The capital, Second Ring,
Winchestor Grand Casino.
Under the dark night sky, dappled moonlight illuminated the casino's Gothic flying buttresses and spires, lending a sacred touch to this bustling, sleepless place.
Unlike the chaotic scene in other parts of the capital, outside this casino, any magical beasts attempting to emerge from underground were swiftly dealt with by patrolling heroes before they even surfaced.
This was to be expected. All residents of the capital knew that this casino had close ties with the Royal Family and the Church. And the owner behind this casino was none other than the daughter of the former Duke Cadore of Cornwall—
Griflet.
After Duke Cadore of Cornwall died in battle fifteen years ago, King Uther married his wife Igraine, making her Queen. Griflet, who was not Igraine's daughter, could not inherit the dukedom and chose to become a low-status itinerant merchant.
Leveraging her father's residual influence, Queen Igraine's secret assistance, and within the larger context of King Uther's transaction with King Solomon, Griflet did not follow her historical path—being chosen as one of the royal stewards to serve King Arthur after becoming an obscure 'Cadore' knight.
She quickly distinguished herself, becoming a major merchant who navigated between the Church, the Royal Family, and Jerusalem, monopolizing most of Winchestor's industries.
At this moment, Griflet, the immense hidden wealthy power behind the capital, a young lady of vast fortune, was patrolling her domain like a lioness—
Though no one could recognize her.
Since her enterprises grew, only her legend remained in the world; few had seen her true face, apart from the Britannian Royal Family and a few close retainers.
She wore a dark red gown, like a blooming rose, with a fitted princess-line bodice and an elegant V-neck small lapel. The long skirt naturally flared out from the waist, creating a captivating curve at the hips that invited imagination.
Those unaware of her true identity would only assume she was a noble's daughter who had come to the casino on a whim to enjoy herself, and would never recognize her as the immensely wealthy young lady behind the entire capital.
Just then, Griflet, an elegant smile on her face, walking in her small, round-toed 'Rose Dew' heels, was stopped by a strangely composed trio.
Leading them was a golden-haired individual, dressed in a dusty shirt and trousers, their face smudged black, looking as if they had just been carried off the front lines of a battlefield. Yet, even so, one could discern from the contours of their face—this was a peerless beauty.
Yes, even by Griflet's discerning eye, which surpassed all in the capital, this golden-haired youth, once cleaned up, would undoubtedly be the most dazzling jewel in the kingdom.
The remaining two were even more interesting.
One was a typical example of a Half-Hero Knight, dressed in exaggerated heavy armor, with long, wavy golden hair and delicate features, perfectly blending grace with ferocity. She was the only Half-Hero Knight in the capital who had not chosen to pledge allegiance to any prince, Gawain.
The other,
Ehehehehe, wasn't that Miss Merlin, the kingdom's biggest fat sheep, who called herself the 'God of Gambling'?
Before Griflet could stop herself from almost laughing out loud at the thought of the huge profits she was about to make tonight.
At that moment, the golden-haired knight suddenly asked:
"May I be so bold as to ask, are you the hostess here?"
"Hm?" Hearing this, Griflet was slightly taken aback.
Gawain frowned and retorted, "You must be mistaken, Sir Suya. This lady clearly looks like a noble's daughter."
"Oh, oh, my apologies. I saw you standing here without going in, and dressed so beautifully, so I became curious—hey, Merlin, don't look at people like that, it's worse than me!"
Suya said, while pulling back Merlin, who had suddenly bristled and was cautiously staring at Griflet, as if she had caught the scent of a kindred spirit.
Merlin eyed Griflet suspiciously and declared, "Suya, be careful, this is definitely a master, a master of gambling!"
Hearing their assessment of her, Griflet couldn't help but raise her fan to cover her mouth and chuckle.
"Since you've come here, you must be confident in your gambling skills or luck. In that case—you're not wrong."
"Then I thank you for the compliment."
She shifted her beautiful eyes to Suya's face, then smiled and asked, "So, Sir Suya, why have you stopped me?"
Suya nodded, saying with a serious expression:
"It's like this, I presume you've heard about the King Selection Ceremony that's about to be held in the capital?"
Griflet nodded, the corner of her mouth, hidden by the fan, curving into an even more amused arc, as she retorted:
"But, hasn't the result already been decided? Just now, Morgan le Fay has become king."
Suya shook his head, insisting:
"No, she hasn't pulled out the Sword in the Stone yet, so she can't be considered the King of All Britannia."
"So—I think I still have a chance!"
Suya paused, then said earnestly:
"I heard that the owner of this casino is the wealthiest person in the kingdom, incredibly rich."
"Therefore,"
"I came to invite them to become my knight, to help me ascend to the throne."
"Oh? Hehehehe~"
Hearing this, Griflet couldn't help but burst into laughter. Although she wouldn't mind a one-night stand with such a peerless beauty of the kingdom,
However, this young man, with the pure gaze of a lion in his eyes, was even more audacious than she had imagined—
He actually wanted to completely win her over?
Griflet was quite certain that the other party had definitely not recognized her as the knight he was seeking; he merely saw her as a passerby. This meant that what he said was truly from his heart?
Could there truly be a king so foolishly adorable in this world?
Thinking this, Griflet almost couldn't bear to win away the few remaining pounds from his meager purse.
She shook her head at Suya, then touched his chest with her fan, asking with a smile:
"Sir Suya, you have indeed come to the right place. As far as I know, the owner will indeed be here tonight."
"However, with your capital, it's impossible for you to be granted an audience with Lady Griflet."
"That owner handles tens of thousands of pounds every minute, and she doesn't like to meet outsiders except for business."
Suya chuckled, patted his wallet containing 2,000 pounds, and said confidently:
"Since I've come here today, of course I'm prepared to meet with them."
"Miss, could you please show me the way?"
"Tonight, I will win this casino, force her to appear, and if that's not enough, I will win all her assets, and then make her my knight."
Hearing this, hearing the word 'meet with' rather than 'be granted an audience with,' Griflet's eyes widened slightly. Even she felt that the golden-haired young knight before her was excessively arrogant!
However, thinking of the grand pronouncements of the gamblers who often entered this casino, Griflet couldn't help but smile faintly. She snapped her fan shut and looked at Suya, laughing:
"Then, good luck."
"Good luck?"
"If you can win three million pounds, breaking Princess Morgan le Fay's record at this casino, then you will be qualified to gamble with her."