Chapter 81
81
Andrei truly leisurely drank his coffee, perfectly tidied up the interior, and only then opened the door at ten o'clock.
As soon as the shop opened, a customer entered.
"I brought a watch here."
"Thank you. Yes, this is the correct model."
Andrei received the watch and bowed.
"And I'm sorry to bother you."
"No. To be honest."
The noblewoman sighed and said,
"Evil Crimson wasn't the rightful heir of the previous head of the family. I bought a watch from such a person, so it's actually my fault."
Other customers who had entered agreed with her words.
Andrei realized that the trust the Crimson family had built up by choosing successors based on ability was now benefiting Scarlett Crimson in this generation. And Scarlett's efforts to create the right watches would again become part of the Crimson family's history and build trust.
Andrei spoke naturally, without rushing.
"Madam Scarlett Crimson is the rightful successor to the Crimson Clock technology, recognized by the current head of the family, Count Isaac Crimson."
"It was a very difficult choice. To repair all the watches sold over the past 10 years free of charge..."
The reason this noblewoman came to the store herself, instead of sending a servant, was to pre-order a Scarlett Crimson watch. Even though she was told that production wouldn't start until next summer after this recall was over, she didn't hesitate.
Most of the visiting customers had the same thought, so the last customer's watch wouldn't be able to start work for three years. And that customer also said it was okay.
Scarlett Crimson's large-scale recall had rather positively turned around the hearts of people who had been accumulating complaints about Crimson Clocks. Moreover, the people of Salantie believed that, like jewels, watches would become even more precious after going through such stories.
There were more things being recovered and newly accumulated than devices being newly created. All the artisans in Factory 1 had decided to participate, but it was clear that there would be a shortage of hands.
Factory 1 was practically a workshop, and it would be better if the remaining four Crimson family-owned factories, which actually made the Main Plates and Wheels, were more cooperative, but the Crimson family members who owned shares in the factories were uncooperative.
Having neglected Evil Crimson's abuse, they feared that the Crimson siblings would antagonize them and tried not to give them strength. However, Scarlett knew a way to turn their hearts around at once.
While Andrei was serving customers, Scarlett, who was repairing the recovered watches in the second-floor workshop, put aside her work for a moment and placed the Crimson Aqua 6 she had brought from Factory 1 on the workbench.
The Crimson family, whose title had a different origin from other noble families, had their head of the family determined by technological prowess. If she could create the parts for the Crimson Aqua 6, that is, the version 6 parts developed by her parents, the Crimson family members would have no choice but to follow and acknowledge Scarlett.
Scarlett wanted to delve deeper into her memories, but at the same time, she was reminded of Shirley screaming.
"Will I become like that if this symptom gets worse?"
She muttered to herself.
Just going to Viktor's house whenever she forgot that they were divorced made her feel great fear and shame.
She felt that her condition was getting more and more serious, so she thought that she had to create the Crimson Aqua 6 and the Aircraft engine before she went completely crazy.
For a while, she was too busy working to think.
Scarlett, who had been working until dawn every day, belatedly opened the window when it started snowing.
"It's snowing..."
She said to herself as she looked outside. This year, there was relatively little snow.
Scarlett shivered from the cold and closed the window again. And she was drinking hot coffee and looking out the window.
There was a knock on the door, and when Scarlett went down to the first floor, Viktor was standing there.
She had told him to come to the watch shop when it snowed, but when he actually appeared, Scarlett was momentarily at a loss and just looked at him through the door. Then Viktor smirked and gestured at the doorknob. Scarlett belatedly came to her senses and opened the door.
Viktor folded his umbrella and entered the shop. Scarlett fiddled with her hair and went up the stairs first.
After entering the workshop, she couldn't overcome her nervousness and said,
"I can't. I don't think this is right."
Then Viktor took off his gloves and said,
"It's just a date."
"I've never been on a date before."
"Who have you been meeting all this time?"
Viktor said when Scarlett frowned at his words.
"I'm kidding."
"Not funny."
"Oh dear."
Viktor said nonchalantly and put his gloves on the workbench and approached, Scarlett panicked and pressed herself against the table.
Viktor came close enough to touch her and reached for the shelf. And he picked up a wine bottle that had been left for a while and had accumulated dust. Scarlett felt strange seeing the dust sticking to his hand.
Viktor turned her head to look at him with his other hand and said,
"You bought wine?"
"...So what."
"For me to drink?"
Then Scarlett reluctantly nodded, and Viktor chuckled softly.
"How thoughtful."
Scarlett frowned at his words and glared at Viktor. And her lips parted.
"It's cheap. It'll be too sweet for you."
"I'll drink it for the effort."
"...You're annoying."
Viktor chuckled at Scarlett's reply. Anyway, Scarlett was bothered by the dust on his hand and reached for the wine bottle to wipe it off. Then Viktor grabbed her wrist and stopped her, saying,
"There's dust."
"That's why I'm going to wipe it off."
"I'll do it."
He said and took out a handkerchief and wiped the neck of the wine bottle first. Scarlett opened the cupboard to take out glasses to pour the wine into, but there were only two coffee cups.
When Scarlett handed over the coffee cups, Viktor unknowingly gritted his teeth and turned his head. But eventually, he burst out laughing in that state, and Scarlett quickly turned red and said,
"I don't drink alcohol, so I didn't think about wine glasses."
"Ah."
"It tastes the same no matter where you drink it. Just drink it."
Scarlett said, snatched the wine bottle, and poured wine into the coffee cups. And when she handed over the coffee cup, Viktor received the cup with a still smiling face. And when he only looked at the wine, Scarlett scolded him.
"You're doing that even though I prepared it for you, really. Don't drink it if you don't want to."
Then she snatched Viktor's cup and drank the wine herself.
She rarely drank alcohol, but it felt sweet and drinkable. And as she took her lips off the cup, Viktor grabbed the cup and pulled her waist with his other hand. As their lips touched in that state, Scarlett's shoulders tensed.
Viktor licked every corner of her mouth until not even a trace of the wine's fragrance remained. Scarlett flinched at the stimulating kiss and tried to step back, but she was held by Viktor's arm and pulled into his arms instead.
"Ah..."
A small moan escaped from Scarlett's mouth. Then Viktor wrapped his hand around her thigh and sat her on the table.
Scarlett pushed against his chest and said,
"I'm not going to do it."
"Okay."
"Then will you stop kissing too?"
When she asked, tilting her chin slightly, Viktor lowered his head and asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You... you like sleeping together more than kissing."
"That's right."
"I was wondering if you'd stop doing the former if I didn't let you do the latter."
"I don't care as long as I can do either."
When Scarlett's gaze became strange at his words, Viktor asked.
"Why?"
"That was the most childish thing I've ever heard you say."
"Was it bad?"
"No."
It was the opposite.
Scarlett had been hoping for the moment when Viktor would get heated up, so she liked his words that he didn't care what it was.
She licked the inside of her mouth, which smelled of wine. Viktor intently watched Scarlett's tongue moving in her open mouth. Soon, his fingers swept through Scarlett's hair and wrapped around it once. And Scarlett stared blankly at him kissing her hair.
Viktor gently let go of her hair, perhaps because he thought it was a date. Then he jokingly said to Scarlett, who was nervous about his actions.
"I don't usually sleep together on the first date."
His words were a bit funny for some reason, and Scarlett chuckled softly. Then Viktor also raised the corners of his lips. And sitting face to face, Viktor drank some more wine, and Scarlett drank tea to warm up.