CH 3

The Crimson family, the home of Scarlet Dumfelt, was a family of great watchmakers. Among the talents, her parents, who died when Scarlett was twelve, were unparalleled geniuses.

Even now, after marrying Viktor Dumfelt and living a life overflowing with wealth, in the corner of her heart was the regret that she did not learn the watchmaking technique, which was the foundation of the Crimson family.

But now, after her 21st birthday, she was remembering her very childhood when she sat on her parents’ workbench, eager to start work, not knowing how long it would take her to be able to finish.

A lot of information about the two geniuses began to appear: the world of millimetres in the watches they made; the parents who forgot to feed their children whilst immersed in talk about new technology.

“Because of the drug in your black tea.” 

Scarlett, who was immersed in happy memories, was awakened by the weak voice of Royal Police officer Hughan Hunter. Scarlett sat in the Royal Police Office interrogation room. The wide window overlooked Rilson Square.

Scarlett asked in a somewhat haggard voice. “Medicine? What did you say...”

Hughan abruptly got up, and as he approached her, Scarlett stopped speaking. He chuckled at the cup and pulled out the handcuffs that hung on the belt of his waist.

“The medicine in the black tea you drank is a drug that can sharpen your memory. It’s an illegal drug, trafficked in, so it’s almost impossible to get it in the country. Hm, isn’t the recipe for reviving the optic nerve what you want to save Count Isaac Crimson, on those illegal pirate islands?”

‘Ah that’s why...’ Scarlett responded aloud without knowing.

Hughan spoke with a sneer. “In addition, if you overuse this drug, your brain becomes defensive when your memory is forcibly dug up, and on the contrary, it causes memory loss. The human brain is amazing.”

“...Amnesia?”

“Yes, so no matter what I do to you ma’am, from now on, you won’t remember anything by the time you leave the police station.”

Scarlett’s eyes began to tremble slightly at the sound of his clerical voice.

Hughan grabbed her left wrist, unbuckled her watch, and handcuffed her there. 

Scarlett suppressed her fear and pulled her arm. “I’m Viktor Dumfelt’s wife. You dare...”

“Of course, Captain Viktor is a man I admire, but his wife is different. It was easy for you to become a target.” Hughan pulled the other side of Scarlett’s handcuffs, which she didn’t want to be caught, and hung it on a hook on the wall. Then he closed the curtain and covered the window.

“Your parents died early, and your uncle raised you instead, didn’t he?”

“W, what does that matter?”

“Count Isaac Crimson, who became the head of the family, was blind, so his uncle, who was the actual head of the household, took Count Isaac hostage and enslaved Madame Scarlett. So you don’t have anyone to support you.”

“My husband won’t sit still.”

Hughan looked at Scarlett who was resolute in her voice. “Sir Viktor doesn’t care much about his wife.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. My husband loves me.”

“You know that’s not the case.”

Scarlett was speechless at the sarcasm in his voice

My husband is rational.

Because he hates falling apart.

So the belief that he can’t love anyone but himself-

If I didn’t think like that, I’d feel pity for the love I’ve held for the past two years. A love that empowered me to the point I’m willingly able to lay down my life for him.

Hughan clicked his tongue at her face that appeared to be so lonely.

“So, do you really need to be loyal? As I said, this is a very difficult drug to obtain. It means that there are people who are reluctant for him to belong to the royal family, to the extent that they need to interrogate with such drugs.” Hughan pulled out of his pocket a paper note with an address. “I’ll connect you to get the medicine you’re looking for.”

Scarlett’s gaze shifted to the note he was holding out to her.

Hughan looked satisfied. “Sir Viktor is a principled person, so he won’t search for this drug. He betrayed you first. So, shall we hear the reasons for the disqualification of Sir Viktor Dumfelt?”

Scarlett sighed heavily and turned her head toward the window. Her husband had lived his entire life with a sense of guilt and inferiority that his mother was expelled from the royal family because of himself. The thought that if he became royal, she could break down even a corner of his firmness, which felt like an iron wall, was greater than her heart for her brother.

She closed her eyes slowly, thinking that she was selfish. Scarlett knew they wouldn’t hurt her body anyway. Even if they were a Royal Police officer and treated her as a gibe, they would have to face Viktor. So she only had to hold on until her husband came.

It was an easy thing to keep her mouth shut until he came.

♔♔♔

The people of Salantier called November the pirate month.

November, when the sea breeze blew hard and it rained almost every day, was the perfect month for pirate ships to escape the eyes of the navy and plunder them. But now, that saying has become a thing of the past. It was thanks to her husband that he had wiped out the pirates, close to annihilation.

Scarlett sat in bed, looking out of the window at the cold November rain, thinking about. But she just could not avoid it. She woke up with a hazy mind, as if she was not sober.

“My head hurts...”

Scarlett put her hand on her pounding forehead and left the bedroom. The place was familiar. It was a suite at the hotel where she married Viktor. But everything else was blank. She had no memory of why she was lying here or when she had entered and laid down. Even the pyjamas she was wearing was the first she had ever seen. Her last memory was a scene where she was drinking tea with a man who was with the Royal Police. However, even that memory was blurry as if it would soon disappear, and she could not properly recollect the features of the man’s face.

“What happened…”

She looked around and saw today’s newspaper on the table. After checking the date, Scarlett was exhausted and sat down on a chair. The day that the Royal Police Headquarters decided to call Scarlett to investigate whether there were any moral flaws in her husband’s recognition as a member of the royal family was November the 7th, and the date of the newspaper was November the 14th. All the memories of the past week were gone.