Translator: Nox

Chapter 55

55

It was only after a long while that Viktor Dampfelt spoke.

"Keep it a secret."

"...Pardon?"

"Keep it a secret. Everything."

"Didn't you just hear? The boss confessed because I said I was going to kill you, Master Viktor."

"I heard."

"Wait a minute... Keep it a secret from whom...? The boss?"

Andrei asked in astonishment, but Viktor, with a nonchalant expression, straightened his posture, put the watch he had taken off on the table back on, and said.

"I'll take care of the Royal Police. You resign and continue to help Scarlett's shop."

At those words, Andrei asked as if he couldn't understand at all.

"So, why exactly?"

"Firstly, you knew that Scarlett was repairing the Tram, but you didn't report it to the Royal Police. If you had reported it, the Royal Police would have dragged Scarlett away a long time ago, and they would have tried to involve me in any way they could."

"......"

"That means you actually have loyalty to Scarlett."

Andrei sighed and grumbled.

"You should have seen the faces of those kids at her place. It wasn't a situation where I could cut off their father's livelihood."

"If it weren't for loyalty, there would be no reason to keep you alive, would there?"

"It's loyalty. Very strong loyalty."

Andrei immediately changed his words. Viktor said.

"Secondly, you are more helpful to Scarlett's safety than the guards I assigned."

"Why did you assign so many guards in the first place?"

"Who do you think hates me the most? More than the royals."

"...Pirates, I presume."

"If I didn't assign guards, Scarlett would be torn to pieces within hours."

Andrei felt his heart sink as much as when Viktor Dampfelt had discovered his true identity.

"Besides, your wife is a necessary employee for the family to rise."

"So you're telling me to assist the boss from the side?"

"Scarlett shouldn't know that I assigned guards, and it's difficult to find a guard as skilled as you."

"And the boss shouldn't know about this in the future either...?"

Andrei could guess why Viktor was saying such absurd things. He was afraid that Scarlett, upon learning the truth, would hate him.

Even so.

Andrei thought that Viktor Dampfelt was a more despicable human being than he had thought, and that he had an even more severe obsession with Scarlett.

Andrei then asked.

"When you take revenge on the Royal Police, you'll use me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll do it."

At first, this wasn't really it.

Andrei knew that his life plan to rise through the ranks of the Royal Police had been completely ruined, but that fact didn't feel bad.

Shortly after, Viktor left, and not long after that, the door of the solitary cell where Andrei was held opened. And Evan Wright called him out.

"Go, to the lady."

"Right away?"

"She told me to send you right away. She said she can't run the watch shop without you."

Evan said irritably, put the gun to Andrei's neck, and said.

"I'll keep checking what you're doing."

"I know."

As Andrei raised both hands as a sign of surrender, Evan pushed his back.

*

As soon as Andrei left the Naval Residence, he headed straight to 7th Street. And when he entered the watch shop, Scarlett, who had been watching the shop in the meantime, looked at Andrei.

Andrei stood awkwardly in front of the door and opened his mouth.

"It's true that I was assigned to monitor the boss, but I'm really serious. About wanting to grow the shop big."

"......"

"I'll resign from the Royal Police and come. I understand if you don't hire me. It'll be difficult to find an employee as useful as me for such a low wage, though."

"If I hire you, will you come to work right away from today?"

When she asked more calmly than he had expected, Andrei paused and said.

"If that's okay."

"It is."

Even though Andrei asked, he didn't think she would accept it so easily.

He said as if he didn't understand.

"If you knew what I did to you, you wouldn't say that."

"I don't remember. If I remember, I'll judge then."

Scarlett smiled weakly, then continued.

"Just. When I thought about it, you're right, there's no way you'd work that hard for such a low wage. I was pathetic."

"The person who deceived you is the bad one."

"I am pathetic. I thought that at least you... were there voluntarily. I thought I had made at least one person who wanted to be by my side voluntarily."

"......"

"I know it's not. But I want to stay deceived. So..."

Scarlett, who had been listless all along, put a little more strength into her words.

"Still, I'm glad you're quitting the Royal Police. You chose here instead of the Royal Police, right?"

"...Yes, for now."

"Then that's enough."

Scarlett Crimson is probably stupid, his boss had commented.

Andrei, who watched her from the closest place, thought that well, it might seem that way. She was smart, but her vision was blurred by loneliness. How much more does she have to break to realize?

"Miss Scarlett."

Andrei, who scratched his neck in embarrassment, looked at her and said.

"People in the world are selfish."

"......"

"Don't love them. It's a waste."

At Andrei's words, Scarlett stared at him for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said.

"That's enough."

"What is?"

"Just... you said it's a waste. At least it's a good thing that I love, so it's a waste."

"......"

"It wasn't a bad thing, right? Right?"

Then she smiled brightly and said.

"Okay. I feel relieved thinking that way."

"I've felt it before, but you're out of your mind, boss."

"I don't want to hear that from you. Besides, it's true that Andrei has helped the shop get established so far. In the first place, we'd have to close the shop without Andrei."

"Ah, so you admitted that. I didn't know because you only thought it inside."

"...More than that, how much do you get from the Royal Police?"

"The salary is similar. The honor is different."

"Then you can come to work. Come to work. I'll go find you if you don't."

"I can't work without pay."

"A one-year pay cut?"

"What's the difference between that and no pay at all?"

"There's a time limit."

"You're a surprisingly exploitative owner."

"This is enough, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I'll accept it. One year."

Even while talking like that, Andrei habitually did the shop's work.

Scarlett, who was looking at the returned employee, said.

"Come to think of it, the artisans that Uncle fired... Andrei found them, right?"

"Yes. That's how I got caught being a spy in the first place."

"And you didn't report about the Tram either."

"I said it at the Naval Residence too, but if I saw those kids' faces, how could I stop them from repairing it? They have to grow up a lot."

At those words, Scarlett smiled with a face that soon regained its energy.

"Thank you."

"Boss."

"Yeah?"

"Stop saying useless things and let's work."

"...Yeah, you're back to normal. Ugh, I can't say anything since I caught him."

Andrei smiled slyly but quickly urged her to work again.

*

After the members of the royal family sat in the drawing room and talked, the conclusion was that Viktor should be brought into the royal family even now.

"It's a big deal that he has seduced a member of the Royal Police. Don't you all know? Viktor won't stay still now."

"That's right. When will he rebel against the royal family..."

Then Yuli Irene, who was half-lying on the sofa, said.

"What can he do if he doesn't stay still? Anyway, the only one that bastard's knife will be pointing at is me. Don't make such a fuss."

The drawing room was quiet for a moment at the words of the Crown Prince. Then, as the argument continued again, King Albert Irene, who had been lying in an armchair with his eyes closed due to a serious heart condition, opened his eyes for a moment.

Suffering from old age, he often expressed his longing for his beloved daughter Marina these days.

After thinking for a while, he said.

"I would like Marina to be called to the royal castle."

At his words, everyone's gaze turned to the King. Albert continued.

"Until now, the reason Viktor wanted to be recognized by the royal family was because of his mother, Marina. Then we should invite Marina to the banquet."

At those words, Adam burst out.

"Father, that child is a madman. You heard about the rampage at Nina's party, didn't you?"

At those words, Adam's daughter, Elina, said.

"If we can turn a madman's heart around by bringing him for a day, let's do it. Sir Viktor is someone we shouldn't have as an enemy. Haven't you forgotten that Sir Viktor has been acting friendly to the royal family until now?"

Then her younger sister, Akin's wife, who had recently married, said.

"What will Aunt Marina do when she comes? Why are you calling her?"

"Is Aunt Marina the problem? We can't predict Viktor's actions, can we?"

There were many stories, but as a result, there was no better answer than to invite Marina Dumpelt and call Viktor Dumpelt as her guardian to win him over.

As soon as the answer was decided there, Adam Irene wrote an invitation and sent it to his nephew, Viktor Dumpelt. And Viktor Dumpelt immediately wrote a letter and sent it back.

[My Mother's health is not good. I will see you later.]

It was a refusal.

Adam Irene, who received the reply, looked troubled. He had only worried about whether or not to invite a madman to the royal castle, but he had not even thought that Viktor would refuse.

Adam Irene glared at his son, Yuli Irene, with an unpleasant expression. Adam said.

"Viktor's mood is not easily relieved. Your restraint was excessive."

"...I'm sorry."

"How do you plan to solve what you've done?"

Yuli barely suppressed his annoyance and said.

"I will solve it somehow."

"Make sure you do it properly."

Adam Irene had grown up without any shortcomings, so he was sometimes selfish, and he often openly showed his anger to his son. When that went beyond looking arrogant, it sometimes looked like an infantile tendency. It was a personality trait that most of the Irene family had.