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Chapter 19
The two of them began their lunch. While chatting, Scarlett pulled Isaac’s hand closer to check, and saw that calluses had formed on his palm.
“Look at these calluses.”
“Cool, right?”
“What’s cool about that? Hardly.”
“It’s proof of labor, finally. I never had any before because I never worked a day in my life.”
Isaac looked pleased, then reached for Scarlett’s fingertips. Since she always did delicate work with them, her fingertips were frayed and worn.
As Isaac ran his fingers across hers, he soon smiled.
“Your hands are cool too.”
“Well, if you say so, I guess they are.”
For some reason Scarlett agreed, and Isaac pulled a small box from the inner pocket of his jacket.
“Oh, and here’s a gift.”
“What is it?”
Scarlett opened the box and found a pair of earrings with butterfly ornaments made from thinly worked silver.
She exclaimed in surprise.
“Why would you buy something like this!”
“I just… once I got paid, I wanted the first thing I bought to be for you.”
Scarlett took the earrings Isaac had given her, placed them in her palm, and stared at them for a long while.
“They’re so beautiful…”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Isaac had picked them out by touch alone, so he was extremely tense, waiting for her reaction.
With a strange feeling, Scarlett put the earrings on. It felt odd to receive a gift from Isaac—the one who had always needed looking after.
“You really didn’t have to give me something like this.”
“How is it? Do they suit you?”
Normally it’s the giver who says they suit, but Isaac tilted his head and asked. Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh as she answered.
“Yeah. Of course they do.”
After that, Scarlett went quiet for a moment, so Isaac asked,
“Something wrong?”
“Hm? No, nothing.”
“Tell me.”
At Isaac’s worried voice, Scarlett burst out laughing.
“Really, nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
If Isaac were to learn that she had drawn up the biplane blueprints, he too would inevitably be caught up in it.
Scarlett cut up some bread, folded it neatly in a square of paper, and handed it to him so it was easy to hold.
While Isaac ate, she asked,
“Are you still keeping that bandage over your eye?”
“Hm? Yeah. I’ve gotten used to it, and I’m worried people might be startled if they see my eye.”
“Why? It’s fine.”
When Scarlett reached toward the bandage as she spoke, Isaac flinched and turned his head away.
Isaac had never avoided Scarlett’s touch before. Scarlett was deeply unsettled, but soon laughed it off lightly.
“Alright. If you don’t like it, that’s that.”
“Sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
That ended the subject of the bandage, and the two of them continued eating, sharing amusing stories from their daily lives. At last, when Scarlett said she needed to cross the lake, Isaac dropped her off on the opposite side.
Only after Scarlett left did Isaac cover his eyes with his hand. Then the raft manager, Karel, came rushing over.
“Young master! Are your eyes hurting again?”
Isaac was a magnet for customers with his face alone—an invaluable asset. To the raft’s owner, he was as good as a jewel dropped into their lap.
Isaac smiled and shook his head.
“I’m fine. It’s not because of pain.”
“If your eyes start hurting again, you’ve got to tell me right away. Your condition is the most important thing for our raft business.”
“It’s not that serious…”
“It is that serious! The thing is, since you can’t see your own face, people hardly believe how handsome you are.”
At that, Isaac smiled.
Ever since using the medicine Scarlett brought him, there were days when he felt terrible pain beneath the bandages. From Karel’s reaction the one time he accidentally saw, it must have looked hideously grotesque. That was why Isaac could never take off the bandage in front of Scarlett. Even if he had to wear it for life, he didn’t care.
As long as it spared Scarlett pain, it was an easy price to pay.
Today the naval headquarters was somewhat lively. Victor’s retired subordinate, Nikolaus, had come for a visit after a long absence.
The sailors greeted him cheerfully.
“Hey, Niko. What was the name of your ice cream shop again?”
“Ugh, how many times are you going to ask? It’s called The Navy Uncle’s Ice Cream Shop.”
That set off another round of hearty laughter.
After livening the atmosphere with his chatter, Nikolaus stopped in front of the captain’s office.
In every branch of the military, the highest-ranking officer position was held by royalty, and the navy was no exception. The Chief of Naval Staff was Crown Prince Adam Iren, but it was an honorary post. In reality, Victor Dampfelt, captain of the Rubid, the largest ship in Salantie, was the one who truly led the navy.
Although Nikolaus had served under Victor for years and had even retired now, he still found Victor deeply intimidating. And on top of that, here he was bringing ice cream to someone who had grown up eating the rarest delicacies.
“Sigh… I must be crazy.”
When Nikolaus muttered to himself, Blythe, who was standing at the door, smiled gently.
“He’ll like it.”
Encouraging him thus, Blythe knocked and said,
“Sir Nikolaus is here.”
He then opened the door, bowed, and departed.
Nikolaus gave an awkward smile as he lifted the container of ice cream.
“I opened an ice cream shop.”
Victor gestured with his hand. He was no less imposing than ever.
When Nikolaus opened the box on the table, he saw that the ice hadn’t melted much in the cold weather. Looking embarrassed, he said,
“I suppose… ice cream wasn’t the best idea in weather like this, was it, Captain?”
“Looks like it’s too late to worry about that now.”
Victor said, as he reached for the ice cream himself.
Relieved, Nikolaus sighed.
Victor remarked,
“Your expression looks better than your hands.”
“Yes, this is sturdier than my hands. Much tougher.”
At Nikolaus’s nonchalant reply, Victor let out a dry laugh.
Once a sniper, Nikolaus had been hit in the wrists by poison-tipped arrows from pirates, forcing the amputation of both arms. With the compensation money from the state, he had immediately ordered prosthetics, but the production took a long time. Only after a year had he finally received them.
Nikolaus clenched his fists and said,
“They may look clumsy, but I can even make a fist.”
“Well, better than expected.”
“Ha, you’re as proud as ever. Though I suppose that’s part of your charm, Captain.”
The ever-cheerful Nikolaus joked, then faltered, gauging Victor’s reaction. But Victor only gave a small, indulgent laugh.
Nikolaus comforted himself, thinking Victor was cutting him some slack because he had lost both hands.
Ten years older than Victor, Nikolaus had been the only non-noble officer aboard the Rubid. He had risen through the ranks by sheer precision in marksmanship, surpassing noble academy graduates with his feats.
Victor asked,
“Is your thumb deliberately not moving?”
“Oh, this? Seems it’s broken.”
“Then fix it.”
“Don’t even mention it. This thing took six months to make, and another six months to ship here. If I send it back for repairs, that’s another half-year. How am I supposed to live half a year with no hands?”
“Order a new one. I’ll pay for it.”
“Wow, impressive as always. But I’ll decline—too expensive to burden you like that.”
After saying this, Nikolaus thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“I didn’t think you’d actually agree to meet me, Captain.”
“Why not.”
“To be honest… when you ordered me discharged straight from the ship, I was hurt. You didn’t have to halt the whole mission and turn back mid-sea just for me.”
“It was a mission that couldn’t be done without you. But you couldn’t fulfill your role.”
“Still. Captain, you… ah, well, since I’ve retired, I’ll be blunt. You’re the kind of man who discards people once they’re no longer useful.”
Nikolaus let out his long-held grievance, then realized he had crossed the line. His face went pale.
Fortunately, before Victor could respond, the door burst open. Scarlett, seeing someone already inside, froze in surprise.
She didn’t know whether to be more startled at the sight of a man with prosthetic arms or her ex-husband eating ice cream. Frozen in place, she hesitated.
Victor said,
“Perfect. There’s a mechanic right there. Have her fix it.”
“Wh—what? No, that’s not necessary…”
Recognizing his ex-wife, Nikolaus’s face turned even paler. It seemed he had crossed the line and was now facing punishment.
Victor, unfazed, addressed Scarlett.
“No matter how interested you are in machines, it isn’t polite to stare so curiously at someone’s prosthetics.”
“And it isn’t polite that you’re eating ice cream.”
“If a man with no hands carried it all the way here, of course I should eat it.”
Nikolaus glanced at Victor with eyes that said, Captain, you’re the rude one here! but then turned to Scarlett with a friendly smile.
“There’s nothing here that needs fixing, but if you’re curious, feel free to take a closer look. I heard you opened a watch shop…”
“Or perhaps I should say ‘miss,’ since you’re unmarried now.”
At Victor’s words, Nikolaus clammed up in even greater discomfort.
