The Queen of Villains - Chapter 15 part 2

Johann had been pondering for the past few days. Normally, he didn’t care about making others uncomfortable or upset. However, he felt a sense of guilt for troubling Emily.

Guilt didn’t suit Johann but, by staying with Emily this little boy had learned that feeling . Setting aside his pride, Johann knocked on Killian’s study door. A voice from inside said, 

“Come in.”

Naturally, Killian thought it would be Giovanni or Alvin who would enter, but he didn’t see anyone. When he lowered his gaze he saw a small head poking out from under the desk.

“Kid, what brings you here?”

“Is that all you have to say when you see me?”

Killian reflected on his recent actions. He realized that he had blurted out harsh words as soon as he saw Johann.

“Apologies. But I’m curious about why you came here.”

“Apologize to Emily. It’s my fault.”

Raising an eyebrow, Killian asked, “What’s your fault?”

“Uncle already knows everything. I sent a fake letter to the Crown Prince.”

It was unusual for Johann to confess his mistake first. Killian smiled proudly and took out a handkerchief from his pocket.

“I’ll give this back.”

“As expected, Uncle took it.”

Johann quickly reached the desk and snatched the handkerchief, tucking it into his pocket. 

In the meantime, he didn’t forget to give Killian another glare.

“But you also need to sort out your own affairs.”

“Fine, I got it.”

“Before that, there’s something I want to advise you on .”

“What is it?”

“Come closer and listen.”

Johann leaned his ear toward Killian, listening to his advice. It was advice that wouldn’t hurt him.

And that evening, after a long time, the three of them gathered around the dining table.

“Emily, I’m sorry.”

Before the food arrived, Johann spoke up.

“What are you sorry about?”

“The letter that His Highness the Crown Prince supposedly sent, I read it first and replied.”

“What?”

Taken aback by the unexpected culprit, Emily’s fork fell onto the table. Johann quickly made excuses, fearing that Emily would look at him with disappointment.

“I’m just a commoner, so I don’t get to see nobles often. I wanted to see the Crown Prince up close, that’s all.”

It was an excuse Johann had come up with, taking Killian’s advice into account.

“So, you sent an invitation because you were curious about the Crown Prince’s face?”

“Yes…”

Sure enough, instead of getting angry at Johann, Emily felt pity for him.

“You should have told me earlier.”

“I’m sorry….really.”

Johann sniffled, and it seemed like Emily had made up her mind as she spoke.

“No, let’s go and greet the Crown Prince together next time.”

This time, Killian’s fork fell onto the table. Damn it, this wasn’t how the story was supposed to go.

***

Nevertheless, peace returned to the mansion.

Johann’s first day of school, which the entire Starr family, except for Emily, had been eagerly awaiting, was approaching.

“What shitty situation is this?”

Johann glanced at his sports festival application form and cursed under his breath. Instead of “Mother and Child Three-Legged Race,” the attendance checkmark indicated “Parents and Child Four-Legged Race.”

“Uncle.”

Johann immediately approached Killian and shook the application form in front of him.

“Uncle, did you tamper with my application?”

Johann’s tone was somewhat harsh. Killian snatched the paper away, neatly folded it, and tucked it back into Johann’s pocket.

“In the mafia world, it’s a rule to seek revenge as much as you’ve been wronged.”

“So, you committed this awful act because of that?”

Johann had no desire to engage in physical contact with Killian. Some might scoff and say this was also a form of physical contact, but they would be mistaken.

Being afflicted with a condition called “mysophobia,” Johann had never embraced shoulders with his academy friends or held hands with anyone. Emily was the only exception. But even in the face of an enraged Johann, Killian spoke firmly without batting an eye.

“That’s right. So, it would be wise for you to take responsibility for your actions from now on.”

“But I helped you reconcile with Emily in exchange for getting the handkerchief back!”

When Johann spoke huffily, Killian barely held back from almost nodding his head. If he did he couldn’t use this as an excuse to finagle himself into Emily and Johann’s Sports Day excursion.

“…In the mafia, revenge is meant to be paid back twice as much.”

“Did you just make that up?”

“Amusing. Giovanni, did I just make that up?”

Giovanni was a capable subordinate. He had already added the details to his notebook while Killian was still speaking. He proudly unfolded the mafia rules written in his notebook and showed them to Johann.

“It’s not a lie, kid. It’s an existing rule.”

Indeed, under the 113th rule of the mafia, it was written. 

Johann, who only now saw it, trembled in fear.

“This can’t be true…”

“Then go back to your seat now.”

“But, Uncle, let me ask you something.”

Johann, with his arms crossed, looked up at Killian.

“Can you say that your personal feelings had nothing to do with you joining the race ? Like wanting to hold hands with Emily or embrace her shoulders?”

As expected, the child’s eyes were sharp. Instead of answering, Killian affectionately patted Johann’s head.

“Shut up and prepare to win first place.”

***

Translator note: Hey everyone sorry for being AWOL the past week, I had a minor family emergency, so I had to fly up to see my extended family. But silverlining, long flights and layovers gave me plenty of time to work on translating. So now I’m a bit ahead so in case something unexpected happens I can keep posting without interruptions. Also I will now be posting full chapters instead of parts. I will still be posting 2 chapters per week, just not broken up into parts anymore. Also as a result each ko-fi will result in an extra full chapter being published, not a partial chapter. If you have any questions or concerns please comment and I’d be happy to chat or clarify about anything. ~Mae

Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/maetranslations