I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 614 614: Grand Reserve Wine

"Want to go double or nothing? I'll bet your left boot against... let's say fifty gold pieces. You win, you get the ring back plus enough gold to replace it twice over. You lose, you spend the rest of your shift standing on one leg."

The scarred guard's expression darkened, his professional composure cracking as accumulated humiliation pushed him past the point where caution should have held him silent.

"This isn't a game, Miss Kaiser. We're on duty, protecting..."

"You're standing at a gate that hasn't needed protecting in months," Celeste interrupted, her tone shifting from playful to sharp with speed that made both guards flinch. "Your house is bleeding gold. Your Earl made enemies he can't afford to fight. And you're clinging to 'duty' like it's going to save you when this whole estate collapses."

She hopped down from the wall, landing lightly on the cobblestones with grace. Her eyes tracked across both guards with an assessment that stripped away their uniforms and ranks, revealing exactly how vulnerable they actually were.

"You know what the smartest thing to do with a hand like this is?" she asked, gesturing vaguely toward the manor house visible beyond the gates. "You fold. You walk away, find employment with a house that isn't drowning, and you count yourself lucky that you got out before the real collapse arrives."

Her grin returned, but it carried an edge that transformed amusement into something approaching genuine threat.

"But your Earl? He's the kind of idiot who stays in the game until he's betting his own skin. He keeps thinking the next hand will save him, that somehow he can bluff his way past debts he can't pay and enemies he can't beat. And when he finally loses everything, you know who else loses?"

She pointed at both guards in turn, her finger jabbing toward them.

"You do. His servants, his guards, everyone stupid enough to keep standing at his gate pretending that 'duty' means something when the house you're protecting is already condemned."

The older guard's hand had moved away from his sword, his posture shifting from defensive readiness to genuine fear as Celeste's words hit marks that professional pride had been trying to protect.

"Don't look at me like that," Celeste continued, her voice softening fractionally without losing its predatory edge. "I'm not the one who gambled your lives and lost. I'm just here to see who gets the pot."

Behind her, standing perfectly still near the road's edge, S waited patiently.

His suit was dark and perfectly tailored, the fabric expensive enough to cost more than both guards earned in a year. His hands were clasped behind his back, his posture rigid with professional discipline, communicating absolute control over every muscle in his body.

His face was neutral, expression carrying no particular emotion beyond mild interest in the scene unfolding before him.

He might have been watching clouds drift across the sky or observing paint dry for all the reaction he showed to Celeste's gambling or the guards' obvious distress.

But his presence added weight to the atmosphere, transforming what could have been dismissed as one noble's eccentric sister into something far more dangerous.

S represented Jack Kaiser's direct authority, and everyone present understood that whatever was about to happen had been approved at the highest level.

The younger guard finally found his voice, the words emerging as a desperate attempt to understand what was happening. "Why are you here, Miss Kaiser? What does Jack Kaiser want with Earl Starfell?"

Celeste's grin widened, her eyes glinting with amusement. She'd been waiting for this question.

"You'll find out soon enough. But here's a free tip, since I'm in a generous mood after winning all your jewelry. When my brother sends someone to your door, it's not a social visit. It's business. And Earl Starfell's account has been overdue for quite a while."

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from beyond the gate, rapid and nervous, belonging to the house guard who'd been sent to announce the Kaisers' arrival and arrange their reception.

He appeared at the gate's interior side, breathing heavily as if he'd run the entire distance from the manor house.

His hands worked the gate's mechanism, fumbling from how nervous he was, metal clanking as the locks disengaged and the wrought iron swung inward, groaning from hinges that needed maintenance the Starfells couldn't afford.

"Miss Kaiser," he panted, his voice emerging between heavy breaths. "S. The Earl... the Earl will receive you in the drawing room immediately. If you'll please follow me..."

Celeste hopped over the threshold with a casual stride, her hands at her side as she passed between the two gate guards who remained frozen at attention. She paused beside the younger one, rising on her toes to whisper something that made his face go white.

Then she continued toward the manor, her footsteps light and her posture carrying the relaxed confidence of someone walking into friendly territory.

S followed three paces behind, his movements precise and his presence contrasting sharply with Celeste's casual stride.

He didn't acknowledge the guards.

As they disappeared toward the manor, the older guard finally released the breath he'd been holding. His hand came up to wipe sweat from his forehead despite the evening's cool temperature.

"What did she say to you?" he asked his younger companion, voice low and urgent.

The young guard's hands were trembling, his face still pale as he processed whatever Celeste had whispered.

"She said..." he started, then swallowed hard. "She said we should start looking for new employment. Because in about twenty minutes, there won't be an Earl Starfell anymore. Just a man named Laurence Bale."

The older guard's expression went blank as his mind tried to process the implication, calculate what it meant, and determine whether there was any action he could take that wouldn't make things worse.

The drawing room's tension had somehow intensified during the five minutes it took for Celeste and S to be escorted from the front gate to the manor house's interior.

Earl Starfell stood beside the fireplace, his posture rigid as he tried to project authority and control despite the sweat beading on his forehead.

He'd changed his coat, replacing the informal garment he'd been wearing during the argument with something more suitable for receiving noble guests.

A dark fabric with silver threading that had cost a fortune when purchased years ago and now showed signs of wear that careful brushing couldn't completely hide.

The Countess had repositioned herself in her chair, hands folded in her lap, expression carefully neutral as she prepared to observe whatever came next with the trained detachment that noble wives developed as a survival mechanism.

Victoria remained near the window, her earlier anger completely suppressed beneath layers of noble composure that had been drilled into her since childhood.

Her hands were folded in front of her, her posture perfect, her face a mask that revealed nothing except trained politeness.

On the small table beside the Earl's position, a crystal decanter sat alongside three glasses.

The Grand Reserve wine.

One of the last truly valuable bottles remaining in the Starfell cellar. It waited to be poured as a gesture of hospitality and respect.