Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 138
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In a corner of the Lope Viscounty’s reception room.
Two women with identical faces held cards and glared at each other. With platinum blonde hair, black eyes, and fair rosy skin, they were a mother and daughter.
The woman who appeared more mature smiled triumphantly.
“You’re going to have a hard time this time. I have a mine in my hand.”
“Did you attach diamonds to it as well, Mother?”
“Hoho, you’ll know once you see.”
Viscountess Helena Lope laid down five diamond cards with a victorious smile.
“See?”
“Wow, a flush!”
Alexandra Lope, daughter of the Viscountess, exclaimed exaggeratedly. Simultaneously, she revealed her own cards and laughed wickedly.
“I have a full house.”
“Is this even possible? Did you cheat?”
“If you didn’t see it, then I didn’t cheat.”
The Viscountess’s face turned pale. Alexandra stood up and cheered as if her mother’s misfortune was her joy.
“Now this month’s budget for the annex is mine!”
“This… This is cheating! It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count!”
“How can the Viscountess speak with a forked tongue?”
“You know my situation. Your older sister took the townhouse and the main house accounts, leaving only the annex. Without this, I’m completely broke. Understand?”
“Who doesn’t know that? You shouldn’t have joined the men’s clubs even if you held the cards. If you had been moderate like me, it would have ended with just a cut in allowance.”
“You and your big mouth…”
Alexandra hummed a tune, unconcerned. Despite her grand words, she also had thousands of Lis in gambling debts everywhere.
Now that she had a large sum, she planned to first pay off the biggest debt at Mannheim Casino and then try to reap more profits with the remaining money.
Forgetting the purpose of the annex budget, Alexandra giggled, making grand plans as if she were in a dreamland. Suddenly, she remembered and asked,
“Oh, Mother. You said you were having a party in the garden?”
“A party, huh? It’s just a gathering of ladies for some chatter.”
“What money do you have for such things…”
“You…!”
Helena shrieked and then cleared her throat.
“The cost of the party and social events will be covered by your sister.”
“Really? How did you persuade her?”
“I told her to hand over the money quietly if she didn’t want rumors spreading that the Duchess’ maternal family couldn’t even afford to host a party.”
“What a brilliant tactic…!”
Alexandra marveled. Helena smiled slyly.
“You can use it yourself later.”
“Yes, I’ve learned another great trick today, Mother.”
“Hoh, great trick my foot. You two are determined to ruin our household.”
A man suddenly interjected into the conversation among the women.
“Are you now gambling with ledgers because money isn’t enough?”
A beautiful man with golden hair shining like the sun and eyes as blue as the sea had entered the room.
“Christian, what brings you here? Showing your face in broad daylight.”
“I do have days off, Aunt.”
“Ah. So, your job is to hide behind women’s skirts?”
“It’s a very warm and enjoyable job. Have you ever experienced it, Aunt?”
“The hottest and most enjoyable thing for me is this.”
Alexandra held up a heart card. Christian smiled, a radiant smile like a fairy.
“I heard you’re about to host a party, Grandmother, so I came early to see if there was anything I could help with.”
“Right. There’s no way you’d miss a gathering with women.”
He ignored Alexandra’s snide remark and asked Helena,
“Who is coming?”
“Why are you so interested in a small tea gathering?”
Helena also seemed annoyed by his presence. However, unlike with Alexandra, she was affectionate towards her grandson. After all, he was the only son of the Duke.
Rich people are good. Rich men are even better. Family is twice as good, and blood relations are the best of all.
Helena’s only criterion for judging people was whether they had money and whether they were willing to share it with her.
Christian was always her esteemed guest.
“There won’t be any particularly noteworthy women. All faces you know. Pitbull, Cheboy, Esmeralda… Among them, Casey might be the most notable.”
“Do you mean Casey Heens, the daughter of Count Heens?”
“Yes. You saw her last time, remember? She’s Sir Nigel’s fiancée.”
“Ahh.”
Christian cut Helena off. A crack appeared in his smooth, porcelain-like forehead. He looked extremely displeased.
Alexandra bent over and giggled beside him.
“Do you dislike Sir Nigel that much?”
“It’s not dislike—it’s discomfort.”
Despite his evasive answer, Christian’s expression was pure disgust. He was a senior knight in the Royal Guard, where Nigel Rosencrantz served as the vice captain.
He had no real desire to wield a sword, but it ended up that way. And as someone who inadvertently became a knight, he often found himself clashing with Nigel.
“It’s just… I can’t stand people who are so obnoxiously single-minded.”
