[Rubid's commander, Victor Domfelt, meets with Festina officer Basili Lintberk]
Victor examined the additional newspaper that had arrived.
Basili Lintberk, who had spent a day at Domfelt Palace and was preparing to return to Festina, was speaking cheerfully: “Their speed is amazing.”
“Indeed”
“Anyway, think harder, Victor.”
Basile looked at him and added, "I came myf.
This shows how much the Festina royal family needs you.
Didn't the spies you captured tell you?
Festina respects soldiers and engineers."
“I've heard that many times.”
“With you, Festina can become the center of the world, and we can achieve peace without bloodshed.
A path that makes everyone happy.”
“Yes, I heard that too.”
Victor smiled, and Basile knew that pressure wouldn't help change his mind.
Basili waved his hand and left the palace.
As he watched the carriage leave, Palin Redford said to Victor: “Are you just going to let him go like this?”
Ivan Light stabbed him in the side and said, “Master Basile of the Royal Family of Festina, nephew of the current King.
Harming him means war immediately.”
“What?”
Balin was surprised: “My king from Festina visited Doomfelt Palace instead of the royal family in Salantir?”
“Yes, that's what happened”
Ivan looked at Victor.
Despite his long service, he could not understand his commander's thoughts.
He knew that Victor hated war, but this might push him to ally with Festina.
His men had to take a stand, but even the opportunistic Ivan and the outspoken Palin did not dare to oppose his decisions.
In the Navy, children enter the officer academy at eight, and board ships at thirteen.
Obedience to the leader from a young age makes disobedience difficult.
The day before, Victor had a rare relaxing time.
At the academy, he was first every year, and like other firsts, he spent half a year at the Festina Academy, where he shared a room with Basile.
They got along, and became close during that period.
But sending Basile, a royal, was remarkable.
Regardless of Victor's opinion, this encounter would have aroused suspicion, and might prompt the wealthy to move to Festina.
While his men were wondering about his thoughts, Scarlet Crimson arrived at the palace.
Blight welcomed her warmly: “Welcome.”
“I am sane today”
“That's good”
Blight smiled and added, “The master is in his office.”
Scarlett nodded and went up the stairs.
But the office was empty, and the sound of the shower could be heard from the adjacent bathroom.
Scarlett began to carefully leaf through the papers, but the bathroom door opened.
She was surprised and saw Victor approaching in a bathrobe.
“You seem to be searching for something.”
Scarlett froze as if she had been caught in a crime.
She remembered that she should pretend to have amnesia, but it was too late.
Before the divorce, she would not go near his papers.
Victor approached and removed her hand from the papers: “If you want to know something, ask me.”
“I didn't think you'd tell the truth.”
“This does not mean you can browse my papers.”
“If there was something that shouldn't be seen, I would hide it or close the door.”
“Not secret, but still forbidden.”
Scarlett knew from his low tone that she had gone too far.
She said: “I heard you met an officer from Festina?”
“Yes”
“What are you going to do?”
Victor was surprised by her direct question and did not answer immediately.
She insisted: “Why did you meet him?”
He responded by asking: “Why the rush?
Who did you meet?”
“I don't know if I can say”
“So, what did you hear?”
“The carriage accident in which my parents died may not have been an accident.”
“Do you know anything?”
Victor was silent for a moment.
“Victor,” she insisted.
“It is possible that His Majesty ordered this.”
“Are there spies in the royal family?” Scarlett said, her voice trembling.
“Maybe”
“I understand”
Scarlett nodded.
Victor thought about what he would do if someone else had touched his cards.
He found no precedent.
He would leave the door open because no one dared touch his papers, and whoever did would be a spy.
He carefully thought about how to handle it, then asked: “Who was this conversation with?”
“Don't you trust me?”
"no."
She answered firmly.
She once trusted him, but that trust was broken long ago.
Victor didn't believe in irrationality, and Scarlett was always into it.
Throughout his life, Victor punished mistakes harshly, which was the way of the Domfelt family and the Navy, and it was effective.
He applied this method to Scarlett as well, leaving his feeling of betrayal unaddressed, and his method never harmed him.
But Scarlett has always been an exception.
Lost in thought.
Scarlett couldn't bear the silence: “Say something.”
“Let's answer a question with a question.”
“That's a good deal for you.
Normally, I would have made you talk by any means.”
Victor cupped her smooth cheek.
Scarlett remembered Andrei, who had returned from naval detention rubbing his jaw as if it hurt.
Her shoulders trembled, but Victor didn't stop.
He pressed her lips open, inserting his finger gently as if he were soothing a child.
Then he removed his hand and praised her lips: “I’m thinking.
Moving on to Victor is not bad.”
“What?”
“I have done enough.
I served the royal family and the citizens.”
Victor bowed: “They said that my joining Bestina would bring peace to Salantir.”
“Maybe this is what people want.”
He wanted to get Scarlett Domfelt back someday.
Is this possible?
Is something possible for him?
He couldn't remove his hand from her face.
After a long contemplation, he continued: “The spies said that Festina’s army knows about you.”
“About me?”
“Your parents, Count Crimson and his wife, were the best engineers on the continent.
It is only natural that those planning war would target them.”
“The Festina army will try to kidnap you first.”
Scarlett looked at him with wide eyes as if she hadn't imagined it.
When Victor learned that the Royal Police had given Scarlett a drug to restore memories, he expected Festina to be involved.
He exposed his weaknesses.
He didn't need such a dangerous medicine.
But the Royal Police invested a lot to recover her memories, and he knew that losing part of her memory was not possible without experiments.
It may have been a target for a long time.
He asked quietly: “Do you want to go to Festina with me?”
Scarlett paused, then replied, "No, I won't go.
And you don't go either."
I looked at him with determination.
Victor replied: “Even if the royal family of Salantir killed your parents?
Salantir despises the Engineers.
If you go to Festina before they kidnap you, you will get better support for what you want.”
She replied: “Victor, when the Crimson Family obtained the title of Count, he promised his skilled descendants to stay in Salantir forever.
You know that.”
It was an old law.
She continued as he looked at her: “Until now, and back then, the classes were solid.
But why did they give the Crimson family the title and ask them to stay?
Because their technology was vital to the country.
Is this disdain for engineers?
No.”
Victor kept looking at her silently, and she continued: “The fault is with the current king, not Salantaire.
I am the heir to Crimson technology, and I promised to stay no matter what.
I will not leave.”
Victor muttered: “You have family honor.”
Victor felt frustrated because Scarlett had what he had wanted all his life.
The Domfelt family was never considered honorable, as it is the home of the exiled princess.
But the Crimson Family, which seemed insignificant in his eyes, possessed honor like a diamond, passing from heir to heir.