Chapter 10
Emily had no choice but to face her former followers.
“We missed you so much, Emily!”
“Yes, it’s very nice to see all of you too.”
She had gone out of her way to avoid them, but they had sniffed her out like bloodhounds.
At this point, it was more accurate to call them pursuers rather than followers. Would they really let Emily’s fall from grace pass without digging into it?
“Showing up and making a big splash right away—just like you, Emily!”
“Right? Have you been in contact with the Duke all this time?”
“Oh, I wanted to ask about your husband. You know, since he’s a commoner.”
“Speaking of which, how is married life with a commoner?”
Of course, they didn’t let it go. Emily forced a strained smile as she listened to the endless barrage of personal questions.
Her heart began to pound in her chest—a sign her fighting spirit was kicking in.
“Before I answer any questions, why don’t I pour us all a glass of wine? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
“Sounds great!”
Emily walked over to her attendant and received the wine she had asked them to prepare in advance.
“I’ll pour us a toast, wishing that each of us finds the perfect husband.”
“Thank you!”
And just like that, everyone drank the wine she poured without a shred of suspicion.
“Ugh.”
The first young lady to take a sip suddenly clutched her throat. One by one, others began to twitch and shift uncomfortably. Could it be? Did Emily really prepare poison?
“Ugh… Hahaha!”
“Hehehe, hahaha!”
One by one, those who drank the wine suddenly burst into laughter.
“Heeheehee, why can’t I stop laughing?”
“I can’t… khh… hold it in anymore, hahahaha!”
From afar, it looked like they were having a delightful conversation.
“Seeing everyone so happy really lifts my mood.”
A satisfied smile spread across Emily’s face.
“Emily! What was that?!”
“Oh, nothing much. I just had a wonderful time chatting with all of you. Let’s catch up again next time!”
Without answering any of their questions, Emily was able to exit gracefully, maintaining her dignity.
Since the party was in full swing, their laughing faces blended in with the joyful crowd, drawing no suspicion from those nearby.
Thus, she successfully survived what she considered the most difficult part of the party—meeting her former followers, or rather, pursuers.
Before the party, Emily had voiced her concerns to Johan.
“In the adult world, things are complicated. You have to meet people you don’t want to meet and answer questions you don’t want to answer.”
“So if you go to the party, you’re going to deal with things like that?”
As always, Johan was sharp and quick to understand.
“That’s right. What do you think I could do to make them keep their mouths shut?”
Emily had been both surprised and pleased to learn Johan was an expert in poisonous herbs.
He might be able to help her with her dilemma. Still, as an adult, she couldn’t just come right out and ask, “Is there a herb that can paralyze someone’s tongue?”
Johan had mentally gone through his mental herbarium. The easiest way would be to poison them fatally—but then Emily would end up in prison… Was there a way to silence them without causing any real harm?
“Oh! Actually, I know the perfect herb.”
“Really? You’re a genius.”
That morning, Johan had handed Emily a mysterious vial. Its contents? A concoction that made people uncontrollably laugh. Aside from the temporary laughter, there were no other side effects.
Thinking once more of Johan back home, Emily hurried off to find Killian. She had to disappear quickly before their laughter stopped and the interrogation resumed.
“Hm?”
As she approached Killian with a bright smile, a question mark appeared on her face.
“Hello, Mr. Nox. It’s been a while since that day.”
Standing next to Killian was Nox. As usual, he greeted her with a cheerful grin.
“Yes, it has been a while. I was actually locked up for the past few days.”
“Ah… I see.”
In Emily’s world, ‘being locked up’ was a serious crime, but Nox said it so casually that it must be normal in the mafia world.
“By the way, my lady, you look so different all dressed up like this.”
When Nox complimented her dress, Emily smiled proudly and returned the compliment.
“You look quite dashing yourself, Mr. Nox.”
His hair was slicked back, and he was dressed in a crisp, neat outfit—a far cry from his usual look. Several young ladies were sneaking glances at him.
“But what brings you here, Mr. Nox?”
Emily’s curiosity was answered by Killian instead.
“Do you remember Clive?”
Emily thought for a moment before gasping softly.
“The nobleman who taught you manners?”
“Hard to believe, but Nox is that man.”
Another question mark appeared on Emily’s face.
She hadn’t known Nox for long, but he struck her as someone who needed a bit of self-growth before teaching others etiquette.
Nox, guessing what she was thinking, nodded.
“Actually, my father is Duke Howard. I’m the third son who got cast off from the Clive estate.”
There was no way Emily wouldn’t recognize the Howard ducal family.
To be specific, she knew the Duchess of Howard, Lady Lawrenska, quite well.
The duchess had memorized the names of all 100 prominent noble families in Vancent, and wouldn’t even acknowledge any family not on the list.
To think that such a strict and uptight woman had a son like Nox—it was enough to suggest a dramatic backstory.
“Maybe the mafia world is the only place that can handle how awesome I am?”
Correction: there was no dramatic backstory. She regretted thinking seriously about him for even a second.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Nox Howard Clive, Viscount of Clive.”
Nox kissed the back of her hand with a charming smile.
“Oh, so you’re Viscount Clive?”
“Yes. I introduced myself that way to the Family, but they told me to stop ‘self-writing’ titles.”
Apparently thinking it was a clever pun, Nox chuckled to himself.
“Let’s end this pointless chatter.”
Killian, now frowning, moved to take Emily away. As he turned to leave, Nox stepped in front of them.
“Whoa, whoa, hold on. Where are you two going?”
“Somewhere you’re not.”
Nox lowered his eyebrows and put on a pitiful face.
“If you both leave, I won’t know anyone here. I’ll be all alone at this party.”
Emily felt a little sorry for him—but that didn’t mean she wanted to stay with him.
“Didn’t you just meet the Duchess of Howard? Maybe if you go to her, she’ll introduce you to people.”
“I’ve been disowned.”
To prove it, Nox waved toward the duchess.
“Mother!”
Startled, the duchess turned toward the voice, spotted Nox, and immediately opened her fan to cover her face.
“See?”
“Even if you weren’t disowned, I think any mother would be embarrassed if her grown son yelled across the ballroom like that.”
“Really?”
Watching Nox beam as if nothing was wrong, Emily fell into deep thought. How had the duchess’s strict education gone so completely to waste?
Killian turned to Emily and asked,
“Do you want to stay at the party longer?”
“No, I’d like to go home now.”
“Perfect. I’ll have the carriage prepared.”
As Killian went off to fetch the coachman, Emily was left alone with Nox. Unable to stand the silence, Nox finally spoke.
“Want to hear something funny?”
“No.”
And silence fell between them once again.
