The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 32
‘…Having foolish flutters over someone unreachable, that’s something I can’t…’
Do anymore.
I have to stop.
Fold this feeling up very small… and put it aside. Where it can’t be seen.
Piling resignation upon resignation was never a difficult task. Johanna was always realistic. She knew what truly mattered.
That’s why she had been able to endure up to now.
* * *
“Sis! I’m home! Are you here?”
Daniel’s sudden call jolted Johanna out of her daydream.
Hastily pulling herself out of her memories, she left the room, tidying up the remnants of the past. Hearing clattering sounds from the kitchen, she went to see Daniel placing a large bowl on the counter.
With a crash, a large sack spilled perfectly round potatoes onto the counter. Johanna widened her eyes and asked Daniel,
“What’s all this?”
“Potatoes. Mrs. Tanya gave them to us.”
“We owe her again.”
Mrs. Tanya was a neighbor living on the second floor of their apartment building with her husband. They were an unusual omega and beta couple, as rare a combination as alpha and beta. The husband was gruff but kind-hearted, and the wife was sociable and loved to meddle.
The couple often took pity on Johanna and Daniel, frequently giving them food. This time, it seemed to be potatoes. Johanna roughly counted the number of potatoes and said,
“With this amount, we’ll have enough for mashed potatoes and more. We can save the rest to bake in the oven tomorrow. We still have some butter from last time.”
Or they could go to the market early tomorrow to buy some meat to go with it. Now they had the means to do so. Johanna felt very proud that she could feed her brother well.
‘And I can send him to Bamberg Boarding School too.’
It seemed best to break that news gradually. If she told him too soon, Daniel might become suspicious. She would need to come up with a plausible story.
After making and eating mashed potatoes with Daniel and reading together, they each headed to their rooms when it was time to sleep. Tomorrow, Johanna would visit her aunt’s family to repay her father’s debt. And she had to meet Ilian Rediess… that man.
‘…Everything will be fine. I can repay the debt now.’
Yet, despite that assurance, Johanna couldn’t shake the lingering unease and had trouble falling asleep.
* * *
As soon as morning came, Johanna moved busily. She bought meat at the market and ate it with baked potatoes, then saw Daniel off to school.
After that, she packed the envelope of money and headed to her aunt’s family home. She didn’t forget to take a suppressant before leaving.
“This is Johanna Lucerne. I’m here to see Mrs. Littberg.”
Her aunt’s family, having successfully integrated into the upper class, lived in a four-story mansion with a garden and several servants.
This was Johanna’s first visit to the mansion, as her aunt had never invited her before. Her aunt’s stinginess was already well-known.
“Please come in.”
Before long, a security guard opened the black iron gate leading to the mansion’s garden. Johanna took a deep breath and stepped forward, her steps feeling as heavy as a ton.
A maid in a black dress greeted Johanna at the entrance.
“Please follow me.”
Following the maid, Johanna glanced around at the extravagantly decorated interior, so opulent it made her click her tongue in disapproval.
The Elderique family’s townhouse, the Weimar mansion, was luxurious yet had an old-fashioned elegance, while this place was gaudy without any grace.
It looked as if they had bought expensive items indiscriminately and decorated without any cohesion. It seemed like they were blindly imitating the upper class without any firm sense of what was truly good.
“This way, please.”
The maid guiding Johanna stopped in front of large double doors. This must be the reception room.
The maid announced Johanna’s arrival, and soon her aunt’s voice was heard from inside.
“Let her in.”
The maid bowed politely and opened the door. Johanna thought that, if nothing else, the servants in this mansion were well-trained. Even though her attire was modest, she hadn’t received any disdainful looks from the servants she had encountered.
“You’re here?”
Her aunt greeted her with indifference as Johanna entered the reception room. The sofa her aunt was seated on was a luxurious velvet canapé adorned with gold. Johanna estimated it alone must be worth at least 5,000 rubles as she approached her aunt.
“Hello, Aunt. How have you been?”
“…Seeing you always makes me sigh. Even if you make a living drawing little illustrations, you come from noble roots. Yet, you look no different from the low-class girls wandering the streets.”
The first thing her aunt said was practically a provocation. Johanna smiled bitterly. She didn’t want to waste her energy getting angry over such things. She just wanted to hand over the money and leave as quickly as possible.
