The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 128
Kiara must have noticed the thought on Johanna’s face, because she smiled gently and spoke in a light tone.
“It was when I was sixteen. I manifested right after my sixteenth birthday. At the time, Leonid had stopped by our family estate for a bit, and when he found out I was locked up, he came right away and got me out. Then he was furious with our mother. He can be a good brother when it counts, even though he’s usually so ill-tempered…”
There was a subtle affection in Kiara’s eyes and voice as she spoke about her only brother. Despite everything, it seemed like Kiara really liked her brother. Now that Johanna thought about it, they didn’t seem to have a bad relationship during the banquet either.
“Even if my brother acts a bit mean, please try to understand. It’s just his bad personality—he’s not a bad person… Wait, that sounds strange. What I mean is, he has a difficult personality, but he’s not evil. You know what I mean, right?”
Kiara, stumbling over her words as if she couldn’t quite bring herself to fully defend her brother’s personality, made Johanna burst out laughing. She really was a kind and amusing person, and despite Johanna being merely Leonid’s contract wife, Kiara got along with her so well…
“Hey, let’s go over there! Quickly!”
Suddenly, Kiara tapped Johanna’s shoulder, urging her excitedly. Johanna, caught by Kiara’s hand, let herself be pulled along.
The place they arrived at was a gallery sectioned off by a fence, arranged almost like a private exhibition for a single artist.
She thought the artist must be someone incredibly famous, but unexpectedly, what caught her eye was a pen name she knew all too well.
[Jeremih Baselitz]
Jeremih Baselitz. He was an artist who had appeared like a comet four years ago, inspiring the art world greatly.
He primarily painted natural landscapes, and his unique touch was highly praised for its extraordinary beauty.
Johanna also liked his works. To be honest, he was an artist she had always admired. The first time Johanna saw a genuine painting by Jeremih Baselitz, not a copy, was when she was seventeen.
By then, Johanna had long since given up her dream of becoming a fine artist, but the moment she saw his landscape paintings, she felt the dead embers of her passion flicker back to life. She wanted to paint such magnificent pieces herself—an aspiration that all artists naturally yearn for.
However, it was impossible for Johanna to pursue fine arts as a career. The small spark of hope she had felt didn’t last long and was soon extinguished. At the time, it felt somewhat unfair, but now, she felt nothing about it.
If she had been more driven or selfish enough to disregard her family’s situation, she might have pursued art at the expense of everything, but Johanna was a practical person. She could never abandon her mother and Daniel.
“Oh my goodness, Johanna. Do you know Jeremih Baselitz? I really like this artist. He’s so popular that they’ve even given him a setup like a private exhibition at such a large-scale event.”
“I like him too.”
“Really? It seems like we have similar tastes,” Kiara said, bursting into a cheerful laugh, her excitement making her seem as endearing as a younger sister. …But upon further thought, Johanna realized that they were the same age.
“Johanna, look over there.”
As they were admiring the paintings, Kiara nudged Johanna in the side, whispering softly. Johanna turned her head in the direction Kiara pointed, where a crowd of people was gathered in a circle, murmuring excitedly. They seemed to be surrounding something—or someone.
“Looks like Jeremih Baselitz is signing autographs for his followers.”
“…What? Really?”
Johanna’s eyes widened in surprise at the news that the artist himself was present here, in this very place. It might be her chance to get an autograph as well. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Kiara, watching her with a curious gaze, asked quietly,
“Do you want to meet Jeremih Baselitz?”
“Yes, but just seeing him from a distance would be enough for me. It’d be a shame not to get an autograph, though…”
“Johanna, you should aim high! We’ve come all this way, so you should at least get his autograph, don’t you think? Come on.”
Once again, Johanna found herself helplessly pulled along by Kiara’s hand. Sensing that something could go wrong in the large crowd, their bodyguards and Nella quickly followed closely behind them.
When they arrived, they found the place swarming with Jeremih Baselitz’s followers.
