"Can you stop showing off and let the machine do its job?" Bryan called across the table, gesturing lazily at the automated shuffler built into the dealer’s station. "You’re not in a casino drama, Lily."

Lilianna paused mid-shuffle, her golden hair fell over one shoulder.

"Showing off?" She raised an eyebrow—amused, not offended. She set the deck down on the felt with a clean tap. "I’m warming up, Bryan. There’s a difference."

"But if you’re concerned about fairness, maybe I should walk everyone through the rules first. After all, not everyone here was familiar with the game. Unless, of course, you would all prefer I just take your money blind."

"Please," Thiago muttered from swirling something amber in a crystal glass. He seemed to be regretting sponsoring Ciel based on how he kept staring at Ciel’s pile of chips. "Some of us haven’t even gambled since the Academy."

Lilianna planted both hands on the edge of the table and swept her gaze across the seated players.

Bryan to her far left, then Sarah, Julius, Neville, and Ciel, rounding out the right.

Grayson stood behind Neville’s chair with his arms crossed, his gaze never leaving Neville’s figure for a second.

Iris had her hip against the back of Bryan’s chair.

Thiago put a chair just behind Ciel’s, busily drinking.

"Alright." Lilianna cracked her neck. "Quick and dirty. Blackjack—closest to twenty-one without going over. Face cards are ten. Aces are one or eleven, your choice. You play against me, the dealer, not each other."

She tapped the felt once. "Dealer’s stand on seventeen. No exceptions, no mercy. You get dealt two cards face-up. I get one face-up, one face-down. You decide—hit for another card, or stand with what you’ve got. Double down if you’re feeling reckless. Split pairs if you’re feeling lucky."

"And insurance?" Ciel asked, clearly just to be a troll.

"Available when I show an ace. Pays two-to-one. But if you’re buying insurance at my table, you’ve already lost."

The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Now—payouts. Natural blackjack pays three-to-two. Standard win pays even money."

She paused, then leaned forward slightly.

"Side bets."

She held up one finger.

"First—Perfect Pairs. You bet that your first two cards form a pair. Mixed pair pays six-to-one. Colored pair—same color, different suit—pays twelve-to-one. And a perfect pair, same suit, same value..."

She let the silence hang for half a beat.

"Pays twenty-five-to-one."

"Reasonable," Iris said, nodding.

"Then there’s the big fish."

Lilianna held up a second finger.

"If you somehow pull the same card—same suit, same value—from separate positions in the shoe? One-to-eight-thousand."

Sarah whistled low. Bryan didn’t react, but his fingers twitched against his chips.

"And 21+3,"

Lilianna continued.

"Your two cards plus my face-up card form a poker hand. Flush pays five-to-one. Straight pays ten-to-one. Three of a kind pays thirty-to-one. Straight flush—"

She smiled, "Pays forty-to-one. And suited three of a kind—the rarest—pays a hundred-to-one."

She straightened up, brushing a strand of gold from her eyes.

"Now, before anyone gets stars in their eyes—these combinations are rare."

She looked at them and observed their reactions.

"Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to find a live Zerg on your walk than pull a suited trips or an eight-thousand-to-one pair."

Her description made everyone laugh.

"The shoe doesn’t care about your feelings. But the lower-ratio side bets? Those hit often enough to keep things interesting."

Finally, she slid the deck into the dealing shoe.

"Well then," Lilianna said, placing both palms flat on the table. "Anyone want to cut?"

Bryan didn’t hesitate. He turned in his chair, looked at Iris, and jerked his chin toward the shoe.

"Babe. Do the honors."

Iris blushed at the endearment but flatly said, "I’m not playing."

"Exactly. Beginner’s luck." He said confidently, "The cards don’t know you, so they won’t be biased."

Iris stared at him for a second. "I’m not your good luck charm."

"You are, though."

"Stop or I’ll go."

"Please?" He reached back, caught her hand, and earnestly said, "Come on. One cut. For me."

Iris looked at his hand on hers, then at his face with that infuriating smile that hadn’t changed once in the years she had known him, and exhaled.

"Fine."

She stepped forward, pulled the cut card from the shoe, and slid it back into the deck at a random point. Then she turned on her heel and went back to leaning against his chair.

Bryan blew her a kiss and winked.

Iris rolled her eyes so hard her head moved.

"How adorable," Sarah deadpanned from the next seat over. "Can we play now?"

Lilianna re-seated the cards, tapped the shoe twice, and spread her hands.

"Place your bets."

The table came alive.

Ciel moved first. Without a flicker of hesitation, he slid a single tall column of chips forward.

Fifty thousand star coins.

No side bets. Clean, aggressive, and utterly unconcerned.

Thiago took a sip of his drink. He said nothing, but everyone who wasn’t playing could see his gaze boring holes in the back of Ciel’s head.

Julius placed his chips five thousand.

Sarah did the same, five thousand, testing the waters.

Bryan’s hand swept across his chip stack and emerged with a pile that the holographic display immediately counted: 52,000 star coins.

He arranged them in a deliberately messy tower and winked at Iris behind him.

Iris ignored him, but her crossed arms visibly tightened, nervous at his recklessness.

Thiago watched Bryan’s bet register on the display and looked at Ciel’s.

He muttered under his breath, "Gamblers."

Everyone heard it, but Bryan cheerfully ignored it. Sarah suppressed a smile. Julius remained silent.

Then there was Neville.

He sat in his chair, quiet. Then, pushed five thousand forward.

Then, he slid a separate stack of one thousand star coins each into the side bet zone.

Ciel saw it, and his boyish face scrunched up.

"Side bets?" Ciel leaned forward. "On the first hand? That’s not a good play."

Neville adjusted his glasses and shrugged one shoulder. "We never know."

It was such a mild, almost normal response. But Ciel, who was both a potential gambling addict and an incredibly nosy person, turned around in his seat.

He looked at Grayson with an expression that clearly said: How are you letting this guy do this to your money?

Grayson raised one eyebrow.