The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 126
The completely unexpected apology made Johanna open her eyes wide and look at him. In that brief moment, he leaned down and licked the corner of her eye. Johanna quickly squeezed her eyes shut again.
She expected him to continue immediately, but strangely, nothing happened. Leonid just covered Johanna with a blanket and held her in his arms. As she felt the rhythmic patting on her back, Johanna blinked powerlessly. Soft lips pressed against her forehead.
“Sleep now.”
“…….”
He kept doing things she couldn’t understand. Especially tonight. She wanted to ponder the reason, but the heavy drowsiness overcame her exhausted consciousness.
Before long, Johanna fell into a deep sleep. The relentless sound of pouring rain echoed faintly beyond her dreams.
Chapter 5
Kiara Rinke Elderique’s visit was unexpected. It was the afternoon following the unpleasant incident with Leonid.
When she woke up in the morning, Leonid was nowhere to be found. All Johanna heard from Annette was that he had gone out early.
Throughout the morning, Nella kept observing Johanna’s complexion with a worried expression. Johanna repeatedly assured Nella that she was fine, but Nella couldn’t seem to shake her concern.
Why is she acting like that when she’s really fine? Johanna smiled casually as she finished her lunch. She didn’t have much appetite, so she ate less than half of her usual portion, but she felt sufficiently full, so she thought there was no need to eat more.
An hour later, Kiara visited the Weimar estate. Naturally, Johanna assumed she came to see Leonid, but surprisingly, it was Johanna whom Kiara sought.
“Let’s go to the art exhibition together. You like art, don’t you?”
Come to think of it, wasn’t there a regular art exhibition starting today for two weeks, aimed at showcasing new works by various artists from different countries? She had completely forgotten about it.
She had wanted to attend the exhibition for some time, and her heart was tempted, but she couldn’t readily give a positive response.
If she went to such a crowded place and did something to get on Leonid’s nerves… What if he gets angry again? Maybe it would be better to stay in her room and avoid going anywhere.
“Johanna?”
“Ah…”
Kiara called Johanna again, urging her. Johanna let out a sigh-like murmur and hesitated. At that moment, noticing something quickly, Nella subtly stepped forward.
“Are you worried that the Marquis might not like it? In that case, why not wait for just 30 more minutes and ask him when he returns? I think he’d probably allow it…”
Johanna glanced sideways at the wall clock. It was almost 2 o’clock. Annette had mentioned that Leonid would return around that time, so it seemed reasonable to follow Nella’s suggestion. But…
“Why do you have to get permission from my brother?”
Kiara suddenly interjected. She alternated between looking at Johanna and Nella with a genuinely puzzled expression. As neither of them spoke, Kiara’s frown deepened.
“Don’t tell me my brother controls every little thing you do?”
“…It’s not like that.”
It was just that she felt a bit worn out and didn’t want to clash with him unnecessarily if she could help it. Johanna quickly opened her mouth, worried that Kiara might misunderstand.
“Leonid worries a lot. That’s all. If I let him know in advance, he won’t be concerned…”
“Hm…”
Kiara still seemed skeptical, but it looked like Johanna had managed to explain it well enough. Leonid returned to the estate earlier than expected, around 1:40, and Johanna went to meet him with Kiara.
“Leonid, it’s me.”
“Come in.”
As soon as Leonid gave his answer, Nella promptly opened the door. Johanna carefully stepped inside. It seemed Leonid had changed his clothes as soon as he returned; he was buttoning up a clean white shirt. Clearly, his fastidiousness hadn’t disappeared.
“I heard Kiara is here.”
“Yes, she’s—”
“It’s been a while, Leonid oppa~.”
Before Johanna could explain, Kiara stepped forward and greeted Leonid cheerfully. Leonid frowned deeply, showing no sign of being pleased to see his sister after a long time.
“What are you doing here?”
“You won’t even ask how I’ve been?”
“I already know you’ve been living well, wasting Grandfather’s money as an idle layabout, so why bother?”
“You really have a charming personality.”
Ignoring Kiara’s grumbling, Leonid turned his attention to Johanna. The unspoken pressure in his gaze urged her to speak up, and Johanna licked her dry lips before speaking.
“May I go to the art exhibition with Kiara? It’s an exhibition I’ve wanted to see for some time…”
