[TIDK] 57 – Sharing A Bed With My Ex

After working on the engine – the mechanics of which the noble young masters had no clue of, Scarlett placed her tools down. Casually, she pulled the lever; her life was in the miracle of this lever.

At that moment, a loud buzz filled the warehouse.

“It’s working.”

Scarlett said, raising her head. 

However, even in the loud noise that filled the warehouse, tension was felt between the Navy and the Army.

Scarlett shyly smiled.

“Did I do alright?”

Evan was the first to pull his hands out of his pocket and applaud.

“That’s great, Miss Scarlett. You fixed it!”

The rest of the soldiers were stunned.

“The Crimson family is amazing. I didn’t know you’d fix it….” Blythe spoke frankly.

Scarlett laughed at the remark.

“Did you have no faith in me?”

“Well, actually, none at all. So I was thinking seriously about what would happen after you couldn’t fix it.”

“What’s going on?”

Waldor spoke sourly to Viktor.

“Wasn’t he going to kill us?”

Viktor chuckled at the remark and took off his coat. He looked in his pocket but no gun was there.

Evan rebuked him. “What can we do? We don’t trust you that much not to.”

“It’s a matter of faith.”

As they bickered, the engine continued to run. Perhaps that was why those who seemed to argue for a while soon stopped fighting and smiled.

“An engineer from the Crimson family is here!” Someone shouted.

Scarlett flinched at the sound, and the others shouted next to her.

“She’s an engineer!”

“They’re alive!”

Scarlett was shocked by the yells about her, and hid behind the comforting whirring of the engine. Viktor too, was helplessly dumbfounded and kept his arms behind his back.

♔♔♔

In commemoration of fixing the engine, the soldiers had a drinking fest.

Scarlett was on the verge of collapse, relieved or too tired. After climbing the mountain the day before, she couldn’t sleep a wink and fixed the engine. It felt like she took out the energy from the pits of her soul and used it to focus on her work.

For now, there was a private bathroom in Viktor’s bedroom, so she borrowed it. She tried to warm herself in warm water but took a cold bath because she thought she would fall asleep.

“I’m so tired this week...”

Scarlett finished her bath as she mumbled herself, and changed into her clothes.

She didn’t know what to wear when meeting Viktor, as she’d brought clothing that was meant to be dispensable.

It was clear that if she showed Viktor the pyjamas she was wearing now, he wouldn’t remain silent. But there was no other way; Scarlett left the bathroom. And, as expected, Viktor’s gaze swept through her.

“Are you protesting because I didn’t give you any alimony?”

-As she expected. She tried to think rationally that it was nothing to be ashamed of, but it didn’t go her way. The fever spread across her cheeks.

“It’s just that I brought it to wear one time only. Because of the weight of the luggage.”

“By the way, I wore it until it became like that.”

“...I hope you think it’s frugal.”

Viktor laughed his head off at her words.

Scarlett, embarrassedly adjusted her nightgown.

“Do you have any rooms left?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Then I’ll give you a hard time. It looks warm, too.”

“Well.”

Viktor walked undisturbed and opened the closed door for her. Like the day she accepted a divorce letter, she didn’t think twice.

Scarlett carried her sleeping bag and came out. Suddenly she saw a cockroach in the lobby and stepped back in fear.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

A young man standing on the guard stepped on a roach and kicked its splattered remains.

“Why are you so tall?” Scarlett arched her neck to look up at him.

“Oh, it’s south!” said the young man with a smile.

As Scarlett shuddered in the lobby, another young man came.

“In the capital city, there are unimaginable insects and bugs.”

“Oh, what?”

Scarlett decided to denounce the soldiers because she thought a beast would never appear in the garrison of those who had chosen the elite. But a beast was better than that bug.

They continued recounting horrific details with glee.

“I’ve seen a centipede the size of my arm.”

“There’s no such thing as that!” Scarlett exclaimed.

“Oh? If you don’t believe me, I’ll risk my life to find it and prove….”

“That’s enough!”

Scarlett didn’t want to hear it, so she put her hand over her ears. Viktor, who came down in the meantime, spoke teasingly, wrapping his arm around Scarlett’s shoulder.

“It’s better to sleep with your ex than that, right?”

Scarlett rubbed her hands on her arms, now dotted with goosebumps.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” She spoke sarcastically.

“If you’re curious, we can try.”

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