Chapter 85
85
"Sean Wasteland! Come out!"
At the Marine's call, Sean wrapped one arm around Scarlett's neck, pressed a knife close to her throat, and stepped out of the factory.
Viktor watched with a calm expression. He had expected this situation might arise someday.
He first checked with his eyes to make sure Scarlett's body was intact. Thankfully, she wasn't even scratched. And he knew the real problem started now.
Palin said from beside him, "At least Harold's gang took her."
Palin was usually oblivious, but this time Viktor agreed.
It was almost a relief that Harold's gang, who had played a big role in the pirate crackdown by informing on them to save the remaining pirates, had kidnapped Scarlett first. If other, more hardline pirate gangs had taken her, only parts of her body might have been returned to Viktor.
As soon as Evan confirmed this, he headed to the newspaper office to find out who had published Scarlett Crimson's photo and her location in the paper.
The advertisement not only included her photo but also stated that she lived on the second floor of the watch shop and that her surname was 'Dumpelt' at the time of her marriage. This was indirect murder using pirates.
Unlike the leaders of other pirate gangs, Harold valued his life, and Sean Wasteland was strong but weak-hearted.
Even so, a hostage exchange was a time-consuming process. It was only relatively better; a pirate was still a pirate. There was no telling when they might get upset and harm Scarlett.
Viktor silently looked up at the scene for a while. Seeing Viktor's silence, Sean shouted, "Let us use the device, too."
"......"
"Otherwise, this woman will never return to your side, Viktor Dumpelt."
Viktor looked up at Scarlett, who seemed precariously close to falling. After a moment, he opened his mouth.
"We have hostages too."
"......What?"
At Viktor's gesture, an old man was dragged out of the carriage. Sean's eyes widened at the sight of the old man who had come with them from the island.
"An, an old man."
"Let's exchange."
At Viktor's calm words, Sean pushed Scarlett further over the railing.
"You think I'll fall for that trick!"
"Trick?"
Viktor brought the gun to the trembling old man's forehead.
"They're all the same pirates to me anyway."
"V, Viktor Dumpelt!"
"It's all the same, no matter how many I kill."
Then, a few more hostages were brought out of the carriage. Sean recognized them as pirates who had been dragged from the pirate ship.
Of course, he hadn't thought that the devil would simply come and do anything to get his ex-wife back. But the problem was that he hadn't realized how much power Viktor Dumpelt had, enough to freely drag out pirates who were already in prison for a hostage exchange.
Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of looking down from the height. Then, as the coldness of the sharp knife came too close to her throat in Sean's trembling hand, she finally burst into tears.
Sean opened his mouth.
"I'll cut off her arm first."
"Then we'll execute one of them too."
Viktor didn't even flinch, and Sean's face gradually turned blue.
Sean shouted, "We don't need a hostage exchange. Grant us what we want."
"There will be no negotiations other than a hostage exchange."
Sean's trembling hand finally cut Scarlett's neck with the knife, and blood began to flow. At the same time, a gunshot rang out.
Sean looked down and saw a pirate in front of him collapsing, bleeding.
Viktor reloaded his gun and said, "Continue."
"Wh, wh, what did you do! The legal punishment has already been decided! If you kill a pirate here, it's not war, it's just murder."
"I have no intention of having a moral discussion with pirates."
Viktor replied and aimed his gun at the next pirate.
Then Sean shouted in fear, "Just one, just one! Let us use the device, except for this one. That's all we need. Just that one! All of us who have the strength to work are doing this device, and we're all going to starve to death like this. It's the same whether we starve to death here or die at your hands!"
Sean knew that Viktor Dumpelt didn't negotiate with pirates, but he had come this far and had to get something out of it.
Sean, who had become calmer, said, "Choose one, Viktor. Grant our condition. Otherwise, no matter how many of us you kill, I'll kill this mechanic girl. I have to take something with me."
Viktor silently looked up for a while.
Scarlett's face was pale as a lot of blood flowed. She seemed to have already resigned herself to the fact that Viktor would not agree to negotiate.
Viktor reloaded his gun and looked at the pirates he had dragged along.
Not negotiating with pirates was his moral decision. How many subordinates had he lost so far?
Negotiating now meant losing his honor, pride, and the trust of his subordinates. Moreover, removing the device was against the will of the Royal Family.
After standing there for a long time, Viktor put away his gun.
"Bring Scarlett Crimson here. I will agree to negotiate."
At his words, everyone in the area looked at Viktor with shocked faces.
A pirate and a Marine met in the middle and finished the negotiations. After that, Scarlett came out of the warehouse. She couldn't walk a few steps and collapsed, and the Marines rushed to support her and bring her over.
Viktor picked up Scarlett and put her in the carriage. Viktor used a handkerchief to stop the bleeding from her neck, and she, whose lips had turned white, asked in a trembling voice.
"You... killed a pirate whose sentence had already been decided?"
"Didn't kill him. He might die soon, though."
Viktor continued calmly.
"I was planning to negotiate from the start. We just needed something to negotiate with on our side."
"You don't negotiate with pirates."
"I've never had to negotiate with you on the line before."
Viktor said, placing the panting Scarlett on his lap, hugging and comforting her as she struggled to breathe from the pain.
"Stay conscious. I'm afraid you won't wake up if you faint."
"What are you afraid of......"
"I just said it. You fainting and not waking up."
Viktor said jokingly, kissed Scarlett's hair, and continued.
"I'm sorry."
"For... what?"
"For assigning such incompetent guys as your escorts."
At his words, Scarlett chuckled despite the cold sweat.
"I didn't even know I had escorts. I must be a bit slow......"
"That Royal Police next to you is doing a decent job as an escort too."
"I see."
Scarlett shivered. She seemed to feel cold as the blood drained from her. The carriage sped off and entered a nearby hospital.
Scarlett soon fainted, and fortunately, her hands and neck were not life-threatening. Still, the doctor advised her to rest for a while, and Viktor took her, after taking urgent measures, to the Dumpelt Family.
Isaac immediately rushed to the Dumpelt Family upon hearing that Scarlett had been taken by pirates. He rushed to Scarlett in a daze, but stopped in his tracks, worried that she might wake up. He looked at Scarlett and took a trembling breath.
"Scarlett."
He trembled, covered Scarlett's hand with both of his, and buried his face in it. For a long time, the scene didn't look like that of ordinary siblings.
Isaac's trembling breath fluttered. He looked back at Viktor, then turned his gaze back to Scarlett, who was still asleep, and said.
"Don't you ever think that Scarlett smiles too much? Like she's smiling when she shouldn't be, ignoring the situation."
Isaac's words were accurate about what Viktor had felt about Scarlett throughout their marriage. That's why he was convinced that Scarlett was lying after the interrogation. Scarlett, who often smiled when she shouldn't, seemed to Viktor to be avoiding the situation.
"Always has."
"It's not because she has bad intentions or is trying to avoid anything. Because I can't see, Scarlett just thought that if she just smiled in front of me, I wouldn't know anything. She thought that if she hid her pain and just smiled, I would smile too, so she smiled in front of me even when she was covered in wounds."
"......"
"Scarlett smiled to reassure me from the age of twelve until before her marriage, and after she fell in love with Viktor, she smiled because she thought that was how to be loved. She's not good at lying."
Isaac laughed emptily as he spoke, and quietly continued.
"If there's a role where she just has to act like she's smiling, no one will be able to do it as well as her."
Viktor was silent for a long time at his words.
After a long time, he opened his mouth.
"I heard she's working on a raft."
At Viktor's words, Isaac replied.
"She's quit that now and is learning perfumery."
"Ah, perfumery."
Viktor nodded and continued.
"I don't know if Scarlett told you, but the previous Crimson couple were both in the Air Force."
"Yes. Scarlett told me. She also talked about building an engine."
"There are positions in the Navy or Air Force. If she wants."
"That's alright, but."
Isaac continued.
"If you're going to attack those who hurt Scarlett, I can cooperate with that."
"I'll make a request."
"Thank you."
After saying goodbye, he kissed Scarlett's hand several times and waited by her side without moving, waiting for her to wake up.
Viktor watched the scene for a moment and left the hospital room.