Chapter 54
54
*
The Royal Police had planted Hiram Pete, whose family was insignificant, that is, Andrei, as a spy. Then, when he was caught, they pretended they hadn't sent him.
Andrei regained consciousness after fainting several times.
He now realized that the gentleman of the Dumpelt Family he had seen while working as a spy was an illusion. After all, wasn't Viktor Dumpelt the one who made even the most vicious pirates tremble? He couldn't be a normal human being.
'I just feel sorry for my boss.'
Thinking about it made him laugh again. He knew Viktor Dumpelt would be even more furious if he laughed, but he couldn't stop.
He recalled the day Scarlett was being interrogated at the Royal Police Headquarters.
*
"We haven't learned anything from Scarlett Dampfelt yet."
Yuli Irene had inherited the Irene Family's characteristic large build and hot-tempered personality. He clenched his fist and slammed it on the table.
Hugh Gun Hunter of the Royal Police spoke with difficulty.
"We are interrogating her, but it seems she won't open her mouth easily, Your Highness."
Yuli Irene pushed Hugh Gunther aside and looked inside the interrogation room through the glass wall.
Yuli sneered.
"She's quite the woman, willing to give her life for her husband. Doesn't that bastard have any mistresses?"
"As far as we've found, no."
"That doesn't make sense. Isn't it in the nature of noble men to keep soft mistresses when their wives are so rigid? There's no way Viktor Dumpelt would be satisfied with just a woman like that."
Scarlett Crimson was excessively beautiful, but Yuli thought that if he had married her, he would definitely have kept a mistress. Even so, she was a woman who aroused desire. Yuli looked Scarlett up and down, not hiding his desire.
What he liked most of all was the fact that she was Viktor's ex-wife. Even if the two had a political marriage and suddenly divorced, Viktor wouldn't be happy if Yuli took his ex-wife.
When Yuli stole Nina Hunter, Viktor didn't react much. He thought it was bland. He wondered if he would have the same indifferent face even if he stole his cold-faced wife sitting there.
As if she knew he was looking at her with lustful eyes, Scarlett turned her head towards Yuli. She stared at him without greeting him, and Hugh Gunther made excuses for no reason.
"She's under the influence of drugs."
"Torture her."
"We were planning to do that anyway."
The Royal Police, who followed the King's orders, could not torture her. However, they had many medicinal ingredients obtained from the pirate island, including poisons.
For the next few days, Hugh Gunther tried to open her mouth by alternately using poisons and antidotes. Even so, Scarlett didn't open her mouth, so Andrei, who worked at the Dumpelt Family, was eventually called in.
Andrei, who had many restrictions on his movements as a spy, said annoyedly.
"If you haven't gotten anything out of her after all this, doesn't that just mean Viktor Dumpelt has no weaknesses?"
Then his superior, Hugh Gunther, said.
"We've come this far, we have to get something out of her."
Andrei watched Scarlett trembling in the corner of the Royal Police Headquarters' underground prison from a distance.
His superior, Hugh Gunther, replied.
"She's more stubborn than I thought."
"Wow, I didn't see that coming."
"What was she like usually?"
"Well. She just goes around giggling because she likes Viktor Dumpelt, you know. Pathetic."
"Isn't she stupid? Why can't she betray him after liking him alone all this time?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Andrei hesitated and wandered outside for a while.
Then Hugh Gunther said.
"This time, you'll be promoted to Level 2."
There were three levels in the Royal Police. Usually, newly recruited rookies were Level 3, even if they were incompetent, they would be Level 2 after about 5 years, and if they made a big contribution, they would be Level 1. And the remaining ranks were determined within that level. Andrei was Level 3 for 6 years because his family was insignificant, and he was stuck in the Dumpelt Family even though he had special talents.
"This alone will get you promoted to Level 2 right away."
At Hugh Gunther's words, Andrei replied with an unwilling expression.
"Well... I guess I have no choice."
Andrei soon made up his mind and entered the interrogation room.
Seeing her up close, Scarlett's condition was worse than he thought. Scarlett Dampfelt, who had been forced to take extreme drugs and antidotes repeatedly, was huddled in a corner, trembling, her mind devastated beyond description.
'Damn it.'
Andrei cursed Hugh Gunther inwardly and walked over to her, saying.
"Madam, please lift your head."
He spoke, but Scarlett only trembled, as if she didn't understand.
Andrei sighed deeply and sat down in front of her with a thud.
"Duchess Dumpelt. Look at me."
At his call, Scarlett raised her head. Then, upon discovering Andrei, she quickly regained her vitality.
"Ah, Andrei?"
"Yes, it's me."
Andrei made a troubled expression at her eyes, which shone with hope.
"You thought your husband sent me?"
"Well..."
"That's not it. To put it simply, I'm a spy."
"...Huh?"
"I've come to tell you that your husband's life is at stake."
At his words, Scarlett's face turned blue again. Andrei looked at her face with concern and continued.
"If you keep your mouth shut, I'll have to kill your husband. Of course, I wouldn't mind. I'd be promoted to Level 1 right away. But I might die in the process. It's a dangerous job."
"No, that can't be..."
"Look. I'm even wearing my uniform."
"..."
"Please, Duchess. Just say something, anything. Even a very small weakness is fine. If there isn't one, make one up."
"Viktor... will hate me."
"Is it better for your husband to die than to be hated?"
What was so great about that love? Was she so afraid that he would hate her that she couldn't open her mouth even though she was so tattered? Andrei couldn't understand that feeling at all.
As he stood up, Scarlett's hand grabbed the hem of Andrei's pants.
"Viktor sent Duchess Marina to a mental hospital."
"The Captain did?"
"And, she's been locked up in the Monastery ever since."
Andrei was relieved at her trembling hand and voice.
"You made the right choice."
*
When he first left the Dumpelt Family with Scarlett, he didn't think much of it. The Royal Police said it would be good to monitor Scarlett to make sure she didn't do anything foolish. There was also an order to report immediately if her memory returned.
For the next year, Scarlett didn't show any unusual symptoms, so Andrei lived thinking only about the watch shop. Maybe it was a bit too much, and he started to get confused about whether he was a real watch shop employee or a Royal Police officer.
From one day on, it simply became the most important thing in his life for Scarlett Crimson's watch shop to prosper.
Now that he thought about it, the situation was so absurd that he laughed.
Scarlett opened her mouth after seeing Andrei's face because she was afraid he would harm her husband. She knew Viktor would hate her. She was afraid of that, but she thought it was better than Viktor getting hurt.
If you think about how Scarlett, who had lost her memory at that time, came to choose him after that, there was only one answer.
She must have unconsciously thought that she had to separate herself from Viktor Dumpelt.
Could there be anyone in the world who could secretly harm Viktor Dumpelt? Scarlett seemed to not know much about the reality of her husband compared to how much she loved him. No, on the contrary, was it possible to love him because she didn't know about the reality?
Andrei thought about how the situation would change if he opened his mouth.
Viktor Dumpelt would definitely run to Scarlett right away, but he couldn't predict what Scarlett's reaction would be. What was clear was that the moment he exposed the hardships Scarlett had gone through, his family would disappear.
It was the Royal Police that put even Viktor Dumpelt in this situation. It was impossible for a weak place like his family to endure. But conversely, could he resist Viktor Dumpelt? That was also impossible. It seemed like he had no choice but to go to ruin.
While Andrei was racking his brains, Viktor entered.
Andrei felt a sense of oppression that was on a different level from what he had felt so far.
Viktor, seeing him take a deep breath, said calmly.
"It would be better to end it easily."
"...Are you going to kill me completely now?"
"The opposite."
Viktor continued.
"If you tell me the truth, I'll spare you. I'll protect you from the Royal Police too."
"No. If you hear the truth, you'll kill me right away. And it'll be legal for you to do so."
"If you've ever tried to kill me, I'll pretend that never happened too."
"...Pardon?"
Andrei, who had even considered his family disappearing, made a dumbfounded expression. And he opened his mouth.
"Is that how much you want to know?"
"Yes."
"...You won't touch my family either?"
"Isn't that also included in the promise to spare you?"
He was somewhat of a gentleman in these parts.
Andrei didn't hesitate for long. There were only two worst-case scenarios, but a sparkling answer suddenly appeared, and there was no reason not to choose it.
He opened his mouth.
"The reason why the boss doesn't remember the interrogation is because the Royal Police drugged her."
"......"
"To be exact, it's a drug that makes past memories vividly come to mind. As a side effect, part of the memory is erased. The boss was like that too."
Viktor was listening to the story with an expression that was more indifferent than calm.
Of course, Andrei didn't think even a little bit that Viktor Dumpelt would be shocked by this fact and collapse and cry. But he didn't expect him to have no reaction at all like that.
Andrei continued.
"Of course, they also tortured her. All of them were drugs brought from the pirate island, and in order to make it look like the boss made a deal for the sake of Count Crimson's eyes, they actually connected her to a supplier of drugs that could be used on the eyes."
"......"
"She was stubborn. She kept her mouth shut the whole time, but she changed her mind when I showed up. I told her I could kill the Captain at any time. I'm surprised she believed that. How could that be possible?"
Viktor was still silent.
Andrei opened his mouth again.
"That's all. It's nothing much when you summarize it."
Silence flowed for a while after that.
