Chapter 21

Marianne opened her eyes wide in an instant. Nicholas told her to write an incident report, not managing papers. It meant that one person recognized her as a cop.

After tightening her lips for a while, she said, “Thank you.” Nicholas raised his voice when seeing Marianne dauntingly walking to the desk.

“That’s your desk. You can just push the mountain of papers roughly anywhere. Oh, and.”

Marianne just walked for a few steps before she looked back again. Nicholas, who was already walking on the other side with his back facing her, waved one of his hands.

“There will be a welcoming party after work today. There are two new recruits, so we shall drink until we’re blind drunk.”

***

“Mr. Lawyer! What on earth are you doing here? The capital is in the state of chaos! You’re not going to take over cases anymore, what on earth is going on here? What about the capital city, are you going to settle here? When on earth are you coming back? Pardon?”

Kristoff, sitting on the bench with one leg crossed leisurely, acted as though he couldn’t hear Oliver’s nagging. With his arms folded in front of his chest, he turned his gaze up into the sky.

The blue sky, white clouds, and vividly contrasting colors announced that it was the middle of spring. The tree branches that came into view at first glance had clear light green leaves, and the sound of cheerful birds from somewhere.

He could feel the familiar taste of salt in the air. Considering the distance between the National Police Agency and the beach, it must have been impossible, but somehow he felt that way. Perhaps because he was in Blauberg.

The land where the sky and sea meet.

Only then did Kristoff realize that he was looking up at the sky for the first time in a long time. He didn’t have enough time to look at the sky even just once in his daily busy life as he fought against urgency all the time.

And the result of those bustles was Marianne’s divorce request. She finally put the brakes on his accelerating life.

“Oliver Engel.”

“Yes, Mr. Lawyer.”

Oliver replied sullenly. Kristoff’s indifferent voice added.

“After graduating from Royal College, I opened my private law office through the Bagger law office. In the meantime, I have never gone on vacation. I have been working the whole time. Therefore, I think I’m more than qualified to take a vacation, what do you think?”

Kristoff was right regarding that. He was the most famous lawyer in the capital, and requests were constantly coming in. Moreover, he was also a workaholic himself.

“Understood, Mr. Lawyer.”

Oliver pretended to take a step back and offered a compromise.

“Then lastly, let’s just deal with Count Dietrich’s case and go on vacation. I won’t stop you after that. Count Dietrich is asking me to bring you right away.”

However, it didn’t work for Kristoff. That was because Oliver learned Kristoff’s way of living.

“Just manage it properly. That’s your role.”

“It’s because I can’t manage it properly. He threatened to not let me go if I didn’t bring you. There are still my wife and children. I don’t know what will happen if I get taken away by Count Dietrich.”

When the negotiations didn’t work, Oliver changed his method and cried. Kristoff’s voice suddenly became cold.

“Lord Dietrich touches my people? Then, he’ll have to be prepared for that as well. I’m not sure if he was that clueless.”

His people.

Oliver forgot that he had been crying until earlier and scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

Kristoff was cold and stoic as though he wouldn’t bleed even when he got stabbed, but this was the reason why he couldn’t leave the man. Once he was accepted by Kristoff as his people, the man would take responsibility until the end.

Oliver’s spirit was heartily broken. He sighed deeply and grumbled.

“Count Dietrich’s third son got into another accident. It seems to be a pretty big accident this time. Money can’t cover it.”

Oliver, who was quiet for a while, looked around before lowering his voice. This wasn’t the capital, but it was necessary to be careful.

“He provoked the Countess of Hindenburg. Lord Hindenburg must be enraged. Whether it’s in the newspapers or not, he would go berserk unless you’re throwing that son of a b*tch in jail. The only person who can handle this case is you, Mr. Lawyer.”

Hindenburg.

Michael’s face crept up to his mind when he said that, Kristoff muttered, “Those three always become problems wherever I go.” with a faint frown. It was somewhat ominous that Michael’s name was mentioned frequently today.

“The second or third Countess of Hindenburg?”

“The fourth wife. He just got married for the fourth time, and is currently enjoying a honeymoon with his new wife.”

“Throw her. The third wife should’ve gone to prison earlier.”

“Who’s the one who has been trying to cover up for her until now?”

Oliver scolded Kristoff, but the man remained nonchalant. Oliver let out a heavy sigh and stared at his superior. Voice laced with suspicion slipped out through his teeth.

“Are you really going to close the office for a while? The damage will be enormous. You know it better than I do, those astronomical sums come and go every day.”

“Have I ever joked about this, Oliver?”

“Yes, I know. I know. You’re not the kind of person who makes jokes or anything like that. That’s why it’s weird. Not just anyone else, but Kristoff Schneider closed his office. Despite being a workaholic!”

“There’s a more important problem than that at this moment.”

Oliver glanced at the entrance of the police agency upon his remark. He lowered his voice again.

“Lady Schneider won’t come back, will she? I mean, what is Lady Schneider doing here now? Why are you at the National Police Agency? Aren’t you staying at the Marquis Schneider’s castle, Mr. Lawyer?”

Kristoff also turned his head slowly. Through the open window, she could see Marianne’s profile as she focused on something.

Her short hair fluttered over her shoulders with each breeze. Her lower lip peeked out a bit. Her habit was peeking out her lower lip whenever she was focused on one thing.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the window. Oliver opened his eyes wide as he took the sight of his superior.

He didn’t know what had gone wrong between them. However, he could see warmth begin to spread across Kristoff’s face, which used to be pale and cold like a corpse lately.

That was a relief.

Oliver stared at Kristoff in the face. As he said, Kristoff had a more important matter to be taken care of. A prioritized matter over anything else. Perhaps, it was the matter that put his life at stake.

He would have to step back from here.

Oliver, who sighed heavily, said in a hopeless voice.

“I’ll take care of it my way, so please don’t complain about anything else later.”

Despite Oliver’s words, Kristoff’s eyes didn’t divert to him. He stared at Marianne’s face for a long time as though an extremist appreciating the work of a genius painter.

Oliver let out a big sigh once again.

***

Marianne, who was following Nicholas, stopped on her spot. The raucous atmosphere overwhelmed her like a wave. The nasty smell of alcohol and sweat naturally brought a frown to her face.

“Why? Is this your first time in a place like this? You must have led quite a sophisticated life, didn’t you?”

Maxim, who was following behind her, laughed after she stopped in her spot. Marianne straightened her back and began to walk again.

“You’re welcome. I know everything I need to know.” 

She didn’t want to lose against Maxim. Her bluff was returned with a snort, “Hmph, you don’t know my *ss.” However, Marianne didn’t mind.

“Here!”

Ian, who had arrived first, spotted them and raised his hand. There were already several bottles of liquor on the table.

Florian only drank beer with a bitter look on his face. His complexion grew even paler as he drank.

Looking around, Marianne sat in an empty seat. The chair was made of rough wood. Maxim paused as he inadvertently tried to take a seat beside her. This was because a hand suddenly snatched the chair.

“……”

Kristoff sat beside Marianne gracefully which didn’t match the shabby bar. He glanced at Maxim.

Gaze.

“Tsk.”

Maxim, who clicked his tongue lowly, walked to the other side of the table and sat beside Ian. Kristoff had no intention of giving up the seat beside Marianne to anyone. Even to the idiotic and stubborn Maxim.

Nicholas looked at his teammates, raising a glass filled with half foam and half beer.

“Alright, everyone worked hard today. Especially Maxim and Marianne who discovered that the accidental death turned out to be a murder. Great job.”

Maxim looked flattered at his remark, meanwhile Marianne dropped her eyes with a thoughtful look. The boy’s face that she had forgotten came back to her mind.

She felt uncomfortable. She had no answer when asked about what made her uncomfortable. However, something kept bothering her as if  there was a small stone in her shoes.

Kristoff stared at her with a deeply subdued gaze.

“Tomorrow is a holiday, so let’s drink until we’re blind drunk!”

Nicholas, who drank it all at once, wiped his mouth and gave a low exclamation. Maxim, Florian and Ian took the glasses to their mouths.

Marianne swallowed dryly with a nervous look before gripping her glass. Maxim, who was watching her, pulled up the corners of his mouth. Glug, she drank it all at once with eyes wide open.

Gulp.

“Are you all right, Marianne?”

Voices laced with concern came from the side. Marianne’s eyebrows wriggled involuntarily. Concern, is there another word that doesn’t suit Kristoff as well?

“I’m cool.”

Marianne exclaimed cheerfully. Nicholas and Ian’s eyes turned to her as they put down the empty glasses.

Ian opened his eyes wide as though he was surprised, and Nicholas looked satisfied. He ordered an additional drink from the clerk who happened to pass them.

“Marianne and Kristoff. Both of you are welcomed to our team.”

“Welcome!”

Ian exclaimed cheerfully. Maxim and Florian, who were hitting each other’s glasses with disapproving expressions, stared at Ian. Ian dropped his shoulders in abandon.

Then, Kristoff rose from his seat and walked straight to the bartender. Despite thinking that the beer probably didn’t suit her taste, Marianne took the glass to her mouth again.

It was bitter. She didn’t know how it tasted. However, she didn’t want to lose to Maxim, so she gulped down her glass as if competing with him. And then.

Click.

A plate was placed in front of her. A long and fine-shaped finger came into her sight. She could tell the owner of those fingers without batting eyelashes at him.

“Eat this.”

Marianne quietly turned her gaze. The gaze that followed the line of fingers went up through his arms, shoulders, and eventually stopped at Kristoff’s face. He lifted his eyebrows faintly.

“You didn’t even have lunch. Sandwiches are the only alternative for meals.”

He didn’t bring up the hidden words, ‘because of the dead body’. As he didn’t want to spoil her appetite by saying unnecessary things.

At the same time, a deep silence fell on the table. The surroundings were still raucous and boisterous, but somehow it was quiet here as though they were a different world.

“If we go back late, there won’t be any remaining dinner.”