Canillas lay down on one side of the bed with an unsettled body and mind. It was another mistake he made to lay his lips on the delicate skin, even though it was just for a fleeting second, as he now felt his lips burn along with the fla inside him that was not completely extinguished yet.
Closing his eyes, Canillas took a few deep breaths, as if trying to blow out the flaming beast that tried to erge from inside him.
As the fla was gradually tad, he ca to his senses and detected no movent coming from the woman with whom he had just shared the light kiss. He opened his eyes and turned his head to where she was supposed to be, only to find she was still standing in the sa spot, still freezing like a statue.
Finding such a fierce woman in that awkward state, Canillas could not hide his joy, feeling pleased that the sudden kiss he planted was not only impactful on him but also on her.
Was it also her reaction when he kissed her in the forest? Canillas, who could not see her reaction due to him being busy playing his role as a moth, wondered. However, he was doubtful, as he was aware that what he did in the forest was way too much and might turn out like she said before that she disliked it.
And Canillas refrained from poking her in that matter. That way, he could see her true reaction if he happened to show her his affection again. He did not want her to hide her true feelings from him.
"Are you going to sleep standing like that, Joanna?" Canillas poked her on another matter instead.
Upon hearing the voice echo in the quiet room, the dazed Joanna was pulled back from her stupor, making her way but not toward the bed. She walked straight hastily, passing the bed toward the door instead.
Knowing what she was going to do, Canillas remarked, "Once you open the door and step out of this room, don’t bla if I force myself to pounce at you this very night." And his stern warnings were like a magnet that made Joanna abruptly halt in her tracks.
Standing in a freeze close to the door with her back facing her husband, she heard him speak again. "Don’t forget that they are still around, Joanna. Do you think that once you are not in the forest anymore, you are safe? Do you think that they didn’t show themselves, aning that they are not targeting you anymore? What if you leave this room to sleep in the other room and find yourself waking up in a foreign place later?" His low voice was softer this ti, but filled with dreadful content.
With Joanna obstinately unmoving from her spot, Canillas sighed. "But if you are fine with that, then you can just go. I won’t forbid you anymore. I am currently too tired to act as a fussy husband for a stubborn wife like you. So, you may do as you please."
Although his words sounded unpleasant in Joanna’s ears, they worked enough to make her change her mind about leaving the room.
He was right. What if they appeared and took her away when she was alone? Joanna thought in her mind.
Slowly turning around to face the bed, she saw her husband lay down with his hands folded under his head and his eyes closed, as if showing that he was tired enough to deal with her stubbornness.
As she knew that he was not asleep, she collected her composure to speak her mind. "But I can’t sleep in the sa bed with you, Sir Canillas." With the words honestly uttered, Canillas opened his eyes, shifting his head to look at his cold-hearted wife, who was standing about three steps away from the bed.
The room fell into silence, only the two pairs of eyes speaking at each other, showing that the problematic married couple refused to back away.
"So, do you an that I or you should sleep on the floor?" asked Canillas, showing a quizzical look that contained the opposite aning when he noticed that she showed determination on anything running in her head as usual.
However, Canillas would not go easy on her this ti, as it was not a principled matter that could offend and hurt one party. They were married, and it was enough to show his respect and understanding for her by not forcing her to complete the bond of their marriage.
And this ti as well, he understood the aning of her unshaken, silent look, which was directed at him with those enchanting eyes. Canillas felt that this woman never failed to amuse him. If she wanted to stand firmly on her ground, then he would shake the solid ground where she stood this ti.
"Don’t say that I should be the one who should sleep on the floor, Joanna. Are you really serious about making a great general and a hero like sleep on the cold floor on this cold night?" Canillas delivered his complaint, shaking his head. "No, I don’t want to because I have a bad back." Canillas shifted his face upward, facing the ceiling, and closed his eyes then.
Joanna had her eyes narrowed at his answer. What kind of bad back was suffered by this so-called great general? If he suffered this kind of back problem, he would not have brought victory to every battle or would not have been able to ride on horseback for days on a long trip to disturb her peaceful life. Joanna sighed at the absurd humor he used.
But she did not want to sleep on the floor. There was no spare mattress or another blanket in her bedroom, as she had never had anyone sleep with her before, and she did not want to get sick from lying on the cold floor without any cover that could warm her body.
"Can you please pass the blanket, Sir Canillas? Let sleep on the floor instead. I may look weak and not as powerful as a soldier, but I have a strong back," Joanna replied with a sprinkle of sarcasm that she never did when she spoke with him so far.
It was better to sleep on the floor rather than share a bed with this cunning man. It might be what she had in mind this ti. Canillas smiled at her reply and imagined her badmouthing him inwardly before hiding the smile away.
Directing his now-opened eyes from the ceiling towards the strong-willed woman with the smile that he hid, he said, "But it is very cold tonight, Joanna. This mountain is far colder than Barasca or Orbane, and I am not used to it. The fireplace had no impact on ." Canillas sighed before continuing his ludicrous comnts.
"I really had bad endurance against cold things, although it gets slightly better now. Thanks to the training that you give through your cold attitude toward ." Canillas still wore his grieving-look expression, acquiring the sharp glare of the cold woman who was standing across from the bed with her hands gripping the knot of her robe.
"However, no matter how cold you are to , it is still not enough to make immune against the cold environnt. So, I am sorry if I can’t give up on this blanket, Joanna."
As his grieving voice ended to resonate in the room, Canillas lowered his hands that were folded underneath his head and brought them to grasp the blanket that wrapped his body. He pulled the blanket up to his neck, only leaving his head to be exposed with his sad-looking eyes still on hers.
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