The General's Wife Wants to Leave
Chapter 98: Like a deep ocean

Chapter 98: Like a deep ocean

Joanna’s carriage arrived at the de Lara mansion when the afternoon sun bathed the land in its warm light.

When the carriage door opened, Lucy, who was about to step out of the carriage, sat back on her seat when she saw who had opened the door and stood before the open doorway.

Finding the uncommon reaction of Lucy, Joanna turned her head to see why she acted that way. What met her eyes was that instead of the footman, she found the General standing in front of the doorway, looking at her with a smile. Joanna let out a quiet sigh as she knew what he was waiting for.

During the journey back from the mountain, after she was transferred to the carriage that brought her back to the de Lara mansion, she was deep in thought. Recalling that she was going to return to her home meant that there was only a short time left to stay in Terra if she was unable to free herself from her marriage with the General.

She was aware that since their second surprising meeting in the deep, dark forest, the distance between them had become smaller, particularly when the General seemed to wander around her almost all the time since then. They even slept together in the same bed and rode a horse together with no space between them.

It was surely unpredictably significant progress in their marital relationship, which she had tried hard to prevent from happening. Once again, all of her effort resulted in nothing, blown away by the wind.

However, she could not blame the General as that happened due to unforeseen events that threatened one’s life. If there were no presence of those tribal groups who tried to kidnap her, like what they did to the noble ladies whose well-beings were still unknown until now, there would be no way she would allow the General to be close to her.

Joanna was on alert. The anxiety grew more inside her, especially when she was now at home.

The clock was ticking with urgency. The hours were going by. In no time, she would be there, in the place where all the events she saw in the dream happened.

She failed to make him resent her. Her plan to send him home by himself was unsuccessful. Her plan to escape from him and to disappear somewhere also resulted in her being back home with him.

Even after she refused to consummate their marriage and declared that she did not want to have children, he was still wandering around her, as if proving that what he said was true—that there was nothing that would make him not accept her as his wife.

The negotiation she proposed to him about letting her stay in Terra with the marriage still established between them was also disapproved by him. Overall, what she had done and said was not chewed and swallowed by him.

"Joanna."

Joanna raised her eyes from the hand that was stretched out for her to take to the face of the owner of the hand, who called her in a gentle voice.

There were so many times she had not received that hand, not placing her hand on his. Just like when she was about to mount the dark brown stallion, she chose to climb the horse herself, although she had never mounted one before.

However, at the end, she mounted the horse with his help, as he was right that if he had not helped her, they would still be in the same place at the moment.

She refused his helping hand, but she still ended up receiving help from him—the help that she actually needed but refused to admit as she wanted to be away from him.

But still, she was the man in the dream—the man that she saw shatter Joanna in the dream—and he was still the man that she had to avoid so that she would not end up like the shattered Joanna in the dream.

Therefore, she had to grow their distance again before it was too late to regret it.

However, how could she not take the hand that was extended to her on the only way out of the carriage?

Aside from that, she noticed that people out there were putting their attention on them at the moment, although most of them happened to be the people of de Lara and did not dare direct their eyes blatantly on them as it would be regarded as impolite.

Even though it was regarded as too late, as some people might have noticed her attitude toward the General, Joanna had considered that if she wanted to grow their distance by acting rude to him, she would do that when there were no eyes on them. Like how she decided to keep her intention for marriage annulment from Mrs. Powel, as she wanted to keep her private matter confidential.

She would try not to humiliate him in public.

By doing that, she would also not put her father in shame for being judged as a parent who failed to teach courtesy to his children.

Another thing to be concerned about was, again, the king’s wrath. Even though she dared to bear the royal punishment for offending the prominent General when she wanted to escape from sharing a bed for the first time with him in the Powel Orphanage, when she came to her calm state, it was only a silly and reckless thing to do.

The Terran citizen knew that royal punishment was not to be underestimated, and she could not place her family at risk of suffering from that punishment.

With that in mind, without looking at him, Joanna placed her gloved hand on the open palm of the General, to which he gripped.

Once she stepped down the carriage and uttered thank you without sparing him a glance, she was about to pull her hand away from the General’s. But her hand was still in the General’s as the grip in her hand was tighter, causing her to turn her head to look up at him.

In front of the open doorway of the carriage, with their proximity, which was about two inches away, as the General leaned over to be closer to her face, she could see his deep, green eyes that were like deep oceans, in which she could see her reflection, staring straight at hers, as if trying to dig up the turmoil within her soul.

Joanna blinked when she felt the grip in her hand loosen and saw him give distance for their proximity, turning his serious demeanor into a small smile. Without wasting any more seconds, Joanna turned around, making her way inside the main grand double door of the mansion with her heart pounding in her chest.

Joanna was welcomed by the butler, who had waited for her and offered a polite bow once she arrived in the hallway.

"Where is Father, Mr. Green?" Joanna asked the butler.

"Your Grace has left for a meeting in Duchy Council and hasn’t returned yet, my lady," answered Mr. Green, the butler.

In reply, Joanna nodded her head and said, "Please let me know if Father has returned. Thank you, Mr. Green."

With that being said, Joanna made her way toward the second floor, planning to take a brief rest in her bedroom until her father went back home.

Walking down the corridor toward her bedroom, Joanna slowed down her steps when she heard another footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor.

Turning her head to glance over her shoulder, she then halted before turning around.

Facing another person who seemed to head in the same direction as her, Joanna shook her head. She then said, "No, Sir Canillas. We can’t share a room like when we were in the Powel Orphanage. I am also safe here. There will be no threat when I am in my own home. So, there is nothing to worry about."

Joanna would not let the General ruin the barrier that she had started to rebuild this time. She could not let herself be swayed by any reason that he would make, as she was really safe now. There were none of those people who became a threat to her anymore.

She needed to draw a bold line between them from this moment on, not letting her heart pound erratically like a fleeting moment ago.

"Why can’t we share a room even though there is no threat around you? Aren’t we husband and wife?" Canillas asked, tilting his head as if showing that he really did not understand that.

He absolutely knew the reason why she objected to them sharing a room when she was at her maiden home.

Propriety and courtesy of nobility.

It was common for a noble married couple to have a separate room in order to keep privacy between husband and wife. A couple room was certainly available, but only to be occupied for certain conditions and needs as a married couple. After the need was satisfied, the room would be vacant again.

Canillas was only a commoner, even though his achievements gave him the opportunity to live and be respected like an aristocrat. However, he did not want to and was not interested in following the nobility rule, which sounded absurd to him.

For him, a married couple should sleep in the same room and bed. Otherwise, how could their marital relationship flourish, especially when he married an enigmatic woman who craved to disappear from his sight at any moment?

Aside from that, above all, he knew why she acted this way.

She was back on her colder side, trying to stretch their distance, which had grown smaller. And her eyes told him that.