Translator: Nox

Chapter 32

32

Isaac's pace was hurried.

Leaning on his cane, he bumped into things here and there, and many people, worried about him, tried to help him along the way. Thanks to them, he arrived without much trouble.

Isaac's destination was Dumpelt Mansion.

In truth, Isaac disliked Viktor Dumpfelt. Nevertheless, he needed his help right now.

Upon hearing the news of Isaac Crimson's visit, Viktor Dumpfelt came out to the drawing room. He had just finished his sauna after completing his duties at the air force base. From the moment he entered, a subtle scent like that of a forest spread. It was a pleasant smell.

Isaac heard the sound of Viktor Dumpfelt sitting down on a chair.

Isaac spoke quietly.

"My sister is about to do something dangerous."

Viktor did not respond to his words. Instead, he heard the sound of a lighter being flicked and the small noise of a cigarette being lit.

Isaac continued.

"What Scarlett is trying to do is the right thing, but her safety may be at risk... I would appreciate your help."

"......"

"Excuse me, Viktor... Count, is that you?"

Since he wasn't making any noise, Isaac wasn't sure.

Upon being asked, Viktor replied.

"I will."

"......Ah."

Contrary to his expectations, Viktor accepted his request so easily that Isaac wore a perplexed expression.

Viktor didn't say anything more, as if the conversation was over.

Isaac said.

"Then, I'll be going."

Then, Viktor gestured, and someone approached.

"Hello, I'm Kenly. I'll escort you home."

At those words, Isaac stood up, bowed politely, and said.

"I came alone, so I can return alone."

At that, Viktor, who had been silent the whole time, chuckled.

"The siblings are alike."

"......"

Isaac turned his head toward the sound.

Kenly said in a sociable voice.

"Still, you are our mistress's brother. Please allow our young master to provide you with a carriage."

"Then... Yes, please."

Isaac said that, and then followed Kenly's footsteps.

After they left the drawing room, Viktor said to Blight.

"Assign someone. To both siblings."

"Yes, young master."

"Keep reporting Scarlett's situation to me."

"Yes, I understand."

As he said that, Isaac's scream was heard from the hallway.

Viktor and Blight went out and saw Isaac covering his eyes with both hands.

"Count Crimson?"

"Ugh... Ah!"

Kenly asked in confusion as Isaac writhed in pain.

"W-What's wrong?"

At those words, Isaac shook his head.

As he gasped for breath and was about to collapse, Viktor walked over, grabbed Isaac's arm to lift him up, and said to Blight.

"Call a doctor."

"Yes, yes!"

Blight ran off in a fluster.

A moment later, the Dumpelt Family's physician rushed in.

Isaac was lying on the bed in the guest room. As he writhed in pain, the doctor unwrapped the bandages. Then, he screamed and jumped away from Isaac.

Viktor, who was used to seeing gruesome things to some extent, also frowned at the sight. Countless things like threadworms were tangled on top of his opaque eyes.

Even in his pain, Isaac flailed his arms to prevent anyone from touching his eyes. And he curled up on the bed, trying to overcome the pain.

When the doctor stood still with a painkilling injection, Viktor forcibly held Isaac down and had him administer the injection. Fortunately, Isaac's body relaxed as the painkiller took effect quickly.

The doctor asked Isaac in a trembling voice.

"C-Count... W-What is that?"

Isaac, who had buried his face in the sheet, shook his head and groped for the bandages. Soon, Blight took several deep breaths to calm himself and took out new bandages, saying.

"Here you are."

Isaac snatched the bandages and wrapped them around his eyes. He was very skilled at it because he had been doing it on his own for a long time, but the way he tightened them excessively was worrying. It seemed like he was trying to make sure they never came loose. Tying them so tightly might have made the pain in his eyes even worse.

As the painkiller began to take effect and Isaac stopped writhing, Blight said from beside him.

"You don't look well. Shouldn't you answer the doctor's questions?"

At those words, Isaac shook his head.

Seeing that he was determined not to say anything, Viktor clicked his tongue once and said.

"Stay here for a few days. I want to send guests back in one piece, if possible."

"I don't want to... leave the mansion."

"I'll send someone."

Viktor said that and left the room.

Isaac, who had been in pain, gradually calmed down.

Everyone had left, and the room was already quiet. Even though he couldn't see, Isaac was sensitive enough to know whether there were people around him or not based on the sounds.

Isaac briefly recalled the man with the low, resonant voice and the scent of the forest he had seen earlier.

He was speechless at his coldness. Could that man really have loved her as Scarlett had proudly said?

Throughout her married life, Scarlett had been deeply in love. She would burst into clear laughter, as if she couldn't help but smile just by saying her husband's name.

Scarlett doesn't know how to receive love very well. She has always lived only giving.

'Was she really happy in this mansion?'

Isaac's heart ached at the coolness he felt in the magnificent mansion.

Scarlett completed the Crimson Clock the next afternoon.

Scarlett took off her monocle and looked down at the Crimson Clock, where complex mechanical devices were organically intertwined.

Clearly, this was it.

When she was young, Scarlett used to think of these movements as being like butterflies. Perhaps some of the detailed movements actually resembled the fluttering of butterfly wings.

In any case, now she had to take this clock and negotiate with Evil Crimson. It would have been nice if there was a way to go around it, but unfortunately, her parents, who only knew about machines, did not teach their daughter such a method.

Scarlett put the clock in a purple cushion and placed it in a box that Andrei had personally chosen.

Andrei said to Scarlett as she was about to leave.

"You're like a mole, boss."

"A mole?"

"Yes. You can't see ahead and just keep going straight."

At those words, Scarlett smiled embarrassedly. Then she asked.

"Is that bad?"

"No. I think that's your only charm."

"Only..."

Scarlett glared at Andrei and soon stepped on the pedal.

Andrei glanced around the store for a moment, then immediately looked at Scarlett's back. And he frowned.

"I should do my job."

He said to himself and went back into the store. These days, he was feeling somewhat confused about his work.

Scarlett parked her bicycle in front of the main branch of Crimson Clock on 3rd Street, which only handled the best Crimson Clocks.

This street was home not only to the Crimson Clock main branch but also to shops of all kinds of famous and luxurious brands.

It was famous as a beautiful street, and wealthy people from other countries came to spend money there.

Scarlett looked at the door of the main branch, which was surrounded by soft lighting. The glass wall of the huge three-story building read, "Evil Crimson Clock Shop Main Branch."

It was only natural that people recognized the person whose name was on this main branch as the successor to the actual clock technology.

If Isaac could inherit the Crimson Family safely, Scarlett had a modest dream of displaying her clocks in a corner of the main branch.

Scarlett took the box and entered the main branch.

This was her parents' wish. To create a long-lasting clock that could be passed down to their grandchildren.

If more fake Crimson Clocks were sold under the name of Evil Crimson, the clockmaker who currently represents the Crimson Family, the compensation that would have to be paid later would increase, and the Crimson Family's disgrace would grow.

Even now, the number of people asking for repairs is increasing one after another.

It was a problem that would eventually explode. In the short term, this would be a great loss, but in the long term, it was a mountain that the Crimson Family had to overcome.

Scarlett opened the store door and entered.