TDAF 73

Chapter 73

Scarlett left the grand iron gates of the mansion and headed toward the courthouse with a sullen expression.

She lingered in front of the building for a while until, after some time, the lawyer hired by Isaac and his sibling emerged. It seemed the lawyer still had work to finish, so they returned, and Isaac ran over to Scarlett. Tilting his head slightly, he asked her:

“Looks like the results weren’t very good, huh?”

Reading Scarlett’s expression, Isaac smiled wryly and added:

“It’s fine. It’s just a hobby, anyway.”

Then Scarlett held up a perfume bottle and said:

“This one is really good.”

“The other two weren’t as good?”

“Just… they need a bit more development,” Scarlett replied, almost defensively. Isaac laughed.

“I figured as much.”

“But this one… they said it’s excellent and gave it as a gift,” Scarlett continued, showing the crystal given by Madame Paradis. Isaac inspected it and was impressed.

“Wow. It’s exactly what I imagined.”

“Me too. When I think of this scent, the color that comes to mind is exactly that one.”

“Madame Paradis really is amazing.”

“That must be why she has such a big mansion, huh?”

“Yeah, probably.”

Isaac brought the crystal right up to his eyes, turning it around to examine it, then said:

“We’ll split this crystal in half and use it to decorate the lid.”

“Wow, that’ll look beautiful.”

“It’d be great to get matching crystals for the other perfumes too, according to their scents.”

“Not bad at all. Truly a Crimson family trait,” Scarlett teased, and Isaac smiled like an angel. Then he asked her:

“Do you have a scent you want? I don’t really know much about the world yet, so I want to make perfumes based on what you tell me.”

“Hmm… a perfume with Magéria flowers?”

“Right, you like Magéria, don’t you?”

“And… roses too.”

“Roses?”

“Yes, deep red roses. And… I’d love peonies too. Like the scent of an enormous jar filled with peonies… but maybe that’s way too expensive?”

As she hesitated, Isaac said:

“I don’t know yet. I’ll look into it.”

“Okay. Oh, and what about the documents?”

“I submitted them to the court.”

“Think it’ll go well?”

“Yeah. I think it’ll go well.”

Isaac spoke with more confidence than Scarlett expected, making her laugh joyfully.

“Confident, aren’t you?”

“Before going to the courthouse, you said I’d gotten much better. Hearing that gave me confidence… so I went in feeling extremely self-assured.”

Isaac spoke playfully in a teasing tone and exaggeratedly strutted, causing Scarlett to laugh uncontrollably. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had laughed like this, but the situation filled her with pure happiness.

Meanwhile, the lawyer, having finished filing the application to suspend guardianship and the lawsuit against Evil Crimson, glanced out the window at their departing figures.

From the moment Isaac Crimson entered the courtroom, he had shown no emotion, so much so that one could think he was colorless. When the administrators checked his eyes during the guardianship suspension application, he merely observed their panic with indifference. Yet seeing him smile like an angel the instant he met Scarlett was utterly astonishing.

Isaac walked Scarlett slowly to her watch shop.

After having tea, Scarlett watched him catch a private carriage back to the Crimson Mansion. Just as she was about to re-enter her shop, Julie, delivering newspapers on 7th Avenue, ran up to her with a special edition.

“Extra! Extra, Miss Scarlett!”

“Thanks, Ju—”

Before Scarlett could finish, Julie, busy, ran off quickly. The urgency suggested the edition needed to be circulated immediately.

Scarlett glanced at the extra and her eyes widened.

[Captain Viktor Dumpelt of the Rubidho Meets with Vestina Officer Vasily Lintberg]

The weight of the short headline was intense. As soon as the people of the capital received it, they froze in place.

The people of Salantie’s biggest hope was the navy, specifically Viktor Dumpelt. Even if Vestina succeeded in producing airships, the war ultimately depended on seizing territory.

Salantie’s citizens believed that Viktor Dumpelt’s fleet would prevent Vestina’s invasion from the south, ultimately securing Salantie’s victory.

But if, even by some chance, Viktor Dumpelt sided with Vestina…

While she froze, the people of 7th Avenue ran up to Scarlett.

“Miss Scarlett, how… how is this possible?”

“Did the captain give any sign? What’s happening…?”

Scarlett replied, flustered.

“I’m divorced, so I don’t know. I’ll go find out.”

“But surely you know more than we do!”

As she was surrounded by people panicking from the fear of war, a carriage stopped in front of the watch shop. A middle-aged man, struggling even to button his jacket, hurriedly stepped out. Spotting the crowd surrounding the shop, he froze in surprise.

“H-House Representative, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Joseph Felix!”

It was the frequently appearing congressman, Joseph Felix. The presence of a celebrity shifted the crowd’s fear into curiosity.

Embarrassed, Joseph quickly addressed Scarlett:

“May I come in? It’s urgent.”

“Oh, yes. Please.”

He entered the shop hurriedly, closing the door behind him, somewhat forgetfully.

Inside, he froze upon making eye contact with Andrei, who was working.

“L-Lord Hiram?”

“Mr. Joseph. Long time no see.”

Seeing Joseph’s pale face, Scarlett frowned slightly and asked Andrei:

“Why is he so surprised?”

“Oh, I’ve met him at headquarters.”

“…Not pleasantly?”

“The royal police keeps watch over congressmen. He didn’t do anything wrong, though.”

Unlike senators from noble families, congressmen were elected by the citizens. Anyone with power watched them cautiously, as they could threaten the system at any time.

Although Andrei said Joseph had done nothing wrong, he was sweating nervously, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief—apparently bad memories with Andrei lingered.

Andrei said:

“He’s long left the royal police, so there’s no need to be so tense.”

“No, why… is Lord Hiram even here?”

“I got a job. Didn’t you know?”

“…From the royal police to this small shop?”

At this, Scarlett, who disliked the notion of her shop being small, said firmly:

“Why do you call my shop small? It’s a two-story building.”

Andrei replied:

“Small, and rented.”

“Still, it’s my shop.”

“I hope the owner works a bit harder. I’d like a bigger shop.”

Joseph couldn’t believe that Hiram Pitt, once such a formidable figure, now worked normally in this small shop. Even more shocking was that Scarlett knew his past.

The royal police had information on most congressmen’s weaknesses, and Hiram Pitt, whose promotions were constantly stalled, was usually tasked with gathering it. Joseph was among them.

Andrei said:

“You can trust him, Miss. From what I know, Mr. Joseph is a good person.”

“You don’t need to explain,” Scarlett cut him off. Andrei shrugged. Joseph repeatedly glanced at Andrei, unable to believe this was the same fierce Hiram Pitt.

Scarlett and Joseph sat at a table. After serving tea, Andrei stepped out, saying he would go to Livne to get snacks.

Once Andrei left, Joseph exhaled and began speaking.

“You saw the extra, right?”

“Yes.”

Cautiously, Joseph continued:

“I understand that the information about Captain Dumpelt being close to Vasily Lintberg came from Miss Scarlett during royal police interrogations.”

“…Right.”

“They… are very close?”

Joseph’s voice trembled with anxiety.

Scarlett remained silent, unwilling to speak easily. Joseph, in desperation, urged:

“This is a really important matter.”

“If you have necessary questions, ask. I’ll directly ask Viktor myself.”