Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

Things I Didn't Know Because It Was the First Time

Episode 1

Things I had forgotten began to resurface.

Scarlett Dampfelt, the daughter of great clockmakers and the de facto head of the Dumpelt Family, was recalling the events of the previous night while being questioned at the police station.

The night before, a party had been held at the Dumpelt Family estate.

This was because, once this investigation she was currently undergoing was over, her husband and hero, Viktor Dampfelt, would be recognized as a member of the royal family.

The only time Scarlett had ever been to a police station in her life was when she was twelve, after a carriage accident.

Her parents, who had been with her, had died, and her brother Isaac, who was a year older and had rolled down the hill with her, had lost his sight.

The police had repeatedly questioned twelve-year-old Scarlett, the only one who could give a statement about the situation, and it remained a scar on her even now, at the age of twenty.

Despite being overly anxious about the police investigation the next day, she prepared for the party, meticulously attending to every detail as the head of the Dumpelt Family.

The Dumpelt Territory was welcoming guests for the first time in a long while.

The Dumpelt Territory, once called the Hill of the Banished Princess, had seen time pass as much as Viktor Dampfelt's age, the son of that princess, and had become known as the most beautiful territory in Salantie.

The gentle hills were always neatly maintained, and roads were laid out for carriages to travel on.

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

It did not have fertile land like other territories in Salantie, but it had a frighteningly beautiful cedar forest to the north.

The Dumpelt Family had accumulated wealth through Viktor Dampfelt's continued success. They had three telephones, which only wealthy aristocratic families possessed, and a vast hunting ground.

And here, they had built a beautiful hall with a view of the sea, where the party was being held.

The attendees of the party in that hall, with its beautifully decorated fireplace, prepared smiles that would neither offend nor appear ridiculous to anyone.

Scarlett Dampfelt, who moistened her throat with a sip of wine, was no exception.

In the Salantie capital's social circles, being friendly was the same as saying, "Please make a fool of me."

She was talking at a table full of influential people when she glanced at her husband.

He was holding a glass with a hand covered in a white glove. With his muscles concealed by the glove and a suit tailored to his solid frame, Viktor looked simply elegant.

He would not hesitate to take any cruel action for the sake of his Mother, formerly Princess Marina Irene, who had been expelled from the royal family for being pregnant with him, and who was now called the Duke of Dumpelt. His goal-oriented attitude was directed towards the pirates who plagued the Salantie West Sea.

Scarlett had read in the newspapers about how ruthless her husband had been from the perspective of the defeated pirates.

Throughout Salantie, there was both admiration and fear for Viktor Dampfelt. People were grateful to him, and at the same time, they used his name to stop crying children.

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

For him, she would not have hesitated to give up her life. Viktor had lived his entire life looking only at his goals, and Scarlett had loved even that aspect of her husband.

More than two years had passed since they married on her eighteenth birthday, the year she came of age. In the meantime, the one-sided love had unknowingly left small wounds in her heart.

Scarlett still felt a pang of hurt at her husband's indifference, as he did not even glance at her while she was anxious about going to the police station the next day.

At that moment, a gentleman at the table said.

"By the way, Mrs. Dumpelt, do you think Bestina is really going to start a war?"

As the topic changed, Scarlett shifted her attention to the table where she was.

These days, whenever nobles gathered, they talked about war.

From the perspective of Salantie, the first country to be established on this continent and called the suzerain state, Bestina had always been an insignificant presence.

However, if a war started, a country with much to lose would have much to lose, and for that reason, the nobles were afraid of war.

Scarlett gave a prepared answer.

"I don't know. My husband is someone who protects the territorial waters, so he doesn't know much about what happens on land."

"If all wars were naval battles, there would be nothing to worry about. Because Lord Dumpelt is here."

Then another gentleman said.

"Anyway, Salantie is surrounded by mountains, so if we just defend the south, there's no problem with the central and northern regions, is there? All the fools who have tried to cross those high and rugged mountains to get here have become emaciated and died of starvation or freezing before even reaching Salantie, haven't they?"

The nobles of Salantie were only afraid that what Salantie had would be damaged, and no one thought that Bestina would be a match for them.

Scarlett could not concentrate on the conversation, even in such a serious discussion.

She was particularly anxious and afraid of going to the police station the next day.

Sometimes she felt that way. Days when she felt uneasy even though everything around her was perfect. That was Scarlett's state today.

Perhaps sensing her longing gaze, Viktor's dark blue eyes briefly turned to Scarlett.

Blue eyes, common in Salantie, looked noble when he had them. She thought it was because of the royal blood that made up half of his body, or perhaps because of his dazzling appearance.

Viktor turned his attention back to his group.

Noticing her gaze, an old lady next to her said in a small voice.

"Loving a man who only knows honor like that will only make you lonely."

"…Is that so?"

"It would be better to have a lover on the side, like I did when I was young."

At those explicit words, Scarlett looked at the old lady. The old lady continued nonchalantly.

"Husbands and lovers are different. You can break up with a lover at any time, so the moment you are together feels even sweeter."

At those words, Scarlett chuckled softly.

She thought it was very romantic to say to have a lover besides her husband.

It was certainly a bad thing to have a mistress, but in social circles, it was something that people subtly boasted about when they actually had one.

Perhaps the party was particularly lonely, as she kept thinking about the old lady's words.

*

After the party ended late at night, Scarlett could not sleep and got up.

She put on a gown over her pajamas and left the bedroom, walking down the hallway to her husband's bedroom. Feeling anxious all day, she felt a surge of sadness when she saw her husband's face.

She tried to hide that feeling and said.

"I'm anxious because I have to go to the police station."

Viktor was someone who would not understand why that was anxious, but he was also someone who thought his wife was quite weak, so he did not immediately ask back.

Scarlett continued.

"Don't look at me so pathetically. I'm just… uneasy for no reason."

At those words, Viktor got up and approached her.

Viktor looked down at her wine-colored eyes and said.

"Don't be anxious and go to sleep."

"I can't help it."

"Say you won't answer whatever they ask. If anyone acts intimidating, refuse to answer and come out immediately."

As he cut it off like that, Scarlett's upset feelings burst out like a balloon that had been forcibly pressed down on one side.

"It's all for your honor. Can't you say something warm?"

She was scared, and they held the party without even having time to talk about it.

Looking at his resoluteness, she often felt like she was someone who trembled over trivial things and was saddened by trivial things.

She took a shaky breath and said.

"They say that if you love a man who loves honor, only I will be lonely. What on earth are you…"

"Want me to have a mistress?"

Viktor asked, smiling in disbelief.

Scarlett glared at him and said.

"Yeah. Should I?"

This time, Viktor let out a low laugh. Then he took Scarlett's hand, kissed the back of it, and said.

"Don't betray me."

"What kind of betrayal?"

Scarlett asked back with a tired expression.

"I mean, don't say nonsense in tomorrow's investigation, right? What about me making a lover? Is that okay?"

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden."

Viktor said, then gently hugged Scarlett.

"Don't be angry. It'll be over after tomorrow."

"……."

"Just bear it for one day."

Scarlett nodded only after a long time because of her pride.

Scarlett thought that perhaps, after tomorrow, Viktor might make another lover. Because his wife's usefulness would end tomorrow.

Viktor released Scarlett from his arms and said.

"Scarlett, do you love me?"

"Yeah."

Scarlett answered and immediately turned around.

Her heart ached. After talking to him, the emotions that surged up did not resolve at all, but rather accumulated.

*

"Madam."

"……."

"Madam Scarlett Dumpelt."

When the Royal Police called out once more, Scarlett finally snapped out of her reverie from the previous night.

She belatedly smiled and apologized with a calm face.

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."

When she came to her senses, she was still at the Royal Police Headquarters.

The one who had called her was a man named Hugh Gun Hunter.

The Royal Police, famous for being mainly appointed from the second sons of prestigious families, were overly polite, which made Scarlett even more nervous.

The man's Hunter Family was also a very influential family, and his younger sister, Nina Hunter, was currently the Crown Prince's lover and the center of social circles. She was once Viktor's lover.

Living in the Dumpelt Family made her forget that she had just turned twenty. If she acted like she was twenty and didn't know anything here, she would easily be branded as someone without common sense.

Scarlett put on an adult face and asked.

"What was the question you asked?"

Then Hugh Gun smiled with a sharp look.

"Ah, I asked if you felt like the drug was taking effect."

"…Drug?"

"Yes, I put a drug in the tea you just drank."

Scarlett tilted her head. It was a statement that she did not seem to understand properly.

Hugh Gun opened his mouth.

"You remember me asking about Lord Viktor's weaknesses, right?"

"Yes."

Even so, Scarlett did not expect the Royal Police to ask such detailed questions. They were digging up even the minor mistakes of not only him but also the people around him. It was clear that they did not want to return her husband to the royal family at all costs.

The moment she realized that, Scarlett felt danger and got up. She was dizzy to an unusual degree, but she suppressed it and spoke in a rather elegant manner.

"I'll go out for a moment."

"You can't."

"My husband said I could come out immediately if the police acted intimidating."

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. By the time you leave this place, you won't remember what happened here."

Hugh Gun Hunter said leisurely.