A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 101: Santino Is Not You

Chapter 101: Santino Is Not You

Draven nodded.

"Yes. It does not sound as complicated as I expected."

"Hmph! Haha, we’ll see." Avelina chuckled.

She gave the cards to Santino. "Shuffle it again."

"Eh..." Santino was a bit stunned.

Avelina glanced at him. "You don’t know how this game works?"

"I do, my lady," Santino responded.

"Then shuffle and spread it," Avelina said to him.

Santino nodded. "Alright, my lady."

He placed the box on the floor and took the cards from Avelina. He skillfully shuffled them and spread them on the table.

By the side, he stood and watched as they played.

Draven’s brow arched, and he glanced at Avelina.

"What?" A cunning smile was visible on Avelina’s lips.

Draven said, "I don’t understand why you are smiling. It’s cunning-looking."

Avelina chuckled and shrugged, unwilling to say anything to him.

"Hmmm..." Draven narrowed his eyes into thin lines. He stared at his card and let out a soft breath.

"Draven, play! You have been gazing at those cards for long seconds now!" Avelina groaned, a tiny bit annoyed at his reluctance.

Draven nodded. "Relax." He played his card.

Next, Avelina drew her cards cautiously. She knew not to underestimate Draven just because this was his first time playing such a game. She would be lying if she said that she did not see the probability of him winning.

As the game progressed, Avelina’s shrewd tactics became apparent. She anticipated Draven’s moves, countering his attempts at manipulation with remarkable skill. This was enough to show that she had been playing this game for a while.

Draven, on the other hand, was frowning. No, he was getting frustrated! At this point, Avelina might actually win!

NO! Impossible! He quickly shook his head.

Avelina smirked at him. "What’s wrong now, Draven? You look pretty stressed out, bwahahaha."

"No, I am not!" Draven glared at her. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He took a moment to think before once again playing.

Avelina scoffed, amused. At such a critical moment, it was finally time for her to play her TRUMP CARD!

She carefully combined her cards, unleashing a sequence of actions that left Draven momentarily stunned. Why was she good at this?

Draven’s lashes fluttered, and he gazed at Avelina, very much at a loss for words. He peeked at the cards and looked at Avelina. His face held a look of disbelief.

As the game concluded, the tension in the atmosphere dissipated. Avelina relaxed back in her chair and grinned. She folded her arms and chuckled while saying, "I won."

Draven squinted his eyes. He looked at Santino with a look that said: Are you seeing this?

Santino looked away, unwilling to get involved.

"This makes no sense," Draven’s forehead was wrinkled.

"Heh?" Avelina’s face turned ugly. "Because you lost?"

Draven drew his head back. Yes, that was the reason, but he could not say so.

Avelina laughed. She shifted forward, so she was a bit closer to him. "What an ego you have, Draven. It’s blinding my eyes."

Draven glowered and raised his brow at her. He did not deny it but simply pushed her face away.

Avelina cackled. She was enjoying taunting him.

"What is your wish?" Draven asked. His expression was ugly, hinting at the fact that he was not happy.

Avelina tilted her head. "Why the grumpy look, Draven? You must really hate losing."

"Who doesn’t? I have never lost before. This is the first time," Draven affirmed.

"Oh..." Avelina nodded. "How does it feel?" she asked.

"Hmmm..." Draven thought seriously about it, trying to understand what he was feeling inside.

"A sense of frustration and doubt."

"I see." Avelina gave a nod. "Well, don’t think about it. It’s a simple game after all."

Draven glanced at her. "What is your wish, Avelina?"

Avelina pondered with her head tilted. "Honestly, I don’t want to make a wish now."

Draven looked at her, confused.

"If you didn’t want to, then...why did you suggest we play a game?"

"Eh, I do have something that I wish for, but I don’t think that I should waste this wish on it. I have a feeling that I may desperately want something in the future, so... I will keep it," Avelina explained.

Draven stared at her. He furrowed his brows and folded his arms. "But you do have something you want right now, no?"

"I do." Avelina nodded.

"What is it?" Draven inquired.

"Huh?" Avelina blinked rapidly before chuckling. "Oh, no, no, I am not making a wish no—"

"I heard you. This is not your wish that I am asking, but I want to know what it is you wanted," Draven clarified, interrupting her.

Avelina ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oh..." She nodded in comprehension of his words. "Well...um... I was just wondering if you would be willing to take me to a cafe. I wanted to ask, but...I was not sure if you would agree, so I thought imploring through a wish would be the best."

Draven flickered his eyes.

"Why do you want to go to a cafe?"

Avelina responded, "Because I just want to be outside of this mansion, even if for a few minutes. I love going to cafes, and I read a lot there. But really, I just want to step out for a few minutes. It’s so suffocating in here." She let out a soft sigh.

With a sloped head, Draven stared at her.

"Well, it’s no big deal. You should have told me regardless. I don’t have a problem taking you to a cafe," he said to her.

Avelina was surprised. She raised her head and looked at him. "You mean, you will take me?"

"Sure, but...I will have Santino do that because—"

"I don’t want to go with Santino." Avelina shook her head at him.

Draven appeared perplexed. "May I ask why?"

"I want you to go with me. If you are too busy, we can postpone it. I don’t mind," Avelin said with a serious expression.

This made Draven even more bemused.

"Avelina, is there a difference if Santino or I took you?" he inquired.

"Yes," Avelina replied. "Santino is not you."

Draven squinted his eyes. He was quiet for a few moments before exhaling. "Okay, I’ll take you."

"Really?" Avelina’s eyes lit up.

Draven nodded at her. "Mhm, but at night. None except the royal cafes open in the morning, and I do not intend to take you there. I don’t like it there and neither will you."

"That’s completely fine with me." The smile on Avelina’s face was well-broadened.