[TIDK] 32 – Investigation

As everyone entered, Blythe spoke with a smile on his face.

“Truthfully, everyone was curious about Madam’s watch shop. Now that I’m here, I should have a drink with Mr Andrei.”

Blythe spoke, and he went inside too. He gave Andrei a cherub greeting and a light hug.

Evan asked Andrei something, pointing to the sapphire naval watch written on the panel, and Andrei put his name on the reservation list in advance. He gave an approximate date for when it would be completed. In the meantime, Pallin bought a pocket watch Scarlett had handcrafted from sterling silver. All of them were children of pedigree families in the country, so money was not an issue.

After a while, they and Andrei came out together. 

“I will leave work two hours early today. I decided to join the Navy and have a drink.” Andrei said to Scarlett.

“What, didn’t you tell me that I didn’t work?”

“You are obligated to give an employee one day off a month, but I couldn’t take a rest because there was no replacement employee. You’re a bad boss. That’s why a person has to work for this business, right?”

Scarlett flinched at Andrei’s cold words and pushed him back to go quickly.

The Navy hurriedly left, and in the end, only Viktor was left in the shop.

“Why the hell did you come....”

Scarlett sighed, but Viktor spoke his own words instead of answering.

“Is your studio on the second floor?”

“Yes.”

As Viktor headed up the stairs, Scarlett hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“Not even Andrei can go in there.”

Then Viktor took out a navy notebook from his inner pocket and opened it. A certificate confirming that the police had requested help from the Navy and a seal vetoing authority of emergency investigation were stamped.

In her heart, she did not accept it, even though her head understood that he had the full right to rummage through her studio at his discretion.

She refused to budge and open the door, so Viktor turned to her.

“If you don’t want to open the door, I can break it.”

“I’ll open it.”

Scarlett took her key out of the little pocket she hung around her waist. Soon the wooden door opened.

♔♔♔

As they walked up the narrow, oak stairs, they arrived at Scarlett’s studio, which felt slightly wider than the first floor because there was no furniture. 

A translucent curtain hung to separate the bedroom, and there was a bed and a wardrobe in the compartment.

When Viktor took out a match and lit the gas lamp, sparks lit up, revealing the springs and moulds piled up in a glass showcase.

He threw a match that was yet to be extinguished into the brazier. Then he beckoned her to the safe on the wall. When Scarlett reluctantly opened it, it contained ingots of silver and gold used for sharpening cogs.

“What do you want to know? Investigations must also have a purpose.” Scarlett asked, looking at Viktor, who eyed every corner of her room.

“It is illegal to repair trams. You know what I’m investigating.”

Scarlett paused, then spoke boldly.

“I went to fix it, but it wasn’t broken. It worked well; I was just nervous for nothing.”

She acted ignorant, like an investigator or a spectator.

“That day, I saw you. Make no excuses.” He said.

Scarlett felt goosebumps on the back of her neck at those words, but she pretended it was nothing.

“If you saw me, why are you looking here?”

“You said you went to repair the tram, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I want to know where you learned those skills to repair.”

Viktor picked up the armchair, moved it under the gas lamp, and grabbed Scarlett’s seat.

“What are you doing....”

As Scarlett spoke, the gas lamp gleamed, and she covered her eyes with her arms.

“It turns out that you’re from the Crimson family, but you’ve been a maid since you were twelve,” Viktor said interrogatively.

“Do you need to know that?”

“Then. You always lied to me that you grew up like a lady. Of course, I knew you weren’t just by looking at your actions.”

“....”

“It means that the maid who worked at home taught herself the art of the Crimson family. How can the children of the House not be able to do it yet? No, say that watches were a family business. However, most of the tram engineers died in accidents, including the former Crimson couple. So, do you have any memories left from before you turned twelve?”

He would treat her as an insane person if she suddenly said she remembered.

“Not long ago, I stumbled across a 

blueprint for a tram. So I studied on my own.” Scarlett said calmly.

“Where is the blueprint?”

“I memorised it and burned it.”

“Did you memorise it? That would be illegal.”

“....”

Scarlett opened her mouth as she was speechless, then paused. It didn’t seem like a task of Viktor’s to investigate her, who was clumsy with her lies. He was constantly dealing with pirates who were always trying to get out of him.

Viktor opened his mouth, looking relaxed and spoke.

“So what about watch technology?”

Scarlett, unable to make an excuse for what she said earlier, sighed and bit her lip.

As she couldn’t answer his questions repeatedly, Viktor’s expression darkened.

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