Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Following Scarlett, the students and Professor Gustav had been traveling by train for a good four hours.
Kirsten said to Bill, "Scarlett might sell us to a pirate ship."
"But the train is going far away from the sea?"
"Well... since the pirate ship was destroyed, maybe the pirates went into the mountains."
"So they became bandits? Anyway, I'd prefer the mountains to the sea. I've never been on a ship, but I'm likely to get seasick. I'm already feeling nauseous."
Bill spoke, then opened the window and leaned out, as if he was about to vomit again. Kirsten patted Bill's back, who was only dry heaving since he had already thrown up everything he could, and said, "Scarlett, see? No pirate ships."
"First of all, I'm not taking you to sell you. And secondly, what kind of labor force do you think you are that I could sell you to a pirate ship?"
"I didn't anticipate that part."
Meanwhile, the train finally stopped at its destination: a villa in the south of Salantie, in the vineyard that Viktor had shared.
They were supposed to use the villa when needed and share the profits from the vineyard, but this vineyard wasn't very profitable, so most of the income was used to maintain the villa and obtain food.
Having come from a place where the temperature remained at -20 degrees Celsius every day, arriving at the vineyard, which was at a lower altitude and in the south, even felt warm. The weather fluctuated around 2 or 3 degrees Celsius.
Everyone who came along couldn't help but admire the vast vineyard and cozy villa. There was also a caretaker and his wife residing at the villa, who also served as the maid, taking care of all the household chores.
Scarlett said to the students, who were looking around, "The professor will use that room, and Kirsten can share my room. And the rest of the male students can divide those two rooms over there. It'll be five people per room, though..."
Before Scarlett could finish speaking, the male students had already divided the rooms. And they were jumping up and down in front of the fireplace.
"There's a fireplace!"
"It's been so long since I felt warmth..."
Even Professor Gustav took off his coat and rolled around on his bed.
"I feel so light!"
Then, one of the students, peeking through the open door, said, "Professor, you don't feel lighter, it's just that your coat weighs less."
"Oh, that's right!"
While the students were enjoying the vineyard villa, Scarlett entered the bedroom with Kirsten.
Originally prepared for Princess Marina, the bedroom was a space decorated with elegant taste.
Kirsten stroked the blanket with both hands and said, "Wow, it's so soft..."
Everything was top-notch.
Kirsten first climbed onto the bed, crawled under the blanket, and said, "Good night, Scarlett."
Then, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Perhaps because Salantie Polytechnic was too cold, the students barely moved, as if trying to conserve energy. As a result, the students were exhausted. Scarlett hadn't realized that a four-hour train ride would exhaust them so much.
She curled up on the opposite end of the large bed from Kirsten, then got up soon after. It was too early, and she wasn't sleepy yet.
Scarlett opened a small bookshelf, took out a book, and left the bedroom.
Not only the bedroom but also the living room was incredibly luxurious. Sitting in an armchair, Scarlett placed the book on her lap and looked around the house.
Scarlett had thought that Viktor Dampfelt was created by Princess Marina's desires. But after hearing him speak a while ago, that wasn't necessarily the case.
Perhaps he was just a target for venting. The plausible goal of becoming royalty might have just been a snare that made Viktor accept the punishment.
Thinking that way, Scarlett felt sorry for Viktor. Everyone said that there was no one to pity Viktor Dampfelt, but in her eyes, he was pitiable.
But he was now an adult, and therefore, it was time for him to gradually restore the emotions that had been ruined by his parents' upbringing. However, the personality formed in childhood didn't seem to change easily.
Scarlett briefly recalled the expression that Viktor always wore. Come to think of it, making Viktor laugh had been her most important goal throughout their marriage.
If she had to choose among laughs, what she wanted was the kind of laugh that came from hearing a joke. A laugh that flowed naturally from feeling joy in the moment of being with his wife.
She dreamed of moments when he knew he had to be polite but was so happy to be by her side that he leaned toward her, and sometimes made ridiculous mistakes in his haste.
But that was impossible for Viktor. He was a bridge connecting the Dumpelt Family between the ousted princess and the descendants who would give history to this family, he had to be a navigator starting the prosperity of the family, and most importantly, he had to be a figure in a frame that those descendants would point to and say was the greatest existence of their family, thus proving that this family was great.
He didn't seem to be very dissatisfied with his own needs, but Scarlett sometimes felt sorry for him.
"Why do you have to be a figure in a frame?"
You should have your own life, too. We should have our own things. We should love, laugh out loud, and fall apart.
That's what living is. That's what I think.
Every time Scarlett said that, Viktor would look at her as if she were a human being who really didn't meet the standards.
She even loved that gaze, so how crazy was she about him?
What made Scarlett, who spent her adolescence in the Crimson Family where there was always work to be done, happy were always such dreams. Starting with trivial things like picking out colorful candies in glass jars at the candy store by color and storing them like jewels, and grander dreams like the crown prince, who often adorned the social gossip columns, suddenly appearing and saying he fell in love at first sight from afar.
She never imagined that something closer to the latter would happen first. Life is really unpredictable, she thought in the carriage heading to the Dumpelt Family.
During the two years she loved him, Viktor had sculpted Scarlett into a noble lady, but Scarlett couldn't even bring herself to take a chisel to Viktor. In the last moment, Viktor even drove her into the Monastery.
Scarlett briefly opened the door and came out of the villa. Having been in the north all along, she felt that the weather here was bearable.
Unlike the north, where her legs sank deep into the snow, the snow here was only piled up enough to reveal the shape of her footprints when she stepped on it. After walking a few steps, Scarlett was startled by a black figure suddenly appearing in front of her and almost screamed.
The other person covered her mouth and made her look up at him. Scarlett recognized him as Viktor and her legs gave way.
Viktor wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her and said, "I guess you didn't think I might come."
"I didn't know... Why did you come?"
"Aren't you going to pick someone trustworthy from among them and put them into making the engine?"
"That's right."
"Then I have to take the interview too."
"What interview?"
"There are so many spies, I have to weed them out. You brought them here well. It'll be easy to weed out the spies."
"Oh, that's right."
Scarlett nodded.
"Andrei was a spy too."
"Hiram Pete."
"He doesn't like it when you call him that. He doesn't like his family anyway. Since his brother is going to take everything anyway, he doesn't think there's much to protect."
At those words, Viktor's gaze shifted to her.
Viktor looked at Scarlett and said, "Why don't we have some tea before bed, since I came all the way here."
"I think it would be uncomfortable if we ran into people."
"Then let's drink it here."
Viktor said and spoke to the maid visible through the glass door of the villa.
"Bring some tea."
"Yes, young master."
The maid soon left to brew tea and then showed the two of them the tray. Scarlett and Viktor each took a cup of tea.
It felt strange to be sitting on the villa's porch in a coat, drinking tea. Scarlett opened her mouth in the silence.
"I was just thinking. I wouldn't have done that."
"What?"
"Sent you to the Monastery."
"......"
Her voice was as sad as a moonlit night.
"Even if you had betrayed me, I would have believed what you said. Even if I couldn't believe it, I wouldn't have been able to stay away from you for a hundred days. I would have visited you countless times. I wouldn't have sent you to a place you didn't even know. If I had known that I had sent you to such a place... I wouldn't have been able to sleep a single day."
Scarlett warmed herself with a sip of warm tea and continued.
"Does it sound childish and selfish?"
"Why do you think so?"
"Because if I know you, you would think so. You just think our marriage is a tool to connect families."
"Knowing that, you're still blaming me now."
At his answer, Scarlett smiled faintly.
"That's right. We're so incompatible, how did we even live for two years?"
"Indeed."
Viktor took another sip of tea and said nothing more. Then, when Scarlett looked at him, Viktor turned his head towards her.
Scarlett slowly opened her mouth.
"Anyway, you've almost achieved your goal."
At her words, Viktor stared at her, and Scarlett continued.
"That's right. The Dumpelt Family now has you. No one in the world can say it's not a prestigious family."
"......"
"Distant descendants will look at your portrait hanging in the best place in Dumpelt Mansion and tell their children and grandchildren the history of the Dumpelt Family."
Viktor didn't say a word while she was speaking. Feeling frustrated, Scarlett said, "Never mind. I'm just talking to myself again. Anyway, I'm going in."
"I'm not very happy."
"Huh?"
Scarlett, who was about to go in, turned around, and Viktor turned his head towards the vineyard and continued.
"Even if I imagine that, I just feel that way."