Meanwhile, the young man, who had heard the reply from his father-in-law, turned silent, seeming to be in deep thought.
Was she really that sick? Did the weather in Archess really have a bad impact on her? Was the weather in Archess really bad? Or was she too weak? There were so many questions that surged one by one in his mind.
Then, his worry escalated. If the health of his wife was really affected by the weather in Archess, what he could do to change the weather to be acceptable to her? It was indeed impossible. Canillas laughed in silence at his silly thought in mind. What if, because of that unsuitable weather, she refused to return to Archess with him?
As he was absorbed in deep thought with question after question circulating in his mind, his gaze fell on the trees and other plants swaying left and right outside the window. The wind seemed to breeze quite strongly outside.
While he stared unblinkingly out of the window as if he was still in deep concern about the condition of his wife, a certain mixture of plant fragrances, which seemed to be brought by the wind through the gaps of windows and door of the room, hit his nostrils.
Canillas suddenly felt awakened from his reverie. He asked the Duke, "Your Grace, may I take a look at Lady Joanna now?"
Hearing such a request from his son-in-law, the Duke tried to steady his composure while glancing at the grandfather clock standing in one corner of the room. He recalled the message that was left by Joanna before dashing out of the room, leaving him all confused.
Two hours. She asked him to prevent the General from seeing her for two hours. But it was still less than an hour since she left him with that message. Why should be two hours? He actually wanted to ask his daughter that. But Joanna left even before he voiced a word.
What should he do now? The Duke had to make a quick decision as he knew that the General was waiting for his answer.
Should he allow the General to see her even before reaching the requested time?
The silence of the Duke had somehow created an uncomfortable feeling inside Canillas. He wondered why it took time for the Duke to answer him.
Was it inappropriate in the eyes of nobility for a husband to visit his wife in her room? Was it because he wasn't an aristocrat that he couldn't step inside a noble lady's room although she happened to be his wife?
"I have really wanted to see the condition of my wife, Your Grace. Should I not be worried when I received news about the sickness of my wife when I had just returned from the battlefield as reported by my mother? And now receiving the news that my wife is still sick from the Duke himself, should I just stay here and do nothing?" Canillas argued, trying to push aside any custom of courtesy in the eyes of nobility if that happened to be the reason behind the reluctance of his father-in-law to allow him to see his wife.
As the Duke remained silent, he added, "I wouldn't have bothered to come far away from Archess to Terra if the lady that I married and became my wife was not from Terra. To have a Terran lady as my wife is really not a problem for me, even though I have to take a long journey to be where she is now. But not being able to see her when I am finally under the same roof as she is at the moment is one thing that I can't cooperate with. I apologize if I sound impolite, Your Grace," Canillas offered the Duke a slight bow after conveying his firm words.
Meeting the eyes of the silent Duke, Canillas spoke again, "If the problem is the presumptuousness of a man entering a lady's room, I would like to remind Your Grace if Lady Joanna is my legal wife now. So, it is legal for me to enter my wife's room to see her condition, isn't it, Your Grace?" Inquired Canillas, staring straight at the Duke.
The Duke felt relieved to find the deep concern of his son-in-law for his daughter. He actually had waited for this reaction from the young General sitting restlessly before him. It would be a different case if the young man who had become the husband of his sole daughter was ignorant of his wife's condition.
It was the sense of a father and a man that made him know that the young man sitting across from him was genuinely concerned about his daughter. It was not an act. It was not a fake caring attitude. It was a genuine emotion.
Would his daughter be content if she found out that the man who had become her husband cared for her well-being? Would she remove her intention of having her marriage with this young man annulled after realizing that he cared for her?
If it was said that it was love, it was too premature to regard it as love, especially when this newly married couple hadn't met each other in person yet.
To the Duke, what was shown by this young man was more of a responsibility of a husband to care for his wife. However, it was enough to make the Duke feel at ease as love would grow with time, like how he loved his beloved late wife.
"It is not that I don't allow Sir Canillas to see my daughter. It is just like I informed you before that Joanna is currently having a rest. But please worry not. If Sir Canillas is impatient to see my daughter, then I will inform her about your arrival. I believe that it wouldn't be good if we suddenly entered the room of a young lady without proper prior notice although she happens to be my daughter and your wife. What do you think about that, Sir Canillas?" inquired Duke John de Lara in a calm voice despite his agitated feeling.
The Duke was aware that he couldn't keep holding his son-in-law in the drawing room with him even for a few seconds more, preventing him from seeing his wife. It would only make him become more suspicious.
It was probably fine for ordinary men, but for a man like General Canillas von Rodega whose eyes were like hawks and whose mind was sharp, it wouldn't be wise to create other excuses.
He could only hope that his last effort to fulfill his daughter's message by not escorting the General to her room right away would be helpful for her.
This was all he could do right now, to push aside the suspicion that might start growing from the General's mind and to let Joanna decide to allow her husband to see her if she was done with whatever plan she had.
If she wasn't ready yet after being informed by her maid later, the maid would then pass that answer to the General. That way the Duke was sure that the General wouldn't use force to see his wife, he would wait until Joanna allowed him to see her instead.
A sigh of relief escaped Canillas' lips as he heard the response from the Duke. "I will go at your suggestion, Your Grace. As long as I can see my wife as soon as possible," responded Canillas.