To My Beloved Oppressor

Chapter 22

Annette nodded her head. As her father said, criminals always said they had committed no crimes.

Having come to the conclusion that it was no big deal, she stood in front of her parents and the photographer. A happy smile was all over her face.

"I'm taking the pictures! One, two, three."

The shutter speed was slow, so Annette had to remain still for quite some time. While she was pouring her heart and soul into a beautiful smile, the commotion that had occurred in front of the concert hall disappeared from her mind.

"Mom, I'm going to rest for a minute. My head hurts from the smell of the flowers."

"The dean should be here soon. Go back quickly."

Annette went to the window to catch her breath for a moment as the crowd that filled the surrounding area gradually diminished. Her heart was pounding from the tension that had not subsided and the excitement she felt immediately after the performance.

Annette let out a long breath and touched the window pane. As she casually looked out without much thought, something caught her gaze.

In front of the door of the concert hall, two strong men were struggling to drag out a woman.The brown-haired woman held onto a lamppost, unwilling to move.

That seemed to be the commotion her father had mentioned. Annette studied the woman with a faint frown. From the second-floor window, she could see the situation at the entrance quite closely.

"....!"

The screaming sound could be heard even through the closed windows. After several jostles, one of the woman's arms fell from the lamppost.

It was not difficult to pull her away who had lost her strength. Then the woman whose arms had been grabbed was dragged out.

She struggled and resisted to the end. Her face, scorched with anger, regret, and despair, turned to the second floor window. Annette involuntarily took a step back.

Oh, that face.

A feeling of horror and discomfort, for reasons unknown, crept up her legs. It was as if she had seen the bottom of the human race. Annette shook off the afterimage with misery.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Annette by her shoulder. Startled, she spun around.

"Ah!"

Ansgar was smiling as he raised his hands in surrender. His eyes were squinted as he spoke teasingly.

"What, why are you so surprised? Were you having strange thoughts?"

"Strange thoughts..........! It's because you caught me so suddenly."

"Sorry, sorry. By the way, why is the main character here instead of mingling?"

"Oh, I just saw a commotion outside."

"Commotion? What happened? It is not a big deal, is it?"

"No, just a person who was displeased with the trial......"

Annette looked back, stretching her words. The woman had already been taken away. It had been peaceful outside for some time.

Annette turned her head again and said monotonously.

"...They were making a fuss."

***

The woman in her memory and the expressionless face in front of her overlapped.

Annette slowly lowered the hand that was covering her mouth. Her throat was tight. She reached for her teacup, but it was shaking so badly that it made a loud rattling sound.