The different weather

Madam Viona finally gave a nod as a response to the sudden question that was thrown at her by Canillas.

Approaching Princess Amanda, she held her hand before saying, "We can meet outside the von Rodega mansion for another meeting, dear. It is not a bad idea though as we can do sightseeing around Orbane. Don't you think that it is more interesting to do than watch the same things inside these dark walls?" Madam Viona formed her lips into a comforting smile, looking up at the younger woman with a tender gaze.

However, it didn't penetrate the Princess' heart as she narrowed her eyes at the words spilled out from the older woman's lips. Disappointment and anger were apparent on her face as the old lady did not come to her side to support her.

"Why don't we go outside right away, dear? We can stroll around the city since the current weather seems to be friendly," offered Madam Viona despite noticing the distorted expression marring the Princess' features. 

Although the sky was a bit cloudy, it was brighter than the previous days when the dark clouds hovered in the sky with the various intensity of rain that fell almost every day.

At the offer of the General's mother, Princess Amanda shook her head and said with a forced smile, "No, Lady Viona. I apologize that I can't keep you company to have outdoor sightseeing today as I have an appointment to attend a tea party hosted by Viscountess Loresso in the next hour. The journey to her residence would take time itself. But we can make it up for another day…" Turning her head to look at Canillas, she added with a smug smile on her lips,

"With young Madam von Rodega, of course. But it is only if she is willing to come back here to maintain her position as the mistress of the von Rodega mansion or the lady of the house. Although… I don't know why but I am very doubtful about that."

Looking at the indifferent man in front of her who seemed to be unbothered to respond to her, the Princess' lips twitched. Glaring at the General before turning back to face the old lady, she said with a smile that looked not sincere, "I think it is time for me to leave, Lady Viona. Until the next meeting then." She offered the old lady a slight bow.

Without waiting for Madam Viona to respond, Princess Amanda turned around and stepped out of the von Rodega mansion with a calm pace, but the von Rodegas could see the invisible raging fire that she tried hard to suppress in every pace she took.

"Don't you think that you are too harsh to her, son?" asked Madam Viona, her voice carrying an undertone of worry. Her eyes were still directed at the back of the royal lady who walked further away before disappearing from her sight as she got inside her lavish carriage.

Madam Viona was worried that the harsh action of her son toward the royal lady would put him in danger although she was somehow relieved that the affection that was had by the Princess for her son and the high regard of the kingdom toward her son as a hero were a guarantee for his safety. But she wasn't sure if that would last as how it was forever.

"The problem is that she doesn't understand the meaning of harsh, Mother," Canillas answered in a nonchalant tone, making the old lady let out a sigh of resignation.

With that having been said, Canillas left his mansion, heading to the Roca Castle to finish his tasks before taking his wife back to Archess, to maintain her position as the wife of Canillas von Rodega.

---

Unlike the weather in Archess which tended to be unfriendly with the dark clouds blanketing the sky, the sun was shining brightly in the Terra's blue sky, spreading its golden rays on the land.

As if welcoming such comforting weather, there was a humming sound coming from the garden which was situated in the backyard of the de Lara mansion.

Crouching on the side of the herbal beds, Joanna hummed while picking some varieties of herbs that would be dried later for further use, placing the collected herbs on the basket that was sitting on the paved ground beside her.

In the middle of doing that, she looked up at the chirping birds on the branch of the silver birch tree above her. A cheerful smile appeared on her lips. The birds seemed to be attracted to her humming a random song.

With a beige-colored wide-brimmed hat that she wore on her head to cover her face from the sun rays and gloves to protect her hands from sharp stalks of certain varieties of herbs and weeds that might scratch her skin, Joanna had worked under the sun for more than three hours now.

Not only did she collect the herbs but she also pulled out weeds that would disturb the growth of the herbal plants. It might be reckoned as a hard activity that was rarely done particularly by a young noble lady like Joanna de Lara. Nevertheless, Joanna seemed to enjoy this kind of activity, and looked like that tiredness had never struck her although it was the repetitive activities that she had done almost every day.

It was not that there were no garden keepers to maintain the large garden. However, there were many times Joanna wanted to do it herself, especially when she managed to return to Terra. 

Leaving the de Lara mansion for almost five months had made her yearn for Alenna Garden a lot. Hence, she dwelled in the garden as long as she could.

The various colors and shapes of herbal plants, together with the mixed fragrance that filled the spaces of air, made Allena Garden appear to be a comforting garden as if staying in there for a long time could calm the mind and refresh the tired souls. So far, it was her standpoint which might be thought to be ridiculous by others. But she paid no heed to that as each person had the right to stand their point of view.

Different from most noble ladies who filled their days with embroidery, painting, playing musical instruments, or gossiping at social events or tea parties, Joanna preferred to do such rare activities which were not common among nobilities. Of course, she wouldn't have been knowledgeable and interested in those herbal-related areas if her mother was not Alenna de Lara.

Having been dealing with herbs since she was a kid made Joanna familiar with various types of herbs. Although she was not an expert yet, she had memorized most of the herbs that had grown on the land of Terra as they were also available in Alenna Garden. Therefore, if she was asked about the name of an herbal plant, she would mostly be able to give a correct answer, together with its characteristics and functions.

There were times when she used her herbal-related knowledge to cure some diseases that were suffered by people in the de Lara mansion. However, she had not had the chance to apply her skills to treating people outside the mansion. Hence, her skills had not been widely known by others yet.

Feeling the care that she gave to the bed of herbal plants before her was enough as the weeds were completely pulled out and the herbs she wanted to collect were laid in the basket, Joanna stood up and was about to move to the other parts of the garden. Before that, she stretched her legs and her back, and twisted her waist to the right and left, as she tried to make the numb muscles loosen up, decreasing soreness.

She halted after taking a few steps toward her next destination when she heard the sound of footsteps walking in her direction.