The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 108
His words trailed off in a murmur as he raised his head from her shoulder, as if pondering the scent. Johanna thought he was talking to himself, so she didn’t respond. But then Leonid, making sure she heard, asked again, clearly and deliberately,
“Do you know what your pheromone smells like? What is it?”
“No, I don’t…”
“…I’m not sure either. Maybe it’s just a floral scent…”
Leonid murmured in a drowsy tone, resting his head back on Johanna’s shoulder. He too released some of his pheromones. The cool, crisp scent, reminiscent of a winter landscape, blended with the sweet floral aroma surrounding them.
The streetlights outside flickered on one by one, and the world around them grew quiet. Only the sounds of the carriage wheels and the horses’ occasional snorts broke the stillness. The faintest hint of breathing could be heard if one listened closely.
Pheromones had a way of drawing people to each other, of creating a sense of calm. Calm… perhaps it was simply because it had become too familiar. At first, his pheromones had overwhelmed her, left her unsettled, but now…
Though he wasn’t truly asleep, Leonid sat unmoving, eyes closed. Johanna felt a sudden urge to run her fingers through his dark hair, but she clenched her fists tightly, resisting the impulse.
He belongs to his world, and I belong to mine.
Their lives merely brushed against each other’s at the edges, nothing more.
* * *
As the middle of June slipped away, the weather turned unbearably hot, almost like the peak of summer.
The roses that had bloomed gloriously in the garden now drooped, weighed down by the rain that had poured for three days straight. Early in the morning, Johanna wandered through the garden, gently touching one of the rain-soaked rose blooms. As she did, the deep pink petals scattered to the ground.
Leonid hadn’t looked well since last evening.
Victoria had whispered to her that his rut was approaching, explaining his condition. Johanna had undergone several tests and a checkup with Victoria, who confirmed that she wasn’t pregnant. Johanna had suspected as much, given that her period had come as usual at the beginning of the month.
Although Victoria reassured her not to rush, Johanna couldn’t shake the growing pressure to conceive soon. She felt as though Leonid’s mother, Hermia, was subtly but persistently pressuring her.
‘With Leonid’s rut coming up…’
If they were to have intercourse during that time, the chances of pregnancy would drastically increase. If he knotted her, the likelihood would be even higher…
Johanna gazed up at the sky with a somber expression. The dark clouds hadn’t fully cleared, leaving the sky a dull, oppressive gray.
* * *
Leonid swallowed two tablets of antipyretics and suppressants. The fever that had started rising since dawn was becoming unbearable, but the rut hadn’t fully set in yet. The difficulty in controlling his pheromones and the fever were all signs that it was approaching.
“Are you alright, sir?”
His aide, Jansen, asked cautiously, concern written across his face. Jansen was an Omega, but due to a pheromone gland malformation, he was practically a Beta. As a result, he neither reacted to Alpha pheromones nor produced Omega pheromones. That was precisely why Leonid kept him close as his personal aide.
“I have to attend. It’s not just any event, but Count Meyer’s engagement.”
Leonid sighed, tightening his cravat. The medication should keep him stable for a couple of hours. Still, there was a chance his rut could hit sooner, so he would need to return quickly.
As he stepped outside to board the waiting carriage, he caught sight of Johanna walking in the garden. His hand paused on the carriage’s ladder, and for a moment, he stood still, simply watching her.
She had stopped in front of a trellised rose, gently tapping a deep pink bloom with her finger. The petals, damp from rain, fell unexpectedly, and she seemed slightly startled before slipping into thought, her face clouded with contemplation.
He had noticed it before—she was someone prone to overthinking. She took everything seriously, rarely able to be straightforward or carefree. Even now, as she gazed up at the gloomy sky with that melancholy expression, it was obvious her mind was burdened with worries.
‘What a tiring way to live.’
Without lingering any longer, Leonid climbed into the carriage. He decided he would bring Johanna to social events only occasionally from now on. He didn’t like the idea of men like James Kestner eyeing her, and besides, she needed time to gradually acclimate to the high-society environment.
