Bab 11: Marriage annulment
The whirlwind of emotions derived from the young woman who was looking at him with a gloomy expression on her face caused the Duke to feel a prick piercing his heart.
He recognized this feeling. It was the same feeling when he sent his daughter off into marriage with a foreign gentleman, far away from Terra. It was also the same feeling when he was unable to decline the marriage decree that was bestowed upon his family. And it was also the same feeling when he saw a forced smile appear on his daughter's face before she left Terra as she tried to console him.
Looking back at the day when he suddenly received a royal decree to marry his sole daughter to a man who came from a neighboring kingdom, had struck him with bewilderment. As if that wasn't enough, the fact that the man who would become the husband of his daughter was a prominent general from Archess, who was rumored to be cruel and merciless, made the Duke want to hide his daughter where no one found her whereabouts.
As for the Duke, his daughter was too delicate and prone to be the wife of a powerful general like Canillas von Rodega. However, he knew that it was a reckless and useless idea.
If he had the possibility to choose, he wouldn't have let go of the hand of his daughter to marry, especially when he had to send her off to a far kingdom. For a young woman who had never been far from under the shade of his wings, it had made the Duke worried to the bone.
Disobeying the royal decree was not possible in this kingdom. It was not only applied to commoners but also to noble people, including dukes, who were the highest-ranking nobles and the King's vassals.
Paying disloyalty to his entire family's life was the last thing that Duke John de Lara wanted in his life.
He had an obligation that was passed through generations to protect the existence of his entire family, the de Laras. Therefore, if sending his daughter off for marriage could protect his family, including his sole daughter, herself, then he didn't have any option to choose.
Even his daughter was well aware that they had no choice but to obey the royal decree to marry General Canillas von Rodega. Hence, since the marriage decree fell upon her, she had prepared her entire being to become the General's wife.
However, if she had now left her husband and asked for a divorce as she seemed to be not able to bear the unhappiness in her marriage, what should he, as a father, do? The Duke felt his head spinning along with a pang in his heart.
Without uttering any words, the Duke continued to walk down the pathway, deeper into the garden towards a gazebo where they could take a seat. Joanna followed behind him in quiet, feeling apologetic at the distressed state of her father as she looked at his slumped shoulders.
As Joanna and the Duke took a seat across from each other on the gazebo's chairs, a servant came to serve tea, placing a tray with a teapot and two cups on the table between father and daughter. Until the servant left them to be alone again, the Duke still didn't say anything but rubbed his forehead instead, as he was deep in thought.
Watching the current state of her father, Joanna knew that he was in a complex position regarding his role as a father and the King's vassal. It was hard to decide what to do as it was a complicated issue. Hence, Joanna decided to voice her mind that had been built after deep contemplating during her journey back to Terra.
"What if we ask to have an audience with His Majesty the King, Father? To tell His Majesty that the marriage between me and General Canillas von Rodega is supposed to be annulled as he has been away during our marriage. We all Terran know the law regarding grounds for a marriage annulment, don't we, Father?" At Joanna's words, the Duke lifted his head to meet his daughter's eyes in a swift movement.
He knew what was implied in Joanna's words. One of the grounds for annulling a marriage was no consummation during the marriage.
Staring at her father with a sense of relief as he seemed to get the meaning of what she had conveyed so she didn't need to elaborate on that private matter, she continued to speak, "His Majesty should have already known about my marriage situation, so if we are obliged to abide by the law, then he will agree with this marriage annulment," Joanna paused without breaking her gaze on the Duke, she then added,
"And because His Majesty arranged this marriage to build an alliance with Archess kingdom, then… we can suggest His Majesty switch me with another Terran noble lady, like Clara de Lorn, to be the wife of General Canillas von Rodega. What do you think, Father?"
The Duke watched the young lady in front of him who didn't look like her usual self at the moment. The way she composed herself to confidently state her idea with her eyes filled with unusual emotion made him astonished yet perplexed.
The Joanna that he knew had never argued, or given an idea to solve a problem. She was a quiet young lady who tended to follow what had been decided by others, especially him, as her father. Was she the same Joanna that he knew as his only daughter? The Duke wondered in his mind.
Although he liked this version of Joanna, who seemed to know how to solve problems related to herself, he couldn't stop wondering what made her change this way.
"Father," called Joanna, narrowing her eyes when she saw the Duke stare at her unblinkingly.
It made the Duke break from his trance. Clearing his throat, he managed to ask, "Do you think it is good to bring another person, especially a noble lady like Clara de Lorn, in this matter, Ann? Don't you know what kind of person de Lorn is?"
"We don't need to mention her if His Majesty doesn't make us do so. And I have my own reason for bringing her name up in this matter that will make her thankful to me. So, you don't need to worry about this, Father," assured Joanna.
Clara de Lorn was the first daughter of Marquess Marthin de Lorn. She was well-known to be the most beautiful maiden in Terra and she had a long-time crush on General Canillas von Rodega. She had also shown her confidence that she would be chosen as the General's wife when her father, the Marquess, informed her that the King had listed the background of several Terran noble women to be selected as the wife of General von Rodega of Archess.
Joanna knew about this as it was the topic that had long circled around the noble ladies that she met in several social gatherings. When the news of her marriage with the General was spread out widely, in every event that made her bump into Lady Clara de Lorn, instead of a greeting, Joanna had received a glare from her.
Therefore, Joanna was certain that Clara de Lorn wouldn't be any happier when she was announced to be the bride of General von Rodega. As for the approval of Marquess Marthin de Lorn, it would for sure be given as his daughter would still be the first wife of the General if Joanna's marriage annulment was granted.
The marriage between her and the man that she wanted to avoid in this lifetime would be erased from a legal perspective and never technically exist. It would be like a void existence.
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