# 2
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The Crimson family, Scarlett Domfelt's birthplace, were a family of great watchmakers.
Among these geniuses, Scarlett's parents, who died when she was twelve years old, were unparalleled geniuses.
Even now, after her marriage to Victor Domfelt, who had led her to live a life of luxury, there was still a part in her heart that regretted not learning the skill of watchmaking, which was the foundation of the Crimson family.
But now, having just passed her twentieth birthday, sitting at the workbench where her parents would indulge in hours of non-stop work, she recalled her early childhood.
The world of the millimeters inside the watches they were making, their excited talk about new technologies that made them forget even feeding their daughter, and all that information about these two geniuses began to appear before her eyes.
“Because of the medicine in black tea.”
Scarlett was jolted out of her happy memories by the calm and confident voice of Hugo Hunter, the Royal Police officer.
Scarlett was sitting in the investigation room at Royal Constabulary headquarters.
From the wide window, Lilson Square looked out on her.
"Medicine? What do you mean...?" Scarlett asked in a slightly confused voice.
Hugo suddenly got up and approached her, so Scarlett stopped talking.
Hugo pointed his chin at the cup of tea, and took out the handcuffs from his waist.
“The tea that the lady drank contains a medicine imbued with magic that makes memories clearer. It is a medicine that is made on Pirate Island, and it is very difficult to obtain within the country. Don’t you know? The medicine you want to restore Count Issac Crimson’s sight is also made on Pirate Island.”
“Ah, that's why...” Scarlett responded subconsciously in an audible voice.
Hugo sneered as he continued, “By the way, if this medicine is abused, the brain becomes defensive against forcefully recalling memories, leading to memory loss. Human brains are weird, aren’t they?”
"amnesia?"
“Yes, so no matter what I do to you now, when you leave the police station, you won’t remember anything.”
Scarlett's eyes twitched slightly at his monotone voice.
Hugo grabbed her left wrist, removed her watch, then put on the handcuffs.
Scarlett tried to contain her fear and pulled her arm forcefully.
"I am Victor Domfelt's wife. How dare you...?"
“Of course, I respect Commander Victor, but you are different. You are an easy target.”
Hugo pulled the handcuffs from the other side forcefully, preventing her from resisting, and hung them from a ring on the wall. Then he closed the curtains to block the window and continued: “Your parents died early, and you were raised by your uncle, right?”
“What does that have to do with it?”
“It is said that Count Issac Crimson, who became the head of your family, was blind, and your uncle, who was the actual regent, held Issac hostage and exploited you as a slave. So, there is no one who can support you.”
“My husband won’t allow it.”
Hugo glanced at her upon hearing her firm tone.
“Mr. Victor doesn't care much about you, does he?”
“Don't talk stupidly. My husband loves me.”
“You know that's not true.”
Scarlett was silenced by his sarcasm.
My husband is rational.
He hates breaking down.
Therefore, she thought that he could not love anyone but her.
If she didn't think that way, her love for him, for which she had been willing to sacrifice her life for the past two years, would have seemed so unfortunate and pitiful.
Hugo clicked his tongue on her sad face.
"So, why do you care about fulfillment? As I said, this is a very rare medicine. Using it in the investigation means that someone is strongly opposed to Mr. Victor Dumphlet joining the royal family, right?"
Hugo took out a piece of paper with an address on it from his inside pocket.
“And I can help you get the medicine you are looking for.”
Scarlett's eyes turned to the paper he had presented.
Hugo smiled contentedly.
"Master Victor, with his solid principles, didn't bring you this medicine, did he? He was the one who betrayed you first. So, how about you tell me anything that could be wrong with Victor Domfelt?"
Scarlett sighed deeply and turned her head toward the window.
Her husband lived his whole life carrying feelings of guilt and inferiority because his mother was kicked out of the royal family because of him.
She thought that if he became royal, perhaps she could demolish part of his iron-like fortifications, and this motive was stronger than her desire to help her brother.
Scarlett slowly closed her eyes, realizing her fishness.
She knew they wouldn't leave any traces on her body.
No matter how much the Royal Police underestimated her, they would watch out for Victor.
So, all she has to do is hold out until her husband comes.
All she has to do is keep her mouth shut until he arrives, which is simple.
***
In Salantir, November is called “Pirate Month.” November, with the sea winds blowing strongly and raining almost daily, was the ideal month for pirate ships to raid out of sight of the navy.
But this is a thing of the past.
Thanks to her husband, he almost wiped out the pirates.
Scarlett was sitting on the bed, looking at the cold November rain outside the window, thinking about this. But she couldn't keep running away.
She got up slowly, her mind fuzzy as if she was still under the influence of alcohol.
“My head hurts...”
Scarlett held her throbbing forehead and left the bedroom.
The place was familiar.
Hotel suite where she had her wedding with Victor.
But everything else was empty.
She couldn't remember why she was lying here, or how long she had been here.
Even her pajamas were foreign to her. Her last memory was of sitting with a man from the Royal Police drinking tea.
But that memory was blurry, as if it would fade, and she couldn't remember the man's face clearly.
“What happened...?”
While she was looking around, she saw today's newspaper on the table.
When she saw the date, Scarlett sat on the chair exhausted.
She was due to be summoned by the Royal Police on 7 November to investigate whether Victor had any moral defects that would prevent him from joining the royal family. But the newspaper's date was November 14.
The memories of last week were completely gone.
On the coffee table, there were bottles of wine, and on the sofa, paper bags filled with luxury products from a famous brand near the hotel.
“Did I buy these things?”
Scarlett mumbled as if she was enchanted, and began searching in the bags for receipts that might help her remember.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened.
When she turned around, she saw the hotel clerk holding a key.
She almost frowned at his audacity to enter the room, but her husband, Victor Domfelt, entered through the open door.
“Victor”
As soon as she saw her husband's face, Scarlett felt relieved and ran to him, hugging him.
Her husband had always been cold, and in their two years of marriage he had never once given her a feeling of security, but at that moment, he was her refuge.
"I don't know why I'm here," Scarlett said in a suspicious tone. "What happened?"
She looked at him, but when she saw his dark blue eyes staring at her, her shoulders trembled under her thin clothes.
Her husband's eyes, always rational to the point of indifference, were filled with anger.
“That's a good excuse.”
His low voice mixed with the sound of rain hitting the window, making Scarlett's back tremble.
“What happened...?”
Ivan Light, the deputy captain of the Robid ship piloted by Victor, called out to her.
"Mrs. Scarlett"
She was very nervous, and she flinched when she heard her name.
She turned to see Ivan, who was always cunning, looking annoyed as he held up a black medicine bottle he found under the wine bottles.
“This is a medicine from Pirate Island. The magic-infused medicine you were searching for, which is said to restore sight to the blind.”
“Really?”
Scarlett, who was frightened the whole time, almost rushed to take the bottle, but Victor caught her elbow.
The man, who was always kind, pulled her violently toward the table. Then he held the newspaper in front of her astonished face.
The front page of the newspaper, which I only verified by date, was filled with a large headline: [Can Victor Domfelt, who imprisoned his royal mother in a mental institution, become part of the royal family?]
While Scarlett was reading the article with confused eyes, Victor spoke.
“They say you told the Royal Police during their investigation of those close to you.”
“No, impossible. This is not true.”
“There's more. Enough to fill an entire page.”
Victor opened the newspaper himf.
As he said, all of Victor's weaknesses that Scarlett knew were written in detail.
Even a ridiculous claim that a close friend of Victor in the days of the military academy is now an officer in the Festina army.
That wasn't a problem when Victor was in school, but it has become a problem now due to strained relations with Festina.
Victor muttered, looking at Scarlett, who was reading the newspaper in astonishment: “You sold me this medicine.”
Scarlett felt a stronger headache when she heard his cold voice.
She wanted to explain it, but her mind was completely blank.
“It's impossible”
Scarlett muttered.
She was already looking for this medicine.
It was for her brother, Isaac Crimson, who lost his sight in an accident.
Of course, Isak was dear to her, but she was not going to betray her husband for his sake.
Scarlett, in confusion, quickly grabbed the collar of Victor's coat.
"You know how much I love you. I, who worked so hard to make you mine, do you think I would betray you for Issac?"
“It's not just a belief, it's a reality.”
“I'm telling you it's not!”
“Then why didn’t you go home and hide here?”
“I told you, I don't remember!”
With her repeated insistence, Victor, Evan, and Victor's secretary, Plate, seemed uncomfortable.
Her memory loss was driving her crazy, but to others, it seemed as if she was avoiding talking about her infidelity with her husband.
Scarlett extended her hand to hug Victor and said, “Victor, please. Trust me.”
But Victor grabbed her arms and lowered them, and asked in a hoarse voice as if he was holding back his anger: “Stop this nonsense.”
“I'm serious...”
“Say you were threatened or tortured.”
The thoughts that had barely surfaced were drowned out under the weight of his cold voice.
When Scarlett, who was staring in amazement, could not open her mouth, Victor continued: “Even if it is a lie, say it. I will at least try to understand.”
“But...”
From the pain and distress, Scarlett's eyes, which were the color of wine, filled with tears.
When she saw Victor's frowning expression, she was frightened.
Scarlett could not bear the pressure, so she replied: “There was no threat or torture... Maybe...”
When she said that, she was afraid that Victor would leave, so she quickly extended her hands to hug his neck.
“I may have lost consciousness for a moment. I'm sorry, Victor.”
Victor laughed sarcastically and muttered: “Should I send my wife to a monastery?”
Scarlett froze at his words.