TDAF 18

Chapter 18

When Scarlett fell asleep as though fainting, Victor immediately began searching her room. Logically, none of it made sense.

Without question, he was the person in Salantier who understood tram engineers best.

He believed the nobles were acting like madmen, blinded by short-term profit. The neighboring countries surrounding Salantier were all smaller than theirs, but that did not guarantee they would never start a war. In fact, if he himself were a politician from a neighboring nation, he thought there could be no more tempting prey than Salantier, which had only recently finished a war against pirates.

And yet, for nearly ten years, Salantier had done nothing but suppress scientific progress. They were even destroying the already-advanced Tower of Science.

Victor opposed war. Precisely because of that, he believed even more strongly in the need for overwhelming military power. In his mind, the best way to avoid war was to become too strong for anyone to challenge.

That meant they needed scientists and engineers. They needed brilliant inventors like the late Count and Countess Crimson, who had died in accidents.

So Victor had secretly searched for engineers without the royal family’s knowledge. That was also why he had gone to inspect the broken tram under the pretext of assisting the police.

And there, inside a crate, had been Scarlett Crimson.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Crimson couple, yet supposedly had learned nothing from her uncle. And still, she repaired trams and crafted watches.

In the end, while Scarlett slept in a panic-induced unconscious state, Victor searched the room—and found this.

Gathered inside Victor’s official residence, his subordinates stared grimly at the biplane blueprints spread across the table.

Pallin spoke first.

“Did Madam really draw these herself? Biplane blueprints?”

“I told you she did.”

Pallin grabbed his red hair with both hands.

“This is insane. If this gets discovered, the High Priest will target her. The religious extremists will attack her too. What on earth was Madam thinking…?”

Religion absolutely refused to acknowledge flight.

Evan, who never bothered filtering his words, said,

“Just because someone draws blueprints doesn’t mean it can actually fly. Logically speaking. Even the Crimson couple never successfully completed a biplane during their lifetime.”

“Well… I suppose that’s true?”

“But it doesn’t even need to fly. Just creating the form would be enough. Then other countries would hesitate before provoking Salantier.”

“That’s right. At this point, we almost need to bluff that we have aerial capabilities.”

Hope chimed in from beside him.

Then Evan added,

“But even building the shape alone could cost someone their life.”

Victor sat in his chair silently watching his excited subordinates argue.

In truth, the Rubid’s naval special forces had originally been recruits selected for an air corps. Likewise, the army had also formed aviation candidates. But after the Crimson couple—who had searched for a way to achieve flight—died in an accident, the project collapsed, and the units remained only under the name of “special forces.”

Whether navy or army, despite enduring training close to torture as secret aviation cadets, the only thing they had left was a glider capable of flying for barely one minute and twenty seconds one-way if carrying a sniper.

Evan’s words were realistic. Simply bluffing that they possessed aircraft might be enough to make Vestina reconsider war.

Resting his chin against his palm, Victor sank into thought.

Sometimes, Victor found himself angry that Scarlett had left him.

Scarlett had done everything she possibly could for her husband, constantly marveling at how happy their marriage was.

If giving everything without reservation had been her form of love, then what was this now? Leaving as if she never wanted to see him again, threatening to kill him if he appeared before her?

Pathetically enough, once something he possessed slipped away, he felt strangely empty.

Victor found his own feelings so pitiful that he almost laughed.

He had never asked to be loved. But once he had finally grown accustomed to her overwhelming affection, she suddenly turned her back and left him. What exactly was he supposed to do with that?

He finally spoke.

“If she was willing to risk execution to build it, then of course she drew the designs.”

Silence settled over the table for a moment.

Victor continued,

“Why would someone make blueprints that detailed if they never intended to build it?”

Pallin, soft-hearted despite his large frame and strength, stammered,

“But it’s too dangerous…”

“If we don’t have an air force, then all of Salantier is in danger, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

Silence fell once more.

While the others fidgeted anxiously, Victor turned to Blight and asked,

“Does Scarlett have an exceptionally good memory? Enough to memorize blueprints she saw before she was twelve?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

Victor recalled Scarlett’s clear eyes before speaking again.

“Or is it possible for someone to suddenly remember things they saw as a child?”

“I don’t know.”

Blight hesitated as he answered.

At that moment, Victor suddenly remembered the day Scarlett had been interrogated by the Royal Police.

Even now, he still could not understand her behavior that day. There was no way they had tortured a noblewoman. If Scarlett had come out and reported such a thing to him, the Royal Police would have been dismantled immediately.

“I can’t remember. I’m sorry.”

“Really, I don’t remember. I think I lost my mind for a moment.”

Originally, whenever something painful ended, Scarlett tended to act as though it had never happened. So Victor had assumed that, unable to resist both the temptation of medicine for Isaac and the pressure from the Royal Police, she had revealed her weakness and later pretended not to remember out of shame.

Scarlett Dempelt had always been someone who gave Victor whatever he wanted. For her, sacrificing even her life for the man she loved had seemed so natural it wasn’t even worth thinking about.

She was the kind of person who would tear out her own heart for someone she loved, and who would do absolutely anything to be loved in return.

And yet, after only two years of marriage, her love had visibly cooled. In the end, when she betrayed him, Victor found himself wanting to fall somewhere together with her and die.

More painful than the exposure of his own disgrace was the fact that the only person in the world who had loved him—not even his own mother had loved him—had changed her heart.

Scarlett did not have the luxury of spending her days terrified.

She had a shop, an employee, and family members to care for.

She wanted to go confront Victor immediately, but she had no time to visit his residence. The first opportunity came the following Wednesday. She already had business near the naval residence that day anyway.

Three tram stops away from Seventh Street lay a massive lake. One could either take the tram circling around the lake or ride a raft crossing directly through its center to reach the opposite shore, a place called Lilson Square, the administrative district. The navy residences were located there.

Liv from next door followed Scarlett out when she went to visit Isaac.

“He’s such a loyal customer for our fig bread and apple cake. I have to see his face at least once.”

“And what are you going to do after seeing him?”

“They say he looks exactly like you. That means he must be handsome.”

Liv answered honestly while carrying a basket of bread.

When they arrived at the small dock where the raft waited, they found an unusual crowd of women gathered there murmuring excitedly.

And as Isaac arrived from the opposite shore, the chatter grew louder.

Wearing the middle-class work suit Scarlett had bought for him, Isaac was attracting everyone’s attention.

His large frame inherited from a blacksmith’s bloodline, combined with his warm impression and handsome face, naturally drew people toward him.

After docking the raft, Isaac secured it with hooks and wound the pulley into place. Once the raft was completely fixed, he extended his gloved hand toward the first passenger.

“Give me your hand.”

The woman at the front blushed brightly as she accepted it.

As he continued helping passengers aboard, Isaac suddenly smiled softly.

“Scarlett?”

“How did you know?”

“I’d recognize your footsteps anywhere.”

As he spoke, Isaac helped Scarlett onto the raft.

Scarlett introduced Liv.

“This is my friend Liv.”

“Ah, the bakery lady.”

Isaac took Liv’s hand and helped her aboard as well.

“I’m always enjoying your bread.”

At Isaac’s words, Liv stared at him in a daze and nodded blankly.

Isaac began pulling the rope, moving the raft forward. As the boat glided across the water, the beautiful lake scenery spread before them.

After crossing to the opposite side and returning, Isaac’s lunch break began, and he stepped off the raft.

Now accustomed to the area, Isaac walked with his cane toward benches beside a bonfire near the lakeside.

Liv, who had planned to deliver bread and leave immediately, stood there staring blankly at Isaac.

Scarlett spoke to her.

“Won’t your boss get angry if you don’t go back?”

“It’s fine…”

Liv answered dreamily, so Scarlett called again.

“Didn’t he say there were lots of orders today and that you should hurry back?”

“Huh? Ah!”

Snapping back to reality, Liv cried out,

“I’ll go! I’m going!”

“Travel safely.”

At Isaac’s polite farewell, Liv nearly tripped instead. Scarlett hurriedly caught her, and Liv ran off in embarrassment.