14 A married man

With her gaze cast down, the Princess spoke in a low voice that was laced with sadness, "I am so disappointed to see how you become ruder, General von Rodega." She sighed, slowly raising her head to meet the General's eyes. "Is it because you are married now? But why I don't see your wife here? Don't say that she has run away from you after realizing what a rude man you are." A smile, that was not a coy one, was now plastered on Princess Amanda's face, gradually turning into a chuckle, as if mocking the man who was rude to her. There was no sign of sadness that she previously showed through her voice.

However, the man was still showing an indifferent facial expression, as if unaffected by any behavior showcased by the woman in front of him. Watching her have fun of herself, he then commented, "It is good to know that you actually realized that I am a married man now. Therefore, I advise you to stop coming to the house of a married man, even though it is with the pretense of visiting my mother. That way will help you to prove to others that you are indeed a noble lady with virtue," and he knew how to make this woman shut her mouth.

The smile once again vanished from the Princess' lips. Her face looked darker now but she soon controlled her emotion, composing her expression. "Why do I have to stop coming here?" she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Lady Viona has never prohibited me to come here for her companion. And… As I said before, I don't see your wife here." She stared back at the General with one corner of her lips tugged up after looking around the hallway as if searching for the presence of the General's disappeared wife.

A chuckle escaped Canillas' lips before he replied to the Princess. "Don't worry about that, Princess. My wife will be here soon as she is the mistress of the von Rodega mansion, the lady of the house. And she will be the one who provides my mother's company as she is her daughter-in-law. So, you don't need to bother about that. Isn't that right, Mother?" Canillas threw an unexpected question to Madam Viona, who quietly watched the friction between the two people before her eyes, making her shudder at the sudden call.

Compared to her daughter-in-law, Madam Viona actually adored the Princess more as she had regarded the Princess as her own daughter.

Madam Viona's husband, Alex von Rodega, was a general before he passed away on the battlefield. He and King Bram's younger brother, Princess Amanda's father, were close friends and they both served Archess as soldiers.

As a close friend, after the passing of his wife, the King's brother had frequently asked Madam Viona to take care of his children when he was away on the battlefields.

It was not because he could not appoint royal servants or nursemaids to take care of his children, but it was said that he wanted his children to learn about a humble life, not solely dwelling on a glorious life that was commonly displayed in the name of nobility.

Therefore, every time King Bram's brother and her husband served the kingdom on the battlefields, besides her own children, Madam Viona took care of Princess Amanda and her older brother.

It was then, as time passed, that affection grew inside Madam Viona, especially towards Princess Amanda. Madam Viona thought that the affection might be induced because she did not have any daughters.

There were so many times she wanted Princess Amanda to become her daughter-in-law. However, the fact that she and her husband were not originally from high society due to their humble blood, and so were her children, made it impossible to bring the Princess and her son into marriage.

Besides, based on her observation, she noticed that Canillas had changed as if he never had any slight affection for the Princess. Instead, he had obviously seen the Princess with contempt every time she appeared before him.

Madam Viona did not know the reasons behind that behavior, as every time she asked Canillas about that matter, he always refused to answer. He tended to purse his lips tightly, shift their conversation to another topic, or walk away in silence.

On the contrary, Princess Amanda did not hesitate to show that she had romantic feelings for the General. It was not difficult for Madam Viona to figure it out as the Princess seemed not to bother to hide her feelings although she was aware that it was useless, as the man whom she had feelings for was ignorant of her.

It was like this time when she would come to the von Rodega mansion once she was informed about the return of the General from the battlefield. Without any doubt, she would step inside the mansion although she knew that she would receive a cold shoulder and rude, unfriendly remark from the General.

Madam Viona also knew that the news about the marriage between her son and a Terran lady had irritated the Princess. The Princess had even asked her to oppose their marriage.

However, although Madam Viona had also strongly objected to the marriage between her son and the non-Archessan lady, she had no power to defy the marriage decree issued by the King of Archess himself.

Besides, she also noticed that her son showed no slightest displeasure or objection towards the arranged marriage. Therefore, the marriage was established.

And what had been stated by Canillas to the Princess was not wrong. He was a married man now. Despite the absence of his wife as she was currently in her homeland, it would not change the fact that he had a wife.

Madam Viona still remembered the tense conversation between her and her son on the night of his return from the battlefield a few days ago. The way he defended the lady and reminded her of the fact that the lady was his wife, no matter how much she showed her disapproval, had been engraved in her mind. It was also enough to tell her that he valued his marriage to that foreign lady. 

Although Madam Viona still had no affection for her daughter-in-law, she didn't dare to provoke her son and made him disappointed in her, then siding with the lady. Particularly when he was in this recent emotional state.

Apart from that, it was also not appropriate for a royal lady like Princess Amanda, especially when she was still unmarried, to frequently visit the residence of a married man.

Although it was under the pretext of visiting the man's mother as she had done long before the man was not in the state of being married, it was better to keep her distance away from the man's living place. That way, the gossip about her that had begun to spark in society that would shatter her dignity and virtue would be extinguished.

Therefore, when her son just gave her this kind of question, she could not do anything but try to be impartial. But how could she do that without being biased towards one party? Madam Viona, who had never been in this sort of situation, mulled over the response she should give.