Chapter 153 – The Young Lady (5)
What is my job here?
In the world of the romance fantasy <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>, the kings of the great powers are so infatuated with the protagonist that national administration has gone completely to ruin.
Just think about it.
The head of a king—who should be caring for the livelihood of his people—is completely filled with thoughts of one single woman! And yet the reason the country still runs peacefully is only one thing.
‘They’re all equally stupid.’
Life is relative evaluation. The competing nations and neighboring countries are in similar situations, so the citizens have been quietly fooled!
They’ve come to accept an incompetent and irresponsible king as normal.
(Why not just end it here?)
I’ll try everything first!
(Be honest. You’ve gotten addicted to card games.)
“Ahem!”
It’s unexpectedly fun. I’ll probably get tired of it eventually, but right now I’m extremely satisfied.
Moreover,
“I lost…?! No way!”
“This is impossible!”
“Damn it! One more round!”
The reactions of people who confidently stepped up only to be defeated are even more entertaining!
Tap.
“Thanks for the games.”
Every inn and tavern has people enjoying card games.
It’s like the gathering place for the local card game experts! This is probably influenced by the work’s setting that ‘the young lady is good at and enjoys card games.’
Think about it.
If the protagonist’s hobby was something niche that only a tiny minority enjoyed, she’d come off as a loner being ostracized, right?
That’s why card games have become a popular pastime enjoyed across the entire world.
Unfortunately,
(Successor. The war you’re hoping for seems difficult…)
Just wait and see!
The original work covers the story from the protagonist’s 16th birthday to age 19.
Just three years!
She did receive an enormous barrage of gifts from the handsome heirs of each nation, but it never reached the point where the country became devastated.
“……”
“……”
Only the region where the protagonist—who had endless wealth piling up—lived was relatively prosperous. Just a short distance outside, it was horrific.
Beggars, corpses, thugs…
Women selling their bodies for a single piece of bread were a common sight.
(It’s astonishing that not even one rebellion broke out and peace was maintained in a place like this.)
“It’s the power of the setting.”
That’s what I gathered from the information picked up while playing cards.
Tap.
“What do I think of Her Ladyship?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like her to marry our own king and live happily ever after.”
“Uh… Wouldn’t you want the king to care a bit more about the country than Her Ladyship?”
“Hmm. No.”
“……”
“If he did, what happens if Her Ladyship gets taken by another country? Life is a bit hard, but we just have to endure it.”
“I see.”
I felt it back in the romance fantasy <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family> too—if you want to force through an illogical, unrealistic premise, the whole world has to go mad.
Global brainwashing.
The entire world’s kings and citizens are going insane trying to claim a woman who’s about to turn sixty!
‘Where should I start…’
In the romance fantasy <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>, the brainwashing wasn’t this severe.
For one thing, most of the handsome men obsessed with the count’s young lady ‘Angelina Chimac’ (except the emperor) didn’t have much political power, and there weren’t as many forced, contrived settings.
(That one emphasized pure charm—she was a genuinely talented beauty.)
As my senior said.
The original novel’s ‘Angelina Chimac’ was pretty, kind, and frugal.
Is there any man who would hate a woman like that?
That’s why, when the core was replaced and all her merits except appearance disappeared, Angelina Chimac fell easily.
On the other hand, this one?
“Wow! The brainwashing level is reinforced concrete!”
To solve this problem, I have to start from the top.
How?
Tap.
“You have incredible skill! How about entering the grand tournament where the winner gets the honor of playing cards against His Majesty?”
“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Even in a time when the citizens are starving to death, large-scale events are held steadily.
(Chivalry?)
After this is done!
(War?)
That’s part of the process!
(If I just assassinate the heads of each nation, succession wars would break out immediately. Yet here we are taking the long, roundabout way.)
“Ahem!”
Life can’t always be a straight line!
(In the hunter world, wasn’t it a sharp right turn instead of a straight line? Don’t drag this out too long. Before you tell Song Sun-young.)
What?
(That you prefer playing card games in dreams over going on dates with her, so you have no intention of coming out.)
…Senior, are you trying to kill this fragile junior?
(You’re fine with me doing all the work in your place? That’s a labor law violation.)
“……”
I’m so sorry I have nothing to say.
(Joking. These days your popularity has cooled off a bit, so there aren’t as many annoying people bothering you. I’m actually enjoying life—spending the extra time watching and cursing at central plains dramas.)
“Phew…”
That’s a relief, then.
But I understand that staying in the dream for too long over trivial, unimportant reasons isn’t good.
The annual card game tournament held in Kingdom A!
Other countries hold competitive events too, but I decided to target Kingdom A’s first since its timing was the closest.
“If you don’t want to die… uh…”
“Hand over everything you’ve got!”
“Yeah! Hand it over!”
While traveling to the capital of Kingdom A where the tournament was held, I lightly sliced through bandits and robbers I encountered along the way.
I’m definitely not just playing around.
“Hiing~!”
“Whoa, whoa.”
To hone the most important skill in chivalry—horsemanship—I traveled on horseback instead of by carriage.
Where did I get the horse?
I won it from a traveling noble in a card game.
(Repetitive learning really is impressive. Or maybe the butler was telling the truth. Your skill is improving incredibly fast.)
Thank you.
By the time I arrived at the capital of Kingdom A, I could easily win without even peeking at my opponents’ hands.
***
In the world of the romance fantasy <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>, the biggest reason card games could be treated like a folk pastime enjoyed by everyone was brainwashing.
But is that really the only reason?
No.
The incredible accessibility—anyone, anytime, anywhere, as long as they have cards—is also impossible to ignore.
Tap!
The preliminary rounds of the tournament began.
“Amolang victory!”
Tap! Tap!
“Amolang victory!”
“Amolang victory!”
Because it was something anyone could enjoy, the number of participants was enormous. Even though a single game ended quickly, the preliminaries alone lasted five full days.
(Hmm…)
What is it?
(It feels like my mind is getting contaminated while reading your memories. I’m actually starting to find card games interesting too.)
“Haha!”
Come join me!
After the preliminaries ended, the main tournament began.
Tap!
Card games can’t ignore ‘luck’ since the hand you’re dealt matters.
That’s why it was best-of-five.
The more rounds you play, the more skill outweighs luck. And once it reached the main bracket, this rule became even stricter.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
The main tournament switched to best-of-nine, which took a long time, but for me—who could see my opponent’s hand—the luck factor was practically nonexistent.
Win rate? Roughly 99%?
I only lost when I drew the absolute worst hand possible and my opponent drew the absolute best.
Swish~
In the finals, the noblewoman fiercely threw her cards and shouted,
“This is cheating!”
“……”
Finally, someone called it cheating.
“This man is definitely looking at my hand!”
“I was just lucky.”
Since it was true, I calmly let any insult slide. And this attitude actually helped my reputation.
“What a gentleman.”
“What a fine man.”
“I would’ve punched him.”
This world has almost no magical elements. Among the endless gifts the young lady received from handsome men, there were fantasy items like ‘youth potions,’ but…
There are no cheating wizards or magic spells in card games here.
“Ugh…”
The noblewoman, who suffered the humiliation of 0 wins and 5 losses in the finals, stormed off in a huff.
“Amolang is the champion!”
The host declared energetically.
“Thank you.”
That lady was a truly formidable opponent. If I hadn’t peeked at her hand and fought fair and square, 0 wins and 5 losses would have been my share.
“Please understand Her Ladyship. She is the record-holding champion who has played card games for over thirty years, all to turn His Majesty’s heart away from the young lady. The only reason she entered this tournament was to get the chance to play against His Majesty. Let’s see… this is the first time in thirteen years she has failed.”
“Ahh, so that’s the story behind it…”
It’s a love story that would bring tears to anyone’s eyes, isn’t it?
But since she’s referred to as a “noblewoman,” she’s clearly already married—yet she still loves another man. That seems like a pretty serious problem.
“Amolang. Follow me. His Majesty is waiting.”
“Yes.”
“Two losses in the preliminaries, zero in the main bracket. He is very eager to meet the champion who achieved a record that will go down in history.”
“It is an overwhelming honor.”
The state of the royal palace—where the national treasury had been completely drained—was far from good.
‘How fascinating.’
The king of this country, who has been sending gifts for over thirty years, is problematic, but the young lady who never once refuses and keeps devouring everything is equally problematic.
Does she really not feel anything while receiving all these gifts for free?
It was genuinely baffling.
Creak—
In the world of the romance fantasy <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>, the real noble Amolang Count teaching palace etiquette would have been ridiculous!
The noble who came out to teach etiquette to a commoner became flustered.
“Um… were you a noble, sir?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Ah! My apologies!”
“May I go in now?”
“Of course!”
Creak—
The door to the reception room where the king awaited swung wide open.
No matter how impoverished and difficult the nation became, the king—who represents the dignity of the country—could not live in poverty.
The interior was splendid, with graceful maids and valiant knights stationed everywhere.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. Sit.”
Time is fair to everyone.
Even if the original work gave him the setting of ‘an incredibly handsome man!’ and boosted his appearance, no one can resist the passage of time…
The truly handsome prince?
That was a thing of the past. Before me sat only an elderly man in his twilight years who could pass away at any moment.
(He’ll die of overwork within three years.)
Overwork…?
(He has to keep sending exorbitantly expensive gifts to the young lady while also managing the national finances—it’s not easy. As people age, their facial wrinkles reflect the life they’ve lived. If he weren’t bound by the world’s setting, he would have become an excellent king who truly loved his people.)
That’s unusually generous praise coming from you, senior.
(I don’t speak empty words.)
“Your Majesty, it is an immense honor to be granted the opportunity to speak with you.”
Perhaps because I had just heard my senior’s words, a natural trace of respect slipped into my voice as I addressed the king.
“It is too generous a greeting for a pathetic man who cannot even win one woman’s heart.”
The king received my greeting with a warm, comforting smile that put people at ease. The content, however, was full of self-deprecation!
Tap tap.
A graceful young girl approached and began skillfully shuffling the cards.
Her attire was that of a perfect princess.
The king—who could not marry because of the young lady—had taken his younger sister’s daughter as his adopted child as a compromise…
She was an astonishing beauty. Her full skirt covered her legs, but judging from her slim waist and the position of her hips…
(He’s about to speak.)
Focus on the card game!
“This year’s champion is someone else, so my heart is at ease.”
“I heard the story.”
“She is a pitiful woman.”
The king expressed sympathy for the noblewoman who had loved him unilaterally for over thirty years.
“……”
“A game without stakes would be unsatisfying. Tell me what you desire.”
“Please allow me to treat Your Majesty’s illness.”
“Haha! No one can cure my illness. It is a sickness of the heart…”
So he is aware of his own problem. He knows, yet cannot fix it.
“It will only take a moment. It costs no money at all.”
“Hmm. I like the second half. A bet with no cost—how could I refuse such a condition? I permit it.”
“Thank you.”
Tap.
The princess began dealing the cards one by one.
“If I win, you will accompany the carriage carrying the gifts to the young lady. And I would appreciate it if you could make sure she actually reads the letter I prepared, rather than discarding it.”
“Understood.”
Just hearing it makes my heart ache. This is the most pitiful king I’ve ever seen.
“I’ll give you the first move.”
“Then I won’t refuse…”
First, I checked the hand held by the pitiful king.
(His hand is as pitiful as he is.)
Indeed.
It seems I will never have to deliver gifts and a letter to the young lady.