# 27
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Evelyn briefly explained the rules of poker to Defferin. Despite the complexity and many things to remember, he understood immediately, making a second explanation unnecessary.
“Okay, let's get started.”
Evelin secretly hid a sly smile.
No matter how smart Deferin is, this won't be easy for him. Defferin was a novice, while she played poker several times with relatives in her past life.
However, her plan was to play and eventually lose to Dyfferin. This way, she could give him a massage.
The ultimate goal of this game was to relieve his headache.
Even though she intended to lose, it was still satisfying to watch Deferin play with him.
But Evelyn's confident smile faded by the end of the first round.
“Street.”
{Straight: means he got five consecutive cards of different suits}
said Defferin, laying down his papers.
Evelyn was stunned.
"impossible!"
How can he get it in the first round?
Although she was surprised, the second round began immediately.
“Flush.”
{The flush: means that he drew five unmatched cards of the same suit.}
It's getting more serious.
“Flush in the second round?”
'Does he have x-ray vision or what?'
Evelin forgot that losing to Dyffrin was her original intention, she frowned and stared at her cards.
It was the last round.
“Royal Street Flush”
{Royal Straight Flush: consisting of five consecutive cards of the same suit: A, K, Q, J, 10}
Dyffrin said quietly.
On the other hand, Evelin's eyes widened as if she saw something shocking.
“Was this really possible?”
Flush had never seen Royal Street before in her life.
Feeling defeated, Evelin threw her cards in the air. It was a complete loss.
She couldn't believe that Devrin was so lucky. I wondered if maybe he was secretly training in gambling dens. As she pondered these rational doubts, Dyffryn's voice came out.
“Sit down, I’ll massage you.”
"What...? The loser's supposed to give the massage."
“I wasn't going to get a massage from you in the first place. So just sit down.”
The way he said it made it even more annoying. It was like he was saying, “I wasn't even trying, but I won anyway.”
"No way! A bet is a bet."
“Then let's play again. I'll let you win.”
Frustrated by his arrogant response, Evelin stopped arguing and sat down in the chair.
Devrin moved behind her.
“Let's take this off now.”
With a few deft movements, Devrin undid the small ruby necklace she was wearing.
When his fingers touched her neck, she felt a strange sensation.
Devrin gently kneaded Evelin's shoulders. Even though he had never had to massage anyone in his life, he was very skilled. Thinking about it, he was good at applying cold compresses too.
Evelin felt a little embarrassed and ashamed by Dyfrin massaging her shoulders, and quickly became distracted.
Trying to shake the heat from her face, Evelin spoke to Dyffrin.
“Differin...I want to hear about your family.”
In the past, she wouldn't have dared to ask such a question, but with Dyffrin in this unusually open state, he might actually answer.
“Family…?”
"Yes. Anyone. I'm just curious about your family."
The truth is that Evelyn asked this question to extract information about his stepmother, Amelia.
Devrin and Amelia were cloy linked.
In the past, when Dyffrin's biological mother Chloe died, Dyffryn's biological father, the current Duke of Leonock, Dunswell, went through a period of extreme turmoil.
During this chaotic time, Amelia emerged as the savior of the Duke's family.
Amelia was not only a warm and affectionate mother, but she was excellent at strictly educating the heir and managing the household.
Thanks to her, Duke Leonok's previously troubled estate began to function properly.
Dyffryn, who knew her worth, was not particularly upset with her for her harsh treatment of him. He thought she did everything for him and the family.
But Evelyn hoped Defrin would move away from that belief a little.
From the description in the original story, Amelia was never someone who truly cared for Devrin. Her primary concern was ensuring the stability of the Leonok family.
Because she was a very ambitious person, Evelin hoped that Devrin would be a little wary of her.
'She has a biological son alongside Differin.'
Defrin had a half-brother. He was only 12 years old and currently residing in the academy, but once he grew up, he could become a threat to Devrin.
The original story I read didn't reveal everything about the characters' lives, so the future was uncertain.
Of course, she couldn't speak ill of Amelia now, but she at least wanted to hear Devrin's thoughts about her.
“If you don't have much to say about your family, can you tell me about the Duchess?”
Evelin asked directly when Dyffrin remained silent.
“I find the Duchess difficult to understand. But if I understood the kind of person she is, it might be a little easier for me.”
Dyffrin seemed ready to answer after I gave him a plausible reason as he slowly opened his mouth.
“Mother… is strict, but she’s not a bad person.”
When Dyffrin saw Evelin's ambiguous expression, he explained.
"I know she was cold to you. I'll talk to her about it."
Maybe her fainting had its benefits, seeing as how interested Dyffryn was now.
But Evelyn shook her head.
“There is no need to go that far. It is a matter between the Duchess and me.”
Evelin wasn't worried that Amelia would hurt her. She was only worried about any potential harm to the duchy.
Suddenly, Evelin found her thoughts confusing.
'...I'm supposed to leave in two years, so why should I interfere?'
It was as if, like Dyffryn, she was losing her mind. Or maybe it was because of the magic of Differin's amazing massage.
“You can stop the massage now.”
Evelin was worried that her thoughts would become more confused, so she hurriedly stopped Differin's massage.
He left his hands on her shoulders, and the lack of warmth made her neck feel cold.
“I originally intended for me to massage you. How is your headache these days?”
“Not bad to worry about.”
Evelyn knew Dyffrin was lying. If he skips his headache medication even for a day, his head will still hurt all day.
'But since the massage has already spoiled…'
Evelin took his hand and gently rubbed her back with her fingers.
"Thank you for the massage today. I feel like all my fatigue has melted away."
This level of physical contact wouldn't visibly change his headache, but it was the best she could do right now.
The more intense the physical contact, the more the headache will be relieved. A deep kiss would be more effective, but Evelin didn't want to imagine how Devrin would look at her if she kissed him. Of course, she didn't have that intention either. Just the thought of kissing him was suffocating.
With these thoughts, Evelin let go of his hand.
“Oh my God, how time flies.”
Hoping he could sleep soundly, at least tonight, without the medication.
“Goodnight, Devrin.”
***
“Ma’am, the master has returned.”
The maid bowed deeply and informed Amelia.
Amelia quickly folded the letter she was reading. It was a message from Gilmore of the Information Syndicate.
The message contained unwanted news.
She reported that Rachel tried to discredit Evelyn by using Patricia and Karina, but instead, it backfired.
Not only that, Devrin also intervened and sided with Evelin.
These two facts were enough to make Amelia's face distort with anger.
But she couldn't face her husband with that expression, so she managed to calm herf down.
Today was the day for Dunswell, who had been away for two weeks on a provincial inspection, to return.
Amelia hurried to finish dressing, went downstairs and found Dunswell just entering the house.
Amelia gracefully placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head slightly to greet Dunswell.
“Your Highness, I am relieved that you have returned safely. I was very worried about your long journey.”
“I was late coming back because I was inspecting the damage in the coastal area. It was thoughtless on my part to make you worry.”
“As long as you come back without any problems, that's all that matters.”
As he looked at Amelia with a smile, Dunswell took off his gloves and spoke.
“I cannot say that nothing has happened. The damage caused by salt in coastal areas is getting worse with each passing day. There is a limit to the amount of salt that we can wash away with fresh water.”
“This is a serious problem. If the coastal region’s crops are destroyed this time, the budget will be exceeded again.”
"It's one thing to spend more money, but I'm concerned about the livelihoods of nearby residents. We need to focus on finding solutions with those who have returned for now."
When Dunswell, looking tired, sat down on the sofa, Amelia sat next to him.
“I understand your concerns, but please put your concerns about the area aside while you are in D.C.”
At the mention of “the capital,” a spark lit up in Dunswell’s tired eyes.
“By the way, it's already the month of the equestrian competition.”
“Yes. I have already prepared everything. If you leave within this week, you will arrive in the capital on time.”
Although Dunswell spent most of his year managing the district, his only hobby was the personal care of his strong, lively horses.
He also participated in the horse riding competition held annually in the capital with horses that he managed himf.
Winning this competition was a big task for Denswell, separate from successfully running the district for a year.
“I must come back victorious this time.”
Despite these ambitions, Dunswell never won an equestrian competition.
He always ended up in second place. No matter how prestigious the Leonok family was, second only to the royal family, they could not manipulate the results of the competition.
Amelia gently patted his shoulder and answered calmly,
“Of course. This year, you will definitely win.”
A mysterious and meaningful smile appeared on her lips.