I Beg Your Forgiveness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Have you returned?”
Marquis Schneider greeted Christoph as he entered the parlor. The old nobleman’s eyes subtly tightened as he studied his grandson’s face.
Christoph looked utterly disheveled. That alone was enough to guess his errand had ended poorly.
Tsk. Marquis Schneider clicked his tongue softly, ensuring Christoph wouldn’t hear. Christoph merely nodded at him before turning away.
“I’ll go upstairs first.”
Regardless of who might be watching, the usually immaculate young man loosened his ascot tie with one hand and climbed the stairs unsteadily. Thud, thud—he undid his shirt buttons one by one.
Christoph clenched his jaw, blue veins standing out sharply on his neck.
The room he always used during visits to the estate was exactly as it had been the last time. Tossing his ascot onto the bed, Christoph recalled his previous stay.
It had been his grandfather’s birthday last year—naturally, Marien had accompanied him. Though it was only the second birthday celebration since their marriage, she’d been just as nervous as she’d been the first year.
Christoph couldn’t understand her anxiety. It wasn’t as if the sky would fall just because she didn’t master a few outdated formalities. And there were countless ways to silence those who dared mock them.
After all, hadn’t their very first meeting been just like that? A distant memory surfaced effortlessly.
The Royal University had opened its doors to women to keep pace with the times. Marien was one of only three women admitted to its notoriously conservative law faculty.
Christoph, then in his final year, had been swamped with internships and barely had time to breathe. Whether women or cats entered the faculty was utterly irrelevant to him.
Occasionally, he’d find it odd to encounter women in dresses in the corridors. He’d heard only three female students had enrolled, yet far more seemed to be wandering about.
He hadn’t the slightest clue they were there just to see him.
Christoph was admired not only by juniors but even among his peers. Noble lineage, exceptional intellect, outstanding ability, and striking looks—he lacked nothing, truly a chosen one.
Moreover, rumors were already circulating openly that Christoph would be this year’s sole recruit for “Barger,” the prestigious law firm that accepted only one new associate annually. That rumor was likely no exaggeration.
Noble heirs typically married immediately upon graduation. Delaying marriage only invited scandal, so there was no reason to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Romance could wait until after marriage. Matrimony was merely a contract between houses, and it wasn’t uncommon for spouses to keep mistresses or lovers afterward.
Yet no trace of a woman had ever been seen near Christoph. Though he remained unmarried and unengaged, no unsavory rumors followed him—everyone knew he was simply too busy for such distractions.
Thus, the question of which noble lady Christoph would marry always hovered at the center of public curiosity.
Perhaps, some dared hope faintly, that unclaimed position might one day be theirs.
But that was all. Christoph had far more important matters to attend to. He’d just begun his internship at “Barger,” the capital’s most renowned law firm, and barely had enough time for his cases.
Recalling his appointment with his mentor, he quickened his pace—just then.
“Apologize.”
A firm voice pierced Christoph’s ears. It wasn’t shrill or sharp, but calm and soft.
Yet it carried undeniable strength—a voice that, if heard in court, might persuade him without his even realizing.
Christoph slowed his steps and turned toward the sound. A dozen students formed a loose circle around someone.
From the back, whispers reached him: “It’s Christoph—Christoph Schneider.” He felt sidelong glances flickering toward him.
Easily towering over others, Christoph’s gaze cut through the crowd. Suddenly, his brow furrowed—Michael was there.
The third son of the Hindenburg family, unlike Christoph, had a poor reputation. Rumors even claimed his admission to law school was bought with his father’s donations.
Now, Michael glared coldly at someone—and at the end of that gaze stood a woman. Her bobbed hair, swaying just above her shoulders, caught Christoph’s eye.
Her azure eyes seemed impossibly deep, so much so that he almost fancied the glint within them might be stars.
Unconsciously captivated, Christoph only then noticed another woman sobbing in her arms.
This won’t end well.
He didn’t know the details, but he sensed they’d stumbled into trouble—the kind Michael Hindenburg usually brought.
Sure enough, Michael sneered.
“Why should I apologize? This isn’t a chicken coop. Know your place. Even if times have changed, there are lines you shouldn’t cross. How dare a woman enroll in law school? Have some self-awareness. Unless the goddess Dike herself finds this amusing.”
The smaller woman’s sobs grew louder. Now Christoph understood—Michael was bullying the new female students, as usual.
It was an annual ritual—Michael’s petty habit of picking on the most vulnerable freshmen until he grew bored.
But it wasn’t Christoph’s concern.… Or so he thought.
He pulled out his pocket watch. He could spare, at most, three more minutes. Any longer would be risky—he never broke appointments.
Annoying.
Just as he muttered this and took a step forward—
“How amusing.”
Christoph halted. Slowly, he turned his eyes toward the bobbed-haired woman. The air around them stirred noticeably—others were just as surprised.
“What did you just say? Repeat that.”
Michael glared menacingly, but she didn’t flinch. She stood so proudly he almost believed she was Dike incarnate.
“What’s wrong with a woman entering law school? Have you forgotten, Senior Hindenburg, that Dike—the guardian of law you so admire—is a goddess?”
“Ugh.”
“Besides, instead of criticizing women for enrolling, shouldn’t you question those who lack qualifications? Even if your admission was bought with Count Hindenburg’s donations, will you actually graduate? You’d better finish before I do—I enrolled this year, after all.”
“!”
A stunned silence washed over the crowd. Christoph studied her face again—and only then noticed her azure eyes blazing with heat.
She wasn’t calm. She was furious.
Michael, dumbfounded by her unexpected retort, finally flushed red. Feeling the crowd’s stares, his expression turned even uglier.
“What’s this…!”
“One more piece of advice.”
Her words hushed the entire area. Even Michael fell silent. Alone in the quiet, she continued calmly.
“Tormenting someone you’re interested in is childish—even a six-year-old wouldn’t do it, Senior Hindenburg.”
“W-what are you talking about! Interested in whom!”
Michael’s face twisted in uncharacteristic indignation. The onlookers murmured again. Christoph’s gaze remained fixed on her, as if pinned.
“You’ve been relentlessly following and harassing us for a week. If you weren’t interested, why go to such lengths? So which is it—Sophia or me? Just to ease your mind, I’ll add: you’re not my type.”
“Who’d be interested in the likes of you!”
Michael trembled, then strode toward her. Unable to contain his rage, he raised his hand and swung his thick arm. She squeezed her eyes shut.
In that instant—
“!”
Thud.
Michael stared at his arm, halted mid-swing. Someone had seized his wrist. His brow furrowed.
“Who…?”
Before he could finish—
“That’s enough, Michael Hindenburg.”
A low, weighty voice filled the air—the tone of one accustomed to command.
“Ugh—Schneider.”
Michael turned, grinding his teeth. Christoph’s arrival sent the crowd into louder whispers.
“There’s no need to add to the rumors. The scandal already spreading is more than enough. Don’t further tarnish Count Hindenburg’s honor.”
“Kgh.”
Michael glared at him, fury and inferiority boiling in his eyes. But he said nothing, turning away—he knew he was no match for Christoph.
Only when Michael’s retreating figure vanished did she finally relax her shoulders. A sigh of relief escaped through her slightly parted lips.
She’d seemed brave—had she been afraid all along?
As this unanswerable question crossed Christoph’s mind, she looked tenderly at the smaller woman beside her.
“Are you alright, Sophia?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, Marien.”
Marien.
Christoph silently mouthed her name. As if hearing him, Marien lifted her head.
Their eyes met, and she gave a slight bow.
“Thank you.”
Her earlobes seemed faintly flushed. For the first time, her cool azure eyes held a flicker of warmth—like stars igniting.
“Don’t provoke Michael unnecessarily. He’s not the type to threaten with words alone. He might actually hit a woman.”
“Then I’d press charges for assault. Consider it criminal law practice.”
Christoph’s eyes widened slightly. The great Christoph Schneider was left speechless.
Forcing his gaze away, he checked his watch again and clicked his tongue. Five minutes had already passed. His appointment was urgent—he couldn’t linger any longer.
He quickly turned his back on them.
“……”
Snapped from his reverie, Christoph glared at the wall before him. The Marien who’d once looked at him with starlit, burning eyes was gone.
She’d told him she didn’t love him—her gaze as calm as when she’d looked at Michael.
His heart turned icy. It felt as if his blood flowed backward. A reality he’d never considered was slowly taking shape, pressing down on him.
“What should I do, Marien?”
A fragile, uncharacteristic whisper slipped from Christoph’s lips—lost, as if he truly didn’t know what to do.
For the first time in his life, he felt uncertainty. Or perhaps, fear.
Divorce.
He imagined life without Marien. It would surely be dull and flavorless. Humans adapt—eventually, even that monotony would become familiar. Certainly.
It might not even take long. After all, he’d lived longer without her than with her—it shouldn’t be too difficult. Just a return to how things were before.
Then he tried imagining Marien’s life without him. Perhaps…
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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Wah! Disgusting. What does he do?! Whatever the blood or not, how to lick something on a corpse. Liam is weird.