagination. Maybe.

Thinking about it normally, there's no way a girl about 9 years old can possibly come up with a game like this. No matter how genius she is.

When I laughed to dodge it, I raised my face and my eyes met with the prince's. The prince narrowed his eyes.