The bastard child becomes the empires royal consort-Chapter 65: Gamble

"So they can’t hear what we’re saying, huh?" Alan glanced around again, taking in the fact that no one paid any special attention to him or Felix. "Doesn’t it look... I don’t know, suspicious? Two guys running their mouths but making no sound?"

"Oh, you don’t have to worry about that either." Felix waved his hand, his eyes narrowing in amusement as he understood Alan’s thoughts. "They can hear us but can’t process what we’re saying, hmm, think of it as... listening to someone speaking a language you’ve never heard before."

"Yeah, you’re quite interesting..." Alan muttered, leaning into his seat.

"Haha." Felix only chuckled lightly. "I get that a lot, either way, down for a round?"

"Yeah, I don’t mind."

Felix nodded and turned to the dealer. "Please start the round."

The dealer nodded back, and looking at the table, there were eight men seated around the table, with Alan as the newcomer.

The dealer’s movements were fluid and mechanical as she shuffled a deck of card, she didn’t acknowledge Alan’s face or any of the other players seated.

With a practiced flick of her wrist, she sent cards dancing through the air, two cards skidded across the table toward Alan, he pulled them close, hiding them with his palms as he stole a glance.

’Five of hearts, Six of diamonds,’ Alan noted to himself, placing the card face down on the table.

He looked up, seeing the easygoing smile on Felix’s face and the nervous expression of the others.

"Nice weather today." Felix remarked casually, not even looking at his cards, then tossed a few chips into the pot.

Alan didn’t blink, he was glaring straight into Felix’s grey eyes, and for a heartbeat, he saw it again, that tiny flicker of white light behind the irises.

But then, Felix’s brow gave a twitched faintly, to anyone else, his face was a mask of indifference, but Alan caught the momentary emotion of confusion.

"Raise." Alan said instantly, shoving a towering stack of chips forward.

"Call."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Call."

"Call."

Three of the other players called the raise, while the rest folded their hands.

The dealer placed five cards face down on the table and flipped over three of the cards, revealing the Eight of spades, Eight of hearts and Seven of spades.

Alan kept his face flat, but behind that mask he was smiling, he was holding a Five of hearts and a Six of diamonds, he could walk off with a straight if he was lucky.

"Raise." Alan pushed even more chips forward.

"Confident, hmm?" Felix smiled, matching the heap without hesitation. "Call."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

The rest of the players instantly folded, they backed away, leaving only the two of them, but Alan couldn’t understand why the players were so quick with their judgement, was it perhaps due to Felix? Despite wondering, Alan didn’t dwell on it.

The dealer reached for the fourth card and turned it over, Nine of hearts.

’A straight,’ Alan’s eyes sparked, in his very first round he pulled through with a straight, five through nine, a probability of about 1 in 255.

He looked at Felix, who was resting his chin on a closed fist, looking back at him with a casual, relaxed expression.

"Hmm." Alan thought of his choices, although a straight could technically win him the round, it wasn’t the highest hand out there.

"Raise." In the end he pushed forward a quarter of his remaining chips.

Felix smiled lightly, matching his amount exactly. "Call."

After gathering all the chips, the dealer flipped over the final card, Two of diamonds.

"Check." Alan tapped the table.

Felix did the same, finally came the time to reveal their hands, Alan took the initiative, placing his card on the table.

"Straight." The dealer announced. "Straight, five through nine."

"Wow, quite lucky for the first round." Felix grinned. "But not enough, apparently."

Felix revealed his hand, Eight of clubs, Nine of clubs.

"Ain’t no way." Alan muttered.

"Full house." The dealer called it. "Three pairs of eights and two pairs of nines, a full house beats a straight."

As the dealer swept the gathered chips in the pot towards Felix, Alan felt an odd sense of frustration he knew he shouldn’t be feeling, although he was gambling for the first time, the sense of loss didn’t feel great.

Felix looked at him. "Your luck is very goo—"

"Run it back." Alan whispered.

"Huh?"

"Run it back!" Alan repeated, a bit louder.

He looked at the dealer, who just gave him a blank stare, like she’d seen something like this repeat a thousand times before, and let out a small sigh. "Alright."

"Geez." Felix scoffed. "No need to be in such a hurry."

But Alan wasn’t listening, his eyes were glued to Felix.

It didn’t take long for the dealer to finish shuffling a new deck of card, she fluidly slid over two cards to each of the players again.

The moment Alan received his cards, he pressed them flat against the table without a single look, he didn’t even take a peek.

Under the confused look of Felix, Alan pushed all the chips he possessed forward.

"All in." Alan said with a grin.

"You haven’t even looked at your—"

"All in!" Alan began to laugh hysterically as if he had suddenly lost his sanity, a wild laughter that made others in the tavern turn their heads.

Felix stared in utter incomprehension, unsure of how to take Alan’s sudden one-eighty in his personality.

In the blink of an eye, Felix’s grey eyes flashed with a white light once more, disappearing as quickly as it appeared, but this time it left his expression even more baffled, an expression Felix couldn’t suppress.

"Sir, please reconsider." Even the dealer was trying to persuade Alan into changing his mind.

"Nah." But Alan just laughed loudly, not listening properly. "All in!"

"Alright, sir." Albeit hestitantly, the dealer drew all of Alan’s chips into the pot.

The rest of the players watched in disbelief, as if looking at an idiot, Felix wasn’t an expection, even he was looking at Alan with faint concern.

"What could have possibly compelled you to make such a decision?" Felix finally asked, curiosity in his tone.

"Listen." Alan spread his arms apart, laughing like a drunkard. "What’s the point of gambling if you don’t gamble everything you have?!"

While everyone stared at Alan like he was mentally in need of help, Felix cracked a smile, laughing softly. "You’re right, what’s the point if you don’t risk it all?"

Under the bewildered stares of the spectators, Felix pushed forward all the chips he possessed, without ever looking at his own cards.

"All in." Felix said simply, with a wider smile than before.

The faces of every other player crumpled instantly.

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

All of them withdrew, as if it were an unspoken rule to refrain from challenging Felix once he decides.

"Good, good." Alan nodded with a satisfied smile.

The dealer looked back and forth between Alan and Felix like their actions were something she couldn’t comprehend, and she couldn’t, so she just sighed, returning to her job.

Skilfully rearranging the deck of cards once more, she placed down five cards on the table, there wasn’t any real reason to slowly reveal each cards individually, but she did, just for the dramatic effect.

She reached for the first three cards and turned them over.

Ace of clubs, Ace of hearts, Nine of clubs.

As everyone watched, she flipped over the fourth card.

Nine of diamonds.

Then finally she turned over the last card.

Ten of clubs.

The surrounding fell silent, Alan was only staring at Felix with a questionably placed smirk that didn’t fit the situation.

"So, who’s going first?" Alan asked.

"Please do the favours." Felix gestured to Alan.

"Alright then." Alan didn’t refuse, he brought his hands to his two cards.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Alan flipped them over.

Nine of spades, Ten of spades.

"...Full house." The dealer swallowed dryly, the tension in the air affecting her.

Alan let out a small sigh, looking up at Felix with a more relaxed smile, a full house was the fourth highest winning hand in poker, the chances of pulling such a hand were about 1 in 694, or about 0.144%.

Clap Clap

In the silence, Felix clapped his hands lightly.

"Your luck truly is amazing." He remarked. "But is it better than mine?"

"Let’s find out." Alan challenged.

Smiling, Felix slowly reached for his own hand.

As tension reached the peak, he flipped the two cards.

Ace of hearts, Ace of spades.

"...Four of a kind...of aces..." The dealer’s jaws dropped to the floor. "Quad aces beats a full house..."

The tavern erupted, men cheered, tables were pounded, and the roar of the crowd drowned out the building while Alan was left there, staring blankly at the table.

The chances of pulling a four of a kind were about 1 in 4,165, or in percentage, about 0.024%, a probability insanely unreal.

Yet this man in front of him just did exactly that.

"What the actual hell?" Alan muttered, watching the last of his savings being dragged away.