Chapter 68
68
*
Scarlett toured the school with Palin.
There were five subjects: Physics, Mathematics, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemistry. The three professors taught all subjects without distinction, and the students also learned all subjects, but there were hardly any lectures related to Mechanical Engineering.
Scarlett soon stood before the laboratory created with the donation of the Crimson couple, which the president had assigned. The door was inscribed with a story about the two.
[Wendy Crimson, Willis Crimson's Laboratory]
[In honor of the greatest inventors in Salantie history]
There was a lock on the door, and as soon as Scarlett saw the red lock, she remembered the password her Mother had told her. So, she pressed the numbers, and the lock immediately opened.
And when Scarlett opened the door, she found research materials filling the walls inside.
Scarlett remembered coming to this laboratory a few times when she was a baby. She had now entered one of the places in her memories with her parents.
When Scarlett saw it, she felt a severe headache and staggered. Palin quickly supported her and asked.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Sorry."
At Scarlett's words, Palin immediately released her hand, put his hands behind his back, and shook his head.
"It's alright."
"I'm sorry you had to come all the way here and suffer because of me."
"I don't want to burden you, but…"
Palin rubbed the back of his neck and continued.
"Coming here, I understand even more that the fate of Salantie depends on you, Miss."
"...Why did you say you didn't want to burden me if you were going to say that?"
"I meant I was unintentionally burdening you."
Scarlett smiled softly at his words. Then, she took a deep breath and looked at the laboratory. Most of the data was written in code. She remembered her parents talking about codes, but she didn't have an exact memory.
Scarlett covered her head with her hands and said.
"I wish my memory was a little clearer…"
"..."
Palin glanced at Scarlett.
Scarlett, who had been gloomy for a moment, took a deep breath to cheer herself up and said to Palin.
"Are you hungry? Let's have a simple meal."
"Ah, yes. Let's do that. But I don't know if there's anything to eat nearby, seeing the people struggling with the jam jars earlier."
"I guess so."
Scarlett replied and left the laboratory.
Palin made a phone call somewhere and found a decent restaurant nearby. Northern food was generally worse than Southern food, but if you knew that fact, you could be satisfied with the food to some extent.
After eating, Scarlett returned to the school, greeted the professors, shook hands, and was about to go to the laboratory when she found the Dumpelt Family carriage standing in front of the school.
Perhaps because there was nothing interesting, all the professors and students came out to see the carriage. Soon, items such as braziers, curtains, and blankets were unloaded from the carriage and moved to the laboratory. And Blight, who got out of the carriage, said with his usual affable face.
"Ah, it's perfect that all the students are here. You can take anything you need except for our Miss's things. We also brought warm wine and cheese, would you like some?"
Most of the students in the College of Engineering were students who were genuinely interested in academics, and even if they were interested, the heirs to the family could not come due to their parents' opposition, so they were not heirs either.
Even for the children of wealthy families, choosing the College of Engineering in Salantie was something that would make them fall out of favor with their parents and family. The same was true for the professors. Everyone rushed to the baggage cart and took what they needed.
"F, finally we have a brazier!"
"Does that mean we can bake bread now?"
Scarlett grew up struggling, but because she managed the fire, she could at least bake bread secretly.
As Scarlett watched in disbelief, Kirstin came and said.
"Scarlett, tell me if you need anything. I'll help you with anything!"
"Thank you. Ah, and I..."
Scarlett opened her mouth to become friends with Kirstin, the only female student here, but she heard Palin grumbling.
"How can there be so many scientists here and not even think of making a brazier?"
Then the students looked at Palin with expressions that they had a lot to say. And Kirstin shouted bravely.
"We have an engineer now, so we can implement anything!"
"Our Miss didn't come here to make braziers. I told you, she's a precious person."
"Ugh... Ugh!"
Kirstin couldn't say anything more and just made a strange noise before turning away.
Palin clicked his tongue and stood like a statue. Having only seen Palin, who was always criticized by those around him for being so direct, seeing Palin among ordinary people, he was the alpha male himself.
Even among such people, Viktor was overwhelming. Anyone could tell that the leader of the group was Viktor Dumpelt.
Scarlett stared at the things Viktor had prepared. Then, belatedly recognizing the rushing cold, she warmed her hands and said to Palin and Blight.
"Thank you. Then I should go inside now because it's cold."
Then Blight smiled brightly and said.
"Yes, please do. Then I'll be on my way."
Blight greeted and left with the carriage. Scarlett laughed in disbelief and said to Palin.
"That was too much of a greeting."
Then Palin smiled and said.
"Yes, it would be hard to be more grand than that."
"I can't quietly attend school."
"That's right. I didn't know it would be this small."
The two talked and entered the laboratory.
*
It really snowed all day where the school was located.
In the Crimson couple's laboratory, while Scarlett poured a glass of warm wine for each of them, Professor Gustav was pondering Scarlett's design that he had posted on the blackboard. And the students next to him were also contemplating the same thing.
Scarlett found it very helpful that if she was studying alone and had something she didn't know, the professor and students could think about the answer together.
Bill and Kirstin, who had greeted her with genetics on the first day, were also studying the same thing. Then Kirstin raised her hand and said.
"But Scarlett. Is it okay to share the clock technology with us? It's the Crimson Family's technology."
She couldn't involve everyone in dangerous things like Aircraft research yet. Besides, she couldn't trust them either. Therefore, Scarlett focused on studying things that were commonly applied to clock technology as well.
Scarlett handed a glass of wine to each of the professors first and said.
"Of course. I came here because I wanted to understand the technology in more detail."
"Ah, wonderful... You're the Crimson Family's Miss I imagined..."
"...Kirstin, please don't make me feel so pressured."
Scarlett said, but Professor Gustav asked curiously.
"Kirstin, what did you imagine?"
"Well, in order to continue the great achievements left by Count and Countess Crimson, their only daughter is holed up in the laboratory every day doing research. Ah, by the way, I didn't know they had an only daughter. It was just my imagination, but she really exists."
Then Scarlett said in disbelief.
"How can you be so interested in the Crimson Family and not know? My marriage and divorce were splashed all over the newspapers..."
"Scarlett, I don't read the gossip columns. They're unnecessary in life. Anyway, the only leisure in the Crimson Miss's daily routine is watching the changing weather outside the window."
"What on earth have you been imagining, Kirstin?"
Scarlett asked, unable to bear it, but Kirstin continued.
"The Miss, who was so diligently immersed in research, one day gets consumption."
"Why, why does she get consumption?"
Scarlett asked with wide eyes, and Kirstin replied in disbelief.
"Intellectuals always get consumption."
"Um, even more incomprehensible..."
As Scarlett spoke, the three people turned to look at Scarlett at the same time, as if wondering why she didn't understand.
Anyway, after finishing the meeting, Scarlett packed her bags and left the school.
For the past few days, she had been going back and forth between the store and the school, living a life where even two bodies wouldn't be enough. Now it was the weekend, so she wouldn't go to school, and she had done the store work to some extent, so she was going to go home and rest today, and have dinner with Isaac tomorrow, Saturday.
Isaac had also been quite busy lately with the Crimson Family's affairs. Banking was apparently not usually so complicated. She was thinking of asking him if there was anything she could do to help while they had dinner.
And before that…
"I should say thank you."
She muttered to herself as she waited for the Tram. It was true that he had helped in many ways, so it seemed necessary to report on the progress to some extent.
Once she had that thought, she had to judge for herself whether she was trying to go to him because she still had feelings for him.
A short time later, she took the Tram that arrived and headed to the capital.
From Salantie College of Engineering to the capital was a boring stretch of plains. There was so much snow that even the snow-covered landscape was not a particularly unique sight.
In that boredom where the same scenery was repeated, Scarlett sorted out one by one the thoughts that she had not been able to do because she had been busy lately.
Then, one name kept getting caught.
Viktor Dumpelt.
Viktor Dumpelt.
How many times had she called his name the day she came out of the Monastery with a fever?
Just once, come earlier than promised today. Just once, break the plan. Just once, cherish me with your heart.
She hated him for a long time. But still, whenever her thoughts deepened, his name tried to pop out, but it got caught in her throat. Even if she ignored it, telling herself not to call it, the name kept stinging in her throat.
