The capital of any state is a special city. And its residents always differ from other citizens. Whether it's due to their proximity to power or other factors, even former capitals can be easily identified if you spend a little time in them.
But what truly sets apart both the city and its inhabitants, if it's a capital, is their level of information. It is always higher than that of others. The decrepit old man did not pretend to misunderstand what he was being offered.
He didn't even hesitate before agreeing. There were unfinished matters, and he simply didn't want to enter a new life without fully enjoying the old one. Receiving a drop of Rudolf's blood on his palm, the man simply rubbed it into his skin.
Count Yanki threw the dice onto the table. Three sixes and a four! Smiling contentedly, the man gathered the coins from the center of the table and moved them towards himself, adding them to an impressive pile of their friends. The new abilities allowed him to easily manipulate the faces of the dice and get the desired result.
Not being a natural gambler, the count had not become one even after his transformation into a vampire. He was not driven to the table by excitement or a thirst for money. The seasoned politician found pleasure only in intrigue and power, and a bit in women. But he already had the perfect woman, and a little more power wouldn't hurt.
Baron Roth, the Watcher of the Palace Tower, had always been weak to gambling, and today luck had completely abandoned him, with the baron losing a fortune to the count (in the kingdom of Ilkhori, ministries are called "towers," and their head is a "watcher"; the count is playing with the court minister).
The pale courtier did not know where to put his hands or what to do. The dice, as if enchanted, kept rolling high numbers for his opponent. Never had luck so deserted the old gambler. He had already lost two annual incomes of the barony and could not stop. The insidious worm inside him persistently advised him to keep going.
Twenty! And the count only had seven! Hastily pushing ten gold coins, his winnings, towards himself, the baron wiped the sweat from his brow. Sixteen against fifteen! Was it possible that the streak of victories had left the count and shifted to the baron? Swallowing the bait, the man raised the stakes, and after winning again, bet five hundred gold coins.
Looking triumphantly at Yanki, the baron confidently drummed his fingers on the table, waiting for the player's decision. The count could afford such sums, but his opponent had long been playing with borrowed money, having dipped into the treasury of his office just a couple of hours ago. The coins he had received from the Watcher of the Treasury Tower that morning made up his stake in this game.
With a trembling hand, the count pushed his money into the center. Around them, there were surprised whispers from men and gasps from women. The stakes were very high, especially by the standards of the not-so-wealthy kingdom of Ilkhori, whose main commodity was salt obtained from the sea. A thousand gold coins was an annual income that no duke in the state possessed.
Baron Roth confidently tossed the dice into the cup and, after shaking it, threw them onto the table. Nineteen! Beating this is not so easy! The spectators erupted in enthusiastic chatter, discussing the successful throw. The count took the dice, threw them into the cup, and, keeping his eyes on his opponent's face, mixed them and tossed them. The dice rolled across the surface after the throw and came to a stop, showing their faces to the ceiling. Twenty!
To the baron's credit, he did not die of a heart attack on the spot. But he couldn't stand up; his legs wouldn't obey. He could only watch as the victor gathered the gold coins of imperial minting and piled them up. The budget of his tower was being transferred to the count's pocket, which had suddenly stopped trembling. Money that was supposed to go to the king and his entertainments was confidently being moved by the count's hand.
— Shall we continue?
But there was nothing left to continue with. All the public funds had been lost down to the last penny, as well as personal savings.
— No. I'm done for today. Maybe tomorrow, — the baron finally regained control over his limbs and now played for the audience.
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