The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 60
“The wedding isn’t far off now.”
“Yes…”
“Your father… I wonder if he’ll be able to disembark before the wedding.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. It’s fine.”
“Still, a wedding without the father present would look a bit odd. Not that it matters to me.”
“…”
Indeed, any gossip would likely fall solely on her. But to bring her father—someone she considered a troublesome burden—and place him at the head of the table was the last thing she wanted.
Honestly, he was a person she didn’t even want to call “father.” The mere thought of him made her uneasy, filled with anxiety about what trouble he might cause next.
“The issue with my father… I’ll handle it on my own. If he ever asks you for money…”
Just mentioning her father made her feel unbearable shame. Johanna bit her lower lip before continuing.
“Please, don’t give him anything. He’s a gambling addict with no sense of money… If you help him once, he’ll shamelessly keep asking for more.”
Leonid silently stared at her, his expression unreadable. His eyes, holding thoughts she couldn’t decipher, remained fixed on her for a moment.
Then, he gave a small smile.
“Well… Even if your father loses money at the gambling table, it’s a trivial amount to me. But if that’s what you wish.”
Leonid tilted the bottle, filling his empty glass to the brim. Johanna glanced at the pile of bottles on the table. Was he planning to drink all of that? The high alcohol content made her a bit concerned.
“By the way, aren’t you nervous?”
After emptying another glass, Leonid suddenly asked. Johanna didn’t grasp his question immediately and responded briefly.
“What is it?”
“You know, about sleeping with me, Miss Lucerne.”
“Ah.”
Reflexively, Johanna let out a small gasp, her expression stiffening. He wasn’t talking about simple sleep, of course, but about the union between an Alpha and an Omega.
“Have you done it before?”
“What…? N-No, I haven’t!”
Her flustered stammering made him laugh out loud, a rich, deep sound that echoed pleasantly.
“I know you haven’t. I was just making fun of you.”
“…”
She stared at his playful face, then quickly lowered her gaze. Even after being teased in such a ridiculous way, the fact that her heart fluttered at his smile made her realize how hopeless she was.
These feelings were ones she had long since buried—admiration, longing, something akin to a first love. She believed she could keep them under control, yet sometimes, she was suddenly terrified.
Terrified that she might dare to desire him, to covet him…
Hermia’s advice to know her place was, indeed, quite accurate. Johanna swallowed her self-mockery, the bitter taste lingering in her mouth.
“To be honest, I’m not keen on it. The whole idea of sharing flesh and fluids with someone.”
“…”
Of course, given your aversion to germs… Johanna kept the thought to herself, choosing silence.
“But you know something? I used to be repulsed by Omega pheromones, but yours, Lucerne… they actually stir something in me.”
The unexpected, coarse admission caught Johanna off guard, her eyes widening in surprise.
“We might not be destined soulmates, but it seems our compatibility is… exceptional.”
“…”
“The only time we’ll likely come together is during my rut. When that happens, I’m not in control, so once instincts take over, it’ll all be over quickly.”
A rut was the Alpha’s breeding cycle, much like the Omega’s heat—a cycle Johanna had yet to experience.
While the intensity of the heat cycle varied among Omegas, the overwhelming sensation of being consumed by an unbearable, primal heat was universal.
“I suppose it’s a small mercy that there’s at least one Omega pheromone that doesn’t disgust me. Without that… this whole situation would’ve been unbearable.”
Leonid’s voice trailed off into a quiet chuckle as he took another sip of his drink. The way he continued to pour strong liquor down his throat struck Johanna as somewhat self-destructive. After watching him in contemplative silence, she finally found the courage to speak, her voice gentle.
“Are you… alright?”
“With what?”
“Well, with drinking… that much.”
Leonid caught the genuine concern reflected in Johanna’s eyes, his expression turning curious as he gazed at her. His eyes then shifted to the newly poured drink in his hand, gently swirling the glass. The amber liquid rippled, creating delicate waves.
“It’s probably not good for me, no. Not even for a hyper-dominant.”
He downed the drink in one go, then looked back at Johanna. A faint hint of intoxication seemed to glimmer in his sunset-colored eyes.
“But I don’t have many options. Lucerne, do you think there’s a better way? To calm these raging Alpha pheromones that are threatening to spiral out of control, even now?”
