# 21
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On Wednesday, Scarlett headed to the Crimson family's house. No matter how the world changed, her daily routine remained the same.
Scarlett lay on Isaac's bed in the attic and said, “Lately, life feels empty.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I feel uess.”
“Don't talk like that”
Isaac carefully pulled her arm, sat her on the bed, held her cheeks with his hands, and said: “If you hadn’t been there, I would have died a long time ago.”
“Not to this extent...”
“More than that. I lived to devour your childhood, like a man-eating monster.”
“Why do you say that?”
Scarlett frowned, annoyed by his words.
Isaac rested his forehead against hers cautiously. After the death of their parents and his loss of his sight, when Isak fell silent, Scarlett consoled him without finding time to grieve. She was hitting her forehead against his and laughing, saying: “I’m here, aren’t I?”
The more Isak thought about it, the more he felt like a monster who didn't deserve to live.
While his sister was being abused at his side, he was immersed in his grief, and even after sobering up, he remained dependent on her care.
Isaac let go of her and smiled gently as usual and said, “So, don’t talk about being uess.”
“Well, I won't. But...”
“If you are sad, empty your heart here. I will listen to everything.”
Isaac smiled to comfort her.
Scarlett smiled slightly, thinking that, despite feeling helpless, she had saved one thing in this world, and it was quite a success.
“I want to go to the tree house,” she said after a while.
“Tree house?”
“Yes, I sometimes remember how we played there with our parents, especially on snowy days like today. Remember? We played candy pull with that wonderful game my mother made.”
“Ah, I remember. The game might still be there.”
Isaac got up and said, “Let’s go.”
“To the tree house?”
“Yes, Marilyn and Arnold are grown up and don't go there anymore.”
This was the brothers' home, but they had nowhere to roam freely. The attic here, and the underground storeroom where Scarlett lived, were their places. Scarlett was worried about her uncle's reprimand, but she thought a short visit might be acceptable.
“If we find a candy pull game, it might be worth reprimanding.”
Scarlett gave the wand to Isaac.
Isaac followed her out of the attic, trying to keep his expression bright.
Scarlett, who had a much harder life than him, still retained a childish part, such as her anxiety about being scolded.
They headed to the tree house, ten minutes away from the palace. It was a magnificent structure carefully designed by two geniuses. When they entered, they found shelves full of luxury drinks.
Scarlett muttered: "They're drinking in here? This is Arnold's job, isn't it?"
“Most likely”
“Where is the game?”
Scarlett rolled her eyes, almost crying, so she bit her lip. The wooden walls were full of ancient writings.
[Rule 1: Don't cross the line.]
Scarlett looked at the line drawn on the ground and laughed hard: “Remember? We always fought not to cross each other’s line. The line is still there.”
“Where?”
Scarlett led him to where the line was. Isaac smiled and said, “Until now, I thought your side was wider.”
“No, your side is wider.”
“Shall we exchange?”
“No”
They argued while laughing quietly.
Fortunately, the items, which were considered decoration, had not been moved and were clean thanks to the cleaning servants.
Scarlett took out a box from the shelf, put it on the floor, and said, looking at the wooden lock, “The password is cherry pie.”
“You remember her?”
“Of course, I'm the one you remember.”
Scarlett inserted a wooden stick into the grooves of the gear, adjusted the letters, and the box opened. Inside it is a candy pulling game, and some candy.
Scarlett rolled the spring, threw the toy like a dice, and out came a candy. When I took it out, the music box weighed the remaining candy, and chose a song based on the last number.
They drowned in the memories, and continued pulling out the candy until all ten songs were played. While they were killing time, they heard a noise from below. Realizing they had stayed too long, they descended the low staircase designed for children.
Upon landing, they found Arnold with his friends. Arnold, drunk, grabbed Scarlett's arm and said, "Who let you in? What did you steal?"
“I didn't steal anything.”
Scarlett blinked, and one of Arnold's friends said: “They say your housemaid got divorced, it's true.”
Arnold's friends always called Scarlett Arnold's housemaid. She was grateful to be married as soon as she became an adult, especially when seeing Arnold's bad friends.
Scarlett tried to take Isaac and leave, but Arnold stopped her: "Where to? We're not finished."
He smelled of wine. His friends approached Issac and said: “Are you leaving the house now?”
They tried to remove his bandage, and Isaac quickly ducked. Before Scarlett noticed his lightness, she interjected: "I was the one who brought Isaac out. He needs to rest..."
Arnold snatched the toy from her hand and said, “What is this?”
“My mother made it”
Scarlett tried to get it back, but he threw it to another friend.
When she tried to catch up, Arnold obstructed her, and she fell. Realizing that she had fallen, Isaac frowned and turned his head towards the voice: “Scarlett?”
Scarlett quickly got up, ignoring the pain, and apologized: “Sorry, I won’t come back.”
Arnold bent down and pushed her forehead with his finger, causing her back to hit the tree.
“Is this an apology?”
“Yes”
“Why do you drag quiet Isaac to suffer?”
“I won't.”
Arnold grabbed her chin and said, "If you're remorseful, kneel down first. You don't even remember to talk…"
Suddenly, Arnold fell to the ground.
Isaac, who had dropped him, kicked him in the face, and Arnold screamed.
His friends tried to stop him, but he was too strong.
"Issac! Behind you!"
Scarlett screamed, and Isaac grabbed the arm of Arnold who was trying to hit him, pulled his hair with his other hand, and hit him violently.
Isaac didn't stop until blood covered Arnold's face.
Scarlett woke up and grabbed his arm: “Isaac, stop! He’s going to die!”
Isaac stopped immediately, and Arnold screamed, holding his face.
“You crazy person, get out of my house!”
"What? This is my house," Isaac replied.
“Don’t you know that my father is still your guardian? Do you think you will survive?”
“Do you think this family will become yours if I die?”
Everyone was silent at Isaac's words.
He added in an angry tone, "If I die, Scarlett will become the head of the family. And I will not die alone. I will kill you and your father first. Only Scarlett will be left of Crimson."
Scarlett was surprised, and her eyes widened.
Arnold's voice trembled with threat: “What nonsense...”
Issac wiped his blood-stained hand on Arnold's clothes, and grabbed his neck again: “I am despicable by nature, as you always say, I lived comfortably by ling my sister. But now, I will make your life uncomfortable.”
Arnold tried to remove his hand, but Isaac's force was irresistible. He was taller than Arnold, and his white hand was unexpectedly strong.
Isaac cleared his throat before he choked.
Arnold's friends rushed to the palace to support him.
Isaac turned to Scarlett and smiled: “Let’s go.”
Scarlett hugged the toy, looking at him in amazement. Blood was covering his fist, face, and white shirt, but his face returned to its gentleness and innocence.
“Sorry, did I scare you?”
“How did you hit someone like that?”
Isaac was confused and said: “Someone...”
Then, anxiously, he looked for her with his hands and said: “For me, there is no one in the world like a human being except you.”
“My world only contains you. I said I would do anything for you.”
Scarlett's fingers trembled violently at his words.
She was grateful that Issac Crimson, who had lived so long in the attic, had grown so nice and warm. She, like their parents, thought he was a naturally warm person. But what she saw now was not normal.
When Isaac approached anxiously, Scarlett tried to raise the trembling corner of her mouth: “Even if…even if.”
She didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't.