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Chapter 35
Scarlett cried her heart out until she got tired and fell asleep again. It wasn’t until the afternoon that she finally opened her eyes and hurriedly sat up.
“Izaak?”
She was still lying in bed under the blanket, while Izaak was sitting in the chair by the window, gazing outside.
When Scarlett called his name, Izaak turned to her with a bright smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
The moment Scarlett saw his eyes, she rushed over and threw her arms tightly around his neck. The silkworm-like things in his eyes had disappeared more than halfway, and beneath them she could see his wine-colored pupils.
Izaak said,
“I can see a little better than last night. And the pain has faded a lot too.”
“Really? How much can you see now?”
“Well… everything’s still so blurry that I can’t really make anything out. But… it’s getting better.”
He spoke and smiled again.
Scarlett looked at him with a face full of wonder and happiness.
Soon Izaak asked,
“Do my eyes look gross to you?”
“Not gross at all. And there are way fewer than before.”
“That’s a relief. I can’t see them myself, but knowing they’re helping me heal… they actually feel kind of cute.”
At his playful words, Scarlett burst out laughing. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she got up.
“Anyway, let’s go eat something delicious.”
“Shall we?”
“Mm-hm. At noon, Liv’s bakery sells grilled sandwiches for lunch. They’re fresh out of the oven and really tasty. Let’s go.”
“Ooh, that sounds good.”
Izaak happily followed after Scarlett, who led the way.
At first, he tried walking while keeping his eyes open, but since he couldn’t make out shapes, it was even more dangerous than when he kept them shut. In the end, he bound his eyes again with bandages and tapped his cane along the ground as he walked.
Meanwhile, Scarlett—who’d been listless the day before—came thundering down the stairs with so much energy that Andrei, who was greeting an elegant-looking lady customer, clicked his tongue. He said to the customer,
“You don’t think that whirlwind of a girl is really our boss, do you?”
The customer laughed at his joke, and Scarlett ran up to hug Andrei tight. Then she turned to the customer.
“Would it be all right if I hugged you too?”
“You seem to be in high spirits today?”
“Yes! Very much so.”
“Well then, why not?”
The customer chuckled warmly, so Scarlett gave her a big hug before letting go.
A little later, Izaak came downstairs neatly dressed, and said to Andrei,
“Thank you for putting up with my sister, Mr. Andrei.”
“I’m just glad someone appreciates the trouble.”
As the two men teased each other, Scarlett lightly smacked them both in turn. But she was too happy to be upset, and quickly dragged Izaak off to Liv’s bakery.
There they found Liv, half-heartedly selling sandwiches while chatting idly with her customers.
When Liv noticed Scarlett and the bandage-blindfolded Izaak, she froze. So did several of the other women in the bakery. Scarlett leaned toward Izaak and whispered,
“Thanks to you, I’m going to be hounded from now on.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
She said it and then, unable to contain herself, broke into another peal of happy laughter.
For the next few days, Izaak recovered at Scarlett’s house. His progress was slow, but the fact that it wasn’t worsening was enough to make them both happy. Having lived in total darkness for so long, Izaak was perfectly content with his current state.
One morning, as Izaak was about to leave for his raft work, Scarlett asked anxiously,
“Don’t you think you should rest a little longer?”
But Izaak shook his head.
“I want to work.”
“…Well, if you say so. Just be careful.”
Scarlett smiled faintly, and Izaak nodded back with a grin.
In the past, she might have worried, but Scarlett knew Izaak wasn’t just ordinarily strong—he had unusual strength. And after years locked away in the attic, the raft work had become an important part of his life.
Once more, Izaak turned to look at Scarlett with both eyes. When their faces were almost touching, he could barely, faintly make out her features. That alone filled him with joy, and he couldn’t stop smiling.
Scarlett laughed, gently turning him toward the door.
“Stop staring already.”
“I can’t help it—it’s still amazing to me that I can actually see you.”
As he spoke, he stumbled, nearly tripping. Embarrassed by Scarlett’s frown, he quickly turned away and jogged off.
Once he was gone, Scarlett sank down outside the shop with a sigh.
“It’s true, then.”
The fact that Izaak could see again made her so happy. Yet at the same time, a sharp pain surged from deep inside her chest.
“I really did sell Viktor for medicine, didn’t I…?”
Out of her own greed, she had toppled the ladder Viktor had spent his entire life climbing.
“I’m sorry, Viktor.”
Burying her face against her knees, she murmured,
“Truly, truly sorry…”
She worried about Izaak working already, and guilt toward Viktor weighed even heavier. She couldn’t focus on her work at all.
“Maybe taking the day off would be more efficient.”
As soon as the thought struck, Scarlett quietly made herself ready and slipped down the stairs.
Andrei, polishing the display shelves until not a speck of dust could be seen, glared at her.
“Where are you going?”
“Mm, just going to hang out with Liv for a bit. Maybe check on how Izaak’s doing at work… is that all right?”
“Just come back early.”
For once, Andrei didn’t scold her—perhaps thinking she really did need the break. Relieved, Scarlett teased him,
“Should I bring you a present?”
“My present is you working hard so I can get a raise.”
“No romance at all, you know that?”
“There’s nothing more romantic than a raise.”
At his dry retort, Scarlett pouted and left the shop.
The place she and Liv had chosen for their chat was The Navy Man’s Ice Cream Shop, run by Nikolaus, a former sniper of the Lubid.
As soon as Scarlett entered, Nikolaus beamed and rushed out to greet her.
“At last, Miss Scarlett! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Hearing his booming voice, his wife Mackenzie also came out to greet her.
Seeing her heavily pregnant belly, Scarlett cried out in alarm,
“You should be sitting down, not coming out here!”
“Oh, how could I sit still when you came? Ever since you fixed my husband’s prosthetic arm, he’s been full of energy again, you know? Says scooping ice cream is so much easier now!”
Mackenzie chattered warmly and guided the two women to a sunny window seat. The basket of yellow soap-carved flowers and the wheat-colored tablecloth gave the place the cozy feel of a country farmhouse.
Liv leaned in and whispered,
“The shop’s so pretty… the name really doesn’t match, though.”
“Right?”
Scarlett agreed with a laugh.
Their ice cream soon arrived. Scarlett, still riding the joy of Izaak’s recovering sight, couldn’t stop grinning to herself as she ate.
Liv, watching her from across the table, gave her hand a playful smack.
“Snap out of it already.”
“Ow!”
“Don’t be such a baby…”
Nikolaus, carrying out more varieties of ice cream, froze at the sight.
There was Scarlett Crimson, laughing like any ordinary girl. But wasn’t she, not long ago, the great lady of the illustrious Dumfelt family?
Yet the people of Seventh Street—including Liv—treated Scarlett with no particular caution. Some even poked fun at her.
Of course, her divorce had been notorious enough for all the capital to know. And in people’s minds, the stronger impression was not of a divorce, but of being cast aside.
Still, among those who had known Captain Viktor Dumfelt, many believed that Scarlett still held a remarkable sway over him. In fact, perhaps Scarlett Crimson was the only person who ever truly had any influence on Viktor Dumfelt.
In any case, one thing was certain: if anyone—joking or not—ever laid a hand on Scarlett like that, Viktor would never let it pass.
