Soon, it was the day of selection and announcement of the committee chairman.
Since there was no candidate, the new chairman naturally became Killian.
As everyone was congratulating Killian, Matteo, the boss of the Giuliano organization, also approached Killian and greeted him.
“Congratulations on becoming chairman.”
After it was revealed that he was the boss of Giuliano's organization, Matteo stopped using polite language towards the other three bosses.
Endymion looked at Matteo with displeasure.
“When are you going to take off that creepy leather mask?”
“Didn't I tell you? I'll reveal it when the time comes.”
Although Matteo no longer acted under the leadership of his underboss Nigel, he still kept his face hidden.
Messina raised one corner of his mouth.
"I don't understand why we have to wait for you to finish your performance. Should we at least applaud your brilliant performance when you're done?"
The rest of the organization, including Endymion, burst into laughter at that sarcastic remark, but Matteo's expression didn't change at all.
"Yeah, I'd even ask for a bouquet of flowers if possible. I'm more sensitive than I look."
Killian tapped his fingers on the table and listened to Matteo's chatter.
“Yeah, I said I’ve heard that voice somewhere.”
It's just that the images were so different that he couldn't match them properly, but when he recalled the face to some extent and listened to the voice, it sounded similar to that bastard, the Count of Blois.
“What does that mean?”
Matteo asked with a smile on his face, as usual, but a sharp light flashed through his eyes.
It was only a moment, but Killian, who read that look, found it funny.
"Nothing."
Matteo's face twisted as he couldn't hide his annoyance at Killian's words.
“You single kid.”
But on the other hand, a feeling of unease began to creep up on him.
'You didn't notice, did you?'
But he couldn't let the other person know that he was anxious.
Matteo tried to act as if nothing had happened and left the conference room calmly.
“Are you out?”
Nigel, who had been waiting outside, approached him.
“I’m tired. Let’s go home.”
"All right."
The two men boarded the carriage and headed to Roberts Street in District 6.
“It seemed like Killian knew my identity.”
Nigel, startled by Mateo's sudden remark, turned his gaze straight ahead.
“If that’s true, then it’s a big deal.”
“Yeah, if Killian knows, that means the bosses of other organizations know too.”
Matteo bit his nails with an anxious look on his face.
“For now, we have no choice but to quickly find Killian’s weakness.”
“...We are digging with all our might, so please wait a little longer.”
Nigel said, observing Matteo's complexion. Having already failed to eliminate Killian several times, Matteo's nerves were extremely sensitive.
“Hurry up. If that guy becomes chairman, he’ll pressure me right away.”
"All right."
Upon hearing the news that Killian had been appointed as the chairman of the committee, Emily planned to host a small party tonight, inviting the Starr organization members.
But, as usual, Marlene, who was unaware of the news, visited the Starr mansion with a lot to talk about.
“Are you here?”
Butler Alvin found her in the hallway.
“I didn’t know because Madam didn’t tell me, but I see Madam invited her close friend, Lady Huppert.”
Marlene, who was about to ask, 'What kind of invitation?', kept her mouth shut.
'This girl is throwing a party, and she didn't dare invite me?'
If she said no here, it would be like losing her qualification as Emily's best friend.
“Yes, that’s right. Where is Emily?”
Marlene asked, trying to clear her throat.
"The lady is preoccupied with checking the banquet hall decorations. She's probably still there."
“Aha, I see. I guess I should go and help too.”
“Yes, I think it would be of great help if Lady Huppert went.”
Alvin, too, was busy selecting the wine list, so he exchanged a quick greeting with her and quickly disappeared into the basement.
“Ha! This is so ridiculous.”
Marlene cooled down by repeatedly fanning her face.
"How could you not even say a word about throwing me a party? We were that close?"
She poured out her feelings of regret as if Emily were right in front of her.
“I’ve been so good to you, you little bitch!”
It was at that moment when she was turning the corner, waving her hand in the air, and telling her to wait, saying that she was going to give her a real headache.
“Ugh!”
Marlene, startled by the sudden appearance of a figure, stumbled and screamed, but luckily avoided falling backwards.
“Are you okay?”
This was because the other person was holding her waist and supporting her.
“Who, who are you?”
Even in her confusion, Marlene quickly scanned the facial features of the handsome man filling her eyes, including his eyes, nose, and mouth.
“I’ll help you get up first.”
As the man lifted Marlene's body and smiled awkwardly, Marlene blinked in ecstasy at his murderous smile.
'My goodness, what on earth is the body made of?'
Marlene swallowed hard as she thought of the man's solid body she had just touched.
“My name is Knox Clive.”
“Clive?”
It was a family she had never heard of.
Still, if he's handsome and charming, wouldn't he be considered noble? No, there was a more important question to consider before that.
“Excuse me, but may I ask why you came to the Starr Mansion?”
“Huh? That’s difficult to answer...”
Knox couldn't readily tell this seemingly ordinary noble lady that he was at a party celebrating Killian's rise to the position of Mafia Chairman.
When Knox couldn't answer properly, Marlene asked back with a suspicious look.
“Are you also one of those who came to woo Emily?”
“Yes? Absolutely not!”
Knox jumped in fear that Killian might hear this.
“Do you have a crush on Emily?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I said no!”
“Have you ever been in a romantic relationship with Emily or almost been in one?”
Who are you planning to skewer now? Knox, dumbfounded, couldn't contain his frustration and insisted on his innocence, beating his chest with his fist.
“Absolutely not!”
“Then, for now, you pass.”
A handsome man who wasn't involved with Emily was perfectly suited to Marlene's tastes.
“What on earth is passing...?”
Marlene cut him off and held out the back of her hand to him.
"My name is Marlene Huppert. I'm sure anyone who's been in high society knows my name."
“I think I’ve heard of it.”
Knox, who was exhausted, still did not forget his duty as a gentleman and kissed the back of Marlene's hand.
“You should know it’s an honor. Everyone wants to kiss the back of my hand.”
Knox nodded, groaning softly.
She was certainly a beautiful girl, but her personality seemed peculiar.
“But where were you going in such a hurry, Mr. Clive?”
Why was this girl always asking him such difficult questions? Knox, who couldn't figure it out, just wanted to disappear from there.
How could he tell her that he came to help Emily with her party at the boss's order and that he was now going to pick up the curtains that Emily had left in the costume shop?
Marlene asked him another question when he couldn't answer properly.
“Are you the one invited to the party Emily is hosting?”
"Yes? Does this young lady know that Madam is throwing a party to celebrate the chairman's birthday?"
Knox nodded reassuringly.
“Yes, Miss, are you invited to the party today too?”
'No, this unheard-of nobleman was invited, but I wasn't invited. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.'
Marlene answered with a forced smile on her face, even though she was cursing all sorts of things in her mind.
“Of course. I’m Emily’s best friend.”
“Oh, that’s good. Actually, I...”
As the two were talking, Emily came walking down the hallway.
“Marlene?”
Emily's eyes widened as she spotted her friend.
“Yes! Then I guess I’ll be going now.”
Knox, who remembered his errand at the sight of Emily's face, quickly turned the corner and disappeared.
Marlene, who had been watching Knox disappear with pity, soon glared at Emily with a menacing expression.
"Emily, it's a good thing we met. I was on my way to find you."
“Marlene... how did you get here?”
"But before that, could you answer my question first? What do you mean, you're throwing a party without me today?"
'Who the hell was talking nonsense in front of Marlene?'
Emily was suspicious of Knox, who had been with Marlene just a moment ago.
"It's more of a small dinner than a party. I invited business associates from the Starr family."
Emily put it this way:
“Really? If you had told me that earlier, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.”
Fortunately, Marlene's mood seemed to have quickly improved after hearing those words.
Emily asked cautiously again.
“But the person who greeted you earlier...”
"I was going to ask anyway. His name is Knox Clive. Is he also a business partner of the Marquis?"
“Yes? Yes?”
Emily nodded absentmindedly.
“Have you already made a statement with Mr. Knox?”
“Yeah! You have such a handsome guy around you, but you haven’t even introduced him to me yet. Isn’t that too much?”
Marlene grumbled again and then suddenly asked Emily.
“Is he a noble?”
"Yes?"
“Mr. Knox Clive, is he a nobleman?”
“Why are you asking that again?” Emily answered, trying to shake off her unease.
“Yes. He is a Viscount.”
At those words, Marlene showed a slightly disappointed look.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to date.”
Emily asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“With who?”
“Who do you think he is? Viscount Knox Clive.”
Marlene continued to talk to herself, oblivious to Emily's mouth hanging open in shock.
"Unless he's from a prominent family like the Howards, I wouldn't be able to accept a Viscount as a husband, considering my status and social standing. I should just enjoy our relationship."
Emily felt the need to tell Marlene the truth before things got any worse.
“I told you earlier that Ms. Knox and my husband were running a business together. Actually...”
"No."
Marlene immediately cut Emily off.
"He meets all my criteria for an ideal type. Other than that, I don't really have any other wishes."
"But."
“Shh! Don’t think about it anymore. I’m in a good mood right now.”
Marlene shuddered again as she remembered Knox's strong arms supporting her waist.
“Anyway, I’ll go since you said today is the Marquis’ dinner party.”
"...Yes."
Emily greeted her with a trembling face.
'I guess I can tell you later.'
For now, let's have that kind of complacent thought.
Since there was no candidate, the new chairman naturally became Killian.
As everyone was congratulating Killian, Matteo, the boss of the Giuliano organization, also approached Killian and greeted him.
“Congratulations on becoming chairman.”
After it was revealed that he was the boss of Giuliano's organization, Matteo stopped using polite language towards the other three bosses.
Endymion looked at Matteo with displeasure.
“When are you going to take off that creepy leather mask?”
“Didn't I tell you? I'll reveal it when the time comes.”
Although Matteo no longer acted under the leadership of his underboss Nigel, he still kept his face hidden.
Messina raised one corner of his mouth.
"I don't understand why we have to wait for you to finish your performance. Should we at least applaud your brilliant performance when you're done?"
The rest of the organization, including Endymion, burst into laughter at that sarcastic remark, but Matteo's expression didn't change at all.
"Yeah, I'd even ask for a bouquet of flowers if possible. I'm more sensitive than I look."
Killian tapped his fingers on the table and listened to Matteo's chatter.
“Yeah, I said I’ve heard that voice somewhere.”
It's just that the images were so different that he couldn't match them properly, but when he recalled the face to some extent and listened to the voice, it sounded similar to that bastard, the Count of Blois.
“What does that mean?”
Matteo asked with a smile on his face, as usual, but a sharp light flashed through his eyes.
It was only a moment, but Killian, who read that look, found it funny.
"Nothing."
Matteo's face twisted as he couldn't hide his annoyance at Killian's words.
“You single kid.”
But on the other hand, a feeling of unease began to creep up on him.
'You didn't notice, did you?'
But he couldn't let the other person know that he was anxious.
Matteo tried to act as if nothing had happened and left the conference room calmly.
“Are you out?”
Nigel, who had been waiting outside, approached him.
“I’m tired. Let’s go home.”
"All right."
The two men boarded the carriage and headed to Roberts Street in District 6.
“It seemed like Killian knew my identity.”
Nigel, startled by Mateo's sudden remark, turned his gaze straight ahead.
“If that’s true, then it’s a big deal.”
“Yeah, if Killian knows, that means the bosses of other organizations know too.”
Matteo bit his nails with an anxious look on his face.
“For now, we have no choice but to quickly find Killian’s weakness.”
“...We are digging with all our might, so please wait a little longer.”
Nigel said, observing Matteo's complexion. Having already failed to eliminate Killian several times, Matteo's nerves were extremely sensitive.
“Hurry up. If that guy becomes chairman, he’ll pressure me right away.”
"All right."
***
Upon hearing the news that Killian had been appointed as the chairman of the committee, Emily planned to host a small party tonight, inviting the Starr organization members.
But, as usual, Marlene, who was unaware of the news, visited the Starr mansion with a lot to talk about.
“Are you here?”
Butler Alvin found her in the hallway.
“I didn’t know because Madam didn’t tell me, but I see Madam invited her close friend, Lady Huppert.”
Marlene, who was about to ask, 'What kind of invitation?', kept her mouth shut.
'This girl is throwing a party, and she didn't dare invite me?'
If she said no here, it would be like losing her qualification as Emily's best friend.
“Yes, that’s right. Where is Emily?”
Marlene asked, trying to clear her throat.
"The lady is preoccupied with checking the banquet hall decorations. She's probably still there."
“Aha, I see. I guess I should go and help too.”
“Yes, I think it would be of great help if Lady Huppert went.”
Alvin, too, was busy selecting the wine list, so he exchanged a quick greeting with her and quickly disappeared into the basement.
“Ha! This is so ridiculous.”
Marlene cooled down by repeatedly fanning her face.
"How could you not even say a word about throwing me a party? We were that close?"
She poured out her feelings of regret as if Emily were right in front of her.
“I’ve been so good to you, you little bitch!”
It was at that moment when she was turning the corner, waving her hand in the air, and telling her to wait, saying that she was going to give her a real headache.
“Ugh!”
Marlene, startled by the sudden appearance of a figure, stumbled and screamed, but luckily avoided falling backwards.
“Are you okay?”
This was because the other person was holding her waist and supporting her.
“Who, who are you?”
Even in her confusion, Marlene quickly scanned the facial features of the handsome man filling her eyes, including his eyes, nose, and mouth.
“I’ll help you get up first.”
As the man lifted Marlene's body and smiled awkwardly, Marlene blinked in ecstasy at his murderous smile.
'My goodness, what on earth is the body made of?'
Marlene swallowed hard as she thought of the man's solid body she had just touched.
“My name is Knox Clive.”
“Clive?”
It was a family she had never heard of.
Still, if he's handsome and charming, wouldn't he be considered noble? No, there was a more important question to consider before that.
“Excuse me, but may I ask why you came to the Starr Mansion?”
“Huh? That’s difficult to answer...”
Knox couldn't readily tell this seemingly ordinary noble lady that he was at a party celebrating Killian's rise to the position of Mafia Chairman.
When Knox couldn't answer properly, Marlene asked back with a suspicious look.
“Are you also one of those who came to woo Emily?”
“Yes? Absolutely not!”
Knox jumped in fear that Killian might hear this.
“Do you have a crush on Emily?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I said no!”
“Have you ever been in a romantic relationship with Emily or almost been in one?”
Who are you planning to skewer now? Knox, dumbfounded, couldn't contain his frustration and insisted on his innocence, beating his chest with his fist.
“Absolutely not!”
“Then, for now, you pass.”
A handsome man who wasn't involved with Emily was perfectly suited to Marlene's tastes.
“What on earth is passing...?”
Marlene cut him off and held out the back of her hand to him.
"My name is Marlene Huppert. I'm sure anyone who's been in high society knows my name."
“I think I’ve heard of it.”
Knox, who was exhausted, still did not forget his duty as a gentleman and kissed the back of Marlene's hand.
“You should know it’s an honor. Everyone wants to kiss the back of my hand.”
Knox nodded, groaning softly.
She was certainly a beautiful girl, but her personality seemed peculiar.
“But where were you going in such a hurry, Mr. Clive?”
Why was this girl always asking him such difficult questions? Knox, who couldn't figure it out, just wanted to disappear from there.
How could he tell her that he came to help Emily with her party at the boss's order and that he was now going to pick up the curtains that Emily had left in the costume shop?
Marlene asked him another question when he couldn't answer properly.
“Are you the one invited to the party Emily is hosting?”
"Yes? Does this young lady know that Madam is throwing a party to celebrate the chairman's birthday?"
Knox nodded reassuringly.
“Yes, Miss, are you invited to the party today too?”
'No, this unheard-of nobleman was invited, but I wasn't invited. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.'
Marlene answered with a forced smile on her face, even though she was cursing all sorts of things in her mind.
“Of course. I’m Emily’s best friend.”
“Oh, that’s good. Actually, I...”
As the two were talking, Emily came walking down the hallway.
“Marlene?”
Emily's eyes widened as she spotted her friend.
“Yes! Then I guess I’ll be going now.”
Knox, who remembered his errand at the sight of Emily's face, quickly turned the corner and disappeared.
Marlene, who had been watching Knox disappear with pity, soon glared at Emily with a menacing expression.
"Emily, it's a good thing we met. I was on my way to find you."
“Marlene... how did you get here?”
"But before that, could you answer my question first? What do you mean, you're throwing a party without me today?"
'Who the hell was talking nonsense in front of Marlene?'
Emily was suspicious of Knox, who had been with Marlene just a moment ago.
"It's more of a small dinner than a party. I invited business associates from the Starr family."
Emily put it this way:
“Really? If you had told me that earlier, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.”
Fortunately, Marlene's mood seemed to have quickly improved after hearing those words.
Emily asked cautiously again.
“But the person who greeted you earlier...”
"I was going to ask anyway. His name is Knox Clive. Is he also a business partner of the Marquis?"
“Yes? Yes?”
Emily nodded absentmindedly.
“Have you already made a statement with Mr. Knox?”
“Yeah! You have such a handsome guy around you, but you haven’t even introduced him to me yet. Isn’t that too much?”
Marlene grumbled again and then suddenly asked Emily.
“Is he a noble?”
"Yes?"
“Mr. Knox Clive, is he a nobleman?”
“Why are you asking that again?” Emily answered, trying to shake off her unease.
“Yes. He is a Viscount.”
At those words, Marlene showed a slightly disappointed look.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to date.”
Emily asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“With who?”
“Who do you think he is? Viscount Knox Clive.”
Marlene continued to talk to herself, oblivious to Emily's mouth hanging open in shock.
"Unless he's from a prominent family like the Howards, I wouldn't be able to accept a Viscount as a husband, considering my status and social standing. I should just enjoy our relationship."
Emily felt the need to tell Marlene the truth before things got any worse.
“I told you earlier that Ms. Knox and my husband were running a business together. Actually...”
"No."
Marlene immediately cut Emily off.
"He meets all my criteria for an ideal type. Other than that, I don't really have any other wishes."
"But."
“Shh! Don’t think about it anymore. I’m in a good mood right now.”
Marlene shuddered again as she remembered Knox's strong arms supporting her waist.
“Anyway, I’ll go since you said today is the Marquis’ dinner party.”
"...Yes."
Emily greeted her with a trembling face.
'I guess I can tell you later.'
For now, let's have that kind of complacent thought.
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