The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 49: The maddening road

Joanna landed her gaze on the two additional members of the entourage whose backs and hands were now not free like when they insisted on joining her journey.

It was one of her methods to make the General’s men busy, distracting their minds by asking for their help to bring the abundant luggage to be shared with the orphans.

She had determined to not let her eyes off of them as she would make sure to prevent them from sending any information about her whereabouts through any kind of communication methods they had. She would also arrange for them to walk before her, not behind her, so that she could observe them.

It might look foolish and naïve but at least she did something to make her effort to be away from the General this time fruitful.

She was not sure when the General would return from Seidel as her father also did not know the exact answer when she asked him about it. As there was no certain answer, she had decided to go to the Powel Orphanage, leaving the de Lara mansion, as soon as she could manage, which was today, three days after the General left for Seidel.

She was aware that if she did not leave as soon as possible, he would for sure take her back to Archess when he returned from Seidel, especially when he found her fully recovered. Therefore, in order to prevent the nightmare from coming true, avoiding another encounter with him as long as possible was a must, even though she had to do something that was disrespectful and offensive.

With the realization that both of them were equally stubborn, there would be two ways to make her not follow him to return to that place. It would be he who voluntarily left her because of her unpleasant behavior or she disappeared from his sight until he agreed to nullify their meaningless marriage. It was Joanna’s resolute decision to end her relationship with the General.

As her eyes followed the movement of the General’s men, Joanna suddenly felt thankful as their presence was actually useful and helpful. Despite the intention to distract the focus of the General’s men, looking at the number of luggage that needed to be transported which was higher than she usually prepared due to a few months of absence, their presence had lightened the burden of Barasca knights.

When all of her attendants were holding all the luggage in their hands and backs, they began to walk up the mountain roads, leaving the horses of the knights and the carriage to the care of the coachman and two Barasca knights who were assigned to camp at the foot of the mountain. As usual, the food and tent had been prepared for them beforehand.

As the walk progressed, Joanna’s breath got heavier and her heart beat more rapidly.

It was always an easy journey for Sir Sylvester and all the knights, who walked up easily and lightly as if they were not burdened with heavy loads in their hands and backs. On the other hand, it was always torture for Joanna and Lucy, who were breathing more heavily and walking more slowly following the steepness of the roads.

The steeper the road they passed through, the more difficult the road to be tamed by Joanna. Moreover, the layered dress she was wearing only increased her burden and made her steps heavier and slower. Even though she had chosen the dress with lighter materials of fabrics, her attire had always prevented her from moving with less burden.

But it was far better as she had asked Bianca to reduce the tightness of the corset underneath the dress. Otherwise, the torture would feel like double.

If only she could wear a thin dress like her inner dress at this time, she might have reached more than ten steps further by now. Joanna thought in her hazy mind.

Taking a break for a brief rest, Joanna sat on a large stone on one side of the road while wiping the sweat drenching her face with the handkerchief she always kept in her dress pocket and fanning herself with the folded fan she had held in her hands.

As she took a rest, her attendants automatically followed suit, putting the luggage that they brought on the ground while taking a seat on the ground or branches of trees or another large stone but not out of Joanna’s sight. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Meanwhile, although she felt tired and panted heavily, Joanna kept observing the General’s men through the corner of her eyes. And she was relieved when she found them sitting leisurely by the tree without doing anything suspicious, just closing their eyes with their back leaning against the tree.

Joanna broke her trailing eyes from them when Lucy handed a water canteen and a slice of chocolate cake to her. Taking off her gloves, Joanna took them from Lucy’s hands with a smile and told her to take a slice of the cake for herself to eat as well, as it was important for them to replenish their energy before continuing their torturous journey.

Joanna also asked Lucy to share several slices of chocolate cake with the knights and the General’s men.

It had become Joanna’s habit to share bread or cakes with her entourage every time she went to the Powel Orphanage and she always asked the cook to prepare double the number of the entourage that would accompany her on the trip.

Looking at Lucy approaching the knights and the General’s men to distribute the slices of chocolate cake that were kept in a basket, Joanna smiled. She always felt glad to have Lucy accompany her on this kind of journey so that she was not alone in passing through the maddening road and did not become the lone snail among the horses.

After Lucy finished the task given to her, Joanna dragged Lucy to sit beside her instead of on the ground which the maid refused so many times even though it was not their first trip to this mountain. But Lucy changed her mind, taking a seat beside the young lady while maintaining some distance, as the young lady stared at her with wide eyes, showing that she would be mad if she disobeyed her request.

After full of struggling, coupled with several times of stops for a brief rest, about an hour and a half later, Joanna and her attendants reached the area where the Powel Orphanage stood.

It was not a fancy building but an old yet well-maintained two-story building, with a total of twenty rooms that could shelter about eighty orphans.

Four girls around the age of five to seven years old were playing in the front yard of the building.

The orphanage had long been founded by a married couple, Mr. Antonio Powel and his wife, Mrs. Belinda Powel. It was the place to shelter the abandoned kids on the land of Barasca, the kids that were not wanted by their parents or had lost their parents due to unwanted fate.

There were so many times Joanna wondered why her grandfather bestowed such a torturous land to go through to a kind man like Mr. Powel. But she was relieved when Mr. Powel revealed the reason and it was not because of a malicious intention.

Based on Mr. Powel’s tale, the orphanage was built on the mountain because it was the land that was bestowed by the former Duke of Barasca to him after he quit his long-time job due to a health disorder. It was a job as the butler in the de Lara mansion that he had started in his early twenties and was passed by his father.

Mr. Powel said that he had respiratory disorders due to his bad lungs and it got worse as he aged. Therefore, he had to quit his job in his forties.

According to de Lara’s family doctor who had examined his health, it was suggested that a clean, fresh, and peaceful place like the Powel Orphanage had been built was the most suitable for him. As long as the building was built at an elevation under six thousand feet, it would be fine for his lungs although he lived in the mountainous area.

Therefore, with great concern of the former Duke for the Powel, who had become the butler for the de Lara family for generations, a piece of land on West Lane Mountain had become the home for Mr. Powel and his wife.

It had been proven that living in a deserted and calm place like West Lane Mountain was good for his prone health. Hence, he died when his hair turned completely grey with his skin turned wrinkled, which was far beyond the prediction of the doctor who had examined him.

Mr. Powel had been under the care of Duke de Lara even after he quit his job. A doctor, logistics, and other necessities had been provided by Joanna’s grandfather and continued by Joanna’s father after Joanna’s grandfather passed away. And it still lasted until now, even after Mr. Powel was laid to eternal rest two years ago.

The Powel had become the butler of the de Lara for generations. However, the Powel stopped becoming the butler of the de Lara family as Mrs. Powel had undergone a miscarriage that prevented her from conceiving another child. But Mr. Powel did not leave Mrs. Powel because of such misfortune circumstances. He built an orphanage to take care of misfortune children instead.

It was the reason why Joanna loved to visit and get along with such sincere people like Mr. and Mrs. Powel. What they had in life and how they faced life were simple and humble, providing serenity for a turmoil heart.

Being grateful for what you had was what Mr. Powel always told her.

But could she follow the principle of the Powel? Should she be grateful to have the General as her husband even after seeing him hurt her in the dream? Joanna wondered in silence.