The Queen of Villains - salmon latte

The three-person, four-legged race ended in a disastrous failure due to a lack of practice.

Johann remained at the academy, promising to visit Emily during his next vacation.

Emily, who spent more time alone in the spacious mansion, was unbearably bored.

One day, she was sitting on the balcony with nothing to do, and while she was passing the time, she heard Cezánne, Roxy, and Chili conversing in the garden below.

“Is today your day?”

“Yes, me and Roxy.”

“I’m in charge of the blackjack table today, but I’d rather spin the roulette wheel.”

Ohh, gambling was a pretty interesting topic. Emily, who had become even closer with the three of them, smiled and called them.

“Madam… Do you need anything?”

The three of them were startled and asked with awkward smiles.

“Yes, just a moment! I’ll be down there soon.”

They felt uneasy at the sight of Emily, who seemed strangely excited.

And not long after, Emily appeared in front of them. Emily opened her mouth with her slightly flushed face.

“It’s nothing special, but I heard an interesting story earlier.”

“Hmm, what story are you talking about?”

“I heard you’re going to a gambling den, is that true?”

At that, the three of them looked visibly embarrassed. While staring at each other, Cézanne mustered up her courage and confessed.

“That is… In fact, we are dealers for the club run by Lord Killian.”

Emily’s eyes widened at Cézanne’s confession.

“Whoa, a dealer? How cool!”

Originally, Cézanne, Roxy, and Chili worked as dealers at the club and were in charge of extracting information from nobles.

Then, after the boss got married, they were temporarily appointed to the mansion when there were no maids to take care of the new madam’s grooming, but surprisingly they seemed to have a natural aptitude for it.

So during the day, they helped the mistress and at night worked as dealers.

“Can you take me too?”

“Madam too?”

Seeing Emily’s twinkling eyes, the three of them put on a puzzled expression.

“Have you ever played a card game?”

“huh! of course.”

At social halls, she usually played card games after dancing. Mastering a few card games was, of course, necessary to dominate the social scene.

“And I’m pretty good at it.”

Driven by the determination to defeat Marlene, Emily entered the world of casinos and soon became a genius in card games.

As the three of them pondered whether to take Emily with them, they immediately reported to Killian.“It’s not possible.”

At dinner, when Killian came out with a determined attitude, Emily responded brusquely.

“Why not?”

Well, according to Kilian, gambling clubs were depraved places filled with all kinds of sordid entertainment.

No matter how innocent a person was, they would become corrupted once they entered such a place. Kilian couldn’t allow Emily to set foot there.

“Do you really have to go to such a place?”

“Why don’t you try staying home all day? Do you know how boring it is?”

“If you’re bored, you should go shopping.”

Emily narrowed her eyes at Kilian’s words.

“Is the financial support unlimited?”

“Just use my name when settling the bill, you can spend as much as you want.”

“…Well then, I’ll go.”

Emily easily accepted Killian’s proposal. It had been too long since she truly enjoyed a shopping spree.

“But are you patrolling the area today, or are you going directly to the club?”

Killian almost choked when faced with Emily’s unexpected question. After barely suppressing a cough, he took a sip of water and asked.

“Where did you hear about that?”

“I just happened to find out. The mafia receives protection fees from the residents, right?”

Recalling what Daniel had done in the book, Emily could easily imagine what the mafia did.

‘As the boss, Kilian wouldn’t be involved in such things. So what the hell does he do to spend his time?’

Emily tilted her head while slicing the meat.

Meanwhile, Killian looked at Emily with an anxious gaze.

He regarded Emily as a delicate flower in the greenhouse. He couldn’t help but worry if someone had told Emily dirty stories about the mafia.

“….That’s not our main activity.”

He couldn’t deny it, but it was the best excuse he could come up with from his perspective.

“And tomorrow I am going out because I have someone to meet on business.”

Kilian used the term “business” as an over arching term for any money-related activities. It wasn’t illegal, but it couldn’t be considered ethical, making it difficult to explain it in detail to Emily.

“I see.”

Emily decided not to pry into what kind of business he was involved in. Although she was curious, there was also a part of her that didn’t want to know too deeply.

She didn’t ask any further questions. Noticing Emily’s reaction he continued the meal with a sense of unease

***

The very next day, Emily was out on the street with her coachman, Ivan.

Originally a mafioso and temporary repairman, he was demoted for breaking a bathtub, but was relatively satisfied with the mysterious salary increase he received instead.

“Madam, where shall we go?”

“I want to buy some hats, do you know any good places?”

Yesterday he had memorized all the famous boutiques under Killian’s instructions for today . Ivan confidently took out a pamphlet and pointed at it .

“This is said to be a hot spot among ladies these days.”

Looking through the hats introduced in the pamphlet, each one was unique and beautiful.

“Good. Let’s go there.”

It wasn’t hard for Emily to spend her money freely in Fortua District 3.

By simply mentioning that she was Lady Starr, people automatically led her to VIP rooms in the stores. She leisurely flipped through catalogs while sipping on luxurious tea.

They showed her items that suited her style and even revealed some secretive products exclusively available to VIPs.

As a result, at some point, Emily found her hands full of shopping bags.

“I think we should store our things in the carriage and come back.”

Assuming the role of a porter, Ivan offered to carry Emily’s shopping bags.

“Well then, could I take a look at the tea sets at Gallery Molinu while you put the things in the carriage?”

After their intense shopping, Ivan thought, ‘There’s nothing left to buy.’ but said

“Yes, please enjoy your time. I’ll be waiting at the front for you.”

“Okay.”

Unlike Ivan, who seemed a bit tired, Emily entered Gallery Molinu without feeling a trace of fatigue. In the main lobby, a handsome employee was distributing pamphlets.

“Welcome, Madam.”

Taking the pamphlet without thinking, Emily opened her eyes at what was written on the pamphlet.

<Gallery Molinu Grand Casino Opening!>

‘Card games!’

Emily’s desires, which had not been quelled by shopping, stirred up in her.

‘Shall I bring Ivan?’

But she immediately shook her head. He looked so tired that she felt guilty about calling him. On the other hand, she couldn’t easily make up her mind to enter the casino alone.

Helplessly, she continued on her originally intended path when a staff member, noticing Emily’s hesitation, approached her.

“Madam, wouldn’t you like to visit the casino?”

“I am curious, but as you can see, it would be difficult to go alone.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The casino operated directly by Gallery Molinu has stricter security measures than any other place. All visitors undergo identity verification and baggage checks.”

“Well, still…”

As Emily hesitated, the staff member pulled out their hidden card.

“Miss Huppert is already inside. And even if the noble ladies enter with self-defense equipment, they are not sanctioned, so it is even more safe!”

“Is Marlene in the casino?”

“Yes!”

That statement truly stimulated her competitive spirit.

“Where should I go to enter?”

The kind staff member offered to personally escort Emily to the underground area.

***

The bright building, built in Adam style, would have been difficult to think of as a gambling hall if it were not for the people with bloodshot eyes and busy hands. [T/n: Adam style is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, For more information on Adams style see attached note below]

The staff working inside continued to deliver food to satisfy the hunger of the guests so that they did not leave the tables.

Emily wandered inside, searching for Marlene who was supposed to be in the gambling den.

“Emily!”

Marlene noticed her restless wandering and thankfully recognized her first, approaching her.

“I knew it, you and I are destined rivals.”

Marlene’s expression showed genuine delight upon meeting Emily here.

However, Emily looked at Marlene, who associated herself with the word “destiny,” with a skeptical expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Emily quickly composed herself. After all, Marlene was the only person she could rely on in this place.

“Did you come here to play games?”

“Do you think I would come here to eat?”

“You’re quite the talker. Anyway, I was looking for one more person, so come with me.”

Marlene spoke casually and led her to an inner table. There were two men already seated at the table.

Their attire was elegant and luxurious, but seeing that she had never seen either of them at any banquets or balls, they seemed to be either non nobles or minor nobles.

“Now that I’ve brought someone, let’s start the game right away. Don’t ask who she is.”

Gallery Molinu wasn’t just a place for the aristocracy to gather, but also attracted the middle class. Although it was a place for commoners as well, the newly built modern building attracted a younger crowd with more entertainment and attractions, excluding the elderly and traditional nobles.

Perhaps Marlene, with her lofty attitude, had also come to this gallery for that reason.

The two men sitting at the table looked at Emily with a thrilled expression and immediately pulled out a chair for her. When the men tried to speak to Emily, Marlene drew a line.

“Do not ask for her name or age. If that’s a problem, go find another table.”

Emily noticed Marlene’s efforts to prevent her from having a scandal. She immediately took out the cards.

“Shall we play Seven-Card Stud?”

Everyone agreed to Emily’s suggestion.

“Doesn’t sound bad.”

“Yea, I’m fine with it.”

“Then let’s check the cards first.”

Emily swiftly checked the condition of the cards at an impressive speed, ensuring no complaints arose from others.

“They’re all in order. I’ll deal three cards to each of you.”

The gazes of those around her became serious as they watched Emily’s nimble hands.

***

Translator note: A mini architecture lesson to anyone interested :P~Mae

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

The Adam style is identified with:

Classical Roman decorative motifs, such as framed medallions, vases, urns and tripods, arabesque vine scrolls, sphinxes, griffins, and dancing nymphs, Pilasters, Painted ornaments, such as swags and ribbons. Complex pastel color schemes. – Via wikipedia

This is an example of Robert Adams style commonly referred to as the “Adam style”

Kedleston Hall