CH 1

Things she had forgotten started coming to mind. 

Scarlett Dumfelt, the daughter of great watchmakers and the de facto madame of the Dumfelt family, was recalling the events that had happened last night, when she was being interrogated at the police station.

Last night, there was a party on Dumfelt Street.

After the investigation she was currently undergoing, her husband, and war hero Viktor Dumfelt, would become a recognised member of the royal family. 

The only time in her life Scarlett went to the police station was when she was twelve. When she had been involved in a carriage accident. Her parents, who were in the carriage with her, died, and her one-year-old brother, Isaac, who tumbled down a hill with her, became blind. The police repeatedly questioned the twelve-year-old Scarlett about the situation. She was the only one able to explain the accident. To this day, at the age of twenty, that still left her scars.

Although she was extremely worried about the next day’s police interrogation, as Dumfelt’s Madame, she still prepared the party with utmost care.

The Dumfelt estate was welcoming a guest, for the first time in a long time.

The estate of the Dumfelt family, also known as the Hill of the Exiled Princess, became one of the most beautiful estates in Salantier with the passing of time in the years the Princess’ son, Viktor Dumfelt, matured.

The gentle hills were always neatly maintained, and the roads were paved to allow carriages to pass through.

To the east of the hill, was the capital of Salantier, and to the west, was the sea.

It did not have as fertile a land as the rest of the provinces of Salantier, but to the north, there was a frighteningly beautiful cedar forest.

The Dumfelt family’s fortune was built on Viktor Dumfelt’s triumphs. They were a wealthy aristocratic family founded on generations of war, with vast hunting grounds.

And here, where the party was to be held, was a beautiful hall overlooking the view of the sea.

The hall, which had a beautifully decorated fireplace, was filled with attendees of the party, all of whom had prepared smiles that would neither irritate and offend anyone nor appear pompous.

The same was true for Scarlett Dumfelt, who choked on a sip of alcohol.

In the social circle of the capital of Salantier, being kind, was the equivalent of asking to be stepped on. 

She looked at her husband briefly, while at a table full of influential people.

He was holding a glass of wine in his white-gloved hand. With his veined strong hands concealed by his gloves, he wore a suit tailored to his taught body. Viktor looked elegant.

His mother, Princess Marina Irène, was expelled from the royal family for being pregnant with him. He thus did not hesitate to commit any atrocities for the restoration of his mother, now the Duchess of Dumfelt. His goal-oriented attitude turned towards the pirates who disturbed Salantier’s west coast.

Scarlett had read in the newspapers about how cruel her husband was to the pirates, who he completely wiped out.

In the first half of Salantier, dread along with yearning for Viktor Dumfelt spread like wildfire. People were grateful to him and used his name to stop their children from crying. 

Scarlett had always regarded her husband with such honour. And she loved him.

If it was for his sake, even her life would not be wasted. Vikor had lived his whole life with eyes focused only on his goals, and even like that Scarlett loved her husband.

More than two years had passed since they got married in the year she turned eighteen. Meanwhile, the one-sided love she held, unknowingly left little scars in her heart.

Scarlett still felt numb towards her husband’s heartlessness, who didn’t spare her a single glance though she was nervous about going to the police station tomorrow.

“By the way, Madame Dumfelt, Vestina isn’t really going to war, right?” A gentleman at the table spoke up.

As the topic shifted, Scarlett turned her attention back to the table she was at.

Nowadays, when the aristocrats gathered, they talked about war.

As the first country in this continent to be established, from the perspective of the sovereign state of Salantier, Vestina had always been a humble existence.

However, when war began, a nation with much to lose would lose much. So the aristocracy was afraid of war.

Scarlett gave her prepared answer.

“I don’t know. My husband guards territorial waters, so I don’t know much about the things on land.”

“If every war was a naval battle, then we’d have nothing to worry about. Sir Dumfelt is here.” Another gentleman mused.

“Regardless, Salantier is surrounded by mountains, so as long as we protect the south, the central and the northern regions, we will be fine. So far, all the idiots who have attempted to cross the high, rugged mountain ranges have all frozen or starved to death before reaching Salantier.”

What Salantier’s nobles feared was Salantier’s possessions might be destroyed, but no one thought of Vestina as an opponent.

Scarlett couldn’t concentrate on the conversation even though it was such serious talk.

Appearing at the police station the next day was particularly nerve-racking and petrifying.

Sometimes she felt that way. A day when even though everything around her was perfect, she felt terrifyingly anxious. This was how Scarlett felt today.

Viktor’s dark blue eyes turned to her Scarlett for a moment, as if he had sensed her pitiful gaze at her.

In Salantier, the blue eyes which were so common looked regal in his. She thought it must be because of his royal blood, which was half of him, or it was his dazzling appearance.

Viktor turned his attention back to his group.

Seeing her gaze, the old lady next to her spoke in a low voice. 

“To love a man who knows nothing but honour, only makes his wife lonely.”

“...is that so?”

“It would be better to have a separate lover, just like I did when I was young.”

At those crude words, Scarlett looked at the old woman. The old woman continued calmly.

“My husband and lover are different. With lovers, you can break up with them at any time. So the moment you’re together feels even sweeter.”

At that, Scarlett laughed a little.

She thought it was very romantic to have a lover instead of a husband.

Having a lover was definitely bad, but when it did happen, the social world secretly bragged about it.

Perhaps because the party was particularly lonely for her, Scarlett remembered the old lady’s words the whole time.