Seeking for Your Forgiveness

ianne up and down.
His voice sounds dull.

 

“Why are you looking for the commissioner’s office?”

 

The man, who acknowledged the situation, asked in a defensive manner.
If the answer he got wasn’t the positive one, he would kick her out immediately.

 

Marianne stared at him with a graceful smile.
What she learned during her time as Lady Schneider is that sometimes a smile is more powerful than any words.

 

Inevitably, the man scratched his head with a confused look on his face.
His subdued voice fired back at her.

 

“Did you make an appointment with the commissioner?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Oh I see, this is different.
The commissioner’s office is upstairs, at the end of the corridor on the right.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome, miss.”

 

Marianne left him behind and moved on.

 

The man watched Marianne while scratching his eyebrows until she climbed the stairs.
The meaningful look in his eyes reminded him of the commissioner’s mistress.

 

Perhaps, many things will happen in the future.
The police agency was a restrained place for women, and even more unsuitable for women to work in.

 

“I’m saying it’s been like that until now.
I’m not saying that will be the case in the future.”

 

Marianne stood in front of the room at the end of the hall and fixed her clothes. Knock, knock, knock, she heard a voice giving her permission to come in.

 

Marianne, who heard the voice was younger than she thought, questioned her own senses and realized the reason right away.
The young man, who appeared to be a secretary, greeted her in a kind manner.
There was another heavy door on the wall.

 

“Ms.
Marianne Haveck?”

 

The secretary stood up and pretended to be indifferent.

 

“Yes.”

 

Marianne nodded solemnly.
Haveck was her mother’s surname before getting married.
She was more famously known as Lady Schneider than Marianne Kloze, but there was no harm in being careful.

 

She didn’t know about others, but people like the commissioner might know her name.
She didn’t remember seeing the police commissioner at the banquet in the past, but Marianne was just being cautious.

 

The secretary led her to the other door with a friendly smile.

 

The secretary knocked on the door, and soon granted permission to come in.
This time, the voice was as she predicted, experienced and somber.

 

The secretary, who opened the door, stepped aside and casted his eyes on her.

 

“Please come in.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Marianne returned the smile that lived up to her manner and went in.
The room was a bit smaller than Kristoff’s office.

 

However, the structure was not much different.
There was a desk in front of the window, a bookshelf that filled one side of the wall, and a sofa as well as a table for guests.

 

Maybe it was dictated by the law.
But in most cases, it wouldn’t be that outdated all the time.

 

Marianne looked at the man sitting on his desk with a clear-looking face, as if he hadn’t thought of a different idea.

 

He slowly got up with raised eyebrows.
The man, whose head was half-bald, had a fairly good body for his age.

 

“Nice to meet you, Commissioner Wilhelm Simon.”

 

“Call Nicholas.”

 

Simon, who instructed his secretary, eventually looked at her.
His dark brown eyes reflected his complicated mind.
A stare of confusion, disapproval, and a hint of curiosity were directed at her.

 

“Well, so Ms…… Marianne Haveck? I don’t know how to address you.
It’s our first time accepting a woman in the police agency.”

 

“What do you call the other officers?”

 

“I’ll just call them by their name.
Sometimes I call them by their position when I’m angry, and it’s because we’ve known each other for a long time.”

 

“You can call me that way too.
We’ll probably see each other for quite a while.”

 

Marianne didn’t want to be treated differently.
She glanced at him and pulled the corners of her lips.
Simon, whose eyebrows twitched, represented his surprise, nodded.

 

“All right, Haveck.”

 

“Please call me Marianne, Chief.”

 

“Fine, Marianne.”

 

Simon called her name in an unexpectedly refreshing way.
Marianne straightened her back even more and her gesture caught his eye.

 

Simon’s eyes lit up upon seeing that.
From her tone and gesture, it wasn’t difficult to guess that she was a woman who came from a high-class background.

 

Then, a cheap dress and hat without a trace of the designer’s name.

 

Simon, who was once again observing her appearance, had a mysterious expression on his face.
As if assessing between her lofty attitude and unrefined appearance.

 

Could she be the daughter of a ruined noble family?

Marianne Haveck.

 

Simon repeated the name quietly, as he had done for the past few days.
However, there was no specific person who came to his mind.
The name ‘Marianne’ wasn’t uncommon, and he had never heard of ‘Haveck’ before.

  

“The marquis…… has recommended you.
I want you to do your best not to bring trouble to his name.”

 

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“But how do you know the Marquis?”

 

Simon asked while trying hard to make it sound like a trivial question.
However, Marianne knew that he was actually paying extra attention to her answer.

 

She answered in a casual tone.

 

“I just treated him kindly last time, and I think he deemed it as a debt.
He knew I wanted to be a police officer, so he granted me this opportunity.
I’m grateful to him.”

 

“…….So you’re not close with him?”

 

“Not at all.
How do I be close to such a high-ranking person?”

 

“All right.”

 

It was when Simon nodded at Marianne’s hypocritical answer.
The door opened after one knock.
Dark-brown haired man with a square face entered the office.
His sharp eyes and tightly-closed mouth gave out a stubborn impression.

 

“Did you call me, Chief Commissioner?”

 

“Oh, Nicholas.”

 

Nicholas, who glanced briefly at Marianne, moved beside her.
Simon introduced Marianne to him.

“This is Marianne Haveck.”

 

Nicholas’ gaze lingered curiously at her for a moment.
Their eyes met, “You can call me Marianne.” she said with a smile.

 

Nicholas still looked stunned when he greeted her slightly.

 

“He’s the police officer whom you’ll work with in a team from now on.”

 

Nicholas frowned for a moment.
Forgetting the fact that his action was considered rude.