Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 37 - The Card I Drew Was A Trap

Chapter 37: Chapter 37 - The Card I Drew Was A Trap
My hand ran
angrily
across the silk over my stomach. I wonder if my transmigration
broke
something in this body?
Humans may be a little
insatiable
, but wolves should be better with
hunger
than this. Werewolves, even still.
"I... think I’d prefer to eat, if that’s possible."
"Absolutely. I may join you, if that’s alright - nowhere more important to go dine this evening. Do you have something in mind?"
Choices
. She gives the person who has been in the city less than a
single day
... freedom of choice.
> I’m starting to think she is testing just how ignorant I am. <
"What options are available?"
Anise began to
tap her thumbs
on the device’s screen while staring down at it.
"Crystalline has partnerships with several local establishments. For famished clients in my boutique, I usually recommend Tsukisushi’s."
"What type of food is that?"
A single eyebrow rose at my question. Even if she is not
doing it on purpose
, I seem to be running right into
revealing myself
.
Well, most humans might be more concerned with how much
flesh
I’ve already revealed. Rather than the scope of my
worldly knowledge
.
> But who we are inside is more important to protect, is it not? <
Again with the
sneeze
- are you allergic to my
personality
, Vrika?
"Japanese cuisine. Their sushi is exceptional... fresh fish and perfectly prepared rice. They’re busy enough that they take reservations, but they deliver here for our VIP clients."
"That sounds suitable."
I replied without having
any idea
what I was agreeing to. Fish and rice
cannot
be bad.
In the past, I have been served
similar dishes
on occasion... though we called them by plenty of
different names
depending on the method of preparation.
"Any preferences or dietary restrictions I should mention to them when ordering?"
"I should be okay with anything. As far as I know. I trust your judgment on the selection."
My confidence is worn with a heavy tug of uncertainty. I am only
barely pregnant
, according to the timing, but Helene does have memories of Omega’s
mentioning
humans avoiding some things.
> What do you think, will you keep me healthy for the child? <
Single quick
bark for yes
.
"I’ll order a variety. Usually, it will arrive in about twenty minutes. Would you like to continue looking at clothing options while we wait?"
"That would be fine."
Anise apparently
completed the order
with a few more taps. She made it look so
simple
that I also hope to-
Oh, ’crap’.
> Vrika... could I possibly be dumber than I think I am? Don’t answer that. <
I begin to
bite my thumbnail
, having only just now
truly realized
that the hunter’s phone was abandoned at that shop when I fled.
Too
concerned
at getting away, staying away,
not thinking
about ’her’ to even pay it any mind.
What did the shop owner do with it? Should I go back
tomorrow
and see if he kept it safe?
Or are there actually some
rules
in the city about
abandoned property
that might make it more trouble than it’s worth? No use worrying until I verify.
"Just to confirm, when it comes to paying for the food will you need-"
I
absentmindedly
reached for my backpack to retrieve the
white bank card
, only half noticing that the woman in the black dress was already waving her hand dismissively.
"No need to worry about that. I’ll just add your portion to your overall sale. Okay?"
When I nodded at her, she
froze
. I traced her line of sight to the
object in my hand
.
"...Is something wrong?"
With
some hope
I was wrong, I asked. But I suspected the answer was as
simple
as it seemed.
"Not at all. No."
She replied a
little quick
, before she shook her head and laughed. The woman’s next tone of voice was
something even warmer
than it had been this whole time.
"I just... recognize that particular card design from another client of mine."
Aha. I guess
everyone
has layers. But what was underneath hers?
The meaning of this
softening
upon seeing the Rimecoat Alpha’s
possession
.
Why she held no suspicion that I could be a
pickpocket
and instead seems to have
accepted
that this ’belongs’ with me.
Where we are going to
sit to eat
in this place with
no clear
table or chairs.
I patiently stared and waited for her to answer these... or questions I did not yet know to ask.
"It’s just that I’ve asked her about it before. Because I’ve only seen that exact style issued to a single card holder."
"I see. So it is a very recognizable item to those she has used it with."
When I make
no attempt to deny
who it belongs to, her smile grows more teeth. The friendly human kind, not the
challenging bestial snarl
.
"Ms. Voss has been a valued client for many years now. I’ve had the pleasure of tailoring several pieces for her personally."
"I didn’t realize you were a personal seamstress as well as a consultant."
"Only for very select clients. She seems to appreciate my attention to detail. Especially in turning what she wants to wear into a perfect fit."
The way she said it carried
none of the insinuation
it perhaps could have, yet I felt a heat rise to my cheeks regardless. As if the Alpha’s penchant for customized clothing somehow...
extended
to her interest in me.
"Well, I suppose I should trust your expertise even more."
"Truth be told, I came in today because of a message that her assistant had made a booking."
So that explained her presence in the shop with a lack of foot traffic. Waiting... to see
Kyrie Voss
.
> If that is your smug face, I would ask you to quit it before I... I fill the place with ground black pepper! <
I am not
jealous
of what is clearly a long and professional relationship between the equivalent of this world’s
merchant barons
and a... a mere...
"How long until the food arrives, did you say?"
"Almost certainly less than a half hour. Shall I show you what I’ve selected so far?"
She gestured to several items draped where she left them when showing concern during my
system-induced distraction
. As she spread them out on a nearby counter for me to glance at, my
focus
drifted.
My mind circled,
spiraled
, floated, and wondered - just how many more connections to the powerful, white haired woman would I uncover before this
single day
was through.
And why that thought didn’t
irritate
me nearly as much as it would have
right after
meeting her.