Christoph faintly furrowed his brows. The gaze of Duke Schneider turned towards him. Marianne hastily opened her mouth.
“Of course, there may be people who find it improper that I became an officer. However, that’s a problem I need to overcome, Your Grace. If I don’t overcome it myself, these incidents will recur. So please give me a chance. Although my beginning was thanks to Your Grace’s influence, it’s because I couldn’t even stand at the starting line. Now that I’ve reached the starting line, I want to prove myself with my skills going forward.”
Marianne stared intently at the flickering candle. Beyond the wavering light, the faces of the ladies who had ignored her shimmered.
They had not submitted to Marianne. They had only knelt to the title of Lady Schneider.
The place she occupied was not earned through her own strength. It was the power of Christoph and the Schneider family. Hence, they fawned over her up front, and slandered her behind her back.
So this time, she wanted to prove herself through her own power, not leaning on the name Schneider.
“Who is it?”
Then, a cold voice crossed the table. Marianne, awakened from her short reverie, slowly lifted her eyes.
Christoph seemed to sense what she was thinking, staring at her with frighteningly stern eyes.
“Who is it? The people who dared to mock you.”
His voice was chilling, as if he was chewing on his anger. The dark gaze pierced through her. Marianne, who slightly opened her eyes, soon quietly pulled up the corners of her mouth.
“It’s all in the past, Christoph.”
Christoph clenched his jaw. That meant timeout. Christoph had not been there for her when she needed him.
Damn it.
“Marianne.”
Christoph couldn’t take his eyes off her. Though his complicated eyes contained many words, he didn’t know which to prioritize.
Duke Schneider, who had been silently observing the two, softened his eyes.
“I don’t know what I’ve been seeing in you, Mari. Must be getting old.”
Christoph too had not truly seen her. He hadn’t realized she was such a strong woman.
Embarrassingly, he now felt like he was properly facing Marianne for the first time. He had learned more about her these few days than he had known during their three years of married life.
For example, he loved the sea and coffee. He preferred meat over fish. Surprisingly, he was weak to alcohol. And he was far more clever than anticipated.
Idiot Christoph. Might as well go out and die.
While Christoph was wallowing in self-pity, Duke Schneider spoke in a kind voice.
“Marianne, don’t forget. There’s nothing this old man wouldn’t do for you. Just say the word, ‘grandfather.’ I have a soft spot for whims.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Marianne awkwardly smiled and avoided eye contact. Duke Schneider changed the subject, saying, “Anyway.”
“From what I hear, rumors are circulating that you and Christoph have returned to Blauburg. Well, given the commotion Christoph caused, it would be stranger not to know.”
Probably referring to the affairs of Lady Gross. Marianne’s smile took on an even more awkward hue.
“And you’ve already had a grand debut ceremony.”
Likely referring to Paul’s matters.
“Thanks to that, Christoph’s name has plastered the newspapers for a while. You must know.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Marianne nodded. As he said, the day after the trial, every newspaper in Blauburg featured Christoph Schneider’s name.
“Christoph Schneider Clears the Name of a Pitiful Boy!”
“Schneider Heir Sets Straight Blauburg’s Justice.”
“Christoph Schneider Catches the Real Culprit in Court! What Happened in the Courtroom That Day?”
“The True Noblesse Oblige of Christoph Schneider, Who Saved a Poor Boy.”
Articles praised him as if scripted. Indeed, nothing more exciting had happened in Blauburg recently. His courtroom comeback was thrilling, and the reversal was euphoric.
Christoph Schneider was already a star attorney. The story of him proving the innocence of a wrongfully accused boy and revealing the real culprit was more impressive than any article.
And that wasn’t all. He even offered pro bono legal representation. Considering Christoph’s astronomical fees, one could easily gauge the magnitude of his generosity.
People did not skimp on admiration for the actions of the man who would someday become the master of Blauburg. Newspapers continued the follow-up reports day by day.
Though it might be unknown, it wouldn’t just be a matter of Blauburg. His name must have been spread throughout the capital’s newspapers as well.
However, the very person in question, Christoph Schneider, tilted his wine glass with a sullen expression. Duke Schneider spoke in a calm voice.
“Since the reporters have started to follow, all sorts of gossip will spread. They’ll soon find out that you work at the police station, and that we are separated.”
Marianne lowered her gaze in silence. A dark shadow crossed her eyes. The Schneider family coming under criticism because of her actions was exactly what she had feared.
“So what I’m saying is, Marianne. It doesn’t look good to others, so have you considered coming back here?”
“…….”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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