Emily was forced to confront her former followers.
“I missed you so much, Emily!”
“Yes, I am. I am also very happy to meet you all.”
Even though she tried her best to avoid it, it still smelled like a ghost and chased after me.
Now, it was safe to call them pursuers, not followers. Could the pursuers truly let Emily's fall go unchecked?
“You’re amazing, you just burst out in laughter as soon as you appear.”
“That’s right. Were you in constant contact with His Excellency the Duke?”
“Oh, I wanted to ask what your husband, who is from a commoner background, is like.”
“By the way, how is married life with a commoner?”
Of course, there was no way she could just let it go. Emily forced a smile as she listened to the endless stream of stories about herself.
Her heart began to pound deep inside her chest. This was a sign that her fighting power was increasing.
“Before I answer your question, since it’s been a while since we last met, can I pass around some wine?”
"Great!"
Emily went to the servant and got the wine she had asked for.
“I hope you all find the perfect husband, and I'll toss a glass to you all.”
"Thank you!"
And everyone drank the wine she poured without question.
“Ugh.”
Young Lady, who had been the first to sip the wine, suddenly grabbed her throat, and the others began to tremble. Oh my, could it be that Emily had prepared poison?
“Ugh... hahaha!”
“Heh, heh, heh heh!”
People who were drinking wine suddenly started laughing one by one.
“Hehehe, why am I laughing like this?”
“I can’t help but laugh, haha!”
From a distance, it looked like they were having a very enjoyable conversation.
“It makes me happy to see everyone having fun.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Emily's face.
“Hehehe, Emily! What is it!”
"Well, it was a pleasure talking with you all! See you next time!"
Emily was able to leave with dignity without answering their questions.
Moreover, since the party was in full swing, their smiling faces were like those of any other small gathering, and no one around them aroused any suspicion.
Personally, Emily has safely overcome the biggest challenge of the banquet, the encounter with her followers, or rather, bet pursuers.
In fact, Emily had a few concerns for John before coming to the party.
“The adult world is complicated. You have to meet people you don’t want to meet, and you have to answer questions you don’t want to answer.”
“If I go to the party this time, will that happen to Emily?”
As expected, John was smart and understood what was being said right away.
“Yes, how can we keep their mouths shut?”
Emily was both surprised and delighted to hear that John was a poison expert.
Maybe it could solve her own problems. But as an adult, she couldn't ask first, "Isn't there a poisonous plant that paralyzes the tongue?"
John thought about various poisons. Killing them would be the simplest, but that would mean Emily would be imprisoned... What would be a way to render them speechless without harming them?
“Oh! Now that I think about it, there’s a poisonous plant that’s just right.”
“Really? You really are a genius.”
So, the mysterious vial John had handed Emily this morning was a "drug that would make you unable to hold back laughter." Aside from making you laugh for a few minutes, it had no noticeable side effects.
Emily thanked Johan again for staying home and hurried back to Killian. She had to disappear quickly, lest they stop laughing and she'd be attacked with questions again.
"Hmm?"
A question mark appeared on Emily's face as she walked towards Killian with a bright expression.
“Hello, Mr. Knox. It’s been a while since we last saw each other.”
Knox stood next to Killian. He greeted Emily with a giggle as always.
“Yes, it’s been a while. I’ve been locked up for the past few days.”
“Ah, yes...”
By Emily's standards, 'confinement' was a serious crime, but judging by the way Knox spoke of it so casually, it seemed like a common occurrence in the mafia world.
“But, Madam, you look quite different when you’re all dressed up like this.”
When Knox complimented her dress, Emily smiled proudly and complimented him in return.
“Mr. Knox, indeed.”
Knox, unlike his previous image, was neatly combed back and dressed neatly. Many young ladies glanced at him with interest.
“So, Mr. Knox, how did you get here?”
Killian spoke up in response to Emily's question.
“Do you remember Clive?”
Emily let out a low gasp as she remembered who Clive was.
“Isn’t that the nobleman who taught you etiquette?”
“It’s hard to believe, but Knox is the one.”
A second question mark appeared on Emily's face.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Emily had noticed that Knox seemed like someone who needed to grow on his own before teaching others manners.
Knox nodded, as if he knew what Emily was thinking.
"Actually, my father is the Duke of Howard. I'm the third son who inherited the Clive estate."
She could not have been unaware of the Duke of Howard.
Strictly speaking, she knew Duchess Laurencea Howard very well.
She knew all 100 of the major clans of the Van Centenary by heart and did not treat any clan not included in that list as noble.
Since Knox was the son of such an old-fashioned and strict person, it seemed like there must have been a great story behind his becoming a mafia member.
“Should I say that only the mafia world can handle my coolness?”
Correction. There doesn't seem to be any particular reason. It was a mistake to even think about him seriously for a moment.
“Let me introduce myself again, Viscount Knox Howard Clive.”
Knox gave Emily a nice smile and kissed the back of her hand.
“Oh, so you’re Viscount Clive.”
“Yes, I introduced it to my family, but they all told me not to make it myself.”
Knox chuckled to himself, perhaps thinking he had made a clever pun.
“Let’s stop talking nonsense here.”
Killian was about to move away, taking Emily with him, her smile fading from her face. As he turned, Knox stood in their way.
“Whoa, wait a minute. Where are you going?”
“Where you are not.”
Knox lowered his eyebrows and made a pitiful expression.
“If you both leave, I’ll be alone for the rest of the party, not knowing anyone.”
Emily felt sorry for him, but that didn't mean she wanted to be with him.
“I ran into Madam Howard a little while ago. If I go to your mother, wouldn’t she be able to introduce you to some people?”
“I was cut off from my mother.”
Knox waved his hand toward Madam Howard, insisting on verifying the truth.
"Mom!"
Madam Howard, startled, turned toward the sound, found Knox, and immediately opened her fan to cover her face.
“Did you see it?”
“Even if we weren’t in a formal relationship, it would be embarrassing if my grown son called me that at a banquet.”
“Is that so?”
Emily, still looking at the bright-eyed Knox, fell into deep thought. Why had Madam Howard's education been so futile?
Killian turned to Emily and asked.
“Do you want to stay at the banquet any longer?”
“No, I want to go home now.”
“Good. I’ll prepare the carriage.”
When Killian left to get the groom on standby, Emily was left alone with Knox. Unable to bear the silence, Knox spoke first.
“Shall I tell you a funny story?”
"No."
Silence fell between them again.
“I missed you so much, Emily!”
“Yes, I am. I am also very happy to meet you all.”
Even though she tried her best to avoid it, it still smelled like a ghost and chased after me.
Now, it was safe to call them pursuers, not followers. Could the pursuers truly let Emily's fall go unchecked?
“You’re amazing, you just burst out in laughter as soon as you appear.”
“That’s right. Were you in constant contact with His Excellency the Duke?”
“Oh, I wanted to ask what your husband, who is from a commoner background, is like.”
“By the way, how is married life with a commoner?”
Of course, there was no way she could just let it go. Emily forced a smile as she listened to the endless stream of stories about herself.
Her heart began to pound deep inside her chest. This was a sign that her fighting power was increasing.
“Before I answer your question, since it’s been a while since we last met, can I pass around some wine?”
"Great!"
Emily went to the servant and got the wine she had asked for.
“I hope you all find the perfect husband, and I'll toss a glass to you all.”
"Thank you!"
And everyone drank the wine she poured without question.
“Ugh.”
Young Lady, who had been the first to sip the wine, suddenly grabbed her throat, and the others began to tremble. Oh my, could it be that Emily had prepared poison?
“Ugh... hahaha!”
“Heh, heh, heh heh!”
People who were drinking wine suddenly started laughing one by one.
“Hehehe, why am I laughing like this?”
“I can’t help but laugh, haha!”
From a distance, it looked like they were having a very enjoyable conversation.
“It makes me happy to see everyone having fun.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Emily's face.
“Hehehe, Emily! What is it!”
"Well, it was a pleasure talking with you all! See you next time!"
Emily was able to leave with dignity without answering their questions.
Moreover, since the party was in full swing, their smiling faces were like those of any other small gathering, and no one around them aroused any suspicion.
Personally, Emily has safely overcome the biggest challenge of the banquet, the encounter with her followers, or rather, bet pursuers.
In fact, Emily had a few concerns for John before coming to the party.
***
“The adult world is complicated. You have to meet people you don’t want to meet, and you have to answer questions you don’t want to answer.”
“If I go to the party this time, will that happen to Emily?”
As expected, John was smart and understood what was being said right away.
“Yes, how can we keep their mouths shut?”
Emily was both surprised and delighted to hear that John was a poison expert.
Maybe it could solve her own problems. But as an adult, she couldn't ask first, "Isn't there a poisonous plant that paralyzes the tongue?"
John thought about various poisons. Killing them would be the simplest, but that would mean Emily would be imprisoned... What would be a way to render them speechless without harming them?
“Oh! Now that I think about it, there’s a poisonous plant that’s just right.”
“Really? You really are a genius.”
So, the mysterious vial John had handed Emily this morning was a "drug that would make you unable to hold back laughter." Aside from making you laugh for a few minutes, it had no noticeable side effects.
***
Emily thanked Johan again for staying home and hurried back to Killian. She had to disappear quickly, lest they stop laughing and she'd be attacked with questions again.
"Hmm?"
A question mark appeared on Emily's face as she walked towards Killian with a bright expression.
“Hello, Mr. Knox. It’s been a while since we last saw each other.”
Knox stood next to Killian. He greeted Emily with a giggle as always.
“Yes, it’s been a while. I’ve been locked up for the past few days.”
“Ah, yes...”
By Emily's standards, 'confinement' was a serious crime, but judging by the way Knox spoke of it so casually, it seemed like a common occurrence in the mafia world.
“But, Madam, you look quite different when you’re all dressed up like this.”
When Knox complimented her dress, Emily smiled proudly and complimented him in return.
“Mr. Knox, indeed.”
Knox, unlike his previous image, was neatly combed back and dressed neatly. Many young ladies glanced at him with interest.
“So, Mr. Knox, how did you get here?”
Killian spoke up in response to Emily's question.
“Do you remember Clive?”
Emily let out a low gasp as she remembered who Clive was.
“Isn’t that the nobleman who taught you etiquette?”
“It’s hard to believe, but Knox is the one.”
A second question mark appeared on Emily's face.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Emily had noticed that Knox seemed like someone who needed to grow on his own before teaching others manners.
Knox nodded, as if he knew what Emily was thinking.
"Actually, my father is the Duke of Howard. I'm the third son who inherited the Clive estate."
She could not have been unaware of the Duke of Howard.
Strictly speaking, she knew Duchess Laurencea Howard very well.
She knew all 100 of the major clans of the Van Centenary by heart and did not treat any clan not included in that list as noble.
Since Knox was the son of such an old-fashioned and strict person, it seemed like there must have been a great story behind his becoming a mafia member.
“Should I say that only the mafia world can handle my coolness?”
Correction. There doesn't seem to be any particular reason. It was a mistake to even think about him seriously for a moment.
“Let me introduce myself again, Viscount Knox Howard Clive.”
Knox gave Emily a nice smile and kissed the back of her hand.
“Oh, so you’re Viscount Clive.”
“Yes, I introduced it to my family, but they all told me not to make it myself.”
Knox chuckled to himself, perhaps thinking he had made a clever pun.
“Let’s stop talking nonsense here.”
Killian was about to move away, taking Emily with him, her smile fading from her face. As he turned, Knox stood in their way.
“Whoa, wait a minute. Where are you going?”
“Where you are not.”
Knox lowered his eyebrows and made a pitiful expression.
“If you both leave, I’ll be alone for the rest of the party, not knowing anyone.”
Emily felt sorry for him, but that didn't mean she wanted to be with him.
“I ran into Madam Howard a little while ago. If I go to your mother, wouldn’t she be able to introduce you to some people?”
“I was cut off from my mother.”
Knox waved his hand toward Madam Howard, insisting on verifying the truth.
"Mom!"
Madam Howard, startled, turned toward the sound, found Knox, and immediately opened her fan to cover her face.
“Did you see it?”
“Even if we weren’t in a formal relationship, it would be embarrassing if my grown son called me that at a banquet.”
“Is that so?”
Emily, still looking at the bright-eyed Knox, fell into deep thought. Why had Madam Howard's education been so futile?
Killian turned to Emily and asked.
“Do you want to stay at the banquet any longer?”
“No, I want to go home now.”
“Good. I’ll prepare the carriage.”
When Killian left to get the groom on standby, Emily was left alone with Knox. Unable to bear the silence, Knox spoke first.
“Shall I tell you a funny story?”
"No."
Silence fell between them again.
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