The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 46
Not knowing how to respond, Johanna simply wet her dry lips with her tongue. It seemed Leonid Neubitz had lived a far more tumultuous life than she had imagined. She could understand why he had become so prickly and sensitive. Constant harassment and schemes from those around him must have left him exhausted and weary.
“Do you understand now why I developed such a distaste for Omegas?”
“…Yes.”
She replied softly, nodding her head. She couldn’t bring herself to ask anything further. He likely had even more stories to tell, but sharing the entirety of one’s life was something reserved for truly close relationships. And she was merely a fake fiancée.
“You might find it surprising, but I actually hold you in quite high regard, Miss Lucerne.”
“Me…?”
“You’ve only recently manifested as an Omega, yet you already know how to perfectly control your pheromones. You’re not leaking them everywhere like that Omega we saw earlier.”
“…”
“As you know, Alphas and Omegas often struggle to control their pheromones in front of someone they’re attracted to. But with you, Miss Lucerne, there’s no sign of that at all…”
“…”
“So, I can be sure that you don’t have any personal feelings for me.”
“A very neat and admirable attitude. I like it,”
He murmured the last part, chuckling softly.
Johanna dropped her gaze with an expression caught between a smile and a frown. Fortunately, he wasn’t watching her. He quickly lost interest and turned to look out the window. By then, the carriage had arrived at an upscale shopping district.
“Get ready to get off. We need to properly carry out the second part of today’s agenda,”
He said sweetly, once again donning the mask of a caring fiancé. She had no time to be astonished by his sudden change of demeanor. The door opened, and he stepped out first, offering his hand. The noise of the street mingled with the cold late-winter air.
“Showering you with gifts. It’s a classic element in every Cinderella story, isn’t it?” he whispered in her ear as she stepped down onto the ground. His voice was crafted to sound caring, but a hint of his irritated true feelings seeped through. His gentle smile was so perfect that she almost believed it for a fleeting moment.
The sunlight gleamed off the shop windows, dazzling her eyes. As she watched the vain brilliance, Johanna thought: If I don’t clearly close off or suppress my feelings, I’ll end up like the pitiable Viscount Bantwood.
* * *
The first place they visited was a dress shop. It was a boutique that Johanna had frequented a few times when she occasionally worked as a freelancer for a gossip magazine, though never as a customer.
Johanna primarily worked on illustrating the new clothing lines released by the brand’s head designer. These illustrations were then used in the magazine as part of a catalog spread.
Johanna was particularly skilled at depicting delicate lace and patterns, which endeared her work to the designers. Once, she had even been offered a job at the boutique, but she turned it down due to the low pay.
“You’ve arrived, Marquis Neubitz! Thank you for visiting… Oh my!”
Perhaps because they had made a reservation, they were the only customers there. The head designer and staff approached with welcoming smiles, eager to greet them, but they froze in surprise upon seeing Johanna.
The designer’s eyes shifted between Leonid and Johanna, and slowly, a look of comprehension dawned on their face, soon spreading into one of astonished realization. Johanna averted her gaze to avoid their eyes.
“I’d like to order some clothes for my fiancée.”
“Oh, yes! Of course, Your Excellency! Thank you for visiting us. Everything is prepared and ready.”
As Leonid spoke curtly to those standing dumbfounded, the head designer was the first to regain composure and began issuing various instructions to the staff.
A short while later, Johanna found herself standing in front of a large full-length mirror. They meticulously took her measurements and draped various fabrics over her body. Her complexion was bright, and her skin was translucent, so any color suited her well. However, the designer recommended light pastel colors, likely due to the approaching spring.
“Such a bright yellow doesn’t suit platinum blonde. It would be much more striking to use pure white fabric with intricate gold embroidery. Pairing that with diamond jewelry would certainly capture everyone’s attention.”
The head designer’s younger brother ran a jewelry store right next to this boutique. He subtly suggested they consider purchasing some jewelry as well. Knowing that the next stop on their itinerary was indeed the jewelry store, Johanna simply nodded quietly.
After ordering more than thirty tailored outfits, they left the boutique. The next stop was the jewelry store right next door. Unlike the previous shop, they hadn’t reserved it to be cleared for them, but it happened to be a quiet time with no other customers present.
In the dress shop, Leonid had chosen and ordered according to his own taste without seeking Johanna’s opinion, but when it came to the jewelry, he generously allowed her to choose. This was likely because selecting the wrong outfit could ruin one’s dignity, whereas jewelry rarely failed to make an impression.
Although Johanna didn’t trust her judgment regarding jewelry, as she had little experience with it, she did have her preferences. She decided to choose based on her tastes, believing that if she picked something truly unsuitable, Leonid would intervene.
