The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 254: To embrace wholeheartedly

Pushing his body up from the chair, Canillas walked toward the wardrobe where he kept his clothes and some other stuff that he brought from Archess. A parchment was in his hand when he made his way back to where Joanna sat.

Unrolling the parchment on the table for Joanna to see after he pushed the seal to the other side of the table so that there would be more space for the parchment to lay neatly on the table, Canillas took a seat back on the chair that he previously occupied, watching Joanna read what was written on the parchment he brought.

Raising her head in a swift movement, Joanna’s widened eyes fell on Canillas’ face. A lot of questions were expressed on her quizzical yet agitated look.

"Let’s sign it with our blood."

Taken aback at what she heard, Joanna shook her head vigorously, placing the parchment that she held on the table with a thud. She said, "No." To which Canillas responded with, "Then we will leave Terra as per our schedule."

"Why are you like this, Sir Canillas?" was the protest from Joanna in a slightly rising voice tinged with irritation, leaning forward from her seat. Her hands grabbed the edge of the table before her. "Why do we have to use blood agreement? Don’t you know what the consequences are if one party breaks it? Please don’t make us indulge in such a thing that will only put danger on our family," Joanna sternly opined, no doubt reflected in her voice and countenance. She did not look timid and weak, strongly implying that she put a matter of her family on top of her.

Nothing was free in life. She knew that and accepted that. But not if the price would involve her family. Joanna would not oblige.

"Nothing will happen if none of us breaks it." A firm, unwavering statement from Canillas came as a reply. "And you don’t need to worry about anything if you have no plan to break it, Joanna." He delivered his words calmly, in contrast to the agitated lady, who looked grim in his eyes at the moment.

Joanna moved her narrowed eyes from Canillas, who stood firm on his ground, to the parchment that lay on the table. She took it and read what was written once again.

[We hereby agree that we will never ask for marriage annulment or divorce or any term that brings the end of our marriage.]

[Until death do us part, we will live as husband and wife, staying next to each other in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, in the dark and light.]

[We are aware of all the consequences that will take over once one of us breaks the agreement. However, the consequences will be nullified if both of us agree in one voice to put an end to our marriage.]

[Canillas von Rodega] [Joanna de Lara]

"When did you prepare this?" Joanna asked Canillas in pure curiosity, but the tone of her voice sounded cold, as anger that was unable to hide could be sensed to lace it.

"When I found the woman I married rejected my presence, persistently persuading me to grant her request for marriage annulment, even inflicting pain on her own body," Canillas answered calmly, not breaking away from her fiery gaze.

"Is it still needed after what we have gone through together so far? After I am willing to accept this marriage and you as my husband?" Joanna argued in an unfriendly tone. Her face reddened due to the overwhelming emotions.

Still in a calm state, Canillas nodded his head and then said, "It is. As you said, no one can tell what will happen in the future. Remembering you were warm to me one second but cold to me the other second. Remembering how you distanced yourself from me, leaving me alone, not even willing to see me properly in the eyes. Remembering how you ignored me while I was worried about your condition. Remembering how you played blind and deaf when I was concerned about you, behaving as if I was not around you. Remembering that until now you seem to have no trust in me, not seeing me as your husband or a man, willing to leave me anytime you want," Canillas paused before adding, "That’s why it is needed." It was a period.

Joanna’s trembling hands slowly released the hold on the parchment, as if she had lost strength to hold anything at the moment, letting it rest on the table without any thud sound created. Her entire demeanor softened as what Canillas said to her was not wrong, and it had hit her hard.

She could not argue despite the desire to win over this argument because she had to win no matter what happened if she wished to save her family among the uncertainty.

Joanna leaned her back against the chair to support her body from collapse. Her eyes were fixated on the laying parchment with many thoughts swirling in her spinning head.

On the other side, Canillas let the silence hang over them, giving time for Joanna to consider, although he sensed that what was in her mind was refusal to agree to the so-called blood agreement.

"It is not a force, Joanna." Canillas resumed speaking when he thought he had given enough time for her to think. "You are free to agree on that or not." There was no commanding tone in his voice as he tried not to intimidate his confused wife.

"But let me tell you this," he added not long later. "I wanted you to know that never once did I regret choosing you as my wife. I am blissful in every second to have this marriage with you. Signing any agreement that will guarantee my long-lasting togetherness and commitment with you as your husband, I will not doubt even for the slightest. I don’t even need to think twice to agree on that." His words drew Joanna’s attention to him as she slowly lifted her head to capture a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

Yet the same eyes reflected the determination, telling her that he had no difficulty and would agree immediately if he was asked to pour all of his blood to soak the white paper.

Joanna looked back on the agreement that he wrote because of her persistent old request to put an end to their marriage.

It was not that she was unwilling to plant her blood on the agreement. The fear was back to wash over her when she was faced with a reality that she had to return to that place. She also avoided being bound in an agreement that involved her family because she was still trying to fight every doubt that held her from stepping lightly in their marriage path.

She tried hard to compromise with herself and the dream that she had seen in order to settle down to live as his wife for the rest of their lives, like what he had written on the agreement.

If he knew how every time she woke up in the morning, she tried to assure her mind and heart to face reality, not dwell in the dream, pushing aside every discomfort so that she could embrace him as her husband wholeheartedly.

Because she also realized that she found it hard to have him away from her if she stood her ground to refuse to follow him back there to his homeland. She still remembered that feeling when he suddenly disappeared without news for days and how relieved she was when she could see him again.

That dream was only a mere dream. Thus, she had chanted that so many times in her mind, hoping to get an ease in her heart, but only to meet with failure each time that fragment of the dream surged up.