“…….”

Suddenly, it felt like a sigh of relief burst from above. Of course, that couldn’t be true.

Christoph quickly approached. With one hand, he held Marianne’s hand, and with the other, he firmly pressed her spine.

Hmm.

Marianne involuntarily tensed her shoulders with a sensation sharp enough to send shivers down her spine. It was a completely different feeling from the Duke.

Between the two of them, a sensual and intense atmosphere flowed instead of affection and compassion. Christoph’s gaze didn’t leave her, and his breath continuously tickled Marianne’s eyelids.

Christoph slowly took a step forward, and Marianne began to move along with him.

At first, a warm breeze scattered from above. Marianne, who was stubbornly looking at his jaw, raised her gaze a little higher. His slightly loosened lips were visible.

“Your skills have improved a lot. At my graduation party, you made me unable to wear shoes, remember?”

“Ugh.”

As if recalling an embarrassing memory, Marianne’s neck gradually turned red.

Christoph watched her with narrowed eyes. A white neck, slender enough to be held by one hand, subtly revealed itself amidst flowing blonde hair. His mouth watered particularly for that neck.

He wanted to sink his teeth into that teasing neck, take a big bite. It seemed like that would make this hunger disappear.

The boiling thirst seemed to be easing. Christoph slowly rang the bell of desire, trying to calm the fierce beast inside him.
Marianne, whose gaze wavered, added as if in explanation, “It’s the result of intense practice and training. Even as Schneider’s wife, I couldn’t have stepped on your foot. That would have stained the Schneider family’s name.”

At her words, Christoph’s laughter vanished. He looked down at Marianne with deep-set eyes. His gaze was as determined as the strands of hair that clung to his forehead.

“Marianne.”

“…”

“I’m saying this because it seems like you’ve misunderstood something.”

Marianne raised her head to meet his gaze, wondering what she had misunderstood.

Misunderstood what, she wondered.

“I don’t need Marianne Cloze; I don’t need Schneider’s wife. If I needed Schneider’s wife, I would have proposed to someone from a similar family, not you.”

“!”

As if hearing unexpected words, Marianne widened her eyes. Christoph’s pupils, filled with him, trembled.

From the beginning, it had felt strange. No one knew why Christoph Schneider had proposed to Marianne Cloze. It was natural. Even the person in question, Marianne, didn’t know.

And that answer had still not been found.

So why—why had it been her?

“You don’t have to do anything, Marianne. No matter what anyone says, you are a member of the Schneider family. Everyone will kneel before you. They will pay their respects to Schneider’s wife, Christoph’s wife. Those who don’t, I won’t forgive.”

Ah…
Marianne’s pupils quivered. It was the words she had longed to hear. These words had finally reached her after a long time.

Where did it all go wrong?

Perhaps this wasn’t just Christoph’s problem. She realized that she too was at fault for enduring without a word of protest.

She had thought that silently suppressing her emotions was her duty to him. But it wasn’t. If there was a festering wound, it needed to be exposed and talked about.

Concealing the issue wouldn’t solve anything. As time passed, it would only rot and fester beyond repair.

Both of them were incredibly inexperienced and foolish.

Christoph didn’t understand her, and Marianne understood him too well. There was a lack of communication between them.

Instead of enduring, she should have said it was difficult. She should have said it was too heavy to bear alone. Who knew, they might have found a solution. Things might not have become so tangled.

During a moment when she thought, “Maybe the second time around, we can do a little better,”

“…”

The melody that had been gracefully drifting through the ballroom came to a halt. Silence descended upon the room that had just been filled with music.

Christoph couldn’t easily let go of her hand. His fingers lingered on Marianne’s hand, touching her gently and discreetly.

He held her in his arms after a long time. It wasn’t the Marianne who was intoxicated with alcohol. It wasn’t a moment she wouldn’t remember tomorrow.
Her body was warm, and her skin was soft. The familiar scent evoked memories of countless nights. The sensation of her lips grazing his from a few nights ago vividly came to life. His fingertips felt hot as if they were on fire.

Christoph didn’t want to let go of her hand. Fierce desire parted his lips. His pupils darkened. He wanted to devour her just like this.

But then, he might not be able to escape a second time, nor could he run away from himself.

The dancers exchanged greetings and stepped away from each other. However, Christoph still held Marianne’s hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“…”

Marianne couldn’t turn her head either. If she had done it hastily, she might have been bitten on the throat like a herbivore, so she looked at him with tense eyes. Her mouth had gone dry.