TDAF 34

Chapter 34

Victor was helping Scarlet down from the carriage when he saw Andrei coming out of the shop.

“Boss?”

A few days ago, the subordinates he had stationed around this shop to keep guard had reported to him about Andrei.

[He’s absurdly strong.]

A capable man who used to work for the Dumpelt family.

That’s how Blight had described Andrei. A little cold in temperament, but not actually antisocial.

Victor couldn’t quite understand why someone who managed assets needed to be so well-trained. Still, he didn’t have the time to dwell on that now. What mattered most at this moment was Scarlet’s condition.

Victor knew his presence wouldn’t help Scarlet calm down.

So he let Andrei support Scarlet and turned back right away. Strangely enough, Scarlet glanced back at the carriage Victor had gotten into.

After noticing her gaze, Andrei spoke.

“Let’s head up to the second floor.”

“Hm? Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Scarlet stood straight with a smile. Then, turning to Andrei with another smile, she said:

“Thanks.”

Somehow, seeing Andrei helped her pull herself together.

At least Andrei acknowledged her abilities. That much, at least—that he was here because he truly wanted to work with her—was a relief. Having even a single person stay by her side by their own will felt like such a blessing.

After Scarlet sat down on a chair in her workshop for a while, she heard the sound of a cane. Soon, Isaac appeared, supported by Andrei, and entered her workshop.

“Scarlet.”

Isaac spoke with a bright face.

“Sir Victor told me to stay here….”

“Ah.”

Scarlet quickly wiped her tears and smiled with him.

“Welcome.”

“It smells just like Mom and Dad’s workshop.”

Isaac said cheerfully.

Scarlet led him to the bed and sat him down, then turned to Andrei.

“Thank you, Andrei.”

Andrei lowered his voice and muttered:

“If I’d known the head office was such a dangerous place, I should have followed you.”

“I didn’t expect things would turn out like that in such a public place either.”

Scarlet forced a calm smile.

Andrei looked displeased but said nothing more, going back down to the first floor to watch over the shop.

Meanwhile, Isaac, his face as bright as always, looked around curiously. Scarlet, gathering her strength, sat beside him.

She longed to see Isaac’s eyes, but knowing how hard he had tried to hide the truth from her, she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

Isaac, fumbling, clasped her hand and asked worriedly:

“Why are your hands so cold?”

“Oh, I was outside too long.”

Scarlet answered in a light tone.

“More importantly, from now on, let’s go out to eat delicious food.”

“Delicious food?”

“Yeah. And let’s go to a perfume shop too.”

“Oh, come to think of it, maybe I could become something like a perfumer? Since I know scents so well.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea.”

“Right?”

Scarlet felt like she was suffocating, but she kept talking with gestures and expressions Isaac couldn’t see, just to keep the conversation going.

Scarlet eventually fell asleep past midnight, while Isaac sat quietly in a chair with his eyes closed. The pain in his eyes kept him from sleeping.

Throughout their conversation earlier, he had touched Scarlet’s hands now and then, but they never warmed. Talking about food and perfumes… it felt like Scarlet had finally given up on his sight.

He wondered if maybe Victor or Arnold had told her the truth about his eyes.

Isaac clenched his fists tightly.

“I want to see again.”

Scarlet had already resigned herself so she wouldn’t hurt him anymore. But Isaac was the opposite. Far from resignation, his longing only grew. His eyes throbbed again, and he covered them with one hand while stifling his groans with the other.

Scarlet was asleep. If he made the slightest noise, she might wake.

Isaac dug his nails into his cheek with the hand over his mouth to endure the pain, but eventually it felt like knives were gouging his eyes, and a groan escaped.

At the sound, Scarlet’s eyes flew open.

“Isaac?”

She hurriedly got out of bed and knelt in front of him.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

“N-no, I’m fine.”

“Wait. Let me see. Take off the bandage.”

Isaac shook his head, but Scarlet was already undoing it. He thought of pushing her hands away but froze, terrified of hurting her by accident.

Soon the bandage came off, and Scarlet froze.

Isaac lifted his head.

“Does it look weird?”

“……”

“Tell me it doesn’t, Scarlet….”

Scarlet tried her hardest to act unaffected, but she couldn’t breathe, let alone lie convincingly.

This was what he had become. Isaac had even hidden his pain so Scarlet wouldn’t feel guilty.

“Scarlet.”

Isaac reached out anxiously, fearing she’d recoil from the hideous sight that shocked everyone else.

Scarlet quickly reached out and took his hand. Only then did Isaac relax.

“I feel safe when I have your hand.”

“……”

“Scarlet, just say anything to me.”

Seeing his unease, Scarlet forced a smile.

“Ah, sorry. Perfume… let’s go buy some perfume. Tomorrow.”

At that, Isaac tilted his head slightly.

“Isaac?”

“Wait…”

He touched his eyes with his hand, then shuffled toward the window. Feeling around, he pulled open the curtains.

“Isaac? Why?”

Scarlet asked, but he stood still.

“Isaac.”

“The moon…”

“What?”

“Is the moon there?”

Scarlet looked up where he pointed. Sure enough, a full moon hung in the sky.

“Yes.”

“I can see it…”

“…What?”

“I can see the moon.”

Scarlet stared at him, dumbfounded.

Isaac couldn’t take his eyes off it, then turned to look at Scarlet. As she began to breathe heavily, he spoke:

“I can see the moonlight, Scarlet.”

Scarlet froze, then quickly asked:

“You can see the moonlight?”

“Yes!”

“W-what about other things?”

“For now, only the moonlight…”

“Wait!”

Scarlet hurried Isaac downstairs. She frantically lit the firewood in the hearth she had left cold.

Fanning the flames wildly, she looked up.

“Isaac. This? Can you see this?”

Isaac turned his face toward the fire, and his expression lit up. He nodded.

“Yes. I see the flames.”

“Really…”

Scarlet covered her mouth with both hands. Then, like a child, she ran around turning on every light source she could.

She lit all the gas lamps in the shop, then, finding nothing more to light inside, dashed outside. Isaac let her pull him along.

The sun was just beginning to rise, the faint light of dawn spreading. Scarlet pointed at one light after another.

“That one?”

“Mhm. Yes. I see it.”

“And that one?”

As she pulled him everywhere, asking, Isaac stopped and broke into delighted laughter.

“I really can see the light.”

Then he turned toward the direction of the sunrise.

“I can see the sun too.”

“No, don’t. It’ll hurt your eyes.”

“Oh—right.”

Isaac quickly turned away.

Back inside, Scarlet fetched the glasses she used for her work. She smeared soot on the lenses to darken them.

“Here. If you wear this, it’ll block the glare.”

Isaac put them on. Looking around, he beamed.

“Wow, I can still see the light.”

Scarlet laughed, overjoyed at hearing those words again and again. But soon her laughter broke into sobs.

“Thank goodness.”

“Scarlet.”

“I’m so glad…”

Her guilt over Isaac was unbearable. Had she dragged him into this?

Isaac pulled the weeping Scarlet tightly into his arms.

“You were right, Scarlet. As always, you were right. Your choice… your decision…”

At last, Scarlet broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably, as if her heart would burst.

“I’m so glad… but I’m so sorry… yet so happy… and sorry again…”

She couldn’t stop crying, overwhelmed with guilt for hurting Isaac, and joy at his words that he could see light again.

Isaac held her and soothed her, torn between his own pain and the happiness of seeing light once more.

The bright moon that had disappeared when he was thirteen had risen again in what felt like endless darkness.