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Chapter 45
Marina, with a satisfied expression, gazed at the mirror before turning to her son, Viktor, who had grown tall, and said,
“Viktor, did you know?”
“I’ll listen and then decide.”
Marina chuckled at his gentle reply.
“You can never become royalty. Even if someone allowed it. No matter what you do, no one will acknowledge you.”
It was the first time Viktor heard such words from his mother, who usually repeated the same things every day.
His hand paused mid-air, holding a wine glass.
“Why is that?”
“Because everything here is new.”
Marina pointed lazily at the furnishings with her refined gesture and went on,
“Nothing here carries history. Everything is just flashy, brand-new. Even you—so unbearably young.”
“……”
Marina shook off the restraining hands of the maids and walked over, grabbing Viktor’s perfectly tied necktie and tugging.
“Even your clothes are new. Will you replace your mother and your wife with something new too?”
Viktor clasped his mother’s wrist—thin and frail from refusing meals. He resisted the urge to grip harder and instead gently lowered her hand.
“Then why did you discipline me so harshly?”
“Well… it was just venting. Because I hated you so much.”
Her casual answer froze Viktor’s face. Marina burst into cackling laughter.
“Good. For once I’m sane. I can finally say what I want.”
“……”
Viktor stood still for a moment, then gestured to one of the maids.
“Put her hair up. If it’s left down, she might tear it out herself.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Make her look as normal as possible. I don’t care if it’s fake.”
Marina grimaced at his words.
“I am normal. It’s you who drives sane people mad. Haven’t you even driven your wife crazy?”
At that, Viktor set down his glass and looked at her.
Marina sneered at his gaze.
“Such a murderous look in your eyes. As if you can’t stand not killing me. You’ve stained your hands with blood already, but you can’t bring yourself to kill your mother?”
“You claim to be sane, so I’m speaking plainly. But if you don’t see me as your son, why should I see you as my mother?”
Marina’s face tightened at his cold voice.
Rising from his seat, Viktor stood before her, bent slightly, and locked eyes with her as one would with a child.
“If you were as strong as I am, I would have killed you long ago.”
Marina’s pupils trembled at his words.
Viktor’s gaze remained chilling as he continued,
“I waited to say this until you were lucid. Judging by your face, you really are in your right mind.”
When her mind wandered, her words could be ignored. But now they couldn’t. Every word Marina spoke was true. And so were Viktor’s.
Marina fell silent for a while, but before long she lost her composure again, thrashing in a fit. It wasn’t until the doctor administered a sedative that she finally collapsed into sleep.
Once the commotion ended, Viktor, at last, lay down on his bed, drunk as he had wished.
Just then, someone knocked at the door. Frowning, Viktor sat up. None of the household servants would dare knock without announcing themselves. Perhaps his mother had woken and was wandering again. He opened the door.
“Vi… Viktor…”
But standing there, looking frightened, was a woman. And in that moment, Viktor wondered if he had ever felt such a strange emotion in his life.
Scarlett stood before him, her face on the verge of tears. And his emotions, once raging like a storm, suddenly calmed, like the sea falling still.
Before he could ask what was wrong, Scarlett stepped closer and spoke.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“……”
Of all the things Scarlett Crimson might say when suddenly appearing at his door, sorry I’m late was not one of them.
Her pale face continued,
“I don’t even know how today passed. I remember going to the department store, but then suddenly it was night…”
“I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”
Scarlett glared at him.
“You don’t remember again. You said you’d pick new cuffs. I told you I liked blue.”
“I’ll be buying cuffs, so what does it matter? If you don’t want something specific, I’ll get blue. It suits you.”
At her sulky tone, Viktor recalled the time last year, just before Scarlett underwent her background investigation. Around then, she had been meticulously preparing his attire for a speech at his alma mater, hoping he’d be recognized as royalty.
“There weren’t any blue ones. I searched all day… But I’ll have them before the event.”
“I don’t care about the color.”
“I know. You never care about the color. I like blue. When I buy blue, it feels like the sea will protect you. If you go out without something blue, I get uneasy. It’s just… my own little ritual.”
“I finally found blue cuffs I really liked. But I lost them somewhere… I’ll buy them again.”
Listening to her, Viktor felt the turbulent emotions that nothing—neither rage nor curses—had been able to dispel simply melt away.
Clearly, she didn’t remember they were divorced. The blue cuffs she claimed to have lost—she had donated them herself just days ago at a charity event.
Scarlett was not in her right mind.
Scarlett nervously searched Viktor’s expression.
It was already past midnight when she arrived home. Viktor had been in bed long before.
She never expected her husband, a man obsessed with success and honor, to wait up for her just because she was late.
Still, the staff—Blythe among them—seemed surprised to see her return so late. Yet Blythe quickly composed himself and smiled.
“You must be tired, but it would be best to see the young master.”
She hadn’t wanted to disturb Viktor’s sleep. He hardly cared when she came home. But Blythe’s persistence forced her to knock at his door.
When he opened it, Viktor simply stared as Scarlett explained why she was late. As always, she kept talking alone, until she noticed his nightshirt was undone at the chest. She reached out.
“You’ll catch cold like that.”
Her husband often dressed lightly, trusting in his health, though she was the one who ended up catching colds despite bundling up. Still, she worried.
She stretched on her toes to fasten the top button, but he caught both her hands in one of his.
“You don’t need to fuss over me like a mother.”
He only brought up his mother when he was in a foul mood.
Scarlett looked up at him, uneasy. He still didn’t release her hands.
“Viktor. My hands.”
Only after she told him did he slowly let go.
An awkwardness settled over her. She had never stayed out late before, but she had never imagined Viktor would even care. Yet from his reaction, it seemed her tardiness had displeased him.
His gaze on her made her feel a chill. She turned her head away.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not.” She shook her head quickly.
“It’s late. Go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
As he turned, Scarlett instinctively grabbed his arm—then quickly let go, startled.
He despised his mother, but clung to the royal blood she had given him. Like other royals, he hated being touched suddenly. Luckily, perhaps because he was tired, Viktor only looked back at her.
“What is it?”
“Yes, I was late. But don’t be angry over that. When you’re at sea, I can never sleep properly. I don’t know what might happen out there. I worried every day.”
His hair and clothes were tousled, as if from waking mid-sleep. Maybe it was that disheveled state, but Scarlett found herself speaking more openly than usual, as if this was her chance.
When he was in the navy, Viktor belonged to the state. But here, in nightclothes, he felt—just a little—like he belonged to her. She knew she was being clingy, but she went on.
“Isn’t it normal to be late once in a while without explanation?”
“I know.”
His unexpectedly gentle reply only made her more anxious.
Perhaps sensing that, Viktor lightly pulled her into an embrace.
“But don’t do it again.”
“…Oh. Okay.”
Startled, Scarlett nodded.
Today, her husband’s words and actions felt strange, unfamiliar. Had something happened?
Viktor was a cold man, distant and haughty. He rarely gave warmth of his own accord.
So when he hugged her willingly, Scarlett buried her face into his chest as if seizing the moment. But then she noticed the servants, Blythe among them, watching with uneasy expressions.
‘Why are they looking like that?’
At first, she had been glad to see Viktor disheveled. But those looks made her feel something was wrong.
Had she missed something? Even after two years living together, had she failed to recognize what Viktor looked like truly angry?
While she fretted, Viktor covered her eyes with his hand. And when he lowered it, the servants were gone.
Scarlett sensed something was amiss. But with his arm wrapped around her waist, her wariness scattered like flower seeds in the wind.
