Looking down at her indifferently, Christoph suddenly pulled at one side of his lips. It didn’t matter either way. In the end, Marianne’s gaze wouldn’t stray far from him.

“It’s not going to be easy, but I didn’t say it’s impossible.”

Christoph was still confident, even arrogant. But Marianne knew that his confidence was not pretense.

He looked at her with deep eyes. It was a sweet gaze that made her heart race and her head spin, as if she had eaten an entire box of chocolates in one sitting.

Unconsciously, Marianne clenched her hands tight. The dress’s hem within her hands crumpled.

“So, Marianne.”

She looked at Christoph with wide eyes.

“Will you join me for lunch today?”

“…….”

Marianne couldn’t open her mouth easily. The moment she opened it, her trembling voice seemed to leak out.

Whatever he thought of her silence, Christoph rubbed his chin again, adding defensively,

“I have something to discuss regarding the Paul case.”

“!”

At that moment, Marianne’s eyes widened, like someone who had heard something unexpected. She slowly pulled at the corner of her mouth, her face expressionless as she gazed at him.

Slightly smiling at her appearance, Christoph let out a sigh of relief, when a calm voice came from Marianne’s mouth.

“Discuss the case. A few days ago, you wouldn’t have believed those words. When I brought up the Veronica case, you said you knew nothing about it, that you would handle it all.”

“!”

This time, the expression vanished from Christoph’s face.

Thud.

His heart fell with a heavy sound. Was it surprise, fear, or guilt? He couldn’t tell.

Christoph unconsciously narrowed his eyes. The actions he had taken so far were now coming back to him like a boomerang. Once more, he had come to understand why she had left him.

Damn it, Christoph.

You fool.

He wanted to smash his head, which was so petty and low. Though he had once been the cleverest and wisest, he was now more foolish and dull than anyone else.

Christoph barely licked his lips. His mouth cornered with a deep, selfmocking smile.

“…So that’s why you left the forbidden herb and left.”

Marianne looked into his face without a word. She stared at his face, coldly hardened, then giving a pitiful smile.

Christoph dropped his head, looking at his shoes with cynical eyes.

The next moment, she stood up from the bench. Leaving him behind, Marianne walked towards the police station.

Christoph didn’t move. His gaze continued to roll on the ground. But then,

“See you at lunch, Christoph.”

“!”
Christoph raised his head suddenly, unable to take his eyes off Marianne’s receding back.

Only when she had hidden herself inside the police station did Christoph let out a sigh he had been holding back. He lifted a hand to cover his own eyes.

“Christoph, you damn fool.”

Unable to hold back, the curse finally slipped through his lips. If his childhood tutor had heard, they would foam at the mouth and collapse at such vulgar language.

(This is a time separator.)

Suddenly.

Exiting the police station building, Marianne stopped in her tracks, her face a picture of surprise. Her eyes were filled with purple. Between her wideopen eyes, the scent of flowers came to her a beat late, lingering around her.

“Uh….”

Only then did she realize that it was a bouquet of purple hyacinths. Her confused eyes captured Christoph beyond the bouquet.

People moving in small groups to lunch chuckled and threw curious glances. Among them were the eyes of Yan and Florian.

Yan, with his mouth twitching, glanced sidelong at the two before hastily covering his mouth with his hand and hurrying away when his eyes met Christoph’s.

Marianne’s eyes returned to the bouquet.

“Hyacinths this time?”

The meaning of purple hyacinths was ‘eternal love.’ And one more thing.

“You must be sorry for something?”

Apologies, the meaning of being sorry.

She accepted the bouquet with a calm expression. Christoph slowly began to walk, Marianne walking beside him. The scent of hyacinths stubbornly followed them.

“Enough to fill your room with hyacinths.”

“…….”

At the completely unexpected words, Marianne dropped her gaze in confusion. She looked down at the hyacinth petals and bit her lip slightly.

She did not know this Christoph. This tender, this desperate Christoph. Therefore, she did not know how to respond either.

She had no immunity to him, and every one of his actions came to her fatally.

“Here we are, Marianne. Chief Simon said that the food here is the best around.”

While Marianne was lost in thought, the two had already arrived at the restaurant. Christoph opened the door for her.

The way he had asked Chief Simon was so typical of Christoph that Marianne quietly pulled up the corners of her mouth. At times like this, she realized that he was a true aristocrat. Seeing him deal with the challenging Chief Simon without hesitation, that is.

Could anyone be difficult for him?

“It seems like a nice place.”

It looked decent from the outside. Unconsciously, Marianne checked her attire. It was far too shabby to enter a highend restaurant.

Seeming to notice what she was thinking, Christoph spoke.

“No one can treat you lightly, Marianne. I won’t let them. …Even if it’s me.”