Chapter 6
Giovanni was out in the city eating ice cream with Johan, under Killian’s orders.
The café was full of couples—except for him. The lovely weather paired with the romantic music playing in the background only made his mood worse.
“Are you trying to figure out how to kill time?”
Johan asked while taking a bite of his ice cream. Unlike when he ate with Emily, he didn’t get a single bit on his mouth—he ate with perfect, clean precision.
“Yeah.”
Giovanni didn’t have the energy to deny Johan’s sarcasm. He sighed and took a sip of his coffee, as bitter as his life.
No matter how much it was the boss’s order, sitting alone in a café with a seven-year-old boy was torturous. Even more so when that little boy had a cunning personality.
“Tell me about Emily. I’m curious how you met her.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Then forget it. I’ll just ask Emily myself in front of you.”
What a sly little brat.
“When it’s time to get married, people start arranging matches for you. That’s how they met.”
Giovanni gave a half-hearted answer, already looking for a way to change the subject. Talking carelessly about Emily would mean death by the boss’s hands.
“But you didn’t get married through an arranged match.”
Giovanni’s eyebrow twitched at Johan’s comment.
“And what would you know about that?”
“I’ve known for a while that you’ve been carrying around a photo of Emily.”
When did he see that? Giovanni’s face twisted.
“You must be mistaken.”
“Oh, so you were carrying a photo of another woman and then married Emily? That makes you a real piece of work.”
Okay. If he kept talking to Johan, it was only a matter of time before he lost his head.
“Do you need an allowance?”
“Just give me ten blé.”
As Giovanni pulled out his wallet, he made up his mind: no matter what the boss said, he had to drag Nox here and shut this kid up. Otherwise, he was going to go broke in no time.
“But Giovanni, don’t you have a girlfriend?”
At that, Giovanni narrowed his eyes. He had a good guess why this brat was suddenly asking about that.
“Why? Trying to use that as leverage against me?”
“Judging by how twisted your personality is, I figured you didn’t have one. Guess I was right.”
“What did you just say!”
He was furious, but it was true—he didn’t have a girlfriend.
“And do you have a girlfriend?”
Johan clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed by Giovanni’s indignant tone.
“Do you think my type would be at the academy? I prefer older women.”
“…How much older are we talking that they’re not even at the academy?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Pfft, not like I care anyway.”
As the two continued their bickering, Killian was in the study, learning about the major families of Vansent from Emily.
In truth, he already had a decent grasp on their preferences and power dynamics, since he did business with nobles in the liquor trade.
But if he acted like he knew too much, he wouldn’t be able to use “lessons” as an excuse to spend time with Emily. So he simply kept learning from her in silence.
“You have a great memory. You’ve already memorized everything I told you. There’s not much else to teach.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
The real problem was that Killian also needed to pretend he didn’t understand things. But other than his unfortunate upbringing, he had been born with too much natural ability—he had no clue how to act like he was lacking.
“Then… I’ll return to my room now?”
Emily, still feeling awkward being alone with Killian outside of a lesson, stood up from her seat.
“As you wish.”
With no smooth way to hold her back, Killian simply nodded and let her go.
As Emily stepped out of the study and walked down the stairs, she soon ran into someone.
“Oh! Madam. It’s been a while.”
“Mr. Nox? What brings you here?”
Emily greeted Nox with a smile, returning his cheerful tone.
“Haha, you remember me!”
It would’ve been harder to forget someone with such a strong first impression. Emily just smiled and nodded politely.
Hearing the commotion, Killian stepped outside—and scowled the moment he saw Nox.
“Who invited you?”
At Killian’s cold reaction, Nox slumped his shoulders dramatically.
“Giovanni asked me to come, so I rushed over. Is that how you greet guests?”
“Giovanni, huh…”
Killian’s expression darkened ominously. Nox didn’t quite understand what was going on but silently offered his condolences to Giovanni as he looked around the mansion.
Just then, Alvin, the butler, was spotted by Nox while carrying a tray of fruit up to the study.
“Huh? Alvin! What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be organizing the 7th district?”
“N-No… Nox?”
Startled, Alvin flinched and dropped the tray. It was the first mistake in his entire butler career. Nox casually picked up one of the tangerines that rolled to his feet and began peeling it.
“Mmm~ sweet.”
Listening to their exchange, Emily tilted her head.
“Organizing the 7th district?”
Killian felt a throbbing tension in his neck. As he rubbed the back of it and turned his head, Alvin panicked and rushed to cover Nox’s mouth.
But it was too late—Nox had already noticed the maids walking below the stairs and cheerfully called out to them.
“Hey, Sezanne, Chili, Roxy—you’re all here? What’s with those maid outfits? You trying to infiltrate the Giuliano family dressed like that?”
The three maids froze and looked up at him in shock. Oh god. Did that lunatic just blow our cover in front of the lady of the house?
“Infiltrating the Giuliano family?”
Realizing the situation, Emily gasped—and started hiccuping. If Nox’s words were to be believed, all the staff in the house were actually mafiosos from the Starr family!
“Damn it. Nox, please just shut up!”
Seeing Emily’s face go pale, Alvin finally succeeded in covering Nox’s mouth.
“Mmmpf!”
“Alvin, get him out of here.”
Grinding his teeth, Killian gave the order. In a panic, Alvin hoisted Nox over his shoulder and dashed down the stairs.
“Wha—! Why are you doing this to me?!”
Being carried off without explanation, Nox continued shouting in protest.
“You can’t just leave me out of the loop! Tell me why everyone’s here without me! Hey!”
But there was no one available to explain anything. The moment Alvin dragged Nox outside the estate, the three maids locked the door and vanished.
A heavy silence fell between Killian and Emily.
“…I’ll explain.”
“Okay… hic.”
It was time for Killian’s mafia education.
Back in the study, Alvin—who had returned at some point—set a fresh plate of fruit on the table for the two of them.
“Would you like Earl Grey tea?”
“Yes, please.”
When Emily answered meekly in formal language, Alvin’s eyes wavered.
“M-Madam…”
At a loss for words, Killian stepped in for him.
“Please continue to speak casually with Alvin and the other staff as before.”
“But Alvin isn’t an ordinary butler. And the others…”
Still uncomfortable, Emily couldn’t hide her unease. Killian ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
Whether it was Giovanni or Nox, he felt like throttling whoever caught his eye first. He gave Alvin a look to leave, and Alvin slipped out with a tearful expression.
“First, I apologize for not telling you sooner.”
Surprised by the apology, Emily scratched her cheek.
“It’s difficult to hire people freely, in case spies infiltrate the household.”
“Oh.”
That made sense—if they were mafiosos, other gangs might try to plant spies.
Wait… that means I’m in danger too, doesn’t it?
She suddenly remembered how the Giuliano family was constantly trying to kill her in the original story. Emily instinctively wrapped her hands around her neck in fear, and Killian watched her with concern.
There are other threats, too…
As she sat trembling, fists clenched, Killian cautiously called her name to calm her down.
“Emily.”
“Yes, yes! I’m fine. I totally understand. Of course you had to worry about spies. Actually, don’t you need someone to guard me? I’m the weakest one here!”
Killian was briefly stunned by her rapid-fire speech, but eventually opened his mouth with a heavy tone.
“…The ones attending you are the most skilled people we have.”
Emily let out a sigh of relief and pressed her palm to her chest.
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Would it be okay to keep the current attendants without replacing them?”
“Of course.”
Killian, half-suspecting her sudden change in attitude, gave a wry smile as something clicked in his mind.
She was scared that marrying into the mafia would put her life in danger. That thought weighed on Killian, who feared she might regret marrying him.
How can I reassure you that I’ll protect you, no matter what?
