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Chapter 1
Forgotten things began to resurface.
Scarlett Dumfelt, daughter of the great clockmakers and the de facto mistress of the Dumfelt family, was recalling last night’s events while undergoing questioning at the police station as part of a background investigation.
Last night, a party had been held at the Dumfelt estate.
Once this investigation was over, her husband—her hero, Viktor Dumfelt—would finally be recognized as a member of the royal family.
The only other time in Scarlett’s life she had ever been to a police station was at the age of twelve, after a carriage accident.
Her parents had died in that accident, and her older brother Isaac, only a year apart from her in age, who had fallen down the hill with her, lost his eyesight.
The police had repeatedly questioned twelve-year-old Scarlett—the only witness capable of speaking about the incident—and even now, at twenty, those memories remained a scar she could not erase.
Even while worrying excessively about the police investigation scheduled for the next day, she had meticulously overseen every detail of the party as the mistress of the Dumfelt household.
The Dumfelt estate had welcomed guests for the first time in a long while.
Once called “the hill of the exiled princess,” the Dumfelt estate had, over the years corresponding to Viktor Dumfelt’s age, become the most beautiful estate in Salantie.
Its gently sloping hills were always immaculately maintained, with roads laid out for carriages.
To the east, the capital of Salantie could be seen; to the west, the sea stretched out.
Unlike many estates in Salantie, it did not have especially fertile land, but to the north it possessed a terrifyingly beautiful cedar forest.
The Dumfelt family had built its wealth through Viktor Dumfelt’s meteoric rise. Now a wealthy noble house, they owned three telephones and even a vast hunting ground.
And here, at the site of the party, they had newly built a beautiful hall overlooking the sea.
In that hall—decorated elegantly, with a grand fireplace—the guests of the party wore smiles carefully prepared so as not to offend anyone or appear foolish.
Scarlett Dumfelt, after taking a sip of wine to moisten her throat, did the same.
In Salantie’s capital social circles, kindness was equivalent to inviting others to look down on you.
She was speaking with influential nobles when she briefly turned her gaze toward her husband’s side.
He was holding a glass of wine in white-gloved hands. His veins hidden beneath the gloves and his solid body fitted into a suit, Viktor appeared nothing but elegant.
He was someone who did not hesitate to commit even the most ruthless acts for the sake of restoring his mother—once Princess Marina Irene, now called Duchess Dumfelt—who had been expelled from the royal family for becoming pregnant.
His single-minded determination had also been directed toward the pirates who once plagued Salantie’s western coast.
Scarlett had read in the newspapers how brutal her husband had been from the perspective of those pirates who were wiped out.
Across Salantie, Viktor Dumfelt was both admired and feared. People were grateful to him, yet also used his name to silence crying children.
Scarlett had always regarded such a husband with honor. And she loved him.
For him, she would not even consider her life precious. Viktor had lived his entire life focused only on his goals, and she had loved even that part of him.
They had married when she turned eighteen, and more than two years had passed since then. During that time, her one-sided love had unknowingly left small wounds in her heart.
Scarlett still felt a sting whenever she thought about her husband’s indifference toward her anxiety about tomorrow’s police interrogation.
At that moment, a gentleman at the table spoke.
“By the way, Madam Dumfelt, is Vestina really planning to go to war?”
As the topic shifted, Scarlett turned her attention back to the table she was at.
Lately, whenever nobles gathered, they spoke only of war.
From Salantie’s perspective—the first nation established on this continent and called the suzerain state—Vestina had always been an insignificant existence.
However, because war meant that those with much had much to lose, the nobles feared it.
Scarlett gave a prepared answer.
“I don’t know. My husband is someone who guards the sea, so he doesn’t know much about affairs on land.”
“As long as all wars are naval battles, there’s nothing to worry about. Sir Dumfelt is here after all.”
Then another gentleman added:
“Besides, Salantie is surrounded by mountain ranges. If we just defend the south, there’s no issue in the central or northern regions. All the fools who tried to cross those tall, rugged mountains either starved or froze to death before even reaching here.”
What Salantie’s nobles worried about was merely the possibility of losing what they already had. No one truly believed Vestina was a real threat.
Yet Scarlett could not focus on the conversation.
The thought of going to the police station the next day made her unusually anxious and afraid.
There were days like that—when everything around you was perfect, yet you still felt uneasy. Today was one of those days for Scarlett.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Viktor’s deep blue eyes briefly turned toward her.
In Salantie, blue eyes were common, but on him they looked noble. She thought it might be because of the royal blood that made up half of him, or perhaps his striking appearance.
Viktor turned his attention back to his group.
At that moment, an elderly woman sitting nearby spoke quietly:
“Loving a man who knows only honor will only make you lonely, madam.”
“…Is that so?”
“If I may speak from experience when I was young, it is better to have a lover separate from your husband.”
At those blunt words, Scarlett looked at the woman. The woman continued calmly.
“A husband and a lover are different. A lover can be parted from at any time, which makes every moment together feel sweeter.”
At that, Scarlett let out a small laugh.
She thought it was quite romantic, the way the woman suggested having a lover besides one’s husband.
Having a secret lover was certainly improper, yet in high society, it was also something people subtly took pride in once it actually existed.
Perhaps because the party felt unusually lonely, Scarlett kept thinking about the woman’s words.
* * *
After the party ended late at night, Scarlett could not sleep and rose from bed.
She put on a robe over her nightgown, left the bedroom, and walked down the hallway into her husband’s room. Her anxiety from the entire day surged again at the sight of his face.
She tried to hide it and said:
“Thinking about going to the police station makes me nervous.”
Viktor was the kind of man who would not understand why that was nerve-wracking, but he also thought of his wife as somewhat fragile, so he did not immediately question her.
Scarlett continued:
“Don’t look at me like I’m pathetic. I’m just… uneasy.”
At that, Viktor stood and walked toward her.
He looked down at her wine-colored eyes and said:
“Don’t be nervous. Go to sleep.”
“That’s not something I can control.”
“Just say you won’t answer anything they ask. If anyone acts forcefully, refuse to answer and leave immediately.”
His words were so blunt that Scarlett’s suppressed emotions burst out like a tightly squeezed balloon.
“This is all for your honor. Can’t you say something warm for once?”
She had gone through the party while being afraid, without even a moment to talk about it.
Whenever she saw his unwavering resolve, she felt like she was someone trembling and grieving over nothing important.
She steadied her shaking breath and said:
“If you love a man who loves honor, you end up lonely. You… honestly—”
“Should I get a mistress?”
Viktor interrupted with an absurd smile.
Scarlett glared at him.
“Yes. Maybe I should.”
This time Viktor actually laughed out loud, low and amused. Then he took her hand, kissed the back of it, and said:
“Don’t betray me.”
“What kind of betrayal?”
Scarlett asked, looking exhausted.
“Do you mean don’t say anything unnecessary at tomorrow’s interrogation? Or that I can’t take a lover? That part is fine?”
“Why are you suddenly so angry?”
Viktor said that and gently pulled her into his arms.
“Don’t be angry. It’ll be over after tomorrow.”
“……”
“Just endure one day.”
Only after a long silence did Scarlett finally nod out of pride.
Perhaps… after tomorrow, Viktor himself might take another lover. Her usefulness as a wife would end tomorrow.
Viktor released her and said:
“Scarlett, you love me, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Scarlett answered immediately and turned away.
Her chest ached. Every conversation with him only piled up emotions instead of easing them.
* * *
“Madam.”
“……”
“Madam Scarlett Dumfelt.”
When the royal police called again, Scarlett finally snapped out of her recollection.
She smiled late and apologized calmly.
“Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
When she regained her senses, she was still at the Royal Police Headquarters.
The man who had called her was Hugh Hunter.
The Royal Police—known for appointing sons of noble families as officers—were overly polite, which only made Scarlett more tense.
The Hunter family was also a powerful noble house, and his younger sister Nina Hunter was currently the crown prince’s lover and a central figure in high society. She had once even been Viktor’s lover.
Living in the Dumfelt household made one forget that one had just turned twenty. If she acted clueless here, she would be seen as ignorant.
Putting on a composed expression, Scarlett asked:
“What was the question again?”
Hugh smiled sharply.
“Oh, I asked whether you feel the medicine is taking effect.”
“…Medicine?”
“Yes. We added a drug to the tea you just drank.”
Scarlett tilted her head, unsure if she understood correctly.
Hugh continued:
“Do you remember being asked about Sir Viktor’s weaknesses?”
“Yes.”
As expected, Scarlett had not realized the Royal Police would go this far. They were digging into even the smallest mistakes of those around him. It was clear they did not want to allow her husband’s return to the royal family.
At that realization, Scarlett sensed danger and stood up.
She felt unusually dizzy, but suppressed it and said calmly:
“I’ll step outside for a moment.”
“No, you may not.”
“My husband said I could leave immediately if the police acted forcefully.”
“Ah, you need not worry about that. By the time you leave here, you will no longer remember anything that happened.”
Hugh Hunter said leisurely.
