Garden of May - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Having returned to the guise of a proper gentleman, he gestured with his chin towards a paper bag. It was wrapped, indicating he had purchased it beforehand. As a gift… for her…
The slightly stained handkerchief was tossed into the trash. River Ross, holding the dressing screen, turned as if just remembering something.
“Don’t wear that damned corset.”
His lips brushed her forehead like a tender admonition.
***
“The shirt and skirt are mended and inside. You can wear the dress as it is.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about the cost. The gentleman who accompanied you paid for everything.”
“…What?”
Vanessa blinked, staring at the proprietress. Confused by the incomprehensible situation, she echoed the question dumbly. The proprietress smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“He gave me his checkbook before going upstairs. He said he would purchase everything you looked at, touched, or wore. I did charge separately for the jewelry, as that wasn’t included.”
Now Vanessa understood the unnatural smile that had been playing on the proprietress’s lips, and her sudden warmth and kindness. At the proprietress’s gesture, employees began carrying wrapped boxes and paper bags, piling them at Vanessa’s feet.
Vanessa stared at the mountain of items with dazed eyes. There were even more unpacked items behind those. Hats, parasols, undergarments adorned with delicate lace she had never seen before…
“If it’s too much to carry, you can leave them here and pick them up whenever you go out.”
Seeing her stunned expression, the proprietress offered kindly. Vanessa finally regained her composure and shook her head.
“There must be some mistake.”
“The gentleman made no mistake. He used a check issued by the Admiralty.”
“I… I don’t need these things.”
“He must have thought you did. For his own dignity, if nothing else.”
Vanessa detected a flicker of pity and disdain in the proprietress’s eyes. She spoke in a soothing tone, as if comforting a child, as if looking at a naive woman who had been swindled.
“It might be overwhelming since it’s your first time… but this isn’t uncommon. Especially military men, they tend to be extravagant. Trust me, dear, in these kinds of relationships, it’s best to take everything you can get.”
“It’s not that kind of relationship.”
“Oh, but it is…”
The knowing laughter was bitter. Her eyes, distant as if reminiscing about the past, finally focused on Vanessa.
“Don’t get too attached to someone who’s just passing through.”
Vanessa froze, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Contrary to the proprietress’s assumption, she had never believed her relationship with this man would last forever.
From the beginning, they had formed a temporary alliance for their own purposes, a contractual agreement between equals, each paying their due. She wasn’t a woman who had bartered her innocence for a soldier’s cheap promises… not the navy’s lovely w***e.
But that’s how it must appear to everyone. The realization made her breath catch in her throat. She now understood the kind of looks she would receive, the lifelong label that would follow her after this relationship ended.
***
Vanessa burst through the shop doors and strode towards him. At her determined pace, Theodore quickly extinguished his cigarette and dispersed the smoke. She wrinkled her nose, as if catching the scent, and glared at him, her eyes narrowed.
“Cancel it.”
“Cancel what?”
“Those clothes. You bought them all, didn’t you?”
Vanessa emphasized “those clothes” and gestured towards the shop. Through the window, she could see boxes and paper bags piled high, as if he intended to buy the entire store.
Theodore stared at the scene for a moment, dumbfounded, then looked back at Vanessa. She didn’t look happy at all. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she had been insulted, not given a gift.
“This is too much.”
“It’s just one shop. A small one, tucked away in the countryside.”
“Please, River…”
“It wasn’t even that expensive. And you need these things.”
“….”
Vanessa closed her mouth, which she had opened to protest. The shop, which seemed like another world to her, meant nothing to him. River Ross even seemed slightly annoyed. The disparity made her feel small.
“…It was a lot of money to me. And I’ve never heard that the Ross family is particularly wealthy.”
“Naval officers make a decent living.”
“Enough for this kind of extravagance?”
“You said money wasn’t that important to you.”
“It is to me. So cancel it, now.”
“Can’t you just accept it graciously?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his wind-blown hair. His deep, ocean-blue eyes were cold, as if looking at something he couldn’t comprehend.
“Why are you suddenly so upset…?”
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 152 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 151 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 150 - Jun 16, 2026
