178 – Grand Proposal
“Oh, it seems like you’ve forgotten. The Earl is busy trying to restore the Crimson family that you love so much, Boss. The family that Abel Crimson almost irreparably destroyed, remember?”
“I know. I know. I could have seen him if I had gone, but now I can’t see him even if I go. And it’s not like Isaac comes to see me every day, either. It’s frustrating, so frustrating.”
In response to Scarlett’s annoyed words, Andrei chuckled with a bitter smile. As far as he knew, Scarlett Crimson was the only important thing in Isaac Crimson’s world. It was so severe that it was a problem, yet Scarlett herself didn’t know anything and was here complaining about being frustrated.
Andrei was annoyed, but he decided to let it go. Scarlett hadn’t entirely escaped her fear yet, and he didn’t want to burden her even more by bringing up the fact that Isaac’s seriousness to the point of only thinking about his younger sister was abnormal.
With an uncharacteristic hesitation, Andrei finally spoke.
“Anyway… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“The picture of you that appeared in the newspaper, Boss. It’s because I arranged for the royal police to be here. That’s how it got taken. And the pirates saw it and…”
“You mean they used the newspaper?”
“Yes.”
Scarlett’s expression became grave as she realised the implication of what Andrei had just said.
Upon hearing those words, Scarlett, who had been sitting the whole time, stood up from the sofa. In response, Andrei spoke as if resigned.
“If you were to kill me right here, I wouldn’t press charges.”
“How can I press charges when you’re dead?”
“It’s my way of saying how sorry I am.”
“How about,” Scarlett smirked, “let’s see, two years. Unpaid.”
“You’re going too far. I’d rather you just kill me,” Andrei groaned.
Ignoring Andrei’s frustrated expression, Scarlett grabbed her coat and said.
“After hearing that, I’ve come up with a plan.”
“What plan?”
“You don’t need to know, unpaid employees have no right,” Scarlett chuckled. “I’ll be back.”
“Ah, two years…” Andrei wallowed.
After glancing back at Andrei, who seemed deeply tormented at the thought, Scarlett left the room.
♔♔♔
Setting foot on the road, Scarlett couldn’t help but feel uneasy as she noticed several guards Viktor had hired separately accompanying her along the way.
The streets were already sparsely populated, with people who had sought refuge scattered here and there. Scarlett walked past the desolate bustling area as if it had been worn down by war, heading towards the naval office.
Upon entering the naval office, the sailors greeted her.
“Hello!”
“Good morning.”
Scarlett entered the naval office without anyone stopping her. Regardless of the country’s state, the well-bred sailors were as cheerful as ever. They were enjoying their leisure time in the spacious office.
Scarlett headed straight for the conference room where Viktor was. A naval officer soon opened the door, and Scarlett walked in. All the sailors in the middle of a meeting turned to look at the door. She had been granted permission to enter, but she hadn’t imagined that a meeting was taking place. Scarlett’s eyes widened, and she took a step back.
Viktor, who had noticed her, flicked his cigarette and gestured for a few people inside to rise. They gave her a naval salute and exited the conference room.
After a moment, when the door closed, Scarlett asked Viktor.
“Why did they leave…?”
Viktor, sitting in the conference room’s main seat, seemed a bit uneasy for a moment, causing Scarlett to raise her voice. In response, Viktor took out a fresh cigarette and said,
“It’s because you’re not from the Air Force, Miss Scarlett.”
“I see.”
Scarlett replied as gracefully as she could, but she felt uncomfortable under the scrutinising gazes of the naval officers. After working alone for a while, being in a crowd felt somewhat awkward.
Scarlett spoke, “I have a proposal to make. That’s why I came.”
A naval officer who appeared to be at least twenty years older than Viktor asked, “What kind of proposal, Miss Scarlett?”
In response to his question, Scarlett walked closer and whispered softly into Viktor’s ear, “Can I talk about aircraft-related matters here?”
Viktor turned toward her and answered, “Feel free.”
As Viktor spoke, his eyes met Scarlett’s, and she flinched simultaneously. The gaze was gentle, which made her uncomfortable because it was unfamiliar.
Scarlett began to speak, “I would like to announce on a grand scale that I’m working on an aircraft. I want to let Vestina know that creating a conflict with Salantier wouldn’t be beneficial. In that case, we need to inform Vestina that we’ve started producing aircraft from now on. The Crimson family is a renowned lineage of technologists. If I, a member of the enemy nation, vouch for it, there should be some credibility.”
While speaking, Scarlett wondered if such words would be taken seriously. She was concerned that her vulnerability might be exposed, so she was trying to maintain a stern expression.
I fell in love with this book when it was still ongoing and read it during COVID, anticipating each chapter’s release. I’ve been translating this book since 2020! I put a lot of time and effort over the years, hours on end manually translating and typing, and comparing with the original book so that my nuances are right, so that my translations are good (five years coming for TIDK).
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