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Chapter 2
The Crimson family, Scarlett Dumfelt’s maternal house, was a lineage of great clockmakers. Among those talents, her parents—who passed away when Scarlett was twelve—were unprecedented geniuses.
Even now, after marrying Viktor Dumfelt and living a life overflowing with wealth, a small regret remained in a corner of her heart: she had never learned the clockmaking techniques that formed the foundation of the Crimson family.
Yet now, just after turning twenty, she found herself remembering her very early childhood—sitting at her parents’ workbench, where they would become so absorbed in their work that they lost track of time.
The millimeter-scale world inside the clocks they created, her parents endlessly discussing new techniques and even forgetting to feed their child—the countless memories of those two geniuses began to surface.
“It’s because of the drug in the black tea.”
Scarlett, lost in warm memories, snapped back to reality at the calm voice of Royal Police officer Hugh Hunter.
She was seated in an interrogation room at the Royal Police Headquarters. Through the wide window, Lisun Square could be seen below.
Scarlett asked, slightly dazed:
“A drug? What do you mean…?”
Hugh suddenly stood up and approached her, causing Scarlett to stop speaking.
He gestured toward the teacup and pulled out handcuffs from his waist.
“The substance in the tea you drank is a sorcery-based drug that sharpens memory. It’s produced on Pirate Island, making it nearly impossible to obtain domestically. As you know, the medicine you were trying to obtain for restoring the optic nerves of Count Isaac Crimson is also made there, isn’t it?”
“Oh… so that’s why…”
Scarlett responded unconsciously.
Hugh gave a mocking smile and continued:
“Additionally, when this drug is overused, the brain becomes defensively resistant to forced memory excavation, resulting in memory loss instead. The human brain is fascinating, isn’t it?”
“…Memory loss?”
“Yes. So whatever I do to you from now on, by the time you leave this station, you won’t remember anything.”
At his mechanical tone, Scarlett’s pupils trembled slightly.
Hugh grabbed her left wrist, removed her watch, and handcuffed her.
Scarlett, suppressing her fear, tugged her arm forcefully.
“I am Viktor Dumfelt’s wife. How dare you—”
“Of course, I respect Captain Viktor greatly. But you are different. You were chosen because you were an easy target.”
Hugh pulled the resisting Scarlett toward the wall and hooked the opposite cuff onto a fixed ring. Then he closed the curtains over the window and continued speaking.
“Your parents died early, and you were raised by your uncle, correct?”
“What… what does that have to do with anything?”
“And Count Isaac Crimson, who became head of the family but is blind—your uncle reportedly held him hostage and treated you like a slave. That means you had no one to rely on.”
“My husband won’t stand for this.”
At her firm words, Hugh glanced at her.
“Sir Viktor doesn’t seem to care that much about you, does he?”
“Nonsense. My husband loves me.”
“You know that’s not true.”
At his mocking tone, Scarlett was momentarily speechless.
Her husband was rational.
He hated collapse, disorder, anything that broke stability.
Because of that, she had once thought he was incapable of loving anyone but his ideals.
If she didn’t believe that, then the two years she had spent loving him—willing even to die for him—would feel wasted and painful.
Hugh clicked his tongue at her lonely expression.
“So there’s no need for you to remain loyal, is there? As I said, this drug is extremely difficult to obtain. The fact that we went to such lengths to interrogate you means there are people who strongly oppose Viktor Dumfelt becoming part of the royal family.”
Hugh pulled a folded piece of paper from his inner pocket.
“And we can also help you obtain the medicine you were looking for.”
Scarlett’s gaze shifted to the paper he held out.
Hugh smiled with satisfaction.
“Sir Viktor is a man of strict principles, so he refused to help you find that medicine. He betrayed first. So then, shall we talk about Viktor Dumfelt’s disqualifications?”
Scarlett let out a long sigh and turned her face toward the window.
Her husband had spent his entire life burdened by guilt and inferiority, believing his mother had been exiled from the royal family because of him.
She had once thought: if he became royalty, perhaps even a small part of that unbreakable rigidity inside him would finally crack.
That thought had been stronger than even her concern for her brother.
She closed her eyes slowly, thinking how selfish she truly was.
She knew they wouldn’t be able to leave permanent wounds on her body. No matter how much they underestimated her, they would still be cautious of Viktor.
So all she had to do was endure until her husband arrived. It would be simple—just staying silent until he came.
In Salantie, November was called the “month of pirates.” Strong sea winds and near-daily rain made it the perfect time for pirate ships to raid while evading the navy. But those days were long gone now—thanks to her husband, who had nearly wiped the pirates out completely.
Scarlett sat on her bed, staring out the window at the cold November rain, thinking this.
But she couldn’t keep avoiding reality forever.
With a foggy mind as if still half-drunk, she forced herself to stand.
“My head hurts…”
Holding her throbbing forehead, Scarlett left the bedroom.
The place was familiar—the hotel suite where she had married Viktor.
Yet everything else was blank. She had no memory of why she was there or when she had come.
Even the nightgown she was wearing felt unfamiliar.
Her last memory was sitting across from a man from the Royal Police, drinking tea. Even that memory was hazy, as if it would disappear at any moment. She couldn’t even recall his face properly.
“What is going on…”
As she looked around, she noticed today’s newspaper on the table.
Checking the date, she collapsed into a chair, drained.
The day she had been called in for questioning—November 7.
The newspaper’s date—November 14.
A full week of memories had vanished.
On the coffee table were empty liquor bottles, and on the sofa were branded shopping bags filled with luxury goods.
“Did I… buy all this?”
She murmured in confusion and began rummaging through the bags for receipts, hoping for some clue.
Then the room door suddenly burst open.
A hotel staff member holding a key was the first she saw. She frowned at the intrusion—but through the open door, Viktor Dumfelt walked in.
“Viktor.”
Relief flooded Scarlett the moment she saw him, and she ran into his arms.
“Thank God…”
Though he had always been distant and had never once given her reassurance in their two years of marriage, right now he was her only anchor.
She said anxiously:
“I don’t know why I’m here. What happened?”
Looking up at him, she noticed his dark blue eyes. She shivered.
There was anger boiling in them—something she had never seen before.
“That’s a convenient excuse.”
His low voice mixed with the sound of rain striking the window sent a chill down her spine.
“What… happened?”
At that moment, Evan Wright, first officer of Viktor’s ship Rubid, called out:
“Madam Scarlett.”
Startled, she turned toward him.
Evan, usually relaxed and easygoing, now looked troubled as he held up a black potion bottle found among the liquor.
“This is from Pirate Island. The same sorcery medicine you’ve been searching for—the one said to restore sight to the blind.”
“R-really?”
Scarlett, panicked, tried to reach for it—but Viktor grabbed her arm.
He pulled her sharply toward the table and held up a newspaper in front of her face.
On the front page, in large letters, was a headline:
“Can Viktor Dumfelt, who imprisoned his royal mother in an asylum, become a member of the royal family?”
Scarlett stared blankly.
Viktor spoke:
“You told the Royal Police during the investigation.”
“I—I didn’t… that can’t be…”
“There’s more. Enough to fill an entire page.”
He unfolded the newspaper.
As he said, every weakness of Viktor Dumfelt was written in detail. Even the fact that a former close friend from his military academy days was now an officer in Vestina’s army was being used against him.
Back then, it had meant nothing. Now, in the current political climate, it was being framed as betrayal.
Viktor looked down at Scarlett reading the paper and murmured:
“You sold me for that drug.”
At his cold voice, Scarlett felt her head worsen. She wanted to explain, but her mind was completely empty.
“No… that can’t be…”
She had indeed been searching for that medicine—for her blind older brother, Isaac Crimson.
But she would never betray her husband for it.
Desperate, she grabbed Viktor’s coat collar.
“You know how much I love you. You know how hard you worked to become royal. Do you really think I’d betray you for Isaac?”
“Not think. Fact.”
“No!”
“Then why didn’t you come home, and instead hid here?”
“I told you… I don’t remember!”
Her insistence only made Viktor, Evan, and even his secretary Blade look increasingly uncomfortable.
To Scarlett, the lack of memory was terrifying.
To them, it looked like an excuse.
She reached toward Viktor.
“Viktor, please. Believe me.”
But Viktor grabbed both her arms and pulled them down.
“Stop saying nonsense.”
“Please…”
“Then say you were threatened. Or tortured.”
His cold voice made even her fragile memories sink deeper into darkness.
Scarlett, unable to withstand the pressure, finally spoke:
“I don’t think… there was any torture or threats…”
As soon as she said it, she quickly grabbed his neck in panic.
“I think I just… lost my mind for a moment. I’m sorry, Viktor.”
Viktor let out a hollow laugh.
“Do I need to send my wife to a monastery too?”
At his words, Scarlett froze—her movements slowing as if her body had turned to stone.
