I ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED A DUNGEON

After passing through a few more of the booths, Diana stopped a stranger to inquire about the circus, finding out that it wouldn’t begin for some time yet. She ate from every other booth, always checking if Hakimi wanted some before. He always refused, told her not to eat too much, and she would dismiss him every time with a laugh.

But then his eyes fell on something that he recognized in the left-hand alley. "Felix? This idiot is here too?"

"Who?" Diana inquired.

"No one." His tone didn’t waver. Five or six people stood around a small table, shouting at each other. If he is here, then she must be too—

Then his eyes settled on Dune, rising from behind that table. "There."

"Where?" Diana strained her vision to follow his gaze.

"Lady Dune." He had already started to cross the street towards the table.

"The dungeon girl? Where?" Diana searched the street without noticing the one thing that he noticed.

Hakimi stopped a few steps back, watching Felix flipping cards in his hands while the crowd placed their bets around him. Dune saw him first. "Hakimi."

"Hakimi?" Felix looked up from his cards. "So it is you. The nanny. Off-duty, or just came to buy yourself some more perfume?"

"Watch your mouth, insect." Hakimi walked around to the other side of the table. "Nice to see you, Lady Dune."

"Nice to see you too, Hakimi." Dune answered him bluntly.

"That’s her?" Diana studied Dune, but she seemed to have nothing weird about her at all.

"Yes." Hakimi turned to her. "Lady Diana, this is Lady Dune. Lady Dune, this is Lady Diana."

"Oh, brought your handler along with you." Felix put away the cards. "Can’t say I’m surprised."

"Surprised by what?" Hakimi inquired.

"Nothing. It doesn’t matter." Felix smiled to himself and raised his voice to the crowd. "Three of spades wins. All the rest, your silver is mine now." Then he looked back at Hakimi. "You two go ahead and shop."

Hakimi’s brow twitched. "Are you looking to die today, insect?"

"What did you say?" Felix narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to get physical?"

"Try me." Hakimi stepped forward.

"Stop." Diana seized his arm.

Felix briefly glanced at her and returned to shuffling his cards. "Maybe another time. It’s business hours now. I can’t afford to get distracted with some random people."

The other men at the table lowered their silver once again. "Dune, gather."

"Yes."

Felix faced his cards down and looked at Hakimi. "If you want to win something so badly, why don’t you play yourself?"

"This bastard." Hakimi pushed past the other players and moved towards the table. "Step away."

"Everyone leave." Felix grinned. "A knight wants to play a game."

"Just tell me how to play it," said Hakimi.

"Easy does it, easy does it." Felix collected the cards and began shuffling. Knew this idiot would take the bait.

"Listen carefully." He placed the deck onto his palm. "First you’ll draw a card." He took only one card out of the fan of cards. "Then I’ll shuffle my deck again, lay it out and you’ll draw three cards this time."

He laid three face-down cards on the table. "If your cards match with the card you drew earlier, you win. With one match, your reward will be doubled. Two matches – tripled. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Hakimi reached for the deck. "But let me shuffle this time."

"Not a chance," said Felix. "No tricks from you. I know exactly what you’re planning."

"And how do I know that you’re not the one who’s going to cheat?" countered Hakimi. "It’s completely possible that you’ll just switch my cards while I’m not looking."

"No, I don’t do that." Felix laid down the deck, faces up this time. "Check it for yourself. All fifty-two cards, none missing."

Hakimi’s gaze slowly travelled through the entire fan of cards, memorizing their positions. "Let’s start then."

"First of all – coin." Felix smirked.

Hakimi checked his pocket but found it empty. "Damnit."

"Well, didn’t bring anything with you?" asked Felix.

"I don’t usually keep it on me." Hakimi turned to Lady Diana. "Lady Diana, perhaps..."

"Yes, of course." She reached into her pocket and poured some gold pieces onto Hakimi’s hand. "Now go and teach this jerk a lesson."

"Of course." Hakimi put two gold coins on the table.

"That’s all you got? Bet like a man."

Hakimi laid the rest of his gold pieces onto the table. "You won’t be able to return my money if I win."

Felix squared the cards and began to shuffle the deck rapidly using the overhand technique, which then transitioned into a faster and more precise riffle shuffle, as he was doing this Hakimi’s eyes remained on the deck all the time.

Felix stopped and fanned the cards out. "Pick."

"First one." Hakimi stated.

Felix pulled the card and placed it in front of him, then began shuffling the deck once again. "You’re not even going to check it?"

"Not necessary."

"Suits me." Felix continued shuffling, occasionally glancing downwards at ten gold coins waiting between them. Then he stopped and fanned the deck again. "Pick."

"Seventh. Nineteenth. Thirty-sixth." Hakimi replied indifferently.

"What?" Felix frowned.

"Take the cards from those particular places."

"Fine by me." Felix placed three cards on the table in front of them, face down, and flipped the first one over.

Ten of diamonds.

He glanced upwards at Hakimi who looked perfectly calm and nodded.

Felix flipped the second card. Ten of spades.

His frown deepened and the corner of Hakimi’s mouth twitched upward.

Felix reached for the third card but froze there, holding it in his hand.

"Well? Turn it over."

"Yeah, whatever." He flipped the last card over. Ten of hearts. His frown instantly turned into a smile. "Dune, go take the gold."

"Yes." She quickly walked up to them.

"Are you really thinking that you’ve won?" Hakimi flipped his card over. Nine of clubs. "No, wait a second! That’s not right! That was a ten!"

"Exactly what people say before they lose."

"You cheated." Hakimi smacked his hand on the table.

"How exactly? Where’s the proof?" Felix blew the strand of hair off his forehead, looking completely comfortable. "I told you to check your card before we started. You refused to do it."

A black cat jumped onto the table in front of them without any warning with a red string tied to one of its legs.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Felix muttered.

Meow. It stared at Dune and immediately took the coin bag out of her hands and jumped off the table.

"What—my gold!" Felix’s mouth dropped open. "Dune, what did you do?"

"I did nothing." Dune calmly stated. "The cat took it."

"Then don’t just look at my face. Go catch the damn cat!" Felix ran away without even finishing the sentence.