The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 169: A good reunion

[Revised]

Captain Marvin Zilberman took a couple of steps forward to now stand beside the senior navy soldier, making him narrow his distance from Joanna.

"Here you are, Captain Zilberman." Admiral Vich smiled as he spoke, patting the young Captain’s shoulder, who was now standing next to him. Pride was clearly depicted on the senior navy soldier’s face.

Looking back at the young General with his hand still resting on the young Captain’s shoulder, who was about two inches taller than him, Admiral Vich said, "I think I don’t need to introduce Captain Zilberman to you, General, as you two already met in Seidel. But I would like to let you know that Captain Zilberman is one of the best navy soldiers we have in this land. That’s why I delegated him to take my place for the naval base inspection that I missed attending when you came to visit."

Admiral Vich let the General know that he did pay attention to his visit at the naval base in Seidel, although he was not able to attend to do his duty to accompany him at that time. Because he respected the General von Rodega of Archess who was favored by the King, he did point a prominent soldier who worked under him to take his place to attend to him.

After conveying the information that he thought to be necessary to share with the General, the Admiral turned to see Joanna, as he considered that he needed to introduce his excellent junior to the General’s friendly wife. But to his surprise, when he faced the General’s wife, he found her gazing at his excellent junior with a smile on her lips and a knowing look tinged on her face.

"It seems that I don’t need to introduce Captain Zilberman to Lady von Rodega either," commented Admiral Vich in a questioning tone, raising one of his brows as if asking for confirmation of the accuracy of his notion about the lady’s visage.

"Lady Joanna is a good friend of mine, Admiral Vich." The elucidation to confirm that the Admiral’s notion was on the beam came from Captain Zilberman, bringing the focus of the Admiral from the General’s wife to the Captain, who had confirmed for him to know.

As if having no obligation to explain further or to take a better look at the surprise expression that radiated on his senior’s face, who seemed to demand more to know about, Captain Zilberman kept his gaze aimed at the young lady before him before saying, "It’s been a while, my lady. How have you been doing?" A warm smile and a tender gaze were not intended to be hidden from the many eyes that saw his face.

Joanna lightly nodded her head as the first response to his greeting. "It’s been a while, Captain Zilberman. And I am good. What about you?" She replied in a soft voice with a smile, staring up at the blue-eyed young man standing gallantly across from her to have him answer her by saying, "I am doing fine. Thank you for asking, my lady."

On the other side, as if becoming an onlooker, Canillas stood in stillness. His hearing sense caught how his wife greeted the young Captain in a tender tone with her soft voice. It was always a melody to his ears, but he did not completely feel that this time.

His sight sense drifted to watch how the two people exchanged looks, with a smile appearing on each face, before fixating on the smiling young man’s face, which bore a twinkle in his eyes.

He was now sure that if he had not brought up the specific condition to settle the ripple that happened between him and the smiling lady beside him at that time near the river after their encounter with the so-called most beautiful lady in Barasca, he would have mistakenly thought that there was something that had bloomed, and that was hard for him to unfold between them.

He was glad that he made a good decision not to hold onto his old perspective on one’s past by himself. Otherwise, his mind would have gone more astray to the point it might have gone lost than it did now.

But still, what he was seeing was something that he did not want to see at the moment, especially from one party who seemed not to hesitate to show his true feelings regardless of whoever was present around him, as if he wanted to declare for others to know about the feelings he had for the other party.

"Captain Zilberman and my brother are best friends." Canillas shifted his gaze from the still-smiling young Captain to meet the hazel eyes of the lady who was speaking next to him.

Finding her looking up at him, Canillas smiled faintly before hearing another word come from her rosy, thin lips. "Because Captain Zilberman and my brother grew up together in Barasca, we happened to be friends as well," Joanna said calmly, drifting her eyes from her husband to Admiral Vich, as if clearing up the curiosity that was obviously depicted on both of their faces, although the one close to her side bore less discernible expression than the older one.

Turning her head to look back at the indifferent-looking man who still had his eyes on hers, Joanna spoke more. "My brother has left Barasca for studying, and Captain Zilberman has been pursuing his military career. That is why we haven’t met for quite some time now."

Although it might sound like a trivial matter, Joanna somehow felt that she had an obligation to give an explanation, especially to the man who had shown his tacit understanding to her all this time. She also did not forget the question he gave her when they both stood facing each other on the side of the Glasstown River, which took her by surprise that day.

However, above all those reasons, she wanted to respect him as her husband, just as he had respected her as his wife so far.

"So, can it be called an unexpected good reunion?" Admiral Vich asked, sweeping his gaze at the three young people before him before fixing it on the younger man beside him. His tone was bright this time, sounding like a burden of previous confusion had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Indeed," Captain Zilberman shortly answered. "It is indeed a good reunion," he added, looking straight at Joanna.

Because if he had not asked her that question at the river at that time, the one-sided affection that radiated from the man who seemed unable to look away from her might not have been able to look as apparent and clear as it was at the moment.

And if the beautiful lady next to him did not bother to give an explanation, which he believed was done because she wanted to show her virtue as a married woman, telling him that she did not lie to him about the condition he asked her about at that time, the one-sided affection might have looked dull and vague.

His mind was filled with that mitigating thought while staring straight into the hazel eyes that captured his at the very moment. Not others’ eyes, but his. A smile crept up Canillas’ face.