The General's Wife Wants to Leave
Chapter 125: Not to shatter the trust

Chapter 125: Not to shatter the trust

The following day, Duke John de Lara, together with his daughter and his son-in-law, and the guard of Barasca knights, which was led by Sir Sylvester, headed to the capital of Terra Kingdom, Cresca.

In the morning, a staff member of Mr. Simone arrived at the de Lara mansion to hand in the suit that was ordered for General von Rodega.

Even though the General did not check if the suit fit him or not because of the limitation of time for adjustment, Duke John had no worry if the suit did not fit him. It had already been proven that Mr. Simone’s golden hands were never disappointing him and his son once they wore the suits, as they would fit in their bodies based on the measurements that had been taken.

To reach Cresca, they needed to take a journey for one and a half days, so it was predicted that they would arrive at the de Lara estate in the capital by the following evening. As they left for the capital after lunch, the Duke’s entourage could go straight to the neighboring territory, where they would stay for a night without an unnecessary break.

Different from usual, instead of sitting in the same carriage with her father, Joanna was now accompanied by none other than her husband. She had asked her father to sit in the same carriage as her and the General, but he refused. Her father reasoned that he wanted a wide space and a comfortable atmosphere, as he had some work to do and could not work in an awkward environment.

Without asking for the details, Joanna could grasp the meaning of his reason. Personally, Joanna had also perceived that the General’s interaction with other people was not as friendly and tender as when he interacted with her.

There were several moments when she noticed that the General tended to be a cold and aloof person, including when he interacted with her father, Clara de Lorn, and others who happened to encounter him, although the intensity was different.

Joanna was not sure why he behaved differently toward her. She could only think that it was because he held his principles toward marriage high, including becoming tender to the person who had become his wife.

If that was like her thought, then what made him become a different person in the dream she saw? Why was he cold and aloof to Joanna in the dream? Was it a mere dream that had no relevance to reality?

But again, there was something inside her telling her not to let her guard down regarding the last question that came up in her mind. Therefore, Joanna still could not trust the General completely, although he had always been tender to her since their first meeting.

She could not lie but admit that she was moved by all of his tender gestures toward her, and because of the way he treated her gently, guilt grew inside her when he looked disappointed and hurt when she matched him with Clara de Lorn.

She considered following him to return to Archess, not only because he would never agree to annul their marriage after she had lost the chance he offered her but also because of her guilt about treating him that way. However, it did not mean that she would let her guard down.

She could not completely accept him as her husband because she was afraid of him changing into the man she saw in the dream, which would shatter her feelings like Joanna experienced in the dream.

The next question that popped up in her mind then was: until when would she live like that in a marriage with that man? She also did not know. What she could do was take one day at a time. Just like that man advised her.

It was what Joanna decided after their long conversation the day before.

Meanwhile, as her father did not want to sit together with her and the General in the same carriage, Joanna told her father that she would give him company by sitting in the same carriage as him as they usually did. However, the Duke did not allow her. He said that she was now a married woman, and she should sit together with her husband, not her father anymore.

At the words her father told her, Joanna felt sad. With the realization that she would return to Archess with the General, it meant that she would leave her father again, for she did not know when she would visit her father once she left Terra.

It would be good if her brother, Phillip, could finish his study soon so that he would return to Barasca and give their father company. But Phillip would finish his study in the autumn of next year, which was about a year later.

Her father knew that she was worried about him. Hence, he told her not to worry as he had so many companions, and if something unwanted happened to him, Phillip would definitely come back home, and he knew what to do with the duchy as Phillip de Lara was the only successor of Duke John de Lara who would take over his position as the Duke of Barasca.

Hearing her father elaborate on that made Joanna think. If she were born as a man, she would not have an obligation to leave her home for a marriage with a person who was far from home. There was no need to worry about adjusting to live in a new, foreign environment that took her peace. She would have lived in her home and homeland, accompanying her father for the rest of his life.

Pushing aside the matter of fact that made her mood down, Joanna moved forward to face the unavoidable reality, sitting in the carriage with her husband.

Three carriages departed from the de Lara mansion, and the last one was occupied by Bianca, Lucy, and two other maids that were tasked with attending to their masters.

In the Duke’s estate in the capital, servants were available as they were needed to take care of the residence, whose size was not as huge as the de Lara mansion in Barasca. However, the masters of the house preferred to be served by the people who had served them so far and with whom they were familiar.

Aside from the maids that were ready to serve their masters, Barasca knights were also ready to guard the Duke of Barasca and his family, and they were on horseback, surrounding the three carriages so as to guard them.

Although General Canillas von Rodega was part of the entourage, none of the General’s men joined the journey, as the General thought that there were more than enough Barasca knights who guarded their journey. Besides, he also gave them more time to rest, especially for recuperating Luca, as he planned to return to Archess once he and his wife returned from Cresca.

Canillas first thought that he would ride Thunder with the other knights, as he was not used to sitting for a long time in the carriage. Rather than being trapped in the carriage for hours, he preferred to ride Thunder, where he could have more space to breathe and wind brush over him. By riding Thunder, he could also arrive at his destination far faster than if he went there by carriage.

Nevertheless, this time, he made an exception. He chose to be trapped in the carriage with his wife, as he knew that there would be no boredom if he sat with her. Aside from that, he wanted to enjoy moments of togetherness with her and strengthen their relationship, although he knew that there would be minimal interaction between them if he did not take the initiative to open the conversation or poke her to get her attention.

However, since the deep conversation to settle their marriage issue they had the day before, Canillas had considered using different methods to approach his wife, who was certainly in fear of walking down the marriage path with him.

He had thought that if he wanted to build a family with her, he should be more patient and give her more space to breathe, taking a step at a time to appease her fear and doubt and making her realize that there was nothing to be afraid of inhaling their future together.

Canillas still could not forget how relieved he was, after being dumbfounded, to find Joanna, his wife, behaving contrary to his prediction, as if she realized that there was no way to escape her fate as his wife.

However, he would not have relief swarmed in his heart and mind if she did not look calm and serene while offering him a treaty of reconciliation. He could sense that she was ready to embrace their future together, despite the fear that still remained.

Drinking the tea that she made for him for the first time, although it was not sweet to his liking, was like a symbol for them to take an initial step to start their marriage life. It was like she trusted her life as a wife to him.

Although she was not as perfect as she thought, like the plain, bitter, and sour tea she served, she asked him to treat her well.

Although his tongue was burned because of the heat, she asked him not to throw away the cup that would shatter later.

Treaty of reconciliation. It was how Canillas defined the meaning of it for the enigmatic woman who was now sitting with him in the carriage.