Surprising occurrences

"Would you like to have this bread for lunch, milady?" Joanna was jolted by the voice that suddenly came out in the quiet carriage, making her retreat from her long reverie. She shifted her gaze from the window towards Bianca who sat beside her with her hands reaching out to offer a slice of fresh bread inside the opened wooden meal box.

It was the senior maid's other attempt to ask the young lady to fill her stomach after she refused to have breakfast.

Joanna shook her head slowly and replied, "I will have it later, Bianca. You can have it first with the others." She offered a smile to Bianca before moving her gaze back to see the view outside the window.

And it was the same answer she gave to the senior maid when she offered her breakfast.

A realization then came to Joanna when she seemed belated to notice that the rain had stopped and the sky had become slightly brighter as the sun shyly peeked behind dark clouds that were still hovering in the sky.

Checking her pocket watch, Joanna saw that the time showed ten past noon, which meant that about a seven-hour journey had passed since she left the General's mansion.

Joanna then opened the window of the carriage and asked a young knight on horseback who guided beside her carriage to call Sir Sylvester who was in the front line, leading the entourage.

"I think we can take some time for a short break as the rain will subside for a while now. What do you think about it, Sir Sylvester?" Joanna asked Sir Sylvester once he approached the carriage's window.

Joanna was hit with guilty feelings when she saw the middle-aged man get drenched by the rain even though he and the other knights wore a sheepskin cloak outside their armor.

"Sure, milady. We will make a short break once we find a suitable place to rest," replied Sir Sylvester, who headed to his original spot after giving a polite bow to Joanna.

After closing the window, Joanna relaxed herself and leaned back on the carriage seat. When she turned her head to see Bianca, she found the senior maid looking back at her with a soft smile on her lips. The box of bread was still on her lap, and it was closed now.

Returning the smile to Bianca, Joanna said, "Then, let's have lunch once we make a stop, Bianca."

Joanna knew the meaning of the worried gaze that was shown by the older woman who had accompanied her since she was a kid. She wouldn't stop persuading her to fill her stomach with meals as it was what she had done to care for her, and Joana felt grateful for that. It might be what would have been done by her mother if she was still alive. Joanna smiled at Bianca who nodded at her words.

"And what to do with the rashes on your body, milady?" asked Bianca who sounded worried, with her brows deeply knitted. The other two maids gave a look of concern as well when they heard the question asked by the senior maid to the young lady who sat across from them.

Joanna smiled at the look of concern that was shown by the three women inside the carriage. She was glad to have them accompany her especially when she was in such an unprecedented situation. Although it was common for the nobility to sit in separate carriages with their attendants, it wasn't a concern to think about for Joanna as she preferred to have a companion in the carriage, especially during a long journey as she currently had.

Having married off to a man from a neighboring kingdom made Joanna have to leave her homeland to live in the mansion of her husband. She was fortunate that the General agreed with the request of her father to allow his daughter to be attended to by people from her maiden house.

Meanwhile, for the knights that were with her at the moment, it wasn't on the request before. However, after knowing that the General would be away for an uncertain time, Joanna's father, Duke John de Lara, ordered the knights who escorted her daughter to Archess to stay in the mansion of the General until he returned from the battlefield.

Joanna felt grateful for this arrangement. Otherwise, she would have had her head spin about how to go back to her homeland, as Terra was far away from Archess, and even needed about a month-length journey.

"Don't worry, Bianca. It will get healed soon," assured Joanna with a calm voice, and a smile on her lips. Joanna then turned away, leaning her head on the back of the seat and closing her eyes.

With this action, Bianca knew that the young lady didn't want to be inquired any further. Therefore, she kept her lips closed, just silently staring at the 'sleeping' lady with a sad look.

She had long known the young lady, whom she had treated with care for over fourteen years, had good medical skills. Not many people knew about this, but Bianca, who had followed her anywhere she wanted to play when she was a kid, had noticed that her favorite place was Alenna Garden. It was an herbal garden that had been created by her beloved late mother, and it was located in the backyard of the de Lara mansion.

Therefore, Bianca wasn't surprised for too long when she found the young lady's body full of reddish rashes not long after she came out of the bathroom this dawn. It should have been related to any herbal extracts that she had brought with her from Terra.

However, Bianca couldn't bear the sight as it seemed to be painful and she didn't know why the young lady did it, willing to hurt her own body like this.

She even lied to Madam Viona, her mother-in-law, saying that she was weak when the drastic change of weather occurred, especially when it made the atmosphere cold and humid.

Barasca was indeed warmer compared to Orbane, the land where the mansion of the General stood in Archess. However, when it came to the rainy season, the atmosphere of most of the lands in Terra was also not far different from what happened in Archess these past few days. But rashes never grew on the lady's skin. She was also not a fragile lady although she seemed weak and timid due to her slender figure.

The other thing that made Bianca surprised was the sudden decision that was made by the young lady to leave her husband's mansion. Before today, the lady had been calm even though her mother-in-law didn't seem to like her and her husband had been away even before the lady arrived at his mansion.

Bianca turned alert when the young lady called her to come to her room at a time that never occurred before and found her anxious and scared when she arrived at the young lady's room. She even ordered her to pack all of their stuff and left nothing behind.

It was fortunate that Sir Sylvester was still in Archess with them, if not they would have traveled on foot, without even bothering to bring their stuff.

She was worried but didn't dare ask the young lady about it. She knew that the young lady had her own reason. As for now, she just hoped that the rashes would be healed soon and left no scars that would ruin the beautiful lady that she had regarded as her own daughter. Bianca let out a quiet sigh.