Chapter 24
24
Evan greeted Palin, who was blocking Viktor from helping the passed-out Evil, and said,
"Hey, let the Captain go."
"He'll die if I do! Please, Senior, come and stop him!"
"I respect the Saintess's enjoyment."
"The Captain will get a headache because of this!"
Viktor Dumpfelt was a man who had lived his whole life pursuing only honor. Even when choosing a marriage partner, he sought out a woman who had never debuted in society, simply because he hated being the subject of gossip. So, while this situation was surprising, it wouldn't cause Viktor Dumpfelt any major problems anyway. As Palin said, it would be a headache, but it would end with just a headache, as he said.
Scarlett watched the scene without taking her eyes off it, then muttered softly.
"Trash."
At those words, Viktor, who had been about to push Palin away with a fierce momentum, stopped. And he turned to look at her.
In the meantime, Palin hurriedly dragged Evil away and disappeared, and Viktor walked towards Scarlett. As he got into the seat next to her and closed the door, Scarlett retreated until her back touched the wall.
Viktor leaned closer, as if mocking her, and asked.
"Who."
"Huh?"
"Trash."
"Uncle."
Viktor smiled at her reply. And he continued the question.
"What made you laugh?"
Viktor sometimes called her "you" instead of "Saintess" when they were alone. Scarlett muttered softly, as if talking to herself.
"That Uncle is right."
"I'll have to do it whenever you're depressed."
"......"
Scarlett wanted to feel guilty, but she couldn't feel it at all. She thought she should rebuke these violent elites who acted as if the law was at their feet, but she couldn't even do that.
She just kept laughing. She hoped his words about doing it whenever she was depressed weren't a joke. She felt self-loathing.
"That's... not allowed."
Scarlett thought Viktor probably didn't know how close she was to saying those words.
He raised one corner of his mouth and sneered, grabbing her chin with a black-gloved hand.
"Are you a Saintess? Your heart is as vast as the sea."
As Scarlett tried to pull his hand away, he gripped it even tighter and continued.
"What if I couldn't find you and you died there?"
Scarlett glared at him and said.
"He wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't do what."
"I was locked in the basement often. He wasn't trying to kill me. He was just... trying to tame me."
"......"
"He was punishing me. To use me."
At Scarlett's words, the corner of Viktor's mouth twisted strangely.
Scarlett stared at him blankly.
He is righteous and cruel. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. He was often like a scale. She had betrayed him, so he wouldn't forgive her. Betrayal is like broken glass, isn't it?
Perhaps because the tension was relieved, Scarlett blinked. And at some point, Viktor pulled her into his arms as she collapsed. The carriage carrying Scarlett, who had lost consciousness as if she were asleep, headed for the Dumpelt Family.
*
Scarlett woke up and hurriedly raised her upper body.
Looking out the window, it was the Dumpelt Mansion. Viktor must have brought her here against her will after she fainted on the way. He had saved her and treated her, so she had no intention of saying anything to Viktor. She was just worried about being scolded by Andrei for not working.
Scarlett sighed and got out of bed. Standing in front of the full-length mirror on the wall, she saw the light pink nightgown dress with large sleeves that she was wearing. She thought she had thrown away all her belongings since she had escaped with only her body, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Anyway, it was the main building, not the detached house where she lived with Viktor. It was Marina Dumpelt's room, which she had only entered once or twice while living here. A sofa was placed outside the canopy bed, and the coat of arms of the royal family, the Iren Family, Viktor's Mother's family, was hung on the wall.
"I don't think I should be here."
She muttered, but her body was so sore that she knelt on the sofa and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
"It's cold......"
Her body was trembling even though the fireplace was burning.
At that moment, the large door in front of the sofa opened and Viktor entered with the servants.
He narrowed his brows when he met Scarlett's eyes and approached the sofa.
Scarlett hesitated and turned her head a beat late.
"Thank you."
The servants left the medicine and lukewarm water for Scarlett, greeted her, and all left.
Viktor habitually took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, but then he remembered that there was a patient and went out to the balcony. Scarlett, who was wrapped in a blanket brought by the maid, opened her mouth from inside the glass door, unable to smoke even that.
"Why aren't you smoking?"
"There's a patient."
"......That's unusual."
Scarlett leaned her head against the door frame and opened her mouth again.
"How did you know?"
Viktor didn't answer that. Scarlett gave up and continued.
"Thank you for helping me today, but don't do that in the future."
"Then should I leave you alone?"
"If you don't show up around me, you won't know that I'm in trouble, so you can't help me. So do that."
"You need help."
Scarlett chuckled at his words.
"I know, that's what you think. Like I'm a person in great trouble. But I'm not. It's true that you're the son of a great family, but that doesn't mean I was born in trouble. I was loved enough too."
Scarlett had lived until now relying on the memories of the love she had received until she was twelve years old. It was so precious and sparkling that she mistakenly thought Viktor would be happy if he received such love as well.
Only recently did she admit that she had not given Viktor what he wanted. Viktor wanted Scarlett to be helpful to him, but Scarlett's love was not the kind of help he wanted.
Scarlett felt even colder at the thought and wrapped her blanket tighter.
"Anyway, I'll take care of my own business now. I sincerely thank you for today."
Viktor was silent for a while at her calm words.
Scarlett asked to change the subject, as if she was uncomfortable with the atmosphere.
"Did you come to sleep in this room?"
"Why would I do that."
"That's all you want from me."
Scarlett muttered and closed her eyes for a moment as if she was tired. She looked like a wild animal that had been caught and had given up on escaping.
Then Viktor's displeased voice was heard.
"You think I'm doing this because I want to sleep with you?"
Then Scarlett looked up at Viktor with a pitiful look.
"Yeah."
The people of Salantie believed that if a child was born to a couple before either of them turned twenty, the child would be born weak.
Viktor was the same, so he had been thoroughly preventing pregnancy until Scarlett turned twenty. However, the fact that he wanted to sleep with her even at infrequent intervals meant that the act was not just for having children.
Viktor's expression distorted as if he was dumbfounded by her words that came out of such thoughts.
"If it's only that, it's not like you're the only woman in the world."
Viktor chuckled at Scarlett's hesitation and continued.
"I'm not that rigid either."
Then he looked at Scarlett, who was leaning against the door with her lips white and dry. And he walked towards her, bent down, and tried to kiss her.
Then Scarlett hesitated and turned her head.
"......Don't."
"You asked if I was going to sleep here. Wasn't that a permission?"
Scarlett bit her lip at his words.
Viktor turned her chin to face him and asked.
"Or was it a reward for saving you?"
"If it's a reward, I was going to think about it."
"Ah, you're going to reward me like this."
Viktor said mockingly, then soon kissed Scarlett.
Viktor thought it was hateful and seductive that she trembled as if she was surprised that she had said it. His large, cold hand wrapped around Scarlett's back.
After the sound of lips smacking together, Viktor asked closely.
"Are you going to reward other bastards like this too?"
