The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 247: Uninvited guests

"Long time no see, Ann. You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you again," the person spoke in a voice like a whisper, sincerity coloring her voice as she tightened her embrace around Joanna, showing how much she missed her.

Taking one of Joanna’s hands to be held in her gloved ones after releasing the hug, she slowly straightened her back so that she stood upright. She then asked, "How have you been doing?" Her slightly teary blue eyes were on Joanna, and Joanna could see a glint of warmth in them. Yet she could not feel the warmth as if there was an invisible wall standing tall to block it from penetrating her heart. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"I am good. What about you, Val?" But she could not keep silent, being conquered by uneasiness that had swirled inside her, as it would only raise questions for oddity that she had never shown when both of them appeared before her. Hence, Joanna replied with a small smile adorning her face after taking a certain amount of time to linger her eyes on Valerie’s face, but it only caused the restlessness to pick up in her heart.

"Couldn’t be any better as I finally met you, Ann," Valerie answered with a warm smile. Her usual soft, comforting voice drifted in Joanna’s ears.

She looked up at the lady, whose age was one year older than hers, while calming down her trembling hand that was not in Valerie’s hands by clutching the fabric of her skirt that was on her lap. Her heart was restless, racing wildly in her chest as she saw the smiling face in front of her.

"What a pleasure for me to hear that," was a response from Joanna, returning the smile while trying her best to maintain her composure. She tightly clasped her hands that were now all free on her lap. She felt that the previously warm room was no more as her now steady hands turned cold.

Then, from the way she stood near Joanna, Valerie brought her eyes to see Canillas. "It’s an honor to see you in person, General von Rodega," she simply greeted Canillas, not bothering to make a long introduction, yet she was polite as she also offered Canillas a respectful bow, which was returned by Canillas in the same polite manner.

"I apologize on behalf of my mother." When through the corner of her eyes she caught her mother was about to refute, she added quickly, "Please don’t take my mother’s words to heart." She gave no room for her mother to spoil the situation, in which her mother noticed her intention, so she did not speak a word.

Without waiting for Canillas’ response, as he remained silent this time, Valerie turned her head toward Phillip, who seemed not to be affected by the noise around him as he was eating peacefully across from where she stood. "My apologies for being late to go back home, brother. Lady Leticia indeed had a lot of topics to talk with us about," she said to Phillip.

Her soft voice sounded too soft in Joanna’s ears this time, too soft that made the intensity of uneasiness in her heart and mind arise. She looked at her brother, wanting to know how his reaction would be. And the response that came from Phillip was just a light nod of his head as if he heard an unnecessary apology for a trivial matter. His mouth did not stop moving to chew the food that he had shoved in.

Was it ignorance? Joanna wondered as she tried to perceive Phillip’s current demeanor. But her focus got distracted by another noise that once again erupted in the not-yet-back-to-peaceful room.

"Indeed. Lady Leticia seemed to adore Valerie so much, but this young lady disappointed her." Instead of Phillip, the verbal response arose from her mother, who clicked her tongue in annoyance before beginning to fill her plate with meals.

"Mother." Valerie knitted her brows, calling out to her mother as if to make her stop speaking more.

"Did I say it wrong? She was kind enough to ask for your hand in marriage on behalf of her nephew. Yet you once again turned down another decent marriage proposal. Are you really going to be a spinster?" Aunt Camille retorted. Her volume of voice went a level higher. "What? Are you going to say those words again, that you already have someone dear that you can’t remove from your heart, yet you refuse to tell me who he is?" She snapped when she saw Valerie’s displeased look on her face.

"Mother, please..."

"It is always free for you to not join my family’s dinner, Camille!" Duke de Lara’s loud, stern voice was heard again after the long silence, but it was powerful enough to interrupt before Valerie finished her reply to her mother. "But if your purpose in being in this room is for dinner, then I will appreciate it if you and your daughter sit properly and do what we should do for a dinner. My children are all here. Don’t ruin our togetherness with your problems."

His voice strongly echoed in the room, too firm to be retaliated against. After taking a pause to observe if the uninvited guests were daring enough to make a remark to reply to him, he added when he found them sealing their lips shut,

"Don’t forget that you owe me an explanation as to why you are here. As much as I remembered very well, I didn’t receive a single letter from you informing me about your visit here. We grow older, but that doesn’t mean we forget what etiquette is about. I have always respected you because of my wife, but it doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want in my home because of that. Now, I will appreciate it if you apologize to General Canillas von Rodega for you being prejudiced, disrespectful, and nosy."

Soon stillness fell heavily in the room before the half-hearted apology drifted in in the cold air.