“Ah…….”

A faint sigh escaped from her lips. Why did he keep shaking her? A resentful feeling briefly raised its head.

If only he had taken an interest in her a little earlier, he wouldn’t have had to take this long detour.

“…….”

Christoph, who had been staring at her with sharp eyes, suddenly pulled at his lips. Was she now shaken by him? Like the complaints of that night.

It would be nice if that were the case.

“Go on in.”

Contrary to Marianne’s worries, the staff were kind. They didn’t rudely judge guests by their attire. Christoph, who had ordered the food, gave her a glance.

“How’s work? Is it harder than you thought?”

Marianne, placing a bouquet on the empty chair, made a perplexed face once again. She was still not used to his affection.

“If you’re telling me to go back…….”

“No, Marianne. Do what you want, where you want.”

Christoph readily retreated. His blue eyes seemed to probe into his intentions, staring intensely at Christoph. He stared back into those eyes as if entranced.

“I’ll do what I want too.”

“Christoph.”

Marianne called him. Her voice was almost like a sigh. Christoph waited until the waiter had put all the dishes down before he continued his words.

“I realized that I don’t need to bring you to where I am.”

“…….”

Did he give up, finally?

At the moment Marianne was clutching her dress and silently looking down.

“Because I can be where you stay.”

Ah.

Marianne unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she realize that she had feared Christoph giving up. A deep sense of selfreproach gripped her ankle once again.

Marianne replied bitterly.

“I’m not adapting because you’ve changed so much.”

“Same here, Marianne. I didn’t realize that I had this side to me.”

Christoph began eating. Born and raised in a good family, even his dining manners were flawless.

So Marianne’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to him every time they ate. Then, as if remembering something, Christoph looked up.

Marianne, who had been watching him intently, hastily lowered her head. And then she just cut the unfortunate meat.

“Still, it would be good to contact your parents. Veronica’s that way, and they were very worried when they lost contact with you too.”

At his words, Marianne’s eyes widened. The things before her eyes were so pressing that she hadn’t thought that far. Smirking, Christoph, who was looking at her, put down his fork and knife and asked.

“Should I send someone?”

“No, Christoph. I’ll do it. I’ll write a letter when I go back today. …Thank you for caring.”

Christoph nonchalantly nodded his head. He resumed his meal. Marianne also brought the meat to her mouth. The food was quite excellent, just as Chief Simon said.

“Anyway, didn’t you say there’s something related to the case to discuss?”

“Ah, that thing.”

Christoph put down his fork again. He quickly racked his brain. So that she wouldn’t realize that his words were merely bait to dine together.

“I’m going to tell the reporters that I’ve taken on the Faul case. I’ve told Oscar, so it’ll probably be in the morning papers tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“To draw people’s attention to the case.”

At those words, Marianne looked down at the table with thoughtful eyes. Then she quickly caught on and nodded.

“The judge is a conservative figure, right? You’re trying to pressure him.”

Christoph opened his eyes a little wider. As if surprised.

Perhaps the person who had been ignoring her the most was not Maxim or Florian, but himself.
“Right. Christoph Schneider, who returned to Blauwberg, has decided to take on Paul’s case, and just that fact alone will explode the public interest. They will be curious about what Paul’s case is all about. My name and the halo of the Schneider family, the attention of the people. Even a conservative judge can’t be unswayed. I’m going to mobilize all the resources I have.”

“The trial starts outside the courtroom.”

So mumbled Marianne, looking at him with a worried expression. She who had been hesitating spoke cautiously.

“But you’re still at a disadvantage.”

“You’re right, Marianne.”

Christoph nodded. He stared intently at Marianne. At the end of his persistent gaze, he opened his mouth.

“So I need your help.”

“My… help?”

Her eyes widened. Christoph calmly continued his words.

“We need to go over the case from the beginning. See if there’s anything I missed, what Paul’s mother knows. But as you know, Oliver isn’t here. Right now, I need someone smart and reliable, Marianne. And if that’s you, it’s good. The officers are incompetent, and Oscar is not my man, so there’s no one more suited for this job than you.”

Smart and reliable person.

Marianne knew she had to nod. There was nothing good about being involved with Christoph. It would only make the regret more bitter.

Nevertheless, she eventually nodded. Christoph had asked for her help. In other words, he acknowledged her ability.

Marianne knew it was a trap but had no choice but to jump in. Like a moth diving into a fire. The bait of Christoph’s acknowledgment was that sweet and tempting.

“Okay. I’ll help you, Christoph.”