The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 30: Marriage consummation

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a luminescent glow on the room.

With his back leaning against the sturdy, floor-to-ceiling window, not like when he first stepped inside the room, he could clearly see the figure of the woman sitting on the bed although they were separated by the white-laced drape.

Was it because their distance was now closer or because he was familiar with her appearance? Canillas wondered in his mind.

"She had revealed the reasons why she had come to that decision, asking for a marriage annulment," Canillas’ deep voice continued resonating in the quiet room.

Canillas then walked slowly toward the other side of the bed, which was closer to where the window of the room stood. He drew the drape open and tied it to a bedpost and it was the same conduct as he did before.

Standing near the bed, his gaze fell on Joanna, who looked up at him. He then took a seat on the side of the bed at the same distance as he had taken on the other side before. The newly married couple were staring at each other with different whirlwinds of emotions inside them.

As if making his sitting position more comfortable, Canillas had one leg folded on the bed while the other landed on the floor. Both hands were placed on top of the calf of the folded leg.

He resumed speaking, "As I told you before, you have failed to convince me. Based on your explanation, your sickness began when you lived in Archess, my homeland. And you came to Archess because of our marriage. Don’t you think that I have to take responsibility for what has been suffered by a woman who has become my wife?" Canillas asked. "It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t come to Archess. But because you did, how could I leave my suffering wife just like that?" Canillas looked at the woman who had her lips slightly parted as she looked at him in a daze.

"And I will find a way to cure your illness. After you are fully healed, we will go back to Archess, but not to Orbane. I will take you to another place in Archess where the weather is not too far different from Barasca. That way you also don’t need to live under the same roof as my mother. So, you don’t need to worry about that, Joanna," Canillas offered a reassuring smile that felt like a spine-chilling smile for his bewildered wife.

Joanna could feel sweat oozing profusely from the pores of the skin all over her body. She could not differentiate if it was because of the sickness or the fear that enveloped her entire being.

She wished that she was dreaming at the moment. What she was facing was not reality and what she was hearing was only an illusion.

The man, who was sitting on the other side of her, had a smile spreading across his face after proposing a solution that was contradictory to her wish.

Was it over? No. She could not give up yet. She still had the chance to avoid the nightmare coming true. Joanna refused to lose her will.

Joanna shook her head at the idea proposed by the General. "No, Sir Canillas. I have told you that the only way for me to get fully healed from this kind of sickness is by living in Terra. Therefore, I can’t leave Terra. I don’t want to suffer from more severe pain than it is now. I thank you for your kind intention to take responsibility for what I have been enduring and it is enough for me. If there is a guilty feeling about what has happened to me, please just kindly agree to annul our marriage. I will not blame you for that," Joanna strongly reasoned.

A heavy sigh slipped out of Canillas’ lips at her objection. His face now was void of the smile. "I think I have made it clear, Joanna. If you don’t understand what I have said, let me summarize it for you. I will find a way to cure you. We will go back to Archess after you get healed. In the meantime, just take your time to recover, rest well, and I will accompany you here," Canillas calmly replied, his gaze remaining on the desperate lady.

"Trust me, Sir Canillas. You will regret having a sickly and scarred woman like me as your wife. You may now feel guilty because of my condition. But soon you will have a change of mind. And I don’t want to suffer from humiliation when you send me back to Terra because of that. That’s why it is better to end it here so that I won’t bear shame for the rest of my life when I am thrown away by my husband because of my appearance and condition," Joanna persuaded desperately.

At this moment, she felt that the more she argued with the General, the more she became more capable as an actor and a liar. Was it actually her hidden talent? Should she be proud of that? But acting and lying were really tiring. Joanna sighed inwardly.

But once again, what she received was a response that was contradictory to her expectations as she heard the General chuckle. What was he going to say now? Joanna prepared herself to shoot a counterattack at whatever surprising words came from him.

"You know, Joanna. Rather than arguing about a non-sense marriage annulment, I suggest we do a more useful activity. For example, learning to know about the character and personality of each of us, as a husband and a wife, of course. So far, what I have learned from you is your strong determination against one thing. And we have the same personality for that." Canillas grinned, making Joanna frown. He added,

"And now, I want you to know about my character and I will be glad to know more about yours later. So, listen to me well, wife." Canillas offered his frowning wife a smile before saying,

"I am not a beauty and perfection myself, so I do not value beauty and perfection highly. And about your scarred body..." Canillas took a pause, trailing his eyes over Joanna’s body, which made Joanna’s forehead crease more. A chuckle escaped Canillas’ lips at her reaction. He said,

"I think you need to see with your own eyes if you want to know how many scars have been carved on my body. And to do that, of course, you should stop asking for a marriage annulment." Finding Joanna open her eyes wide at his words as she understood the meaning behind his words, Canillas once again let out a chuckle before slowly turning it into a smile.

With his green eyes staring straight at the woman’s watery hazel eyes, he said, "The point that I wanted to tell you as my wife is that I don’t care about the scars on your body and I never care about what other people say about me. So, you don’t need to worry about that, Joanna." Canillas reassured her in a calm voice, causing Joanna’s eyes to quiver as she was surprised by the unexpected consoling words.

"If you are afraid that I will have a change of mind and send you back to Terra because I have become sick with your appearances, we can make a written agreement and I will be glad to sign it with my blood. And I am serious about this, Joanna."

At the proposed idea, Joanna’s eyes grew wider as if they almost popped out of their sockets and her breath was caught up in her throat.

Sealing an agreement with blood was considered to be a sign of great seriousness, dedication, and sacrifice. It was also considered a sacred thing that could not be broken without the agreement of the involved parties. Otherwise, it was believed that misfortune would fall on the lineage of the dealbreaker.

What was this man doing? Joanna really wanted to cry. She was finished. She was speechless. Why did it turn complicated like this?

And what she heard next from the unpredictable man made her want to bury herself deep in the Alenna Garden.

"And something actually has disturbed me," Canillas commented, rubbing his chin with his bent forefinger. His head was slightly tilted as if deliberating about something. "Noticing the way you use the term annulment instead of divorce, I believe that besides all of the reasons you have stated before, there is still one important thing that you haven’t told me that made you want to end our marriage." Canillas paused for three seconds, eyes still on her, before uttering,

"Marriage consummation, isn’t it, wife?" And a mischievous grin once again appeared on his face.

Watching the cold woman’s face turn redder with eyes and lips open wider than before, Canillas could not help but let out a chuckle as if it amused him. "It seems that I hit the bull’s eye," Canillas remarked with a grinning face. "But what can I do when you are currently in this condition, wife?" He let out a sigh before turning it into a chuckle again.

"But you don’t need to worry. We will surely have our marriage consummated once you heal. That’s why, get healed soon, Joanna," Canillas stated, as if not feeling enough to poke the now blushing lady.