The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 131: Feelings (1)

Chapter 131: Feelings (1)

"Please tell me what has suddenly convinced you to go to this festival with us. I wish you would have gone to the other one with me since it was bigger, but this will do that. Now, tell us," Cara said, sitting on Annalise’s bed, watching her get ready for the festival.

"I wouldn’t call it a festival. It is like a large gathering outside. What is more exciting are the balls that will soon happen. I wonder if Rafael will be attending any or if he will be leaving town to attend the one in the palace-"

"You need to focus, Heidi. One issue at a time. First, we need to find out what has caused Annalise to want to come with us and she is getting all dressed up in one of the dresses Rafael gave her. You are looking like a lady. The illegitimate daughter that no one cares for, but nonetheless, a lady," said Cara.

Annalise turned around to face Heidi and Cara who were already dressed. "You really need to work on the way you give out compliments. I am always left feeling in between complimented and offended. The only reason I am going tonight is that I am to stay by Rafael’s side. For whatever he needs to hold or anything else. I was told by Edwin to dress up and have fun when I can."

Cara and Heidi shared a look.

"Why would you be accompanying Rafael? And I am surprised that he is going. He never goes, not even with his knights," said Cara.

"Something happened today to upset him so he must want to take his mind off of it. It is not like I wanted to go in the first place, but I will be paid for working when I am supposed to be resting. The moment he tells me that I no longer need to be by his side, I will find the two of you and you can show me what you like about this gathering," Annalise spoke as she pinned up her hair.

Under her dress, she managed to sneak a small knife that she owned before Cara and Heidi showed up.

Heidi folded her arms. "Something sounds suspicious here, but I will just have to wait and see. I am sorry that you have to work and can not come with us right away. At least this has gotten you to dress up and finally leave the manor to have fun. Are you to ride with us or with Rafael?"

"He is not going early with everyone so I believe I am to wait behind and go with him. He is eating dinner right now and I must hurry to be by his side before he finishes. The two of you should leave now to split the fare with other servants. You don’t want to end up paying for a carriage by yourself or having to walk, do you?" Annalise asked, hoping it would get the two of them to finally leave.

It was bad enough that she had to deal with Rafael suddenly requesting that she accompany him, but now she had to deal with trying to get rid of Cara and Heidi. She would rather stay at the manor to sneak around. The only bright side to leaving was that she could see how the people here had fun. She heard that this was the beginning of them courting each other to find lifelong partners.

Aside from that, she hoped to find Thomas when Rafael would no longer need her.

"It is true that we need to leave before we need to pay more for a carriage. I hope I get to see how Rafael is dressed up tonight. You cannot come back to the manor after you have finished your work, Annalise. We need to have fun tonight. Working all the time and not having fun should lead to the town guards taking you away. I expect to see you soon or this friendship we have will end," Heidi said as she stood up from Annalise’s bed.

"Is this friendship that good for me to bother?" Annalise jokingly asked.

Heidi gasped, offended by Annalise’s words. "How dare you. You need to cherish our friendship since you won’t find anyone as good as me and Cara in this manor. We are the fun ones. The ones who accept you and all your weird behaviour."

"Again, you need to work on the way you give out compliments," said Annalise.

"We will mostly be around the stalls selling food and drinks so when you are finished come look for us there. Have fun on your date," Cara teased.

Even though it was just for work, Cara knew Annalise going with Rafael would make many jealous since it was rare that he attended this sort of gathering. She wondered what happened today to make him want to go.

"If you ever become the lady of this manor, just remember that I was kind to you. Since you and Mavis don’t really work well together, I think that position would suit me-"

"What are you talking about?" Annalise muttered, lost as to why she would become the lady of this manor. She was only here for a short time before she would head to Lockwood to be near more of the king’s close allies or return to the border.

"Don’t mind her," Heidi said, pulling Cara out of Annalise’s bedroom. "You know we are not supposed to talk about Rafael being with a maid. Do you want to be fired?"

Annalise shook her head at Heidi’s loud whispering. She turned her head left and right to look at the small mirror Cara gave to her to see the failed attempt to pin up her hair. Since she was accompanying Rafael tonight, she decided to pin up her hair to avoid any of his rude friends calling her hair wild.

"Why is Beatrice so small?" Annalise muttered, tugging at the top of the dress that fit her snugly. "I’ll be lucky to survive wearing this dress tonight. If I forget to take deep breaths, I will die."

Annalise took a deep breath and let go of the dress before finally leaving her room to meet with Rafael before he would be finished with dinner.

She rushed past all the other servants who were leaving to go to the carriages passing outside the gates.

Annalise first went to the dining room, but found it to be empty which meant she was late in being here before he was finished with dinner. If she had not been speaking to Cara and Heidi as she got dressed, she would not have missed him.

Annalise quickly made her way up to the second floor, but before she could run down the hall to his room, she hunched over and tugged at the dress once more. This was probably worse than trying to run up a mountain. She never knew that wearing a dress so tight around her chest could be so insufferable.

"I’ve survived worse than this. A dress will not be my weakness," Annalise declared, standing up straight to continue going to Rafael’s room.

She made it without having to tug on the dress once more and knocked on the door.

"I am here," she made her presence known.

The door opened not long after, revealing Rafael with the shirt he was yet to wear in his right hand. He told Edwin to inform Annalise to get dressed, but he didn’t think she would go this far.

"Rafael," Annalise awkwardly smiled since the silence was hard to bear.

"Come inside."

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