Chapter 64
64
*
After a warm and luxurious breakfast, Scarlett went outside to find snow had fallen. She spoke to Andrei, who was waiting for her on the sofa in the first-floor lobby.
“It snowed a lot.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s pretty.”
Scarlett said, then looked around Dumpelt Mansion. Scarlett muttered.
“There’s a spy.”
“Pardon?”
“As a fellow spy, what do you think?”
Scarlett turned to Andrei and asked, and he cleared his throat before answering.
“It just shows how great Viktor’s position is.”
“It must be tough. He can’t relax for a moment.”
“Well, he has to handle it.”
Andrei replied nonchalantly.
While they were talking on the first floor, Viktor came out to the door to see them off. Scarlett found Viktor coming into the lobby and wore a bewildered expression.
Viktor, who usually dressed so rigidly that anyone could tell he was a soldier, was dressed smoothly like a stage actor.
Scarlett was already deeply in love with his face, and when he appeared dressed so attractively, she stared blankly at him as if the world had stopped.
Viktor met Scarlett’s gaze as she stared at him dazedly. Then, he asked Andrei for a handshake and said.
“Escort her safely. That’s why I’m keeping you alive.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Andrei replied. After shaking hands, Viktor let go, and he looked at his hand in admiration.
A little later, after leaving the mansion and getting some distance from the porch, Andrei said to Scarlett.
“He’s really strong. Even if half the blood flowing through Viktor’s body wasn’t royal, he would have become a captain…”
“Is that so?”
Scarlett looked like she didn’t know.
She said.
“I guess so, but Andrei, and my brother, are all strong.”
“Ah, you don’t have a typical comparison.”
“What about Isaac?”
“I was good enough to become a Royal Police from this insignificant family. From my investigation, he’s about the same as me.”
“…You investigated me?”
“Why would we need a spy if we didn’t do that much?”
The fact that Andrei was a spy was absurd in itself, but it was natural for him to have this much information.
Scarlett, feeling awkward as she grew accustomed to the extraordinary, said.
“So Isaac is… strong?”
“Yes. And his skills are good too.”
“Where did he learn them?”
“He must have learned them on his own.”
“I’m worried, but why are you so calm, Andrei?”
Isaac, who didn’t know the world well, was a concern for Scarlett. But Andrei didn’t take her seriously, so Scarlett narrowed her brows and looked at him as if to tell him to listen to her. Andrei clicked his tongue at her expression and said.
“Madam, please think rationally. Count Isaac Crimson is a grown man who is much taller and several times stronger than average. Count Crimson should be the one worrying.”
“I’m worried he might cause an accident.”
“Huh? Aren’t you the biggest troublemaker I know?”
“…Shut up.”
“Who started it?”
The two bickered as they rode in the carriage Viktor had provided, descending the hill that was the Dumpelt Family’s territory. After a long drive, they arrived at 7th Avenue.
As soon as they got out of the carriage, the two looked around the alley with bewildered expressions. All the shops in the alley were empty. The bakery, the grocery store, the shelves were all empty.
Scarlett asked Andrei.
“What happened in such a short time?”
“I don’t know either, I’ve been gone fetching you, Madam.”
The two turned back towards the house, puzzled, and Isaac, who had been waiting in front of it, found them.
“Scarlett.”
“What’s wrong? Why is it suddenly such a mess?”
Scarlett asked with wide eyes, and Isaac said with a nervous face.
“An Aircraft has been spotted in the north.”
“What?”
“It was flying the flag of Bestina.”
Scarlett’s eyes widened in shock.
No country would dare to cross the rugged Salian Mountains and invade Salantie. The only easily accessible southern coast was guarded by Viktor Dumpelt, making that fact even more solid.
But this morning, the Bestinians showed that they could enter Salantie over the mountains. Moreover, it was an entry without any permission from the people of Salantie.
The sudden appearance of the Aircraft caused panic among the people of Salantie. Scarlett now knew that the reason the streets were empty was because of hoarding.
Andrei opened the door to the shop, and Scarlett and Isaac went inside. After thinking for a moment, Scarlett suddenly ran up the stairs.
“S, Scarlett?”
“Madam, don’t run, you’re not a child…”
The two men followed her upstairs and found Scarlett immediately taking out a notebook.
Isaac asked.
“Scarlett, what are you going to do?”
“We have to build an Aircraft too.”
“Huh?”
Then Scarlett roughly tied up her falling hair with a string she found nearby and continued.
“If we show that Salantie can also fly Aircraft, Bestina won’t be able to recklessly attack. Our navy is strong. If a war starts, Viktor will immediately attack Bestina through the south, and then Bestina will also suffer losses. They won’t easily start a war, and even if they do, they’ll try to find the Rubid Ship and bomb it first. So we have to show that we also have anti-aircraft weapons.”
Scarlett continued quickly.
“There are many spies in Salantie right now. If the spies realize that Salantie has that level of technology, Bestina won’t declare war.”
“So what are you going to do!”
Isaac asked anxiously, and Scarlett grabbed her notebook and said.
“We can’t delay any longer. I’m going to the Salantie College of Engineering right now.”
“What?”
“I’m going to ask for help.”
Isaac, overwhelmed by her words, shook his head once to clear his thoughts and asked.
“You’re going to the College of Engineering?”
“I know a lot about what my parents left behind. So I have to do it.”
“In a country that won’t even let you repair a Tram, you’re going to build an Aircraft engine?”
Isaac’s voice lowered as he asked that, and Scarlett felt a strange chill at the momentary unfamiliarity. But when Isaac saw her surprised eyes, he immediately put on his signature angelic face and said.
“It’s dangerous if anyone finds out.”
“That’s… I know. But I can’t just do nothing now.”
“You can, Scarlett.”
Isaac said kindly.
“I don’t know why you have to put yourself in danger for that reason.”
Andrei, who was standing by the door with a look of annoyance on his face, said.
“Count Crimson is right, Madam. What are you going to do by suddenly going to the Salantie College of Engineering? It’s dangerous.”
Then Isaac gestured to Andrei as if to say, “Look.”
“Thank you, Mr. Andrei.”
Andrei bowed slightly and continued.
“But, Madam, you have a point. A war? I can’t live without running water. If there’s a way to stop it, we have to stop it.”
At those words, Isaac looked at Andrei. Andrei smiled at the cold gaze. Inwardly, he thought that Scarlett Crimson was like a magnet for attracting crazy people.
“Why don’t you ask Viktor for protection? There’s no safer way in Salantie.”
“Protection?”
Isaac tilted his head and asked. Andrei was amazed at how he could have the same face as Scarlett and yet have the face of a murderer who had just killed someone.
Andrei said.
“To be precise, I mean cleanup. If there’s anyone who might report that you’re trying to build an engine, ask him to take care of them.”
“Ah.”
Isaac nodded. Then he looked at Scarlett again and sighed.
“You want to do something this dangerous?”
“I don’t want to, but I have to. This isn’t a matter of choice for me.”
The two men chuckled at Scarlett’s words. And then Isaac opened his mouth.
“Scarlett, remember? When I hit you.”
At those words, Andrei frowned without realizing it. Scarlett replied.
“My uncle ordered you to.”
“Exactly. My uncle ordered me to, so I hit you back then.”
“Well…”
“Back then, I chose the bad side. Scarlett, you just can’t see the bad side. You always have a choice.”
At his words, Scarlett sighed. And she looked at Andrei as if to ask him to take her side.
“Andrei, take my side.”
Then Andrei shrugged.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a spy. I’m the bad path itself.”
“Oh, really…”
“Yes, I’m sorry I’m not a model example.”
Isaac frowned as Andrei spoke.
“A spy?”
At those words, Scarlett quickly said.
“That’s in the past.”
“Can I trust him?”
“Yeah, of course. He’s kept my Tram repairs a secret so far, so.”
“…Is that so?”
Scarlett’s answer was not very satisfactory, so she said.
“He’s the employee I trust the most.”
“That’s not a choice, since he’s the only one.”
“Anyway.”
Scarlett said and smiled as if to tell him to let it go, and Isaac reluctantly raised the corners of his mouth.
“Okay. I’ll trust him.”
It wasn’t a trusting look. Andrei was sure of it, but Scarlett still seemed to think of Isaac as a child who hadn’t escaped from the attic and needed her to do everything for him.
‘Who’s going to protect who…’
Andrei clicked his tongue.
