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Chapter 40
Scarlett’s body trembled violently.
Viktor pulled her wrist, bringing her watch close to her face, and asked:
“Do you know what time it is now?”
Scarlett looked at the watch. Her gaze followed the slow movement of the second hand. Once her attention shifted to the watch, Viktor continued.
“Think about how a watch is made. Step by step.”
“Step by step…”
Scarlett finally managed to produce a faint voice. Soon the doctor rushed in, but Viktor waved him away again.
Before long, only the two of them remained in the bedroom. Scarlett, staring at her wristwatch, began explaining the process of making a watch, one step at a time.
“First, you buy silver…”
“Ah, starting from there.”
Viktor deliberately chuckled, and Scarlett’s trembling eased slightly.
She murmured,
“Then you have to order the main plate from the factory.”
Viktor quietly watched her, and Scarlett continued with her shaky voice.
“And then the mainspring barrel goes in… ah, but before that you have to buy jewels. Negotiating is hard, though. They say Madame Paradi at the jewelry store is connected to some very dangerous organization.”
“If it’s Paradi, that makes sense.”
“‘Makes sense’?!”
Startled by what sounded like dangerous information, Scarlett’s eyes widened as she looked up. Viktor leaned closer, their eyes meeting.
“Looks like you’re feeling better now.”
“…Ah.”
Scarlett realized her breathing had eased a little and nodded.
The crushing anxiety that had suffocated her chest just moments ago seemed to retreat once her mind was occupied with something else.
Viktor said,
“I’ll send the guests away. Stay here.”
“Let me come with you.”
She tried to stand, but then noticed her torn dress and gasped, quickly wrapping herself in the blanket.
Viktor took off his jacket and draped it over her.
“There’s no need.”
“No, it feels strange. Acting like this in front of someone I’ve never met before.”
“…”
Viktor looked displeased, but in the end, he relented.
“Come slowly.”
“Thank you.”
Her smile went unanswered as Viktor turned and left the bedroom.
After he left, Scarlett changed into a new dress. Still, she sat on the bed for a while, lost in thought.
She couldn’t understand her own behavior or feelings. That frustration only made her more eager to step back into the drawing room.
Though she trusted no one in the world, Scarlett truly could not recall what had happened when she was interrogated at the Royal Police Headquarters. She wanted to know what had happened during that time. And perhaps—perhaps this man had been there that day.
During the week when she had betrayed Viktor Dumfelt.
In the drawing room, Nina spoke irritably.
“If all she wanted was to get her husband’s attention, she succeeded. Don’t you think?”
At her words, Hughen wore a peculiar expression, as though lost in thought. Nina’s face hardened when she noticed.
“What’s their relationship? Why does that woman act like that?”
“What are you talking about? There’s no relationship.”
“No relationship, and she suddenly faints like that? Doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m serious. I have no idea why.”
Hughen answered calmly.
“Maybe they were lovers in a past life.”
Nina shook her head, exasperated by his response.
Moments later, Viktor returned to the siblings. Hughen rose to ask,
“How is Miss Scarlett?”
“She’s fine.”
Viktor sat down again, crossing his legs and sipping his tea before continuing.
“She said she’d come out again shortly.”
At that, Hughen smiled.
“If there’s been any misunderstanding, I’d really like to clear it up. Truly, this is my first time meeting Miss Scarlett.”
“No need to worry. She said the same.”
“Ah, I see.”
Hughen smiled in relief.
Nina stared intently at Viktor and said,
“Strange, isn’t it? Getting along so well after a divorce.”
“I couldn’t just leave a woman who collapsed like that.”
As they spoke, Scarlett reappeared, dressed much more neatly than before. Yet her complexion was pale, and her hands were still trembling.
Hughen rose, concern on his face.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Scarlett hesitated, then asked,
“Is this really… your first time seeing me?”
“Pardon?”
“These days, I don’t really trust my own memory…”
Realizing what she had just said, Scarlett hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. In front of Viktor, who loathed anyone he thought unstable because of his mother, she knew he would not welcome hearing such words in public.
Viktor wasn’t even looking her way, so Scarlett forced a smile.
“I’ve just been overwhelmed with work lately.”
“I understand.”
“Truly, you’ve never met me before?”
“If I had met you before, Miss Scarlett, I think I would remember without fail.”
Frustration gnawed at her, and Scarlett stared at Hughen with near impoliteness. At last, she spoke.
“You said you were with the Royal Police. Could it be that I saw you at Headquarters?”
At her question, Viktor turned his gaze toward them.
Hughen smiled easily.
“That must have been someone else. You really do seem exhausted.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Scarlett apologized, yet found herself staring at Hughen again.
The suffocating frustration in her heart, and her stubborn, insatiable curiosity, soon overpowered her fear. She murmured,
“No… I’m certain.”
Finally, she spoke with conviction.
“I definitely saw you there.”
“I see.” Hughen smiled.
“Then I’ll look into it again.”
“Thank you.”
Scarlett seemed relieved at last.
She sat before the table and began calmly sipping tea. Then, suddenly, she recalled a certain scene, screamed, and dropped her teacup.
As she drew back from the table, Viktor’s eyes fell on her.
Scarlett was terrified by the image in her mind, but determined to show she was different from Marina Dumfelt, who was always causing trouble. With a trembling voice, she said,
“There was… a bug.”
Nina tilted her head.
“In winter?”
“….”
Scarlett struggled to push away the memories swirling in her head.
She told herself they must be false. Yet at the same time, the image of Hughen Hunter’s face during her interrogation at Headquarters resurfaced.
He had definitely been there.
“You served me tea.”
Scarlett spoke to Hughen.
He looked troubled for a moment before replying awkwardly,
“I sometimes flirt with women I don’t know. If that’s what it was, I sincerely apologize.”
“That’s not it!”
“Miss Scarlett.” Hughen’s voice was uneasy.
“Whatever the matter is, please stop. Sir Viktor is here as well.”
Scarlett turned to see Viktor no longer looking at her at all.
Her behavior now seemed truly deranged, and Viktor looked unwilling to comfort her any further.
Scarlett began to think that perhaps his earlier kindness was only to prevent her from making a scene in front of Nina, the center of society.
Even so, she was grateful for his gentleness earlier, and she didn’t want to trouble him anymore.
She told herself her memories must be illusions. If she ignored them, reality would settle into place. But she couldn’t turn away. With a desperate voice, she said to Viktor:
“I think I remember something from Headquarters. I’m sure I saw him.”
Hughen soon smiled.
“Yes, now that I think of it, I suppose so.”
Nina frowned.
“What nonsense are you spouting? You were away with Yuli on the royal tour at that time—you weren’t even in the capital.”
“Nina—” Hughen tried to hush her, but she pressed on, exasperated, turning to Viktor.
“You were there when the tour departed. You remember, don’t you?”
When even Viktor gave no answer, Nina clicked her tongue and sneered.
“Ah, I see. Everyone here is just so very gentlemanly.”
Scarlett tried to explain further, but the only memory she could summon was the image of sitting across from Hughen, drinking tea.
Yet she trusted her memory.
Scarlett had spent countless hours, desperately trying to recall that day which had always eluded her. And when she saw Hughen Hunter’s face, it was as if she’d finally found a missing piece of the puzzle—the outline of the truth beginning, at last, to emerge.
