Asking Vaughn Garrison to be the Referee
Of course, the princess had just been to the Imperial Palace.
The thought hit Vaughn with the force of a physical blow, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. The Emperor knew. He knew Princess Solana, Cassidy, had put the Ninefold Soul-Return Elixir up as a bet.
Vaughn didn't know the princess well, which meant her asking him to referee this cockfight could only have come from one person: the Emperor himself.
His role was suddenly crystal clear. If the princess won, he was to make sure the Duke of Crestfall paid up without any tricks.
If she lost, he was to find a way to get her out of the bet.
Having sorted out his mission, Vaughn cleared his throat. "Since you've already spoken with His Majesty, I will serve as the referee."
Cassidy, still vibrating with nervous energy, leveled a finger at him. "Lord Garrison, you have to be fair. If that old geezer tries to pull a fast one, you can't go easy on him."
Vaughn gave a firm nod. "Don't worry, Princess. Winning and losing are matters of skill. If anyone dares to cheat, they'll have to answer to me."
That was all the assurance Cassidy needed. A grin spread across her face as she set the speckled hen down in the center of the clearing.
"Take it easy, you hear?" she murmured to the chicken. "Just win. Don't kill his bird, I don't want to have to pay for it."
The System, in full control of the hen, gave its feathers a little shake.
"Don't worry, Host," it chirped in her mind. "This System is going to have some fun with him."
The cockfight began. Just as Prince Ashworth had warned, the Duke's rooster looked ordinary but fought like a demon. It moved with unnatural speed, its attacks packing a shocking amount of force for a bird of its size.
After dodging a few vicious lunges, the System-controlled hen suddenly flapped its wings.
*Thwack!*
The Duke of Crestfall's champion dropped to the ground like a stone.
Cassidy was the first one on her feet, hands on her hips, letting out a whoop of laughter.
"I won! Auspicious, As-Desired, get over here! Grab the deeds, the bank notes, all of it! Oh, and that racetrack outside the capital, don't forget the papers for that!"
Her maids, Auspicious and As-Desired, snapped to attention. "We won! We won!" they cheered, practically dancing as they rushed to the table to gather the winnings.
The Duke of Crestfall just stood there, stunned. "Impossible," he muttered, shaking his head. "How? My chicken was... no. That speckled hen cheated. It has to have."
Cassidy just laughed harder, waving her maids on as they scooped up her prize. She didn't forget to give Vaughn a pointed look. "Lord Garrison, you saw it. My hen won, fair and square. If that old man tries to back out, you know what to do."
Vaughn was, for once, completely speechless.
As Cassidy scooped up her victorious chicken and turned to leave, her posture radiating smug triumph, the Duke finally found his voice.
"Wait!" he snapped. "I want one more match."
Cassidy couldn't have been more delighted. "We agreed to one round, winner take all. If you want another go, you'll have to sweeten the pot."
The Duke was almost certain her chicken had been given some kind of alchemical stimulant, just like his. How else could a bird that had lost before suddenly be strong enough to knock out his champion with a single flap of its wings?
He glared at the speckled hen nestled in her arms. "There's something wrong with your chicken. I demand an inspection."
"Sure!" Cassidy said, not missing a beat.
Before the Duke could even process his relief, she added, "And just to be fair, I want your chicken checked for cheating, too."
She glanced at Vaughn. "Lord Garrison is the Commander of the Onyx Guard. I'm sure checking a couple of chickens for anything suspicious is a piece of cake for him, right?"
Vaughn gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. His gaze swept from the speckled hen in Cassidy's arms to the rooster lying limp on the ground, and the look in his eyes was so sharp, so analytical, it made the Duke's stomach clench.
He cursed himself. Why had he been stupid enough to let Vaughn referee? If it had just been the Ashworth Manor staff, he could have found an excuse, smoothed things over. But the Onyx Guard? Their methods were legendary. An inspection would be a trap of his own making.
"Well?" Cassidy prompted, tapping her foot. "Are you in or not? I'm a busy woman."
The Duke's face went beet red. If he bet again, he risked losing to whatever trickery the princess was pulling. But if he didn't, he would have to give up the properties, the cash, and worst of all, the racetrack, the biggest moneymaker his family owned.
He clenched his fists, a vein throbbing in his temple. He was so furious he looked ready to lunge across the clearing and snatch the brocade box of winnings right out of her hands.
Noticing this, Cassidy dangled the box tauntingly. "So? One more match. Everything we own on the line."
And that's when the Duke knew. She had figured it out. She must have known his chicken was drugged, which is why she'd so brazenly brought back the same bird that had lost before. This was never about winning; it was about humiliating him.
He trembled with rage. "You... you just wait! This isn't over!"
Cassidy hugged the box to her chest and scrambled behind Vaughn's imposing frame. She peeked her head out, pointing a theatrically shaky finger at the fuming Duke.
"Lord Garrison, you heard him! He threatened me! If anything happens to me, you'll know who to blame. I'll expect you to get justice for me, and I'll be knocking on his door for compensation."
Vaughn looked up, his gaze locking onto the Duke, his voice dropping to an icy calm. "Duke. Watch your words."
That only seemed to make the Duke angrier.
Cassidy kept up the pitiful act for another second before flashing him a wicked, triumphant grin. Having successfully provoked the man to the point of clutching his chest, she turned and swept out of the manor with her maids and guards in tow.
The Duke of Crestfall watched her go, so furious he felt like he could cough up blood. He slammed his fist against a nearby pillar, wincing as pain shot up his arm, but all he could do was watch his fortune walk out the door.
When Vaughn stepped out of Crestfall Manor, he found Princess Solana perched on a donkey, holding her chicken and beaming at him.
He stopped. Perhaps it was the first time he'd ever seen a woman so completely, unapologetically vibrant. For a moment, he forgot to look away.
Seeing him just standing there, Cassidy patted the donkey's neck and nudged it closer. "Lord Garrison! Are you headed to the palace?"
Vaughn shook off the momentary lapse and gave a respectful dip of his head. "I am. Does the princess have business there?"
"I sure do!" she said, shaking the brocade box with a smug rattle. "I'm going to pay off a debt. Come on, you can come with me!"
Before he could answer, she squeezed the donkey's sides with her legs and trotted off toward the palace, humming a cheerful tune.
Vaughn swung himself onto his horse. The powerful black stallion easily caught up, falling into a steady trot beside her slow-moving gray donkey.
Now that she had a captive audience, Cassidy's chatty side came out in full force.
She started by complaining about her father, transitioned into a rant about the Duke trying to cheat her out of her family's fortune, and finished by bragging about how she'd caught a crooked official earlier that day.
Vaughn listened, offering a quiet nod here and there.
Then, she abruptly changed the subject, nudging her donkey a little closer. "Lord Garrison," she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, "are you married?"
The question caught him off guard. He shook his head. "Not yet."
"Well, is there anyone you like?" she pressed, leaning in like a seasoned gossip.
When he just pressed his lips into a thin line, she poked him in the shoulder.
"Don't be shy," she said enthusiastically.
"You did me a huge favor today. I owe you one. If there's someone you have your eye on, I'll go straight to my uncle the Emperor and get him to arrange the marriage. If she doesn't like you back, don't worry. I can help you win her over."
She puffed out her chest. "I'm pretty good at that sort of thing."
The tips of Vaughn's ears turned bright red. His fingers tightened on the reins as he turned his head, unable to meet her intense, sparkling gaze.
"I don't have anyone like that."