The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 89
Was it because he had been abstinent for so long that he so easily succumbed to his instincts?
Johanna pondered this while waiting in the carriage for Nella, who had gone to buy tickets for the exhibition.
He had said he had been relying on suppressants for over eight years, so perhaps the rebound effect was showing. In any case, Johanna could tell that his current state wasn’t normal. She made a mental note to ask Victoria about it sometime, and then gently pulled back the curtain covering the window.
The line at the ticket booth was long, even at a glance. It made sense, considering this was the first public exhibition featuring the collaboration of a famous novelist and a painter.
It would have been nice to have purchased tickets in advance, but there hadn’t been time. Today’s plans had been made suddenly that morning.
When she had seen Leonid’s face earlier, it had been cold. He looked like a completely different person from the one who had passionately pounced on her the night before, burning with desire.
After acting like a beast, once he regained his composure, he became even colder than usual. He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and his voice was as icy as the winter wind. He didn’t offer her the usual polite pleasantries, like asking how she had slept or if she was feeling alright. He merely conveyed what he had to say and kept his distance, drawing a clear line between them.
‘Go to the exhibition.’
‘Exhibition…?’
‘David Friedrich and Heinz Steg are unveiling a collaborative piece.’
‘Oh…’
‘Occasional public outings will help keep people from becoming too curious about you. If you hide away too much, it only raises suspicions.’
And that was why she had come here, accompanied by Nella, the maid assigned exclusively to her.
“Madam Marquis! I’m back!”
After a long while, Nella appeared, looking triumphant, like a victorious general. In her hands were two exhibition tickets.
“There were so many people! I don’t know much about them, but these artists must be really famous. There were even people trying to cut in line, causing quite a commotion!”
Feeling guilty that Nella had gone through so much on her own, Johanna regretted not going with her. If only her body had been in better shape… She still had some lingering muscle soreness.
“Thank you. You really went through a lot.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. This was nothing, really…”
Nella waved her hand dismissively, laughing sheepishly at Johanna’s gratitude. Despite her innocent demeanor, which made her seem like the type who could easily be taken advantage of, there was a surprising tenacity about her. The nervousness she’d shown when they first met must have just been shyness.
Not long after, Johanna and Nella stepped out of the carriage, handed in their tickets, and entered the exhibition.
The theme of the exhibition was to depict scenes from Heinz Steg’s new novel through the artistic style of David Friedrich.
Heinz Steg had been writing for over ten years and was a renowned author, while David Friedrich was an up-and-coming painter who had been gaining attention.
Rumors abounded, suggesting that because of their dynamics—one being an omega and the other an alpha—there might be some secret relationship between them that others didn’t know about.
Johanna, uninterested in such gossip, focused solely on appreciating the artwork. Since the novel hadn’t been published yet, it was fun to guess the story through the displayed paintings and the few lines of dialogue and monologue that accompanied them.
‘Doing an exhibition like this before the book release would definitely boost sales.’
The artist could also make money by selling the paintings. It was a smart, well-planned exhibition in many ways.
As Johanna moved from one painting to the next, she suddenly found herself frozen in place, her expression stiffening.
It was no wonder—the painting before her was grotesque and terrifying. Set against the backdrop of a stormy night at sea, a monstrous mermaid was devouring a man from the head down.
‘Surely… the one being eaten isn’t the protagonist, right?’
There were no lines or descriptions accompanying this painting, which seemed to be a deliberate strategy. People would likely buy the book to satisfy their curiosity about where this scene fit into the story.
Today was the exhibition’s opening day, and she’d heard that on the final day, there would be an auction for the paintings. The winning bidders would also receive a first edition copy of the novel. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy at the thought.
Johanna and Nella left the exhibition hall and headed toward the spot where the carriage was waiting.
As they walked, a familiar figure caught Johanna’s eye, pacing nervously nearby.
She stopped in her tracks, her lips tightening into a firm line as she coldly glared at the person. …Yes, it was about time he showed up.
