# 1
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Things she had forgotten began to come to her mind.
Scarlett Domfelt, the daughter of great watchmakers and the actual mistress of the Domfelt family, was recalling the events of last night, when she was being interrogated at the police station.
Last night, there was a party at the Domfelt estate.
After the investigations she would undergo, her husband, war hero Victor Domfelt, would become a recognized member of the royal family.
The only time Scarlett went to the police station was when she was twelve years old.
I was involved in a car accident.
Her parents, who were in the carriage with her, died, and her brother Isaac, a year older than her, was blinded after he fell down the hill with her.
Twelve-year-old Scarlett is repeatedly questioned by the police about the incident.
She was the only one who could explain the accident. To this day, at the age of 20, the accident still leaves scars on her body.
Although she was extremely worried about the police questioning the next day, as Lady Domfelt, she nonetheless prepared the party with the utmost care.
The Domfelt estate was receiving guests for the first time in a long time.
The Domfelt family estate, also known as the Hill of the Exiled Princess, became one of the most beautiful estates in Salantaire over time in the years as the princess's son, Victor Domfelt, matured.
The gentle hills were always meticulously maintained, and the roads were paved to allow carts to pass.
To the east of the hill, was the capital of Salantir, and to the west was the sea.
Its land was not as fertile as the rest of the provinces of Salantaire, but to the north, there was a beautiful and terrifying cedar forest.
The Domfelt family fortune was built on the victories of Victor Domfelt.
It was a wealthy aristocratic family, built on generations of warfare, and enjoying vast hunting grounds.
And here, where the ceremony was scheduled to take place, there was a beautiful hall overlooking the sea view.
The hall, which had a beautifully decorated fireplace, was full of party participants, all of whom had prepared smiles that did not annoy or offend anyone and did not appear smirking.
The same was true for Scarlett Domfelt, who choked on a mouthful of alcohol.
In the social circle of the capital Salantaire, kindness was equivalent to asking to be trampled on.
She looked at her husband briefly, while at a table full of influential people.
He was holding a glass of wine in his white gloved hand.
With his strong, sweaty hands, hidden behind his gloves, he wears a suit that suits his slender figure. Victor looked dapper.
His mother, Princess Marina Irene, was expelled from the royal family for being pregnant with him.
Therefore, he did not hesitate to commit any atrocities in order to win back his mother, who became the Duchess of Domfelt. His purposeful gaze turned towards the pirates who were disturbing the western coast of Salantir.
Scarlett read in the newspapers about how cruel her husband was towards the pirates, whom he completely exterminated.
In the first half of Salantaire, fear and longing for Victor Domfelt spread like wildfire. People were grateful to him, and used his name to stop their children from crying.
Scarlett always had the utmost respect for her husband, and loved him.
If it had been for him, her life would not have been in vain.
Victor had lived his entire life focused only on his goals, and even that way, Scarlett loved her husband.
It had been more than two years since they had been married in the year she turned eighteen. Meanwhile, her one-sided love, without her knowing, left small scars in her heart.
Scarlett still felt numb to the cold-heartedness of her husband, who didn't even glance at her even though she was nervous about going to the police station tomorrow.
“By the way, Madam Domfelt, Festina isn't really going to war, is she?” One of the gentlemen sitting at the table spoke.
As the subject changed, Scarlett returned her attention to the table she was sitting at.
These days, when aristocrats get together, they talk about war.
As the first nation founded on this continent, from the point of view of the sovereign nation of Salantaire, Festina has always had a modest existence.
However, when the war begins, many nations will lose a lot.
So, the aristocracy feared war.
Scarlett gave her prepared answer.
“I don’t know. My husband is the territorial waters guard, so I don’t know much about things on land.”
"If every war were a sea battle, there would be nothing to worry about. Mr. Domfelt is here," said another man thoughtfully.
“Anyway, Salantir is surrounded by mountains, so as long as we protect the southern, central, and northern regions, we will be fine.”
“So far, all the fools who tried to cross the high and rugged mountain ranges froze or starved to death before reaching Salantir.”
What the Salantir nobles feared was that the Salantir possessions might be destroyed, but no one thought of Festina as an opponent.
Scarlett couldn't focus on the conversation even though it was a very serious conversation.
Appearing at the police station the next day was particularly stressful and terrifying.
Sometimes I felt like that.
On a day when everything around her was perfect, she felt terribly anxious.
That's how Scarlett felt today.
Victor's dark blue eyes turned to Scarlett for a moment, as if he had sensed her pitying gaze on him.
At Salantaire, his blue eyes, once common, seemed regal. She thought it was because of his royal blood, which he was half royal, or because of his dazzling appearance.
Victor turned his attention back to his group.
When she saw his gaze, the old lady next to her spoke in a low voice.
“The love of a man who knows nothing but honor makes his wife lonely.”
“…Is this true?”
“It would be better if you had a separate boyfriend, just like I did when I was little.”
Hearing these rude words, Scarlett looked at the old woman.
The old woman continued her words calmly.
“My husband and my lover are different. With lovers, you can break up at any time. So, the moment you are together seems even sweeter.”
Then Scarlett laughed a little.
She thought it was very romantic to have a lover instead of a husband.
Having a lover was definitely a bad thing, but when it happened, the social world secretly bragged about it.
Perhaps because the party was particularly lonely for her, Scarlett remembered the old lady's words all the time.
* * *
Late at night after the party, Scarlett couldn't sleep and woke up.
She put on a dress over her pajamas and left her bedroom.
In the hallway, she went down to her husband's room.
She was anxious all day, and felt very upset.
When she saw her husband's face, she felt an indescribable emotion.
She tried hard to hide her feelings, and told him: “I’m nervous because I have to go to the police station.”
Victor couldn't understand why his wife was so nervous, but he didn't ask her right away because he thought his wife was a rather weak person and had fallen in love with him.
Scarlett continued.
“I shouldn't be so pathetic, for nothing...I'm worried.”
Then Victor got up and approached her.
“Don't worry and go to sleep,” he said looking into her burgundy eyes.
“That's because…, what if things don't go the way I want?”
“Say that you will not answer any question they ask. If they are bossy, refuse to answer and leave immediately.”
As soon as he finished, Scarlett's upset heart exploded like a balloon that had been forcibly compressed to one side.
All this for your honor... Can't you say a warm word?
She was afraid.
At the party, there wasn't even a moment to talk about it.
When she saw his determination, she felt like someone trembling and sad over nothing.
Scarlett let out a shuddering breath, and said, "If I love a man who loves honor, then in the end I'm the one who feels lonely. What the hell..."
“Are you bringing a boyfriend?” Victor smiled and asked her.
It was silly, and he was enjoying it.
Scarlett stared at him angrily, “Yes, should I?”
This time, Victor burst out laughing. Then he covered Scarlett's hand with his own and pulled her to his lips, kissing her on the back of her hand.
“Don't betray me”
“What is treason?”
Scarlett asked, a look of exhaustion on her face: "Do you mean that I won't say nonsense in tomorrow's interrogation? Or about my relationship with a lover? Is that acceptable?"
“Why are you so angry all of a sudden?”
Victor spoke and pulled Scarlett into his arms and hugged her gently.
“Don't be angry, it will be over tomorrow.”
“Just wait for one day.”
After a while, pride forced her to agree.
Maybe the day after tomorrow, Scarlett thought, Victor might find another lover.
Because her usefulness as his wife would end tomorrow.
Victor pulled her away from his embrace, “Scarlett, do you love me?”
“Mmm yes,” she replied, and immediately turned around.
Her heart was beating hard. After talking to him, the complicated feelings she felt were not resolved at all, but rather accumulated more and more.
* * *
“Ma’am”
“Lady Scarlett Domfelt”
When the Royal Policeman called her again, only then did Scarlett wake up from her coma remembering the events of the previous night.
She smiled a little after a while and apologized quietly.
“I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
When she regained consciousness, she was still at the Royal Police headquarters.
The man who called her was named Hughan Hunter.
The Royal Police, known to be mostly hired by second sons of prestigious families, were extremely polite, which made Scarlett nervous.
The Hunter family, to which this man belonged, was very influential.
His younger sister, Nina Hunter, became the Crown Prince's mistress, and was the center of his social circle. At one point, she was also Victor's mistress.
She lived in the Domfelt family home, and forgot that she was twenty years old.
Here, if she had acted like an ignorant, know-nothing 20-year-old, it would have been easy to paint her as someone who lacked common sense.
Scarlett practiced pasting a mature expression.
“What's your question again?” Scarlett asked.
Heughan smiled sharply, “Ah, I asked if it had any medical effect.”
“…Medical effect?”
“Yes, the medicine in the tea you are drinking now.”
Scarlett tilted her head.
She didn't seem to understand what he meant.
Heughan opened his mouth.
“Do you remember when I asked you about Mr. Victor’s weaknesses?”
“Yes”
In fact, Scarlett did not expect the Royal Police to ask her such detailed questions.
He scrutinized even the smallest mistakes of his own and of those around him.
It was clear that he did not want her husband to return to the royal family.
The moment Scarlett realized this, she felt danger and got up.
She felt strangely dizzy, but she suppressed it and spoke in a noble tone.
“I'm leaving for a moment.”
“This is not possible”
“My husband told me I could leave immediately if the police were controlling.”
“You don't have to worry about it. When you get out of here, you won't remember what happened here.”
Heughan Hunter was at ease when he spoke.