[TIDK] 145 – Gem to Match the Scent

“...”

“I won’t be able to do business with you, but I’ll give you this as a gift because I like this perfume.”

Mrs Paradis used a pair of tweezers to place the crystal in a small silk pouch and then handed it to Scarlett.

Scarlett clutched the pouch in her hands and hesitated. 

“The next customer is waiting, so please leave.”

“Oh, yes, yes.”

Scarlett hurriedly placed the pouch in her pocket and grabbed the box with the perfumes to leave. However, just before exiting the room she was able to suppress her fear of Mrs Paradis and looked back.

“I...”

“I asked you to leave.”

Scarlett flinched and hurried out of the room at Mrs Paradis’s firm refusal.

♔♔♔

Scarlett exited through the great iron gate of the mansion and headed to the courthouse, sullen.

Not long after she began hanging around in front of the courthouse, a lawyer hired by the brother and sister came out with Isaac. The lawyer went back to see if he still had work to do, and Isaac ran to Scarlett. He tilted his head a little.

“I guess the results weren’t very good.”

Isaac guessed from Scarlett’s expression that she had been rejected by Mrs Paradis. He smiled with his eyes and continued.

“It’s okay. It’s just a hobby.”

Scarlett lifted a bottle of perfume. 

“Well, I heard this one is very good.”

“So the other two weren’t good?”

“Um, I heard that the other two still need to be developed a little bit more.” 

Isaac laughed as Scarlett made excuses. 

“Honestly, I thought so, too.”

“Oh, but this one really is very good, and I was given this as a gift.”

Scarlett took out the crystal Mrs Paradis had given her and showed it to Isaac.

“Wow. It’s just like I imagined.”

“Me, too. This is the colour that comes to mind when I smell this scent.” 

“Mrs Paradis is truly amazing.”

“Isn’t that why she has such a big mansion?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Isaac took the crystal and held it right in front of his eyes. He turned it around in the light and spoke while examining it.

“Let’s cut this crystal in half and decorate the top of the perfume bottle with it.” 

“Wow, it’s going to be so pretty.”

“I hope the other perfumes also get the right crystals to decorate them.” 

“Don’t you? As expected of someone with the last name Crimson.”

Isaac laughed like an angel in response to Scarlett’s joke. 

“By the way, is there a scent you like? I don’t know much about the world yet. I want to make perfume out of something you like.”

“Hmm… Margheria*?” 

*tl: margheria is a wine

“Right, you like margheria, don’t you?” 

“And…and roses…”

“Roses?”

“Yes, bright red roses! And…peonies. It should smell like a huge vase full of peonies…Will all of those flowers be too expensive?”

Seeing her hesitating, Isaac replied calmly. 

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll find out.” 

“Alright. Oh, and the paperwork?” 

“I paid for it in court.”

“Do you think it’s going to work out?” 

“Yes, I do think it’s going to work out.”

Scarlett laughed merrily because Isaac spoke more confidently than she had expected.

“You’re confident now, aren’t you?”

“You said I’d gotten a lot better before I went to court. After hearing that, I became more confident…and I was proud of myself.”

Scarlett giggled and laughed as Isaac took exaggerated and confident steps, speaking in a playful tone. Isaac couldn’t remember how long it had been since they had smiled like this together.

As the siblings began heading home from the courthouse, the lawyer glanced out of the window. He had helped file the application for suspension of guardianship and a complaint against Abel Crimson.

Isaac Crimson had been completely expressionless from the moment he entered the courtroom, to the point where the lawyer thought that he might not be alive. When applying for a suspension of guardianship, Isaac had casually watched the officials freak out in front of him when they checked his eyes. After surrounding himself with such a tense atmosphere, it was absurd to see Isaac smiling like an angel as soon as he met Scarlett.

♔♔♔

Isaac walked Scarlett back to the watch store at a slow pace. 

After enjoying a cup of tea, Scarlett confirmed Isaac’s return to Crimson’s mansion in a private carriage and was about to enter the store again. Suddenly, Julie, who delivered the newspaper to 7th Avenue, ran over and gave Scarlett an extra.

“Extraordinary, Miss Scarlett!” 

“Thank you, Julie.….”

Before she could say more, Julie ran off again. It seemed that the contents of the newspaper were time-critical and had to be distributed quickly. Scarlett’s eyes widened as she checked the extra.

Viktor Dumfelt, Captain of the Rubied, and Basili Lindberg, Officer of Vestina.

The pressure exuded by this short title was intense. The people of the capital froze as soon as they received this extra.