“You may not be suitable for an esteemed social gathering, but you need to satisfy your vanity. So, pretending to be a successful nobleman in a cafe frequented by wealthy commoners seems to be your pleasure in life.”

“Ah, ah…….”

“Mrs. Gross, I have some advice. If you want to make money, abandon your pride; if you want to be treated as a noble, give up money. It would be best to do only one of the two.”

“What, what are you saying…….”

Baroness Gross flared her eyes and twitched her mouth. She seemed to be at a loss for words.

Christoph looked as if he had bitten a knife. Marianne had never seen him judge like this before, but it was probably no less severe. Marianne belatedly expressed a dull sympathy for his opponents.

But Christoph seemed to have no intention of reining in.

“Then at least you won’t have to hear that you’re both vulgar and greedy.”

“Ugh!”

Mrs. Gross bit her lip. Until a moment ago, she had looked down on Christoph as a merchant, but now her face turned red with shame. Mrs. Gross snapped back in a cold voice.

“And what a great person are you?”

Merely a captain who owns a trade ship, at best. A mocking smile was playing at the corner of Baroness Gross’s mouth.

“Me?”

Christoph let out a snicker. The surroundings were as quiet as the sound of a pin dropping. Everyone was listening to their conversation.

At that moment, someone swallowed their breath. Probably someone who recognized Christoph.

“Times have changed, Marianne. I never thought the day would come when I would be asked such a question in my own land.”

Marianne had never seen Christoph boast about his birth or rank before.

It was only natural. He wasn’t someone who needed to brag. He was a great person in and of himself, without relying on the power of his origin.

And that Christoph looked down on Mrs. Gross with haughty eyes, born of pride.

“The master of Blauburg, Christoph K. Schneider.”

“!”

At that moment, Mrs. Gross inhaled sharply with a shocked expression. The manager’s eyes widened, and the air in the hall rippled.

“And this woman here. The woman you have been insulting until now is my wife, Marianne Schneider.”

Christoph slowly turned his gaze. His eyes met Marianne’s. Marianne, about to say something, closed her mouth quietly. It was because his black eyes were burning so fiercely.
She couldn’t possibly say in front of him that she was a wife about to be divorced. She had no idea what would happen if she did. So Marianne chose silence.

Mrs. Gross exclaimed as if she couldn’t believe it, her pale face looking like it would collapse at any moment.

“How am I supposed to believe that you are Mr. Schneider? If you’re impersonating Mr. Schneider, you should be prepared.”

“It seems you haven’t heard that my wife and I have returned to Blauburg. Well, you don’t have a social gathering to hear the news, do you?”

Christoph’s calm and collected voice sounded even colder in comparison to her.

Mrs. Gross stared at Christoph with wide eyes, as if trying to gauge whether his words were true or not.

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you, Lady Gross. I will send Oscar today, so be looking forward to what kind of message he will bring.”

Oscar.

There was no one in Blauburg who didn’t know that name. In fact, he was more famous as Bollen, the butler of Duke Schneider, and at the same time, Duke Schneider’s right hand.

During the time Duke Schneider earned the nickname of the Shark Duke, he was a notorious person who took on all sorts of dirty work on behalf of the Duke.

There was a time when a crying child was told, “If you keep crying, Bollen will come to catch you,” and even the most stubborn child would stop crying immediately. Such was the power of that name.

But Christoph had casually uttered a name that no one easily spoke, and even by the first name, not the last.

Was it true? Was he really Christoph Schneider?

Mrs. Gross looked at him with pale and confused eyes. Her confused eyes turned towards Marianne, her gaze resentful, as if asking why Schneider’s wife was here in such an outfit.

“Huh!”

“I’m not sure if you heard, but the Duke is terribly fond of Marianne. I’m looking forward to what command the Duke will give to Oscar, too.”

“Hold on a moment…!”

“Let’s go, Marianne.”

Christoph moved on without even looking at her. Marianne, who had been staring at Mrs. Gross for a moment, followed him with a short sigh. The steward hurriedly ran up to them and handed them their hats and gloves.

Lady Gross stared blankly into space with a drained face. The guests, who had all witnessed the scene, began to get up one by one.

It was only natural. In Blauburg, no one wanted to be out of favor with Duke Schneider.

Perhaps they would never visit this place again. The café where Lady Schneider was insulted would no longer be patronized. It was as good as a death sentence for the business.

Marianne looked at Christoph’s straight back and lightly bit her lip. He was angry as if he himself had been insulted.

And she was comforted by Christoph’s anger. Ridiculous, but true.

“Are you alright, Christoph?”

She had always feared this kind of situation. A regrettable moment when she would tarnish Christoph’s name because of her.