CHAPTER 01
Things She Had Forgotten Began to Surface
Scarlet Dumpfelt, the daughter of the great master clockmakers and the true mistress of the Dumpfelt household, was being questioned at the police headquarters about the people around her. As the interview continued, memories of the previous night gradually returned.
The previous evening, the Dumpfelt estate had hosted a grand party.
Once this investigation was over, her husband—the hero Victor Dumpfelt—would finally be recognized as a member of the royal family.
The only time Scarlet had ever been inside a police station before was when she was twelve years old, after a carriage accident.
Her parents, who had been riding with her, were killed. Her older brother Isaac, only a year older than she was, had rolled down the hillside with her and lost his eyesight.
Since twelve-year-old Scarlet had been the only witness capable of describing what had happened, the police had questioned her repeatedly about the accident. Even now, at the age of twenty, those memories remained an unhealed wound.
Although she was deeply anxious about having to undergo another police interview the next day, she devoted herself to preparing the party, attending to every detail as the lady of House Dumpfelt.
It had been a long time since the Dumpfelt estate had welcomed guests.
Once known as the Hill of the Banished Princess, the territory had transformed over the years. As much time had passed as the age of Princess Marina’s son, Victor Dumpfelt, it had become renowned as one of the most beautiful domains in all of Salantier.
The gentle hills were always immaculately maintained, with roads paved well enough for carriages to travel comfortably.
To the east lay the capital of Salantier.
To the west stretched the sea.
Though the estate lacked the fertile farmland enjoyed by many other noble territories, to the north it possessed a breathtaking cedar forest so beautiful it inspired awe.
Thanks to Victor Dumpfelt’s unbroken string of successes, the family had amassed enormous wealth. They owned three telephones—luxuries found only in the wealthiest noble households—and maintained vast hunting grounds.
They had even constructed a magnificent new hall overlooking the sea specifically for occasions like this party.
Within that elegant hall, complete with a beautifully decorated fireplace, the guests all wore carefully practiced smiles—pleasant enough not to offend anyone, yet never humble enough to invite ridicule.
Scarlet Dumpfelt was no different as she took a sip of wine to moisten her throat.
In the social circles of Salantier’s capital, kindness was often interpreted as an invitation to be looked down upon.
While conversing at a table filled with influential figures, she glanced toward her husband.
Victor held his wineglass in a hand covered by a white glove. The gloves concealed the prominent veins in his hands, and his perfectly tailored formal attire emphasized his solid physique. The result was a man who appeared nothing less than elegant.
To restore the reputation of his mother—formerly Princess Marina Iren, who had been expelled from the royal family for becoming pregnant with him and was now known as Duchess Dumpfelt—Victor had never hesitated to commit even the cruelest acts.
His relentless determination had been directed toward the pirates who once terrorized Salantier’s western coast.
Scarlet had once read newspaper accounts written from the pirates’ perspective, describing just how merciless her husband had been during their extermination.
Throughout Salantier, admiration for Victor Dumpfelt existed alongside fear.
People were grateful to him, yet they also used his name to frighten crying children into silence.
Scarlet had always taken pride in such a husband.
And she loved him.
For his sake, she truly would not have regretted sacrificing her own life.
Victor had spent his entire life pursuing nothing but his goals, and Scarlet loved even that unwavering devotion.
They had married when she turned eighteen, and more than two years had passed since then.
During that time, her one-sided love had quietly left countless tiny wounds upon her heart.
Even now, she felt a dull ache at her husband’s indifference. Though she was clearly terrified about having to go to the police station the next day, he spared her hardly a glance.
At that moment, a gentleman seated at the table spoke.
“By the way, Lady Dumpfelt… Surely Bestina isn’t really planning to start a war?”
As the topic changed, Scarlet shifted her attention back to the conversation.
Lately, whenever nobles gathered, they spoke of nothing but war.
From Salantier’s perspective—the continent’s oldest kingdom and the nation acknowledged as the mother country—Bestina had always been viewed as insignificant.
Even so, should war break out, those with the most to lose would suffer the greatest losses.
That was why the nobility feared it.
Scarlet gave the prepared answer expected of her.
“I wouldn’t know. My husband protects our territorial waters, so he isn’t very familiar with matters on land.”
“If every war were fought at sea, there’d be nothing to worry about,” another gentleman laughed. “Not with Lord Dumpfelt around.”
A different noble chimed in.
“Besides, Salantier is surrounded by mountain ranges. As long as we defend the south, the central and northern regions are perfectly safe. Every fool who’s ever tried crossing those towering mountains has ended up starving or freezing to death before even reaching Salantier.”
The nobles worried only that war might damage the prosperity Salantier already possessed.
None of them truly believed Bestina could stand against them.
Yet Scarlet found herself unable to concentrate on the discussion.
The thought of reporting to the police station the next day filled her with unusual dread.
Sometimes there were days like this.
Days when everything around you seemed perfect, yet an inexplicable anxiety refused to leave.
Today was one of those days for Scarlet.
Perhaps sensing her lingering gaze, Victor’s dark blue eyes briefly turned toward her.
Blue eyes were common throughout Salantier.
Yet on him they possessed an unmistakable nobility.
Scarlet believed it was because half of his blood belonged to the royal family—or perhaps because of his dazzling appearance.
A moment later, Victor returned his attention to his own circle.
The elderly lady seated beside Scarlet quietly remarked,
“Loving a man who cares only about honor will only leave the wife lonely.”
“…Do you think so?”
“When I was young,” the old woman said calmly, “I found it better to keep a lover.”
Scarlet looked at her in surprise.
The elderly lady continued without embarrassment.
“A husband and a lover are different things. A lover can leave at any time, which makes every moment together all the sweeter.”
Scarlet let out a soft laugh.
She found it oddly romantic to hear someone recommend taking a lover besides one’s husband.
Officially, keeping a lover was certainly immoral.
Yet within high society, once someone actually had one, it somehow became a subtle point of pride.
Perhaps because the party had felt unusually lonely, Scarlet found herself thinking about the old woman’s words all night.
Late that night, after the party had ended, Scarlet found herself unable to sleep.
She put on a robe over her nightgown, left her bedroom, walked down the hallway, and entered her husband’s room.
After feeling anxious all day, simply seeing Victor’s face caused a wave of sadness to well up inside her.
Hiding her feelings as best she could, she said,
“I’m nervous about going to the police station.”
Victor was the sort of man who could never understand why anyone would be nervous about such a thing.
At the same time, he regarded his wife as someone rather fragile, so he did not question her immediately.
Scarlet continued.
“Don’t look at me like I’m pathetic. It’s just… I don’t know… I’m scared.”
Victor rose from his seat and walked over to her.
Looking down into her wine-colored eyes, he said,
“Don’t be nervous. Go to sleep.”
“I can’t just stop feeling this way.”
“No matter what they ask you, tell them you refuse to answer. If anyone tries to intimidate you, refuse and leave immediately.”
His matter-of-fact response caused all the sadness Scarlet had been suppressing to burst out, like a balloon squeezed too hard on one side.
“This is all for your honor, isn’t it? Couldn’t you at least say something comforting?”
She was frightened.
Yet the party had left her no chance even to speak about it.
Standing before his unwavering determination always made her feel as though she were trembling over something trivial, grieving over something insignificant.
Steadying her shaking breath, she whispered,
“They say loving a man who only loves honor leaves only the wife lonely. You really…”
“So… should you take a lover?”
Victor asked with an amused smile.
Scarlet glared at him.
“Maybe I should.”
This time Victor let out a low laugh.
Taking her hand, he gently enclosed it in both of his before pressing a kiss against the back of it.
“Don’t betray me.”
“What kind of betrayal?”
Scarlet asked, looking utterly exhausted.
“You mean not saying anything foolish during tomorrow’s questioning? But taking a lover—that would be fine?”
“Why are you suddenly so angry?”
Victor softly embraced her.
“Don’t be angry. It’ll all be over tomorrow.”
“…”
“Just endure one more day.”
Out of sheer pride, Scarlet waited a long while before finally nodding.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if perhaps once tomorrow had passed, Victor himself would find another woman.
After all, once tomorrow was over, perhaps his wife’s usefulness would come to an end.
Releasing her from his embrace, Victor asked,
“Scarlet… you love me, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Scarlet answered immediately and turned away.
Her chest ached.
Every conversation with him left her emotions even more tangled than before, never once easing the pain.
“Madam.”
“…”
“Lady Scarlet Dumpfelt.”
Only after the royal police officer called her a second time did Scarlet emerge from her memories of the previous night.
Offering a belated smile, she apologized calmly.
“I’m sorry. I drifted off for a moment.”
When she came back to her senses, she was still inside the Royal Police Headquarters.
The man questioning her was Hughgan Hunter.
The Royal Police was famous for appointing the second sons of prestigious noble families, and their excessive politeness only made Scarlet feel even more nervous.
The Hunter family was itself one of the kingdom’s most influential houses.
His younger sister, Nina Hunter, was currently the Crown Prince’s lover and one of the central figures of high society.
She had once been Victor’s lover as well.
Living within the Dumpfelt household often made Scarlet forget that she had only just turned twenty.
If she behaved here as though she were an ignorant young woman, people would immediately dismiss her as lacking common sense.
Putting on the composed face of an adult, she asked,
“What was your question?”
Hughgan smiled—a smile with an unsettling sharpness.
“Ah… I asked whether you were beginning to feel the effects of the drug.”
“…The effects of a drug?”
“Yes. We mixed one into the tea you just drank.”
Scarlet tilted her head, unsure whether she had heard him correctly.
Hughgan continued,
“You remember that we asked about Lord Victor’s weaknesses, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Even then, Scarlet had been surprised by how detailed the Royal Police’s questioning had become.
They were digging not only into Victor himself, but even into the smallest mistakes made by those around him.
It was obvious they were determined to prevent her husband from being restored to the royal family.
The moment she realized that, Scarlet sensed danger.
Though a strange dizziness washed over her, she forced herself to stand and said with quiet dignity,
“I’ll step outside for a moment.”
“I’m afraid you can’t.”
“My husband told me that if the police became intimidating, I should leave immediately.”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that,” Hughgan replied leisurely.
“By the time you leave this place… you won’t remember anything that happened here.”
