Their eyes met as she quietly moved. Marianne subtly nodded her head, Christoph pulled one corner of his lips.

“Mrs. Keller, you may proceed, Your Honor.”

He shifted his gaze from Mrs. Keller to the judge. However, his expression did not convey any respect. After all, would such a perfect man respect anyone?

Marianne watched him, suppressing a laugh that felt oddly empty. She thought Christoph’s gaze almost touched her cheek for a moment.

“I request that Sevan Klein, who was a witness for the prosecution, be called as a defense witness.”

He slowly turned and saw a man sitting in the audience. Michael squinted his eyes with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

The judge asked with a disapproving expression.

“Is this witness absolutely necessary?”

He, too, seemed to think Christoph was stalling for time. The spectators didn’t think much differently.

They were recalling the words of Sevan Klein, who had just testified as a witness for the prosecution. No matter how you heard it, it was disadvantageous to Paul.

Why is he calling Klein as a witness? Has Christoph given up on the trial, is this Christoph’s first defeat?

In their eyes, the direction of the trial was clear. The scales had already tilted to one side. There seemed to be no cards left to turn the situation around.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Christoph’s voice was filled with conviction. It was the quintessential Christoph, unshaken in any situation.

The possessor of cool and cold rationality, Christoph Schneider.
Yes, that was Christoph. Marianne had been seeing unexpected sides of him lately that she momentarily forgot. She sat in an empty seat, staring at him in silence.

Marianne had never seen Christoph defending in court. She believed going to the courtroom would only interfere with his work. Her role, as she saw it, was to quietly support him from the side.

Yet, Christoph standing tall in the middle of the courtroom was more magnificent and impressive than ever, enough to make her heart race again.

If she had known it would be like this, she would have attended the trial much sooner, regardless of what others said.

While Marianne regretted the time passed, the judge reluctantly nodded. He couldn’t ignore the attention from the audience and reporters, nor Christoph’s background as the grandson of Duke Schneider.

“Prosecutor Hindenburg, will you accept the defense’s witness request?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Mihail had no idea what Christoph was up to. However, he was certain that Sevan Klein would be a favorable witness for him.

“Permission granted.”

As the judge’s approval was given, Christoph threw a glance at Klein. The man, called as a witness again, hesitantly rose from his seat.

A court officer guided him to the witness stand.

“Mr. Sevan Klein, nice to meet you.”

Christoph greeted him as if meeting an old friend, a familiarity that took Marianne by surprise. Today, she felt as if she was discovering new sides of him multiple times.

“Yes.”

Sevan nodded, concealing his awkward emotions. He appeared a bit tense. The realization that the man he met a few days ago was Christoph Schneider made him uneasy. He nervously wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

“A moment ago, during the prosecutor’s questioning, you mentioned hearing an argument between Paul and Nina on the day Nina’s body was found. Would you mind revisiting that testimony?”

“Revisiting…it?”

Swallowing dryly, he looked at the prosecutor. Mihail rose from his seat, furrowing his brows.

“Your Honor, everyone here has heard Mr. Sevan Klein’s testimony. It is clear that Attorney Christoph is attempting to stall because he finds himself at a disadvantage.”

“I am stalling.”

Christoph muttered to himself and fixed his gaze on the judge.

“It’s a necessary question.”

“Approved.”

Mihail couldn’t hide his dissatisfaction with the judge’s indecisive action. Audibly, he sat back down.
Mikhael knew Christoph was not the easy-going man he appeared to be. What seemed like a setback now could turn out to be an investment for the future.

Should he have not accepted the witness request?

Anxiety flooded in, but it was already too late. With a stern expression, Mikhael looked forward. At the end of his gaze, he saw Marianne, who couldn’t take her eyes off Christoph.

Damn it.

Mikhael clenched his fist under the table.

“Yes, so….”

Seban Klein, who had been observing the mood, opened his mouth again. He repeated that he had heard Nina and Paul arguing on the day of the incident and that Paul had soon run out with a terrified look. People showed bored expressions at the all-too-familiar story.

Christoph spoke in a relaxed tone.

“So, to summarize the witness’s statement, Nina and Paul were fighting in their backyard. Shortly thereafter, Paul was seen running out from behind the house with a scared face.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Christoph slowly turned his back. He wasn’t looking at the witness but at the gallery. More precisely, at Marianne, who was sitting in the front row.

“Detective Marianne.”

“……Yes.”

Upon being called out, Marianne stood up. Everyone’s eyes were suddenly fixed on her. Her throat dried up unexpectedly. Her heart felt like it would leap out of her mouth.

Does Christoph always work in such tension? Does he handle this pressure all alone?

She looked at him with her azure eyes. Christoph, whose eyes met hers, nodded ever so faintly so only she could understand. As if whispering that it’s okay.

“An unrequested witness!”