The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 128: Tempted to do more

While the woman in the carriage was determined to set a future plan to be more cautious when the sleeping man was around her, the sleeping man was sensing the woman’s every movement with his eyes closed.

He had waited for her reaction when she found out that she had laid her head on his shoulder and had her hand in his. Would she slap or kick him for crossing the boundary she set? Or would she lay back and continue sleeping, not minding their current intimate gesture?

But Canillas knew very well that she was not a rude person who would physically hurt someone she knew without clear ground. As for the latter question, it was only his delusional thought that seemed not to happen anytime soon, and it was proven by how fast she moved to release her hand from his, making his hand now feel empty by its absence after holding it for hours.

Canillas first planned to let go of Joanna’s hand when he felt sleepy, not long after he sat by her side. He was afraid that she would be panicked and anxious about finding him very close to her side when she woke up, even physically touching her when she was sleeping. It would then make her alarmed by his presence and not trust him anymore.

But Canillas decided to make her find out about his way to approach her for some reasons, regardless of how her reaction would be.

The first reason was because he was curious if the way she looked calm and serene during their conversation the day before was a signal for her to accept him as her husband. If so, then she would be fine with the intimate gesture he showed her. Thus, he also wanted to test her to know if there was progress in her feelings for her husband.

But now he knew that there was a long way to go to claim the woman who had become his wife. This realization made him sigh inwardly.

The other reason was that Canillas wanted Joanna to know that he was her husband and a normal, healthy man who would act as he had been to her, like how a normal man would act toward a woman who had captured his eyes to be solely on her, like how a husband would act toward his wife, whom he had legally married.

Canillas knew that he had decided to give Joanna more space to breathe and not poke her aggressively because he did not want her to become annoyed at him. But he realized that it was very hard to do, especially when his senses were enveloped by her presence.

He also could not just sit still, watching her sleep in an uncomfortable position, like when he found her to be. But what could he do if he was tempted to do more than give her a comfortable place to sleep?

She was like a magnet that drew him closer to her. She was also like a witch who had cast a spell for him to crave her more.

However, what he promised her was that he would never do something irreversible without her consent, no matter how much he wanted to claim her as his wife.

What he had done so far and would do in the future was to make her get used to the intimate gesture he showed her because Canillas had also realized that if he gave her too much room to breathe, she would slowly forget that she had a duty and responsibility as a wife. The fear inside her would also never be extinguished.

He would not force her to show her obligation as a wife, but he did not want her to forget about that either.

A few minutes had passed, but Canillas still had his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, while keeping on perceiving every movement made by the flustered woman beside him.

He knew that his enigmatic wife would become more flustered if she found him awake. Hence, he would give her more time to calm down.

Before he was pretending to sleep, Canillas had gone into slumber together with his wife. Canillas actually felt tired because of the lack of rest and the continuous intriguing, unexpected events he had faced since he left Archess.

However, having his consciousness disappear, although he felt very tired, never occurred to him, as he never let his guard down against anything surrounding him, despite his tiredness. But this time, when he was enveloped in the soothing scent and warm presence that were emitted by the woman beside him, he felt comfortable and peaceful.

He felt asleep, as if her presence were a lullaby for him.

After sleeping without her for three nights since they returned from the orphanage, Canillas felt joyous inside his heart when she was beside him again. Perhaps because of that, he felt sleepy and went to a deep sleep.

As the sleepiness hit him hard, he moved his head away from his wife’s so that he would not put all the weight of his on her. Hence, he leaned his head against the back of the chair, but he did not let go of her hand. And he seemed to keep that position until he was awakened by the bumpy road and the lady beside him, who stirred, indicating that she had woken up.

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Joanna flipped open her pocket watch that she took out of her pocket dress and saw that the time showed twenty-five to eight in the night.

Based on her experience passing the journey to the capital, once they left Barasca and entered the neighboring territory with the rocky path, it meant that they would arrive at the inn where they usually stayed. But she felt it took forever to be there this time.

Feeling impatient, Joanna opened the window of the carriage. Sticking her head out of the carriage window, Joanna felt a cold breeze brush her face, which made her shiver.

Looking ahead and back, Joanna asked one Barasca knight who rode a horse not far from the back of the carriage, which was closer to her current position.

"Sir Clayton, are we still far from the inn?" Joanna asked the Barasca knight that she happened to be familiar with, as he had always guarded her together with Sir Sylvester.

"It will take about fifteen more minutes, my lady," Sir Clayton answered.

Joanna nodded her head and uttered a thank you, to which Sir Clayton returned in the same polite manner.

Joanna then closed the window so that the cold air would not seep into the carriage, and soon warmth embraced her again.

Fifteen more minutes. Joanna just sat in silence between the wall of the carriage and the sleeping man beside her. She wanted to continue reading the book she read before she went into slumber, but the limited amount of light gave her no chance to do so.

Therefore, she would just sit there until the carriage stopped and they arrived at the inn, where she and her father’s entourage usually stayed for a night.