[TIDK] 144 – Isaac’s Perfume

More than half of the threadworms in his eyes had disappeared, revealing Isaac’s wine-coloured irises. Even those who were surprised by the condition of his eyes stopped screaming when they finally met his clear gaze.

“Oh my God, it’s so much better. I can even see your irises now!” 

Seeing how Scarlett was moved, Isaac smiled.

“Fortunately, it looks pretty clear now except for the part obscured by your eyelids.”

Scarlett was delighted and embraced Isaac with all her might. Finally, she let go of Isaac and then held out the briefcase to him.

In return, Isaac also held out the small box he had brought. Scarlett accepted it from him and then spoke. 

“Come on, let’s go.” 

“Yes.”

Isaac also accepted the briefcase.

Both of them had work to do today. Scarlett had to go east and Isaac had to go west, so the two parted ways soon. Isaac headed to court to suspend Abel’s guardian status, while Scarlett was headed to Mrs Paradis’s mansion on 7th Avenue.

Mrs Paradis’s mansion at the west end of 7th Avenue was lavish and grande. In addition, Scarlett arrived to find countless security guards stationed by the entrance, making her feel pressured.

Scarlett passed through several doors and finally arrived at the room where Mrs Paradis was waiting to receive her.

Mrs Paradis had always been unapproachable. They greeted each other with icy faces as usual, but Scarlett couldn’t get used to it no matter how often she met with Mrs Paradis.

Still, thanks to Mrs Paradis’s reserved nature, Scarlett was able to procure jewels without being disturbed by the Crimson family. Mrs Paradis didn’t provide her with high-quality jewels, but the quantity was enough.

Scarlett spoke first. “Earl Crimson wishes to trade jewels for perfume.” 

“I see.”

Mrs Paradis continued. “If you mean jewels for perfume, do you wish to find jewels that suit the perfume?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I’d like to know how much perfume you’ve made.” 

“Oh, yes, I brought it with me.”

Scarlett opened the box with the three bottles of perfume hurriedly. The liquid in one of the small, modest bottles had the same colour as Scarlett’s eyes. The liquid in the other two bottles was transparent.

Mrs Paradis picked up the first bottle of perfume, expressionless. She dropped two drops of the perfume onto her handkerchief. Then, after waiting for the alcohol to evaporate, she picked up the handkerchief to check the scent.

After repeating this procedure with the other two bottles of perfume, she finally put down her handkerchief and walked to the display case.

Mrs Paradis’s display case contained countless boxes stacked upon each other in layers. The contents were mostly crystals. The more valuable jewels were kept in the inner room.

Mrs Paradis pulled a box out of the display case and opened it. The box contained only red crystals that were sorted into small compartments depending on the deepness of their colour.

Mrs Paradis took out one of the crystals with a dark, almost purple colour.

Scarlett looked at the crystal Mrs Paradis had selected. Her eyes widened. It was the exact colour she had thought of when she smelled this scent.

Mrs Paradis’s gaze was calm. 

“Did Earl Crimson make this perfume?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard Earl Crimson can’t see.”

Scarlett was about to nod vigorously but then stopped herself.

Viktor taught Scarlett to always behave elegantly. -How to walk with a straight posture, lift up her skirt slightly to walk up the stairs without tripping and dance gracefully.

Scarlett spent most of her early marriage getting used to so many things. She had learned not to mess up her hair that had been groomed for three hours, and she had learned not to say that her feet hurt even if she spent hours standing in uncomfortable shoes. Scarlett had her hair straightened perfectly every time she came to buy jewels from Mrs Paradis. Even if she wore an old dress, she had well-groomed hair and used the mannerisms and speech she had learned at Dumfelt Street. From running a watch store, Scarlett became even more convinced that people’s judgement depended on one’s appearance quite a bit.

Mrs Paradis continued.

“That must be why he has a keen sense of smell.”

Scarlett smiled, thinking that it was a compliment. However, what Mrs Paradis said next was unexpected.

“But the question is whether Earl Crimson can make a perfume other than this one.”

“Pardon me? What do you mean?”

“I’ve been working with the Crimson family for quite some time, and I understand that Earl Crimson has been absent for a long time. You’ve been the one looking after Earl Crimson, haven’t you?”

“Yes, that’s…Is that a problem?”

“It’s a big problem. I can tell that this perfume was made specifically for Miss Scarlett, as you have been the one taking care of him. It must be Earl Crimson’s favourite scent. Indeed, this perfume is very good. But the other two are far too insincere compared to this one, and I do not feel amenable to them. They’re not at the level of being displayed in our store yet.”