Seeking for Your Forgiveness

u can organize the documents on the desk over there.
I hope you do your best not to lose your chance.”

 

Marianne, who was turning her head after seeing his gaze, groaned lowly after spotting another pile of documents.

 

While thinking about whether this was a territorial attitude that she had only heard of, Nicholas disappeared from her sight.

 

“Don’t get hurt, he’s originally blunt.”

 

A timid voice came from behind her.
Marianne turned around with a gloomy expression on her face.

 

A young man wearing suspenders was looking at her with twinkling eyes.
His red curly hair gave off the impression of youth.

 

He reached out one hand to Marianne and raised his pointed chin.

 

“My name is Ian Weber.
Your name is Ms…… Marianne Haveck?”

 

“Just call me Marianne.”

 

“All right, Marianne.
So in other words, ehem.
I’m your senior.”

 

His stuck-up eyes were sparkling as if expecting something.
Aha, Marianne, who guessed what he was thinking, smiled and held Ian’s hand.

 

“Nice to meet you, Senior Ian.”

 

“Senior Ian……”

 

Ian, who was looking up into the air with a dreamy gaze as if savoring the words, suddenly dragged a chair and sat down beside her.

 

Perhaps he was the youngest member of the team before she came around, and he seemed to start enjoying the resonating word of ‘senior’.
His voice quickly became arrogant.

 

“Marianne.
As a senior, I will give you some advice, so listen carefully.”

 

“Yes, Senior Ian.”

 

She nodded with a solemn face, swallowing the creeping smile on her mouth.
The man was probably younger than her, but does it mean anything? Every word from her mouth doesn’t cost money anyway.

 

Moreover, she was desperate to be on his side at this moment.

 

“First of all, Inspector Nicholas is the leader of our team.
He’s also the most competent detective in the Blauberg Police Agency.”

 

She somehow thought so.
He was, indeed, a clever man who even found the white mark of the wedding ring on her fingers in just a short time.

 

“And, Lieutenant Maxim Frank…… Oh, it’s the one who hit the desk and left a moment ago.
You’d better be careful not to get marked by him.
He tends to hold a long grudge.”

 

Ian leaned his upper body slightly and whispered in her ear, as if telling a secret story.
Marianne nodded with a gloomy look on her face.

 

“What should I do if I’m already marked by him?”

 

“Well……”

 

Ian scratched his head and swallowed awkwardly after recalling the situation earlier.
Instead of answering, he gave her a mournful gaze.

 

“It’s easier to give up.”

 

“……Yes.”

 

Ian hurriedly changed the subject as if he didn’t want to talk about Maxim anymore.

 

“The other one is Sergeant Florian, Florian König.”

 

When he said that, Marianne was reminded of the pale complexion like a corpse.
Her impression of him was that his name didn’t go well with his complexion.
The dark shade under his eyes made it seem like he stayed up all night.

 

“These four people are one team.”

 

“There are five now.”

 

“That’s right.
There are five people in the team including Marianne now.”

 

Ian, whose eyes opened wide for a moment when she responded, shook his head.
But then.

 

“Ian! What are you waiting for? If you have time to fool around, why don’t you go on another patrol? Have you given up on the jewelry store robbery completely?”

 

In the distance, Maxim roared loudly.
Ian, who flinched and shook his shoulders, got up from his seat and replied, “Yes, I’ll go now!”

 

Marianne, whose eyes met his, threw him a gaze of condolence this time.

 

“Get out now or I’ll kick your a*s! You little brat!”

 

“Thank you, Senior Ian.
It was a big help for me.”

 

“Senior Ian……”

 

Ian, who was staring into the air with a dreamy expression as if savoring the word again, hurriedly went out after seeing Maxim’s fierce expression.
Maxim stared at her with disapproving eyes.

 

“Please go ahead, Lieutenant Maxim.”

 

Marianne smiled at him and began sorting out the documents again. Bang, Maxim kicked the trash can as he couldn’t contain his anger.

 

An umbrella seemed to be necessary for Maxim, not Marianne.
Of course, if he got it, Marianne’s head would be blown off first.

 

***

 

Knock, knock.

 

“Come on in.”

 

Martin breathed out a quiet sigh and opened the office door with a creak upon the sound of a formal and dry voice.
Kristoff’s jawline has become even sharper after a few days passed.

 

The amount of food he had eaten recently has been less than usual.
Moreover, the lights in the office didn’t go out until late at night.
He didn’t take on a new case, nor because of work matters.

 

There was only one reason.
Lady Schneider’s absence.

 

“How’s the progress?”

 

Marianne’s outing attire has been found in the department store lounge.
At the same time, a maid informed him that mourning clothes had disappeared from the madam’s closet.

 

Now, the person they were going after was a mysterious widow, not Marianne.

 

“On the day Madam disappeared, we found a coachman in front of the department store who picked up a widow.
According to him, he dropped the widow off in front of the train station.”

 

“Train station?”

 

Kristoff opened his eyes wide as if he just heard something unexpected.

 

He thought Marianne was somewhere in the capital city.
He thought if he searched the capital city thoroughly, he would eventually find her.

 

But, a train station? Does it mean she left the capital city?

 

The expression slowly vanished from Kristoff’s face.
He looked up blankly into the air like a man who had been hit in the nape with a hammer.

 

Searching the empire was different from searching the capital city.
Finding Marianne in this vast land would be hopeless, like finding a needle in a haystack.

 

Perhaps, it was impossible.

 

Is he not going to find Marianne forever?

 

“Martin.”

 

At that moment, his voice, which lost its tone and feeling, came out of Kristoff’s mouth.
Martin looked at him pitifully.

 

Not long ago, he was as dashing as a king who owned the entire world, but at this moment, he was like a gambler who lost everything.

 

“Yes.”