At five p.m., just after the opening hour, a luxury automobile stopped in front of the Rhits Palace, puffing slowly from his hybrid rock-oil and steam engine. Shiny and black, with elaborated brass and silver decorations carrying intricate magic protections, it stood out even among the other expensive automobiles waiting in line to discharge the establishment's wealthy and pretentious patrons.

The driver horned twice to attract the doormen's attention, signaling he wanted to go forward faster. It was mildly raining, and rain is not something the high society accepts lightly. Seeing the coat of arms on the car’s door, the doormen rushed to shout something in an acoustic tube while the two security guards jumped in the alley with the joyful energy of shepherd dogs ordered to herd sheep.

“Move your car!” one of them shouted toward the car in front of the black one. “We have a MIP,” meaning by this, of course, a Meaningful Important Person.

“And I’m not?” angrily shouted through the lowered window, a red and beardy face belonging to a dwarf. “Do you know who I am?”

“No, sir, who are you?” asked an elegant young man, the Game Master of the Casino. He was descending the front steps in a hurry, trying to set his unruly dark hair with his fingers, in which he had just spat a little for this purpose.

“High engineer Fervfusen, from the Kikdas Clan,” enounced the dwarf emphatically.

“How do you do. Now please move.” replied the other briefly.

The dwarf’s driver, wiser than his master and knowing from the guards' severe expression that trouble was only two seconds away, obeyed and moved his car toward a less honorable but safer spot.

When the black car stopped entirely in front of the main entrance, the young man was there, opening the back door with a hand while carrying an open umbrella with the other. The hand holding the umbrella was a living handle, meant to help the MIP descend from the car. It was held at the perfect height and position, showing a perfection which only experts can achieve.

“Welcome to the Rhits.”

“Thank you, Sirinn!” the MIP answered.

The young girl barely looked her age of fourteen, but her elegant two-pieces pale beige suit was meant to push her age up in the eyes of the beholders. Her hair, lively and blond, was arranged in an elaborate manner beyond her age.

“You breathe fast, Sirinn, do you have a cold?” she asked a little worried, as microbes were to her as insufferable as the rain.

“Not at all; I just hurried to meet you. How could I let anyone else have the honor to open the door for you? And the boss asked me to deliver you a personal message: please make him a visit before you leave.”

The girl acknowledged with a small nod, then let herself escorted up the stairs and on through the stained glassed doors. Once in the lobby, the young man kissed her hand politely and went to his business.

She raised her eyes to admire the ceiling, a slightly concave one. It was one hundred yards in diameter and sitting on four immense red marble pillars. An elevator led her to the game room. The ceiling of the hall was here the floor, descending in concentric circles. Each area had its own game: poker, bridge, blackjack, and in the middle, with its axis perfectly aligned with the center of the glass dome above, the roulette. The rain was over, and through the stained glass, a warm evening light sent colors matching the furniture's red velvet and gilded wood.

She started her tour with a visit to the restaurant. It was set on the room's upper circle, surrounding all the others; the girl chose a booth near the string quartet. Her order was not on the menu: banana and pineapple ice cream with rhum marinated raisins, a hint of cinnamon sprinkled; overall, all inside of a hot breadfruit half, the melting of the ice slowed by cuisine magic. She drank that and chickory coffee due to her MIP status because the Rhits never had special menus for kids, being an adult-oriented resort.

Once she ate, she went down to the games. She followed the bets here and there, giving some good evening to some people, exchanging some glances with the Game Room Master, Sirinn, from time to time. Almost an hour, she went all over the place, studying the dice rolls, the card hands, and most of all, the people's expressions. After that, she settled on the bridge level. It was her preferred game because it involved not only luck but intelligence and perseverance too. Bridge had no bets but an entry fee for all pairs, from which total the winners were rewarded with a part, proportional to their performance.

At some point, two young gentlemen raised her attention. It was break time, they were sipping each a cup of coffee, and obviously, they were not in the best mood.

“It would be a pity for a game to ruin such an old friendship,” she stated.

Jumping up from their couch, both kissed her hand in turn.

“Miss Estella, what a pleasure!” one of them exclaimed.

“Doctor Dironce,” she saluted back. “The pleasure is on my part.”

“We ruined it!” sighed the other. “I’ve ruined it. All the bids were off… I really shouldn’t have gone for the big slam.”

“Well, yes, you are not made for this, Mister Verbino,” she acknowledged. “You are a blessing as a friend for Doctor Dironce, but a curse as a bridge partner.”

“No, no, it’s ok,” protested the doctor. “It’s just a game…”

“No, it’s not ok,” his friend replied. “And I don’t even like the game. You must find another partner.”

“That’s exactly what’s on my mind,” the girl said. “Do you see that young lady there? The one with deep green eyes?” she showed the person in question with the point of her nose. “I heard her comments, and she seems very competent.”

“I don’t know,” he hesitated. “She’s quite pretty. I fear she might take it as an improper hit. And Providence forbid, maybe she has some military fiancée who’d want to duel or other such stupid stuff. I’m more into healing than wounding.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t notice any male in uniform around her. I’ll make the introductions,” she proposed and walked as fast as a MIP status allowed her toward the objective.

“Good evening. Do you want to play bridge?” she asked abruptly, startling her target, who wasn’t sure what was all about.

“With you? Are you allowed to play at your age?” the other asked.

“Not with me, of course. That gentleman there – she pointed again with her pointy yet good looking nose – needs a partner. I’m sure you would make a good pair.”

While amused by the young girl's strange proposition, the young woman had enough curiosity to look and study Dr. Dironce. She sighed and said:

“I wouldn't dare; he’s quite handsome. This kind of man always has a fiancée. He’ll think I’m making an inappropriate overture on him. And anyway, I can’t afford the fee, miss. I’m a simple typewriter in a ministry, you know. Following the game is a passion, but…”

“The fee has been paid, but he needs a new partner. And by the way, he thinks that you are gorgeous and he dares not speak to you directly, that’s why I took the initiative. And he’s as single as a blind bat stranded in a jar. Very shy. Come!”

With the attitude of someone who used to be obeyed, Estella took the other girl's arm and pulled her toward the doctor.

“All is well who’ll end well,” she said proudly. “You can play. Doctor Dironce, I present you Miss…” and she turned toward the still startled brunette.

“Stefana” she mumbled.

“What a coincidence! We have almost the same name. My name is Estien. Estien Dironce, doctor. I’m delighted… ”

“Excellent. Now go play; the break is over!” Estella unceremoniously interrupted him, and off she went toward the lower levels. At the roulette, she stopped for a minute, whispering in one elf’s ear:

“Red is a nicer color this evening.”

The elf looked at her and smiled.

“A child. Children are supposed to bring good luck!”

His remark made her frown because she didn’t consider herself in any way a child, but he moved his bet on the red just a moment before the “rien ne va plus” was called. The ball went on red, and she left the roulette for the blackjack, not before she almost ordered the elf to stop betting.

“One lucky hit is enough for one evening.”

From a fair amount of time already, one of the waiters was following her around, one of those walking around with trays of cookies and champagne. Closing on her, he stretched his hand to grab her shoulder. Without looking, she made a broader step, letting his gesture go in vain, while the waiter’s shoulder was now pulled back by an iron hand.

“What are you doing, you idiot?”

The waiter almost lost his tray.

“Oh, it’s you, Master Sirinn. You scared the soul out of me!”

“Why are you following her instead of doing your job?” the Game Master admonished him.

“She’s a cheater. A card counter, or even worse, a Beauhemian in disguise. I plan to take her to security.”

“When did you started working here?”

“Yesterday, sir.”

“Your luck, else you’d be fired. She’s Estella Osthwald, the Princess of Ohst. Don’t meddle your nose where you don’t understand.”

“If she’s a princess, why is she cheating?” the other argued. “It’s not fair.”

Sirinn’s eyes were throwing swords.

“She’s not cheating, stupid. She’s a Seer, a probability reader. This power takes a heavy toll on her; she has trouble sleeping. Coming here helps her go through the night. She helps us stopping trouble: people losing their family fortune, suicides, duels. Helping us helps her too. And this is a state secret; if you chirp it to some newspaper, I’ll know it was you.”

“And how do you know it, if it’s a secret?” cheekily replied the waiter.

“For Providence’s sake, what a moron! If you don’t want the Dora, the Wrath of the Queens, after you, mind your business!”

Now he got his point; the knees of the poor guy softened. Showing the waiter off, Sirinn started to grumble some nasty words to himself, about the average intelligence of the help and similar things, when an overweight breathless croupier approached him.

“The boys are playing. Do you want to make a bet? Three to two that the matchmaker will strike again tonight.”

“I don’t gamble, you know it, Rusick! And I forbid you to make bids over the abilities of a suffering child…”

At that point, the bridge winners were announced.

“We won! We won!” shouted a young woman’s voice. “Oh, thank you so much for having me as a partner. I… I…”

Neither the two nor the waiter needed to look back to know that Stefana had jumped in Dr. Dironce’s arms, kissing him fiercely and that the doctor wasn’t at all displeased with this show of affection.

“See, Sirinn? Once in a few visits, she strikes. Why don’t you ask her to find you a nice girl, mate? You could use some stability in your life.”

“Don’t crawl all over the floor for my care, Rusick; I’m all right. Better prepare, we’re going out for some fun, on our next day off, remember? I hope you have a nice suit.”

That said, he looked after Estella to check if she was doing well, but she was nowhere to be seen, so he went toward other endeavors.