Seeking for Your Forgiveness

at it.

 

Therefore when Kristoff, the successor to the Marquis Schneider, said he would marry a commoner, her name almost appeared every day in the daily newspaper.

 

「Love Story Beyond Status!」

 

「The Birth of the First Commoner wife to the Marquis?」

 

「An extraordinary marriage that crossed the line of status! Will it bring a new wind to society?」

 

Marianne wasn’t foolish enough not to know what that meant.
That her words and actions would affect Kristoff’s reputation.

 

She had to learn high-class manners and social etiquette so as not to be a stain on the Schneider family.
She deemed those times as worthless.

 

Especially for Marianne, who was naturally free-spirited.
She thought that that time was like pruning herself.

 

It was when she cut one branch after another that grew out wildly in order to become what everyone wants.

 

As a result, the last thing left of Lady Schneider, was an elegant and noble lady.
The bright, cheerful, and curious Marianne was nowhere to be seen.

 

Nevertheless, there were people who still looked down on her.
In general, they were women of powerful families who had been involved in the nobility for a long time.

 

Marianne had to struggle like a general who walked into the enemy camp on their own.
The tea time she spent with them was similar to war, and the psychological attacks behind their laughter was like a fight between well-forged swords.

 

She didn’t want Kristoff to find out about her suffering.
She didn’t even want him to worry about it.
She just wanted him to ask her once, even if it was just an exchange of words for good manners.

 

However, he wasn’t interested in the teatime and banquets she had to attend.
He didn’t even know how hard she was fighting there.

 

“I didn’t know you could be worried, too.”

 

Marianne’s indifferent voice came out of her lips.
Kristoff only stared at her from afar.
For a moment, his eyes trembled as if they were hurt.

 

Marianne, who realized that her voice was colder than she thought, turned around as if to hide her embarrassment.
Then, she continued with her walk.

 

She heard footsteps following her one moment later.

 

The two walked on.
They were not standing side by side or facing each other.
The heavy silence descended upon each of their footprints.

 

A man who had become drunk early in the night, a cat snooping in the trash can, and the tree swaying in the wind passed by them.

 

“……”

 

Marianne finally stopped walking when she stood in front of the blue front door of the boarding house.

 

After taking a slight breath, she climbed up the stairs without looking back.
And she entered the boarding house without saying anything.
Kristoff didn’t hold her back either.

“I’m home, Madam Liszt.”

 

Marianne greeted in a cheerful voice.
Madam Liszt, who was in the kitchen, came out after wiping hands on her apron.

 

“I was worried because it’s already late.
Is everything all right, Marianne?”

 

“Yes.
Except I had to carry an umbrella as Madam advised.”

 

“See, what did I say? There’s always one guy you have to hit on the head.”

 

“Hurry up and let’s have dinner quickly,” said Madam List after speaking haughtily.
Marianne nodded.

 

“I’ll just change my clothes and come down again.”

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

Madam Liszt headed to the kitchen to heat up the food.
Marianne went up to the second floor and took off her hat.

 

Phew.

 

The sigh she had been holding back finally came out.
After hanging her hat on the wall, she casually threw her gaze out of the window after opening the closet door.

 

She could see a black shadow standing under the darkened sky.

 

“……”

 

The long shadow was standing motionlessly like a tree rooted in the ground.

 

Marianne’s eyes shook.
Her moist breath came out, scattering through her lips, which she forced to be calm until a moment ago.

 

Kristoff.

 

At that moment, the shadow slowly raised their head.
As if he heard her call.

 

“!”

 

She quickly hid herself behind the wall.
Her heart was beating loudly.
She closed her eyes tightly as if to get rid of the afterimage from her mind.

 

Why?

 

Why are you suddenly doing something you haven’t done before?

 

Her resentful heart fluttered.
It would be nice if he could let her go without any regrets.

 

Kristoff seemed to be someone who put his hand in the door urgently just before it closed.
Then, the conclusion was either one of the two.

 

Whether he, who couldn’t overcome the pain, hurriedly pulled out, or Marianne, who couldn’t bear to watch him, opened the door again.

 

Marianne wanted him to give up.
Otherwise, it seemed that she would open the door to him at any moment.

 

It would be harder than she thought to simply watch Kristoff suffer on his own.
Because she was more concerned about one bump on his finger than her own wound, that left her mouth wide open with blood flowing out of it.
She slowly opened her eyes and walked over to the dressing table, and exhaled.
There was a reflection of her face in the mirror.

 

She couldn’t believe she looked like that when she was talking to Kristoff.
If it was true, he must have noticed immediately that it was a lie.

 

Marianne’s eyes scanned the surrounding helplessly.
Looking at herself once again in the mirror, she opened the drawer and took out the scissors.
She directed the blade to her neck.
And following it.

 

Scrak, scrak.

 

She was cutting her long hair off.
Marianne bit her lips in prayer that her stubborn lingering affection would be cut off the same way as this.

 

“Marianne! Do you still need time?”

 

“I’ll go down soon, Madam.”

 

After changing her clothes in a hurry, she went downstairs.
That’s why she had no idea that the dark shadow was still standing in front of the house.

 

“It smells delicious.”

 

As well as the fact that he was listening quietly to her voice that could be heard from inside the house.