Chapter 17 : It’s Late

“This… this indecent outfit…”

I was flustered, dressed in something that barely qualified as clothing.

I’d never worn anything like this before, never even seen anything like it.

Charlotte, amused by my uncharacteristic distress, sneered.

“If you can’t pay with money, you pay with your body.”
“…”
“Right?”

She was right,
Technically.

But I hadn’t imagined “paying with my body” would entail this.

I wouldn’t have been this flustered if she’d just sent me to a brothel.
This outfit, designed purely for the viewer’s pleasure, devoid of any practical purpose,
The fact that I was wearing it, was unsettling.

No, it was absurd.

This outfit should be on someone prettier.
At least then, it would serve its purpose. What was she thinking?

Then I understood Charlotte’s intention. She picked up a black hair tie and started tying my hair.

The queen of the gambling den is personally tying my hair? How honored I am. As I thought that,
She picked up another hair tie and started tying the other side…?

“Cute.”
“…”
“Bunny girls should have twintails. Yep.”

I wasn’t a child.

Whether or not I was an adult was debatable, but
Twintails were for children. I was bewildered.

And finally, I understood her intention.

To humiliate me.
To make me look ridiculous, to be the target of mockery.
To be ridiculed for wearing something so inappropriate.

I felt even more miserable than when I’d been drenched in mop water.

“Don’t make that face. You’re cute.”
“Hmph…”
“Oh.”
“…?”
“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you glare like that.”
“…”

The price for unpaid drinks was cruel. And
Completely unexpected.

If she’d sold me off, I would have sighed, “Typical,” and accepted my fate.

Charlotte seemed to like me, so if she’d simply asked me to sleep with her, I would have.

I might have even enjoyed it.
She was beautiful and somewhat kind to me.

I might have mistaken that kindness for affection,
Slept with her a few times, and ended up falling for her.

“I’d rather… I’d rather…”
“You’d rather what?”

But she wasn’t interested in someone like me.

Charlotte, sensing my unspoken desire, replied coldly.

I wouldn’t be interested in me either.

Seeing my dejected expression, she smirked.

“You have such a beautiful face.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s so transparent. I can see everything you’re thinking.”
“…”
“You have zero self-esteem, wallowing in self-pity at the slightest provocation.”
“How…”
“How do I know? I can see it in those dull eyes of yours.”

Charlotte acted as if she’d completely deciphered me.
While I didn’t like it, she wasn’t wrong.

“Though, I’m looking forward to seeing those eyes sparkle again, so even your empty gaze looks beautiful to me.”

Her words were beyond my comprehension.

Charlotte continued.

“Anyway, get to work.”
“In this outfit?”
“Of course. You don’t think I dressed you up for my own amusement, do you?”
“…”
“Don’t make that face. You’re pretty.”

I couldn’t agree with her compliment.

How could this outfit, which left nothing to the imagination, be considered pretty?

The tight fabric constricted my chest, creating an uncomfortably deep cleavage, more vulgar than attractive.

The stockings that covered my legs from hips to toes, the ridiculous choker, the lack of anything resembling pants…
I hated everything about this outfit.

I started to glare at Charlotte, then
Stopped, realizing it was pointless.

…
…
…

I soon adapted to the ridiculous outfit.

I figured it was my fate.

The initial embarrassment faded quickly, and
I walked through the gambling den with surprising confidence.

My appearance must have been comical, because
The gamblers, high on drugs, alcohol, and the thrill of the game, couldn’t take their eyes off me.

If looks could kill, I’d have been riddled with holes. Their gazes were that intense.

Laugh all you want.

I ignored them.

And as Charlotte had instructed,
I got to work.

Of course, I couldn’t be a dealer with no experience, so
I mostly ran errands, serving drinks.

Now, I was sitting next to a customer.
Charlotte, with a knowing smile,
Had instructed me to attend to her.

As I’d said before, all sorts of people frequented the gambling den, but
This customer was different.

A well-dressed woman.

Her demeanor suggested
She wasn’t a regular gambler.

Perhaps a noble lady slumming it? Gambling was a dangerous pastime, especially if you weren’t serious about it.

“You.”
“Yes?”
“Choose.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hit or stand.”

Her meaning was clear.
She was playing blackjack.

A classic casino game,
With simple rules I was intimately familiar with.

But the stakes were high.
A mountain of golden chips sat on the table.

How much money was riding on this hand?

Casinos always had the edge, designed to rake in profits. But with such a large bet on a single hand, even the house had to be prepared for a loss.

I suspected that losing this hand would
Put a dent in the gambling den’s finances.

And this woman
Was asking for my advice on such a crucial hand.

“Hit.”
“Really?”

The woman waved her hand dismissively.

She stood.

And lost.

“…”
“…”

Groans erupted from the onlookers who’d gathered to watch the high-stakes game.

The woman pouted,
Annoyed.

“Damn it. It’s your fault.”
“…”

You asked me.

As I stared at her silently,
She offered an excuse.

“Who hits on nineteen?”
“…”
“You distracted me.”
“Then I’ll leave you alone.”
“No, stay. Stay here.”

What did she want from me?

Despite making her own decisions,
She kept asking for my advice at crucial moments.

Until she lost everything and left the gambling den.

…

Furious, stomping her feet, the woman asked for my name before she left.

I told her, and she repeated it, “Titania, Titania,” as if savoring the sound, her tone filled with resentment, before finally disappearing.

As I stood there, bewildered, Charlotte approached me.

“Good job.”
“Excuse me?”
“For getting rid of her.”
“Who was she?”
“The only granddaughter of the Minister of Finance.”

She was more important than I’d thought.

“She’s been coming here lately, trying to use cheap tricks like card counting. She must have read about it somewhere.”
“It doesn’t work, does it?”
“I have to let her win sometimes.”

So she’d been playing along.

“But she brought a sack of gold coins, wanting to max out the bet limit. That could have been a problem.”
“…”
“Good job, pretty girl.”

I hadn’t done anything.

But the praise felt good.

It would have been even better if she’d patted my head.

“Pretty girl, you have a talent.”
“What talent?”
“For distracting people, making them lose their minds.”

I had no such recollection.

As I narrowed my eyes, suspecting she was teasing me again,
Charlotte laughed and suggested,

“Why don’t you quit the academy and work here full-time?”
“No thanks.”
“Right. Just a thought.”
“…”
“It’s more fun making people do things they don’t want to.”
“Like today?”
“Yeah, your expression was priceless.”
“…”

I felt like I’d lost to Charlotte.

I briefly considered reporting her for making an academy student do indecent things.

Then the authorities would raid the gambling den and shut it down.

“…”

And I’d probably end up
Dragged into a dark alley, mauled by dogs, leaving only my pale, vacant eyes, which Charlotte seemed to like so much, as a gruesome souvenir.

That wouldn’t be a pleasant end.

“Oh, and this is for your work today. Thanks to you, I made a lot of money.”

She slipped a gold coin between my breasts, making me flinch.

Why there?

…
…
…

I came to my senses as the sky turned completely dark. I headed home.

Or rather, I started walking towards Lucia’s house, then paused, realizing where I was going.

It was unintentional.

Well, my place was farther away.
Lucia’s was closer.
And I needed to get some sleep if I wanted to make it to class tomorrow.

It made sense.

And, well,
I’d decided to stay at Lucia’s until she got tired of me and kicked me out.

As I arrived at Lucia’s door, I was surprised.

Lucia was standing there, motionless, and
The moment she saw me, she smiled brightly.

“You’re late, Tanya.”