I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 9

Eyes for Eyes (1)

Although the term VIP wasn’t in use yet, managing important clients specially was a tradition dating back to ancient times.

They’re called important clients, but really they’re just marks [targets for scams]. But if the person being taken advantage of doesn’t know it, what does it matter?

They just curse their bad luck with the cards as they get fleeced.

Anyway, just by looking at them playing cards in such a prominent spot, it’s clear they’re pretty high-quality marks. I suddenly wonder about their identities.

I called James over, pretending not to know anything, and pointed to the central table.

“Hey, who are those people playing cards at that fancy table?”

“They must be people with a lot of money or high status. Looking closely, that person over there seems familiar…”

While James stared intently at the man being fleeced, as if trying to recognize him, the casino manager took over the explanation.

“As the gentleman said, that’s where our important clients enjoy their games. We take extra care of our distinguished guests.”

He probably misspoke when he said they take extra care to fleece them.

Of course, strictly speaking, the statement that they pay special attention isn’t false.

If it became known that they were swindling money from people with power in society, they’d be lucky to escape with their lives.

They have to be extra careful and meticulously plan their schemes to avoid getting caught.

Looking at it that way, you’d have to say these guys’ audacity is far beyond the norm.

Or maybe they’re just stupid and have lost all sense of fear, but that seemed unlikely.

They probably exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of those in the upper echelons of society.

The perfectly natural assumption that there couldn’t possibly be anyone in the world trying to scam them.

They exploit that gap, and their patience in gradually increasing the stakes without taking too much at once is certainly commendable.

Most amateur scammers can’t control themselves and end up getting caught.

“So, is that person very rich? Is he incredibly wealthy?”

“Not exactly. As I mentioned, we consider social standing as well as wealth.”

“Social standing?”

Before my question was even finished, James, who had been glaring at the table, snapped his fingers as if he had finally remembered.

“Ah! I know. Master, I remember now. That’s Mr. Charles Wellesley.”

Wellesley? Where have I heard that before? It’s definitely a familiar name.

As I tilted my head in confusion, James quickly added an explanation.

“It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know, Master. Mr. Charles Wellesley is the second son of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, the hero of the Battle of Waterloo. For reference, the Duke of Wellington is currently the Prime Minister of Parliament and was Napoleon of France’s rival, who plunged all of Europe into a frenzy of fear in the past. And he is the British hero and great general who ultimately defeated him.”

Ah, that’s why the name sounded so familiar. That Wellesley was *that* Wellesley.

Even if people don’t know the Duke of Wellington, they can easily guess how great he was if they know he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

England milks the defeat of Napoleon for all it’s worth, even in modern times, so his treatment back then must have been extraordinary.

Although his political skills were lacking compared to his military abilities, and he lost some popularity in his later years, he is still undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the British Empire.

“If he’s the son of such a hero, then Mr. Charles Wellesley must be an amazing person too, right?”

“I heard he graduated from Eton College [a prestigious boarding school] and joined the military. I think he’s probably a major by now.”

Graduating from a prestigious public school and then enlisting in the military.

Just hearing the story, it’s a model example of a second son from a noble family following the best elite course.

Perhaps gambling here is just a hobby for Charles Wellesley, a way to spend money.

And this casino manages such clients by not being too greedy and only taking a moderate amount of money.

Good. I’ve completely grasped the situation.

“Oh? But isn’t the Prime Minister of England the leader of the House of Commons? Aren’t people with noble titles not allowed to be the leader of the House of Commons?”

“As expected, you’re sharp, Master. That’s usually the case, but the former Prime Ministers of the ruling Tory party [a British political party] have resigned one after another due to health issues. So, the Duke of Wellington had no choice but to take over as leader and lead the party. You may have heard, but your father, the Earl, is also a member of the Tory party.”

“I understand. So, in any case, that person is the second son of our party leader, right?”

I wanted to build ties with the central government of England for the future, and now such a great connection has appeared.

If I let this opportunity pass, I’d deserve to be called the world’s biggest idiot.

“By the way, Master, shouldn’t we go somewhere else now that you’ve seen enough?”

“No, wait. Now that we’re here, it would be good to say hello to him, right? Even if he’s the second son, if he’s the Duke of Wellington’s son, he’ll easily be able to get a seat in the House of Commons later on.”

“Well, that’s true. But even from a distance, it looks like he’s not having a good game, so if we say hello when he’s in a bad mood, we might just make a bad impression.”

“That’s why we have to time it right. I’ll follow him when he goes to the bathroom later and say hello, so James, wait here.”

James smiled as if he was proud of me for being so quick-witted and found a seat to order a glass of Irish whiskey.

There was no law against minors drinking yet, but because I was too young, I was offered warm mulled wine with almost all the alcohol removed.

As I enjoyed the taste and watched Charles Wellesley lose money, I saw him click his tongue loudly and get up from his seat.

“Ah, seriously, I won a bit last time and thought I’d have some fun, but I lost it all today. I’ll go to the bathroom to clear my head, so play a few more rounds.”

“Winning and losing are part of the game, aren’t they? Take your time and come back. Haha!”

“Okay. Wait right there. Why is my luck so bad today? Tsk.”

As I got up from my seat to follow Charles Wellesley, who was bitterly licking his lips, James waved his hand in support.

To James, I was just a beginner who had only been learning English for a few months, even though I had a talent for languages.

In fact, I still used easy-to-understand words when talking to James and the tutor.

Even then, when we had to have professional conversations, I deliberately used Qing Dynasty language [formal and archaic Chinese] to hide my English skills.

At this point, it was almost impossible to commit a faux pas, and if they knew the situation, they would just find it cute, so he didn’t seem worried at all.

Well, the conversation that would take place would be completely different from what he expected, but there was no need to tell him.

I gave him a thumbs up in response and quickly followed Charles Wellesley.

Then, I stuck close to Wellesley, who was washing his hands with a sour look on his face, and greeted him.

“Hello, Mr. Wellesley.”

“Huh? What, do you know me? But who’s the guardian who brought a child to a place like this?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Killian Gore, the eldest son of Earl Aaron, Sir Arthur Gore.”

“Earl Aaron? Who… ah, I remember. Sorry. He was a member of the Donegal County Council who inherited the earldom. But did he have such a young son? This is news to me.”

“Yes. There are some complicated circumstances. But I am definitely Earl Aaron’s eldest son. The butler who can vouch for my identity came with me too.”

“Hmm, well, whatever. Whether he has a son or not isn’t really my business. Anyway, Killian, right? It’s nice to meet you, but unfortunately, I’m a bit busy right now and don’t have time to talk to you for long. Tell the Earl I’ll say hello to him later.”

Wellesley patted my head roughly and turned to go back to the table.

He had just lost money gambling, so he wouldn’t be inclined to seriously respond to a ten-year-old kid talking to him.

Rather, I should praise him for his noble demeanor in at least giving a brief greeting.

But after hearing these words, could he really just leave?

“Excuse me, the butler who came with me says that Mr. Wellesley is being cheated in this gambling game.”

“…What?”

As expected. There’s no one in the world who can just walk away after hearing these words while losing money.

Wellesley froze in place and slowly turned back towards me.

Then, with a stiff expression that showed no trace of the awkward smile from before, he asked.

“What’s the basis for saying that?”

“The dealer is subtly manipulating the cards going to Mr. Wellesley, adjusting the results.”

“That’s ridiculous. I would have noticed it long ago. How long have I been playing cards here?”

“You wouldn’t believe me no matter how much I explained, so I’ll show you the proof. If I keep holding my glass instead of putting it on the table, the dealer will have manipulated the cards in that round. Of course, Mr. Wellesley will definitely lose, right?”

If I said this much, he had nothing to lose by checking.

Naturally, Wellesley took several deep breaths to calm his emotions and nodded.

“If you say so, I’ll check, but let me ask you a few things first. The butler who came with you sent you? Why didn’t he come and tell me himself?”

“Then the managers here might think it’s strange, right? I’m young, so no one will be wary of me, right? That’s why I came instead.”

“I see. But if they’re really cheating, there’s something that doesn’t make sense. I won money here a few days ago. Quite a lot too. If they were really cheating me, would they have let me win that much money?”

“You felt very good when you won a lot of money, right? According to our butler, that’s their method. They let you win big once in a while and then collect all the interest in several installments. And once you win a lot of money a few times, you get hooked on the high and keep coming back to the casino. It’s all a thoroughly calculated method.”

Of course, James had never said any of that, but his analysis as the butler of an earl’s family would be more credible than mine as a child.

Later, when my words all turned out to be true, I could tell him that it was all my idea.

“This is crazy… If that’s true, I’ll never let those bastards get away with it. I’ll make sure they all end up in jail. Okay, let’s check it out right now!”

“Ah, wait a minute. I’m just saying this in case, but even if the signals I send are all correct, you absolutely mustn’t show it. Of course, you shouldn’t say that you’ve realized it’s a scam either.”

“What? Are you telling me to just let them cheat me? Why?”

“Aren’t you angry, Mr. Wellesley? Those ignorant bastards dared to cheat the great Mr. Wellesley and try to steal his money.”

Wellesley blinked blankly, as if he had never expected to hear such a question, forgetting to be angry for a moment.

“Of course I’m angry. That’s why I’m trying to beat them up.”

“Just doing that isn’t enough. They’ll just deny it to the death.”

“But I can at least ruin this casino enough, right?”

“But then all you’ll get is the money you’ve lost so far. Can you be satisfied with that? Wouldn’t it be most satisfying to give these guys back exactly what they’ve done to you? My butler happens to have an amazing plan.”

“Give them back exactly what they’ve done?”

Wellesley’s eyes changed completely as he took the bait.

I met his eyes and made an offer that he could never refuse.

I said that once you win money, you get hooked on the high and can’t get out, right?

So this time, I’ll inject that high myself.

Much stronger than the crap those scammers gave him. It’ll probably be a little too euphoric.