I Beg Your Forgiveness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“……”
Perhaps she might be happy.
Perhaps she had met a man she truly loved and was now happy……
“!”
Christoph, who had been thinking up to that point, clenched his molars tightly. A savage, beast-like gleam flickered fiercely in his eyes.
Just imagining her with another man sent a chill through his entire body. A violent, seething rage consumed him—so intense that if that man stood before him now, he would snap his neck without hesitation.
As long as his own eyes remained wide open, he could never bear to witness such a sight.
Christoph did not believe in love. He thought there was no emotion in this world more fickle than love. Hatred or loathing, he believed, would last far longer.
How hideous had been the fate of his parents, who once swore eternal love? How horrifying had been the truth of that day?
Suddenly, as if trying to shake off the intrusive thoughts, Christoph tightened his jaw.
Then, what name could he give to this feeling he held for Marien? Possessiveness? Desire to own? Or perhaps obsession?
There was no one who could answer that question. Christoph himself did not know the answer—it was an emotion he had never experienced before in his life. No one else had ever plunged him into such confusion.
Would it be better to forcibly take her away?
Christoph slowly shook his head at that thought. Marien generally followed his opinions, but she was certainly no pushover.
If he dragged her away against her will, Marien would find some way to escape his grasp—just as she had slipped past Günter and Karin to head for Blauburg.
This time, she would hide herself somewhere he could never find her. And Christoph would lose her forever.
That was not what he wanted. He never wished to relive that experience again. Once was enough—the feeling of his blood drying up completely from not knowing where Marien was.
Finally resolved, Christoph clenched his fist tightly. Then there was only one option left.
“I’ll make you fall in love with me again, Marien.”
He intended to genuinely, wholeheartedly seduce her—until her azure eyes gazed back at him with a faint, smoldering warmth.
“I’m off!”
Marien cheerfully called out before stepping out the front door. Her face, which had just been thinking today would surely be a good day…, instantly hardened.
Christoph was standing there. In the exact same spot as yesterday, with the exact same expression.
“!”
Marien’s eyes widened in shock—had he really stood there all night? But soon she let out a sigh of relief. His clothes had changed; apparently, he hadn’t guarded her doorstep all night after all.
Christoph, who had been staring fixedly at the front door for a long while, found it difficult to tear his eyes away from her as she suddenly appeared. Abruptly, his pupils widened.
Her bobbed hair fluttered gently over her shoulders.
“Marien.”
Her name slipped softly through Christoph’s teeth.
Knowing her usual departure time, he had arrived early to wait for her there. He’d stood gazing endlessly at the closed door, tormented by his thoughts. Since sleep had eluded him anyway, there was nothing else to do.
And finally, she had appeared.
Noticing his gaze lingering on her shortened hair, Marien’s face turned awkward. She wondered briefly if it didn’t suit her, then quickly shook her head.
So what if it didn’t suit her? Christoph’s opinion no longer mattered.
But at that moment, Christoph’s eyes twisted in anger. Seeing the bruise on Marien’s forehead, he muttered a low curse.
“That bastard—I should’ve killed him right then.”
“Oh.”
Marien let out an involuntary, quiet gasp. Only then did she remember the dark bruise on her forehead.
Seeing it, Mrs. List had flown into a rage and forced an old-fashioned parasol into Marien’s hand as she left the house.
—“I don’t care who that bastard is—go knock his head clean off!”
Marien fiddled awkwardly with the worn parasol, the kind an elderly woman might use.
Swallowing down his rising emotions, Christoph took a slow, deep breath and stared intently at Marien. Suddenly, his lips parted.
“But no wound can ever hide your beauty.”
“!”
His voice was low and resonant enough to make her fingers tingle.
Marien blinked wide-eyed, as if unsure what she’d just heard. Her shameless heart thudded heavily in her chest, but outwardly she feigned indifference.
She’d never imagined that the habit of hiding her emotions—as Madam Schneider—would prove useful in a moment like this. It was a stroke of luck.
“It reminds me of the day we first met. You had the same bobbed hair back then, too. That’s why you stood out so vividly.”
Marien was inwardly startled that he remembered that day. She’d thought it was a memory she alone cherished—a precious recollection belonging only to her.
Yet… Christoph said he remembered it. Their very first meeting.
Deliberately making her voice sound curt to hide her flustered state, Marien replied,
“I’m sorry. This isn’t very becoming of Madam Schneider. But this is who I am—Marien Clozier.”
Christoph looked uncharacteristically flustered, as if her words had caught him completely off guard. Anxiously, he took a step closer.
“That’s not it, Marien. You’re……”
Marien refused to give him another glance and started walking away. She didn’t want to talk to him. He would effortlessly tear open her heart again—as he always had.
He would inevitably swallow her whole.
Christoph, about to say something, silently closed his mouth and followed behind her instead. His quiet footsteps unnervingly scraped against her nerves.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, she was furious. At Christoph, who hadn’t given her a second glance when she’d offered him countless chances, yet now came pestering her.
Whirl.
She spun around and glared fiercely at Christoph. Facing Marien’s angry expression, he looked as lost and helpless as a child unsure what to do.
His face appeared terribly vulnerable and pitiful.
“……”
In the end, Marien said nothing and turned away again. With uncharacteristic petulance for Madam Schneider, she stomped off, shoulders heaving with each angry step.
His persistent footsteps trailed after her like a shadow.
“Good morning.”
Marien greeted cheerfully as she entered the office, but sensing an unusual atmosphere, she slowly halted. Nicholas, Maxim, Florian, and Jan—all her teammates were already present.
Had she been late? That couldn’t be.
She glanced briefly out the window, then turned her eyes back into the office. The air felt heavy.
For some inexplicable reason, Marien couldn’t easily join them and stood awkwardly in place, watching the four men warily.
Maxim glared at her with sharp eyes, Florian coldly ignored her, and Jan, like her, was carefully observing the other three. And then there was Nicholas.
“Marien Habeck.”
“Yes, Inspector Nicholas.”
Marien replied in a noticeably more disciplined tone. Nicholas, perched on his desk with arms crossed, stared straight at her.
Just as her azure eyes began to show growing confusion—
“How on earth did you recognize him?”
“Huh? Recognize who?”
At her question, Nicholas frowned slightly. Jan, standing beside him, quietly supplied, “The jewel thief we caught yesterday.”
“We found the stolen jewels at his place. Only about half were recovered—the other half seems already squandered.”
“Oh, right,” Marien finally nodded, scratching her cheek casually—an unbecoming gesture for Madam Schneider, but perfectly natural for Marien herself.
“It was easy to recognize him after seeing the composite sketch.”
Her calm reply was met with another brief silence—a prickly, uncomfortable quiet that stung her cheeks.
Nicholas recalled the face of the jewel thief locked in the holding cell. Even after seeing the sketch, his appearance wasn’t something one could easily recognize at a glance.
Even seasoned officers like Maxim and Florian would’ve struggled. He had to admit her sharp eyes were exceptional—perhaps even more so than he’d anticipated.
—“Let’s see what Marien can actually do here.”
He remembered Chief Simon’s words from the day she’d first arrived.
What she could actually do… perhaps…
“Damn it.”
Maxim suddenly shot up from his seat, cursed aloud, and stormed out of the office. Florian continued staring coldly out the window.
Nicholas spoke in a noticeably gentler tone.
“You noticed despite the drastic change in appearance—well done.”
Well done.
A faint warmth radiated from those words. Marien stared at him in surprise, and after a long pause, murmured, “Thank you.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
Nicholas nodded, lifted himself off the desk, and looked around at his team.
“Alright then, let’s work hard today. Florian, report on the current progress of the investigation. Jan, go bring Maxim back. And Marien—”
“……”
Marien watched him with hopeful eyes, sparkling brightly. Her azure irises blazed like stars.
Nicholas raised a hand and pointed toward a desk piled high with documents.
“Today, I’ll leave those papers to you.”
“……Yes.”
Her shoulders slumped as she trudged over with heavy steps. “Oh, before that,” Nicholas called out. Marien turned back with a crestfallen expression.
“Go see the doctor first.”
“The doctor? Oh.”
She brought a hand to her forehead. The throbbing pain was still there, but bearable.
“It’s nothing serious, Inspector.”
“You’re not just injured there, are you?”
Nicholas’s knowing tone made Marien’s eyes widen.
Could an inspector really see through injuries hidden beneath clothing?
“Jan mentioned you threw your whole body at the suspect. didn’t you? He said it made a terrible sound—how are your bones?”
“……Yes.”
Marien nodded while subtly averting her gaze. In hindsight, maybe it hadn’t been necessary after all.
But in that moment, she hadn’t thought of any other way.
“If you plan to stay in this line of work long-term, you’ll need to learn how to take care of yourself. There’s a small clinic just a block away. Officers go there often—just say you’re from the precinct, and they’ll look after you well. The doctor’s quite a decent fellow.”
“Yes.”
Marien nodded. Watching Nicholas’s retreating back, she quietly repeated his words to herself.
“To stay in this line of work long-term.”
Suddenly, a faint smile touched her lips.
“Ms. Marien Habeck, please come in.”
Following the nurse’s guidance, she opened the door to the examination room. The small, cozy clinic seemed newly opened, exuding a tidy atmosphere. Instead of antiseptic, the smell of fresh paint lingered in the air.
“Marien Habeck…?”
The doctor seated at his desk gave her a friendly look. Marien couldn’t hide her surprise and widened her eyes.
He had a warm, charming smile and a gentle demeanor that instantly eased a patient’s tension—completely unlike the stern, authoritative doctors she’d met before.
Especially unlike the rigid family physician of the Schneider household.
“My name is Liam Kluck. You can call me Doctor Liam. What seems to be the problem?”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Wah! Disgusting. What does he do?! Whatever the blood or not, how to lick something on a corpse. Liam is weird.