Chapter 30

“Apologize to Lady Marianne.”

“But…”

“Don’t you want to apologize? Do you want me to bring your parents here to offer apologies on your behalf?”

“That can’t be…”

Roxy bit her lip with a sulky face. After hesitating, she finally lifted the hem of her dress slightly and offered apologies, putting her hands on her chest.

“I’m sorry, Lady Marianne.”

Her sharp voice, like a cat’s, trembled. Although she couldn’t be more arrogant, Roxy seemed to listen to Mrs. Chester.

“It’s okay. Stand up.”

Marianne replied politely. Roxy stared at her sharply while adjusting her his posture.

The marquise glanced at Marianne who was still supporting her arm, and began to walk with a mysterious smile. Her red dress was so colorful and long that three maids lifted the end of her skirt slightly from behind her.

Roxy seemed to hate Marianne who was walking alongside the marquise. Roxy heard the guests whispering about her. She looked around with her red face. Her glance at Marianne was so frightening that they even felt as if she were hitting Marianne with her eyes.

“Marquis Chester?”

Then Roxy cried in a surprised voice. At her mention of the marquise, many people paid attention to her, following her glance. The marquise also stopped slowly.

Marianne was no exception. She heard that there were all sorts of people gathered at Mrs. Chester’s salon, so she wondered if a certain famous marquise arrived late, but she doubted it in no time.

‘I think I was called the ‘last guest’ when I entered?’

She looked puzzled and turned slightly.

There stood a familiar figure at the end of the long rug.

Marianne doubted her eyes at that moment.

“Marie!”

It was Ober’s call.

Marianne stared at him with her body stiff like a stone statue.

She was so embarrassed and even scared.

“Sir, I never invited you to this party,” the marquise, who turned belatedly, frowned slightly.

“Marie, why are you here?” Ober demanded, as if he couldn’t hear the marquise. His calling her by her nickname, not her formal title, showed how shocked and angry he was. With a deep sigh, the marquise glanced between her son and Marianne. Those around them also looked at them alternately.

All kinds of thoughts occurred to her mind during that short time.

‘Why is this guy here when he has to stay in Chester? Did he already detect my secret plan and chase me right to the capital? Did he find out my father’s location? How much does he know? How should I respond to his questions? I shouldn’t be so hostile to him because I have to obtain as much information about him as possible, but I should not be caught.’

“Ober.”

Marianne called him with a trembling voice. Just as she felt so when Ober called her name, her calling his name without his official title suggested she was embarrassed. The guests once again whispered to each other when they called each other by their given names, which they usually did in private settings. In the meantime, Marianne secretly bit the inside of her lips. Soon, she felt bloody taste in her mouth and she was choked with tears, but not enough to drop tears.

She had to bite the same spot once more, and this time it was really painful. She trembled while trying to hold back painful moaning. Releasing her grip on the marquise’s arms, she staggered toward Ober miserably.

“Ober, why are you so late?”

Dropping her overflowing tears, Marianne jumped into his arms.

The guests kept quiet. Even someone’s gulp out of nervousness was heard. Roxy was flabbergasted as if she were cut by a knife when she got up. The marquise was covering half her face with a fan of colorful feathers, but she fixed her gaze on both of them.

Receiving their unwanted spotlight, Marianne rubbed her cheeks and wept over Ober’s chest.

“Boohoo… I waited for you so long…”

“Marie. What happened?”

“Boohoo, boohoo…”

Her sad whimpering resonated through the quiet tea party.

“I didn’t mean it. Really, boohoo…I didn’t want anything.”

She didn’t mean to cry so loudly, but her lips were sore inside. She cried out of pain naturally.

While she felt the inside of her mouth burning, Marianne tried to pronounce her excuses clearly. As it had already happened in the presence of the guests, she just wanted them to spread accurate rumors about what happened now.

“Excuse us,” Ober said.

She was not sure if he fell for it or just pretended to, but he asked to be excused first and helped her get out of the parlour. Leaving behind the guests wondering about her bizarre actions, she walked. Cordelli quickly followed her.

“I’ve never seen that kind of strange woman before.”

Since Marianne was almost wrapped in Ober’s arms, Roxy was mad as hell, but she didn’t care at all.

‘It hurts…’

First of all, her lips that she bit inside her mouth felt really painful.

‘What should I say next? Hope I haven’t been caught yet.’

Deep inside, she was absent-minded with figuring out how she could cope with this embarrassing situation.

Meanwhile, Ober went into a quiet room nearby. It was a bedroom. Stopping Cordelli outside the door, who was trying to follow her, he seated Marianne in bed and locked the door firmly.

Click.

It was also the first time that she felt so scared about the clicking sound of the lock.

“Marie.”

He pulled a chair nearby and sat across her. She was looking at him with tearful eyes.

“I saw the bulletin. Something crazy happened. What happened in the meantime? What do you mean when you said it wasn’t your intention?”

She deliberately shrugged her shoulders and swallowed her cry. Beads of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m not going to interrogate you, but I just want to know the situation. So, speak slowly.”

As he was cold-hearted, she was not sure if he really felt sorry for her. But it was the first time he saw her crying, so she thought he could feel sympathetic.

That was the only hope she could expect from him.

“Sir.”

Marianne patted her wet cheeks with a handkerchief.

“Are you blaming me?”

Ober took the handkerchief out of her hand and wiped her cheeks with his fingertips. She wanted to pull away his disgusting fingers right away, but she put up with it.

“No.”

“Then, do you think I betrayed you?”

“I’m hoping you didn’t.”

His answer was mysterious. It was not a YES or NO, but ‘I’m hoping.’

It sounded as if Ober wasn’t yet sure of the process of her becoming the owner of the Elior Mansion. In fact, she could now analyze somebody’s motivation, which her former self would have never done. Feeling a bit unfamiliar with her own change, she adjusted her facial expression.

“I will never betray you, sir,” she said.

With a little bit of decisiveness and sadness, her young voice was very natural. It was not a lie. It was Ober who first betrayed her during her previous life. As a result, this was the beginning of her very just revenge on him.

“So, can you believe everything I’m saying?”

At her sincere voice, he got up from his chair and sat next to her. Because of his weight, her bed shook slightly, with her body leaning over. He didn’t miss the opportunity and put his arms around her waist. And he gently stroked her wet eyes and cheeks with his other hand. His soft physical touch made her feel goosebumps.

She felt coldness at his delicate fingertips instead of warmth. She thought the role of a spy was more suitable for this man than her.

“Of course, I can believe you totally.”

Having said that, Ober hugged her slowly and strongly.

He breathed out over her crown heavily.

‘My Lord in Heaven. I’m sorry to keep lying like this. But please forgive me for lying because this poor soul once died. They say life is said to be a blessing given by you. I’m doing this to live. And this bastard did wrong to me first. So please, please help me not be caught by him…’

While repeating apologies and prayer to Ailius the god, she opened her mouth slowly. She wanted to get out of his presence as soon as possible.

“I want to go back to you.”

* * *

“So, you told Ober that I dragged you against your will and virtually confined you to this mansion?” Eckart said, bursting into fake laughter.

He was hearing her explanation about her dreadful meeting with Ober at the tea party.

“It’s true to some extent. Well, I could find out where I would stay only after I got out of the wagon that day,” said Marianne, shrugging her shoulders.

“Let me ask you, just in case. Do you know what it means to be the owner of this mansion?”

“Of course. I know it very well.”

“Oh, I see. Even if you know, you don’t want to stop treating me as a cheater, do you?”

“Whatever the result, if you cheat someone in the process, it’s a scam.”

Eckart looked down at her with a troubled look, and then let out a deep sigh.