The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 165: The center of attention

Despite the restlessness that had built up, Joanna exerted herself to round up her senses and maintain her composure. Hence, she was still able to perceive her surroundings.

However, that self-consciousness made the restlessness grow inside her even more, as under this kind of situation, she always felt that she became more susceptible to what was present around her. And it was to the point that she felt that she was being watched and under scrutiny.

How could she not feel that when all eyes were following where she was now walking with her family?

Not even noises were formed, like when the grand door was just opened a fleeting moment ago, as if her and her family’s presence was a once-in-a-century performance that should not be skipped to watch.

It was not the first time she attended a royal event where there were hundreds of people present at the same time. But it was the first time she found her and her family to be the sole attention that made no one blink their eyes or make voices once their presence was announced and noticed by them.

Nonetheless, Joanna knew really well that what was occurring at the moment was solely because of the presence of none other than the man who was now walking by her side and wrapping her hand under his—the prominent General of Archess who married the sole daughter of the Duke of Barasca.

In Joanna’s mind, he was not completely accurate when he said that she would be the center of attention when they appeared together as husband and wife for the first time in public eyes. Instead, it would be more to be at him where the attention would be directed.

As much as Joanna could remember, based on the news she heard when the General became the topic of conversation in any event she happened to attend before she married him, it was the first time the General appeared before the many eyes of Terran, particularly in a royal event that was mostly attended by the Terran aristocrats.

Hence, there was no doubt that he had attracted all the eyes to him, as most of them should want to know what the prominent General of Archess who was favored by the King of Terra looked like, which made the King willing to bind him in a marriage with one of his people, even a noble one, so that he could be part of Terra.

Joanna was certain that only a few Terrans had seen him. Apart from King de Montella himself, it was the Terran soldiers who had worked with him the most, as well as some other people who happened to encounter him in the castle, like Clara de Lorn, who claimed to see him when she was pointed by the King to show her remarkable skills in playing piano in the banquet to celebrate the victory of Terra and Archess in defeating Valthian.

Therefore, before he made his debut in the society of the upper class at the moment, most of them could only imagine what General Canillas von Rodega looked like.

So now, after he appeared before their eyes, what were their impressions of him? Was he like what they imagined?

Feeling curious, Joanna drifted her eyes to glance at the people who lined up on each of her and her family’s sides, as if making a way for them to pass and for them to get to see them more clearly.

However, before her eyes got focused on one of them, she brought her gaze back to the front of her. Her breath hitched before her heart beat rapidly, and subconsciously, she tightened her grip on the arm that was still in her hold.

It was still the same problem. It was what she tended to do every time she was in the middle of a social event that was attended by numerous people whose eyes were directed at her.

She never liked being the center of attention.

Joanna was aware that she had a problem in terms of dealing with social engagement. She was not like her father and brother, who could flexibly and naturally mingle among the crowd in a relaxed way.

She wanted to be like them, but no matter how hard she tried, she would feel like she wanted to disappear from the scene as soon as possible once they got their attention on her.

Because of that, she could only painstakingly manage to build acquaintances that could be counted with her fingers, and they were the ladies that she happened to meet at tea parties she attended.

It was also the reason that made her not bother to look around to expect to see someone that she recognized or had a good acquaintance with.

Of about seven ladies that she could reckon to have a good acquaintance with, she was not sure if they would currently be among the crowd.

Based on the friendship that they managed to build all this time, Joanna believed that some of them would be highly likely laying under the warm blanket, as they probably pretended to be sick or found convincing reasons to escape attending this banquet.

Aside from that, she would surely not meet one of them, as she had received news that she had moved to another neighborhood kingdom for a marriage alliance.

Meanwhile, for those who attended the banquet, Joanna was not sure that she would see them in the crowd, as they were probably in a secluded place to avoid crowds at the moment, and she might meet them later when the banquet was almost over or when they felt it was time to reveal themselves to others.

Therefore, Joanna felt that she had an obligation to look straight ahead while pegging away to camouflage her inner trouble with grace and poise in the way she walked and maintain her calm composure.

She hoped it worked well, as it had dramatically yielded all this time. At least, it was what Joanna thought, regardless of the reality of the answer that she did not bother to know about, as she could only do what she could do for something that was hard to avoid.

However, once again, all her effort to hide the wave of anxiety that wreaked havoc inside her did not go unnoticed by the man who had covered her tensed hand in his.