Chapter 49
49
Viktor leaned against the window frame for a while, and soon he saw Scarlett leaving the mansion wearing a lilac wide-brimmed hat.
She ran to Isaac, who had gotten out of a carriage in front of the mansion. She examined Isaac's face, and then he heard her shout, "Hey!" as if she had heard something. Then, the sound of her hitting Isaac's back echoed all the way into Viktor's office. Viktor's lips curled up slightly at Scarlett's appearance, which he had never seen before.
After the carriage carrying the siblings left, Evan entered through the opened door a moment later. His expression, which was usually never serious, was stern.
"The Young Lady went to the Royal Police Headquarters before coming here."
"Why?"
"Count Isaac Crimson caused trouble and was in jail."
At Evan's report, Viktor said, still looking out the window.
"I see."
"The Royal Police are involved every time, in the middle."
Viktor didn't answer Evan's words for a while. Then, as Scarlett's carriage departed, he finally turned to Evan and said.
"I'll go to the Royal Police Headquarters soon."
"Are you going yourself?"
"Whether her memories are truly confused or she's colluding, it's clear that these kinds of problems arise every time my wife visits the Royal Police Headquarters, so it's worth going."
Then Evan said with a troubled expression.
"Going to the Royal Police Headquarters like that will upset His Highness Yuli Iren. Especially... you know? His Highness Iren hates you, Captain."
"What about it now."
He dumped out the somewhat melted ice and refilled it with new ice, saying.
"I can't become royalty anyway."
"What are you saying now? That doesn't make any sense!"
"Even if I actually get my name on the royal family register and Mother is reinstated, it won't mean much. I should have realized it sooner."
"..."
"How long will it take?"
"To break in, or to wipe out the Royal Police?"
"Both."
"Immediately and two months."
"Okay."
Viktor asked, pouring himself a new drink.
"Who is that guy next to Scarlett?"
"Andrei Hamilton seems to be a Royal Police officer based on the circumstances. But I'll check further."
"Okay."
Before Evan could step back, he brought up a personal matter.
"More than that, did the Young Lady leave that white bread?"
Then Viktor looked down at the bread, and Evan continued.
"Since she gave it to you, why don't you eat it?"
Viktor picked up the bread. And as Evan bowed slightly and stepped back, Palin, who had been waiting outside, said with an unnecessarily nervous face.
"How can you have such a normal conversation with the Captain, Senior?"
"It's social skills."
"In your case, Senior, it sometimes feels like more than social skills, like hypnotism."
Evan furrowed his eyebrows and moved on.
Three days later, late at night, a charity party was held at the Hanter Family's banquet hall in the northeastern part of Salantie Monastery.
As Viktor, with his hair slicked back with pomade and dressed in a tuxedo, got out of the carriage with his Mother Marina, everyone's attention was focused on them. Neither Marina nor even Viktor was a frequent guest at parties.
The atmosphere of the party changed from the moment Viktor Dumpelt entered the Hanter Family's banquet hall. Viktor Dumpelt was far from the burly sailor that people had been expecting. No one could take their eyes off him, who appeared with a strangely alluring atmosphere.
Contrary to the wishes of the noble young ladies who were interested in him, Viktor did not enjoy private conversations, and instead spent time smoking cigars with gentlemen who were thirty years older than him.
On the other hand, Marina was overjoyed and stirred up everything at the party. She seemed more sane than expected, and she had learned rhetoric from a young age, so she was eloquent, pleasant, and even cheerful.
Eventually, the participants of the party even began to suspect that Marina Dumpelt's mind was not actually unsound.
Meanwhile, Nina approached Viktor and spoke to him.
"Marina seems to be having fun."
"Thanks to you."
"Viktor."
At Nina's call, Viktor looked at her.
Nina looked at a man who could not even be placed on the same level as Yuli Iren.
When he didn't return from the sea for half a year, everyone said that Viktor Dumpelt was dead. When he came back alive from the sea, and even returned after finally subjugating the pirate island under his feet, Nina thought that he should have died at sea instead. If he had, she wouldn't have had to suffer this pain.
It was painful to see his face, standing with his hands behind his back and waiting for her to speak with a gentlemanly attitude.
A man like that is harmful to women, Nina thought.
She asked.
"Will you take me back when I return?"
At her words, Viktor replied in an indifferent voice.
"I appreciate the thought, but no."
At his answer, Nina laughed in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Marina, who had initially been enjoying the party and laughing cheerfully, began to act erratically at some point. Viktor, realizing that she was experiencing mental confusion along with physical fatigue, walked over to Marina and said.
"Let's go back now."
"It's fun, let's stay a little longer. Huh?"
Marina pleaded like a child. Viktor shook his head and said.
"Let's go before you get more tired, Mother."
"I don't want to."
Marina tried to push Viktor away, but he didn't budge.
Marina started to get annoyed when things didn't go her way.
"It's suffocating since you came. You're the one who made me unable to enjoy this kind of life. When did I ever want to give birth to someone like you? And to top it off, you even left me in that Monastery!"
At her outburst, the party was briefly interrupted, and people's attention turned to them.
As Viktor grabbed her arm to drag her out, Marina picked up a wine bottle, broke part of the bottleneck, and threw the bottleneck at him. It scratched Viktor's neck and fell.
People were surprised, but his subordinates didn't even pretend to notice and continued doing what they were doing, drinking or smoking. Viktor's subordinates knew that he would have avoided it if he had wanted to.
Soon, the maids who had come with them gathered and forcibly subdued Marina, dragging her out.
Viktor took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the wound on his neck.
Nina ran over and asked.
"Viktor, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
He said, rummaging through his pockets, and when he gestured with his empty hand, one of the sailors finally approached and offered him a cigarette.
Viktor put the cigarette in his mouth, and the sailor lit it for him. Viktor, with the lit cigarette in his mouth, said.
"Can I go first?"
"Get treated and go."
"It's okay."
Viktor just turned around and left the place. He hadn't gotten that drunk today, but maybe it was because he was bleeding profusely, but he was finally getting drunk now.
Scarlett, who was working late in her cozy home on the second floor of a clock shop on 7th Avenue, was startled by the sound of knocking on the door and went down the stairs.
What could be the matter at this hour? Her heart pounded, wondering if Isaac had caused trouble again. She slightly pulled back the curtain and looked outside, and saw Viktor.
The moment she saw his face, she felt relieved and overwhelmed at the same time. Scarlett opened the door and said.
"Are you crazy? At this hour... what's wrong with your neck?"
Scarlett, surprised, asked as she saw the wound on his neck. Viktor took a step and staggered, grabbing the wall.
The smell of alcohol wafted out.
Scarlett hurriedly tried to support him, but Viktor's arm wrapped around her and pulled her into his embrace. Scarlett, shocked by his wound, didn't even have time to think about their divorced relationship and hit his arm, saying.
"Let go and come up first. You must be really crazy."
Scarlett said, locking the door, and then went up the stairs first.
Viktor obediently followed and sat on the chair she pointed to.
Scarlett took out a first aid kit from under the bed and opened it.
"I don't think this can be treated with medicine."
Scarlett said, taking out tweezers, rubbing alcohol, and ointment to apply to the wound. Then, she turned on the gas lamp nearby and used the tweezers to remove a few pieces of glass that were visible near the wound.
Scarlett grimaced, finding it difficult to look closely at the wound, but pretended to be nonchalant and said.
"Even if you're drunk, how could you wander around like this until now?"
Viktor tilted his head and looked at Scarlett, who was close by. She concentrated on treating the wound for a while, then picked up the rubbing alcohol, closed her eyes tightly, and shook her head.
"This won't work. It looks like it will hurt too much. Go to the doctor quickly."
"Scarlett."
He had been silent the whole time, but finally opened his mouth, and Scarlett looked at Viktor, pleased. Then he said.
"When did I say you could leave me?"
At those words, Scarlett paused.
Soon, Viktor pulled her arm and brought her onto his lap. Scarlett staggered and sat on his lap, pulled into his embrace.
Viktor's actions were rough, as he was drunk.
Scarlett said, flustered.
"Ow, it hurts."
At her words, Viktor frowned and let go of her hands.
"It hurts?"
Scarlett had never seen Viktor look so flustered.
After a moment, he opened his mouth.
"I always held you with this much strength in bed. Did it hurt then too?"
"Well..."
Perhaps her husband was trying to use as little strength as possible, but being held by his hands, which were trained all day, felt like being bound by steel. And since his reason was less controlled in bed, it sometimes hurt just when he grabbed her arm.
Viktor opened his mouth.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I loved you then."
"Why does that become a reason not to say such things to me?"
At his question, Scarlett laughed in vain.
"I was afraid you would abandon me then. You always made me feel insecure."
Viktor, who had been frozen for a moment, stood up and staggered, and Scarlett tried to support him.
But Viktor stepped back and tried to forcibly calm his rough breathing as if tightening it.
He looked for a mirror with his eyes, checked his appearance reflected in it, and then straightened his disheveled hair. Then he soon left the place.
Blight, who had been running around frantically looking for Viktor, was getting out of a carriage in front of the store.
"Young Master!"
Then Viktor immediately got into the carriage and said.
"Let's go."
"That's..."
"Now."
"Yes, Young Master."
Blight had no choice but to close the carriage door. And after bowing to Scarlett, who was standing in front of the store, he got in the front of the carriage and left.
