The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 195: A universal language to the soul

It was actually not the first time Joanna found the so-called prominent General of Archess, her husband, could make hilarious remarks, regardless of whether he meant it or not. There were so many times she was entertained by the way he spoke, yet she always held back from showing any reaction that would create misunderstandings with regard to their problematic relationship.

This night as well, although their relationship felt way more relaxed and strangely not distant, Joanna could not express the urge to pour out a bundle of laughs that was built up in her stomach.

Holding back from laughing hard as she knew that it was not the proper time to do so, remembering in what situation they were at the moment, Joanna regained her composure, lifted her head, and asked Canillas another thing. "What about singing or reciting a poem?"

"What is it, Joanna? Tell me clearly," Canillas demanded, knowing that there was something that his wife wanted to say to him through her sudden investigation about the talents he had.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Joanna said, "Because Sir Canillas has to repay the kindness of His Highness Crown Prince."

Because what had been received by her husband had to be repaid. It was what made Joanna’s anxiety elevate when it came to the time the Crown Prince chose the person he wanted to gift on his birthday.

It might be seen as generosity on one side, while on the other side, it was generosity that had to be repaid, although there was no comment or clear request for her husband to return the overwhelmed kindness that had been surprisingly showered on him. Because they knew that she, as his wife, who was a Terran, was the one who should tell him about the tradition of Terra that he should follow.

Joanna wondered if her husband would be an exception, remembering that he was not only a non-Terran but also a person that the King favored. However, it seemed that there was no exception for those who were selected to be the highlight of the night, particularly when it came to considering the tremendous amount of gift he received.

If the General was an exception, the next event would have already been announced. The room would not have been as quiet as it was at the moment, to the point where one could hear a pin drop, and all the eyes would not have been directed at him as if they were waiting for something from him with anticipation.

It had long been regulated in the land of Terra since the tradition began to be implemented. Because in Terra, there was an obligation to give, an obligation to receive, and an obligation to repay.

Nonetheless, during the reign of King de Montella, instead of objects or possessions, what the King demanded in return was something that he did not have but loved to see. And it was none other than an art performance.

Canillas could only stare silently at Joanna right after she elaborated on the meaning of her sudden curiosity toward the skills he had. He also got enlightened about why the room became dead silent. It was because they were waiting for his performance as a sign of his gratitude, aside from the obligation to repay the tremendous generosity that he had never asked for.

He was also in utter bewilderment, feeling hard to believe that he would be in such a situation where he had to repay one’s kindness with art-related skills that he poorly had.

"If I sing or recite a poem, don’t run away. Just sit still and be strong." One corner of Canillas’ lips curled upward after saying that, which was enough to inform Joanna that any of those was not a good sign to choose.

"What about playing a role?" Joanna asked further, and she pressed her lips together with a subtle glare when she heard his answer. "Unfortunately, I am not as great as my wife at that talent."

Finding him still able to have a bright mood that never excluded her in his remarks in such a situation, with a joyous grin that could be seen clearly on his beaming face, Joanna was utterly speechless.

He was really something—a man with the good ability to provoke various emotions in a fleeting period of time. Joanna thought to herself, recalling that she had found him hilarious a couple of seconds ago, but now she felt that she wanted to end the conversation they had.

"What about dance?" Joanna kept asking instead of ending their conversation. She should ask because she had to get the exact answer, as all the attention was on her mischievous husband, waiting for him to perform.

Not receiving an answer from the mischievous man who was watching her in silence, Joanna asked again. "Can Sir Canillas dance?" Because she did not know what else he could perform, as what she just mentioned was the last option among the lists that she knew and was most possible to do at the moment.

She only hoped that what she heard was true: that dance could be done by all people regardless of social class, age, gender, origin, distance, and time, as dance had been seen as a universal language to speak to the soul.

Maintaining his gaze on Joanna, who was waiting for his answer with an expectant look, Canillas nodded his head. "I can," he answered after taking a few moments of silence. "But I don’t want to dance by myself," he added. No playfulness could be found in his visage this time.

He was back in his serious demeanor, yet his comment made Joanna want to laugh again as she imagined how he, the prominent General of Archess, performed a solo dance to repay a piece of land he had just received. But she knew it was not time to get amused by anything that came from her unpredictable husband, as she also had to face what she was unable to avoid this time.

She had never shown any of the skills she had to others. Since the moment she debuted, stepping into society, she had always wished for her presence not to be noticed by others. She always tried to hide her presence.

It had never been a problem for her if no one recognized her. It was also not something to be pondered if others considered her presence a mist. She even felt like she was able to breathe freely if all of the attention was directed to others, not her.

She never envied someone who had gotten much recognition since their debut, just like the famous Clara de Lorn. And she was not interested in being like the captivating Clara de Lorn. She was glad and grateful to be Joanna de Lara, a lady who preferred to sit on one corner alone or with her so-called best acquaintances.

But this night, it was the first time for her to take a step, crossing the boundary that she believed would surprise not only others but also herself. And to her surprise as well, she did it not for herself but for the man who was now staring at her, telling her in silence that he really did not want to dance by himself.

"Shall we dance?"