The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 108: Confused (2)

Chapter 108: Confused (2)

Annalise waited for a moment to give Rafael time and opportunity to tell her to leave his hair for him to dry, but after what felt like a minute, he was still silent and sat still.

Annalise relaxed and moved her fingers to get the cloth to start soaking up the water from his hair. ’It is soft as it looks,’ she thought.

She started to wonder why he had not yet cut his hair when he had been home for a few days now. Did he always wear his hair long or could he not be bothered to cut it right away?

"If I am too rough, please let me know. I do not want to end this day making your head sore. I have never dried anyone’s hair other than mine to know if I am rough," Annalise said, pulling the cloth through the long strands of hair and then going back to rub it around his scalp.

Rafael stared down at Annalise’s feet as she dried his hair. It was something he could do on his own, but the moment her fingers became tangled in his hair, he did not object to her doing it for him. It was only his mother and a few times his father who had ever dried his hair. He had never let anyone get close to him to do it.

"Young master?" Annalise said, stopping to take a step back to see his face. "Is your silence anger or are you enjoying it? It is worrying me."

"I am not angry. Continue," Rafael replied. It felt pleasantly good. Despite preferring to take care of himself, her touch had made him accept her help with this.

"Okay. I will be here early in the morning to prepare warm water for your bath and in the evening you can do it on your own since you do not like everything done for you. If you wash your hair, I can dry it for you. I can even tie it for you so it does not get in your way. I try to braid my hair before I sleep so does not tickle me while I sleep," Annalise said, as she gently moved her fingers through his hair.

"My hair does not bother me when I sleep."

"If I am really tired, it does not bother me. When the nights are hot, it is best to have it out of the way. Your hair is longer than I thought," Annalise said, pulling on a strand of hair to see how long it would be.

"You are meant to be drying my hair. Not playing with it like it is a toy," said Rafael. Her actions reminded him of his mother and if she continued, he might close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Perhaps it would grant him a peaceful sleep where he would not be haunted by the men he killed.

"I am sorry. I need to get a dry cloth since this one is so damp," Annalise said, removing the cloth from his head and checking for any dry spots she could use to soak up a bit more water from his hair. "Excuse me."

Annalise left his side to place the damp cloth in a basket and get another.

Rafael raised his head and looked on at Annalise entering his bathroom. She was strange and he was feeling odd for letting her dry his hair when he could do it. He remained seated on the edge of his bed to wait for her to get a dry cloth and finish drying his hair.

"I found another one. I will have the ones you have used already washed and placed in your room. Um, do you mind lowering your head a little? Even when you sit you are tall," Annalise said, looking over his large frame. She was a bit surprised that he was so silent and allowed her to do this for so long without telling her he could do it on his own.

Annalise also liked when someone dried her hair because of the wonderful feeling of their fingers going through her hair. He could take care of himself, but he had to admit that it was nice to have someone do small things like this.

"I saw a small web in your bathroom. It means you have a spider. I do not want to disturb you while you prepare for bed and I must be with you when you go down to dinner so I will search for it in the morning," Annalise said, pushing his hair back to start fixing how messy it was because of her drying.

"I have not seen a spider in my bedroom until you have-"

"Maybe you were not looking good enough to see it. I have not brought a spider into your room. I would rather put it outside so it could build its home on a nice tree. None of the spiders or insects you might find in your room are my doing. I promised you that I would no longer do that and I would be a fool to releaser something in my employer’s room. I am not a fool," Annalise muttered.

"That gives me some peace that I can stop sleeping with one eye open. I feared that if I were to do something to anger you, I would wake up with a snake or spider in my bed. You would be out of a job then," Rafael said.

"I would not do something like that if I were angry with you. You already know that trick. I would be sly to put the spider in your hair as I dry it right now and then remove it from your hair before your notice. I have not," Annalise added after he looked up at her. "I promise," she smiled.

"I find myself unable to trust your words. I will finish drying my hair," he said, pulling on the side of the cloth to take it off his head.

"I have already finished. I can comb it back for you if you’d let me. I can tie it into a low ponytail for you. It would feel much better if you have your hair out of the way. Have I crossed a line?" Annalise asked as he just sat silent, staring at her like she had done something wrong. "If I did, I did not mean to."

"You have done nothing wrong," Rafael replied. He was merely confused by the strange feeling that filled the room. "You can sit and wait for me to get dressed."

"I can pick out a shirt for you while you finish your hair. I must have you downstairs in the next few minutes or I will be scolded for bringing you down late. A simple white shirt would work, right?" Annalise asked as she left his side to search his wardrobe for a shirt. It was about time he wore one.

Rafael paid attention to the slightest movement Annalise made. He watched her looking around the wrong shelves for the shirts he would wear to dinner and then to bed if the night was not hot. He stood from where he sat to aid her in remembering where the shirts were placed.

Before Rafael reached where she stood, he noted how Annalise froze like she had sensed him coming, despite how light he was on his feet. He noticed that she was quite aware of her surroundings. Normally, he could sneak up on the servants without trying sometimes.

"It is here," he said, reaching past her to open a drawer where there were shirts.

Annalise stood silent as she felt Rafael’s chest pressing against her back as he reached forward to open the drawer for her.

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