Chapter 195: Duke And Crown

Chapter 195: Duke And Crown

Two hours later, Erec found himself seated at a green felt table. He had to admit, even though he was in the Kingdom, it sure felt like hed been teleported back to Vegathe room was lit only by neon lights. Or LEDs made to look like the bright neon lights hed grown accustomed to in that otherworld. That, the table, the cards, and the chatter of people gambling around him made for a surreal experience, considering he knew he was nowhere near that place now.GEttt the latest novels at novelhall.com

No, he was with his friends in the middle of the Kingdom of Cindrus.

Garin leaned next to him, his head cupped in his hands. On the other side was Enide, and facing her directly was Olivia, opposing ends of the same table.

Directly opposite Erec was a maid, maybe around sixteen. She patiently waited for them to place their bets before she dealt more cards or slipped.

This wasnt blackjack. It was PokerVega HoldemEnide picked this game and challenged them to a small pot. Not that money was the aim. They were playing for bragging rights and to spend time unwinding after the announcement and even more dreaded mingling.

Erec had given that his best bet for the night. But it became apparent quickly that most of the nobility had shifted gears after the announcement. They swarmed to their allies to plan and werent as open to seeking new friends like him. Sure, the odd one came up and had tried to curry favor, but most, if any, that talked to him was fishing for information. Often, they only had a couple of questions to ask himthe first always was, Sir Erec, will you be competing in the tournament?

What could he say but yes?

He didnt have the same social navigation skills as Garin, but he was aware that with his reputation, he was, in a way, forced to compete. But forced was the wrong word. Since he looked forward to it, he couldnt imagine a world where he wouldnt compete.

But it wasnt only his place in the competition he was interested in.

You joining the tournament? Erec asked Garin. Both of them had been knocked out of the game already. Neither was good at bluffing. A must-have skill for Vega Holdem. Compared to the two girls at the table, they might have been children telling fibs for how easily they saw through the hands. Now, though, those same girls were eying one another the way two generals might glare at one another on a battlefield.

Me? Garin raised an eyebrow.

Not sure why youre surprised Im asking.

Because why would I? Of course, Im not going to compete. Even in our bracket, in the initiates, there is you, Bedwyr, Lyottenot to mention Prince Soren. Goddess knows what Knight Errants I might have to compete against. Even Colin would be a hell of a fight with his advances in Mysticism. Dont know how thatll play out in a tournament, but Im sure hed figure something out. Think about it, Erec. Do I stand a chance? No. Theres no point. Maybe Ill join some of the side games they mentioned, but Im not someone who belongs in the spotlight of competition like that.

There was a careless edge to those words, as if Garin were waving around a knife with abandon; casual surrender in a battle before it started was unacceptable. It made Erecs blood boil.

Poor excuses. They do not befit you.

Excuses? Theyre facts, man. If something is pointless, why subject yourself to effort and pain? Especially when your time is better spent pursuing what youre good at. Instead of wasting my time joining a tournament I stand no chance of winning, I can spend it connecting with people in the crowd. Talking to those on the sidelines who came to our Kingdom to spectate.

A pretty excuse. And it was just that. Garin added another layer to defend his choices and hide behind the confrontation these battles could bring. Maybe his friend didnt have a strong chance of winning the tournamentbut that wasnt the point. He wasnt weak. Garin had seen plenty of conflict during their expedition and the hunt for the White Stag. And his friend had grown in his own ways.

What frustrated Erec was this. He shied away when testing his limits to seek greater heights. Garin had Talent and training. Once, Erec might have let this excuse slip. Still, now that hed begun to walk into the world that his friend was most comfortable in, that of other people and the horrendous realm of social obligations, he saw this additional defensive excuse for what it was.

No, Erec responded dryly, Even if you competed, youd still have enough time to do that. Youre doing it again, exactly what you did with your Divine Talent. Trying to hide behind what youre comfortable with instead of pushing yourself to grow in areas you could fail. But Im not going to let you this time. Youre better than this. Weve been through too much together.

All the chips they were playing with were in the potthis would be the last hand. It was past timethe night was starting to draw towards a close, and after all of the day's events, Erec felt ready to get back to their dorm and finally shut his weary eyes.

Flip, Enide said, tugging at the corner of her card, eager to flip it. There were no more bets to place. All that was left for the two girls whod been playing a game of bluffs to show their cards and put it all on the table. In the middle were two queens, a king, a jack, and a seven. When they first started playing the game Vega Holdem, Enide went over the hands you could build. If he understood right, based on the two cards in the middle showing, they had at least a pair.

But the two cards in their hands would change everything.

You first, Olivia said, giving a polite smile.

Enide shrugged and flipped her cards with the barest bit of a show. Two kings. Full house.

The smile on Enides face couldve killed a womanspecifically, Olivia. Though the two had been making amends, Erec could tell that Olivia, standing on equal footing to her in gambling, a domain in which Enide thought she had the edge, had gotten under his girlfriends skin.

Damn good full house too. Bet you didnt think Id have pocket kings. Go ahead. Flip your three-of-a-kind with that queen you got. Or maybe you have a full house toocant be higher than mine.

Appearances can be deceptive, Olivia said, then also flipped.

Two queens.

She had a four-of-a-kind.

Is that better? Garin asked, squinting.

Enide released a soft curse as Oliva pulled in the rest of the chipswhich translated to all the money.

Seeing his distraught girlfriend, Erec threw an arm over Enids shoulder and gave her a squeeze. This wasnt going to be an easy thing for her to forget. The Pendragons had a distilled sense of pride that only paled when compared to the nobles of the Kingdom. And losing to Olivia Even if things were improving, the tension was under the surface. Enide didnt like to lose. Not somewhere she saw as her domain.

Good game, guys; we should get going, though. Starting to get late. People are getting really drunk now; theres not much left for us here. Erec began to say until he was interrupted by a loud and horribly familiar voice.

I dont care whose son you are; apologize to my betrothed this instant! Colin shrieked.

Hardly a second later, a voice Erec hadnt heard in a while carried over. It was lower than Colins, another horribly familiar voice. A voice Erec hadnt heard in quite some time. I told her to leave me be; I did not insult her further than what it took to reinforce that message.

It was Soren.

One of the fucking princes with a Kingdom, and Colin was picking a fight with him.