Christoph immediately caught the meaning of those words. It must refer to the conversation they had over dinner last night.
Christoph who had asked ‘who?’ and Marianne who had answered ‘it’s in the past.’
The sly Duke had not pried into Marianne but had apparently stored it in his heart. A thin smile tugged at Christoph’s lips as he thought icily.
“There’s no need for you to be curious, Your Grace. I won’t forgive them.”
With those words, he turned his back. Christoph left the mansion, back straight. He had annoying pests to deal with first, before they troubled Marianne.
Marianne sighed as she looked at the mountain of paperwork. Just because Paul’s case was resolved didn’t mean her life had dramatically changed.
She was still a rookie, the youngest in the team, and her main job was filing.
“Um… Shall I help you, Mrs. Schneider?”
Yan cautiously asked, observing her mood. Marianne involuntarily let out a bitter smile. By now, there was no one in the police station who didn’t know she was Mrs. Schneider.
It would have been more surprising if they didn’t know. Christoph plastered all of Blauburg’s newspapers, and given that a woman named ‘Marianne’ worked in the same department, reporters wouldn’t have missed it.
Today one newspaper had featured ‘Detective Marianne Habek.’ The relationship between Marianne Habek, Marianne Clozé, and Mrs. Schneider.
Her name would appear in every newspaper by tomorrow, accompanied by all sorts of speculation.
“Senior Yan.”
“Senior? Don’t say that, Mrs. Schneider!”
Yan quickly raised his hands with a pale face. Marianne swallowed a short sigh and lifted the corner of her mouth.
“Treat me like you used to, I’m not Mrs. Schneider. I’m Marianne Clozé.”
“So this time, it’s Marianne Clozé?”
“Yes, I’m neither Marianne Schneider nor Marianne Habek. I’m Marianne Clozé.”
Marianne responded bitterly. Finally, her name had found its rightful place. A name that had been overshadowed by the bright sun had emerged into the world.
“But….”
Yan glanced timidly at her face, as if questioning her actions. He scrunched his freckles on his nose.
Mrs. Schneider.
She was usually someone he wouldn’t even have the chance to properly look at. It had been bothering him that he’d referred to such a person as ‘this kid,’ ‘that kid’ until now. All he hoped was that she wasn’t two-faced.
“Please.”
At Marianne’s polite request, Yan looked troubled as he sank into thought. After a while, he subtly licked his lips.
“Should I treat you as before….?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean… I can call you by your nickname, as before…?”
Marianne concealed a faint smile at his awkward formality. She met Yan’s eyes and nodded her head.
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Yan, who had been pressing his forehead with his fingers and muttering, finally focused his eyes. In an instant, his expression changed and he crossed his arms, lifting his chin.
“Fine. Document organization is the responsibility of the youngest, so there’s no need for me to help. Work hard on your own, kid. It’s a phase everyone goes through.”
“…Yes, Senior Yan.”
After patting her shoulders, Yan said, “Keep it up, kid,” and stood up from his seat.
“Then I’ll go on a patrol. Ahem!”
Yan left the office with a buoyant step. Marianne muttered to herself as she watched him go.
“Should I have just asked him for help instead of treating me as a junior?”
For some reason, she felt unjustly treated. The mountain of documents remained the same.
“Ah, I wish I had a junior too… Hm?”
Just then, Christoph entered the office. He had a strong presence, whether in a good way or bad.
As soon as he appeared, everyone’s gaze turned towards Christoph. After the trial, there was no one in the police station who did not know his name. They also knew he was the grandson of Duke Schneider.
In the eyes observing Christoph, there was a mix of half-admiration and half-caution. The officers could neither fully welcome nor completely shun him.
However, Christoph seemed not to care about the pouring gazes and walked calmly. As he entered the office, he briefly looked around.
Upon spotting her, Christoph walked straight towards her.
“Hmm.”
Marianne stared at him with narrowed eyes and an enigmatic expression. Pausing for a moment at her penetrating gaze, Christoph eventually opened his mouth with a calm demeanor.
“Good morning, Marianne. I was late because I had to deal with the reporters gathered at the mansion entrance. The Duke himself has issued a warning, so they won’t be bothering you at your boarding house. For the time being, your name won’t appear in the newspapers either.”
Marianne continued to look at him silently. Slyly raising one eyebrow, Christoph added with a slight frown.
“Still, wherever you go, there will be people who don’t know their place. Keep in mind that some sort of riff-raff might stick to you. Anyway.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
