The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 165: Love (3)

Chapter 165: Love (3)

Travis sat at the head of the table reading another paper that for some reason had to put Rafael’s name on it. He didn’t see why each morning the town printed stories of Rafael’s return when he had been back for some days now, but he did enjoy everyone hearing about his nephew.

The more they talked about Rafael, the more his name would be spoken of because Rafael would be under his wing in the future.

"Good morning Lord Travis-"

"Just Travis will do," Travis corrected the young woman who was meant to solve everything for him. "We will be family in the future so you are free to not use the title. Sit."

Siena Caldwell, the woman Travis selected to be Rafael’s wife, walked to the head of the table where Travis sat and waited for a maid to pull out the chair for her. "You have a lovely home, Travis. Thank you for opening your doors to me."

"That is what family does," Travis said, hoping this would be the last time he had to mention his actions of them becoming family. "I hope the servants are treating you well. I am told you came with one of your own."

Travis would have preferred that she came alone without any servants from her home. He wanted to place his people all around her so he would know where she was going, who she spoke to, and what she was doing at all times.

Her father was sly to send her a servant from their home to spy on Travis more so than to have his daughter taken care of. It was his way of making sure Travis had this future wedding in control.

"Yes, she has been with me since I was a little girl so I could not part with her. I will make sure that she does not get in your way and disrupt what any of the other servants are doing. Thank you," Siena said to the maid who pulled out the chair for her.

"Faster next time or you will be gone," Travis said, looking at the maid who was slow to get the chair. Their actions reflected him and he would not have them acting like fools around his guests. Specifically to Siena who was a walking pile of money for him.

Siena looked at the maid whose eyes were filled with fear. She remained silent so she would not join the maid in upsetting Travis. Her father warned her to be on her best behaviour.

The maid lowered her head and backed away from the table to get out of Travis’s sight.

"Will I be going into the market today?" Siena asked to distract Travis from the maid.

"If you want to look around the town, you are free to do so. I have somewhere to be so I can’t join you as yet," Travis lied. He was staying out of sight so Rafael and River did not know where he was staying just yet. "I will assign a guard to you and prepare a carriage for when you are ready to leave. Is there something else on your mind? Get it out now."

"When will I be meeting with Rafael or his mother? I thought it would be nice to spend time with your sister for us to get to know each other. I don’t know-"

"You know that she ran away with a bastard instead of marrying your father. Don’t pretend like you do not know, but then again, it makes you look like a good daughter-in-law if you act oblivious. People like you and me don’t need to pretend. Do you know why?" Travis asked, putting his paper to the side.

"Is it because of our wealth?" Siena answered.

"Precisely. We can afford to show who we really are and not bite our tongues. With you in my care, you need not play pretend. Do you truly know nothing about my sister and want to know more about her or are you playing pretend? I am not a man you would want to lie to. I will expose it in front of my sister when the time comes," said Travis.

"I know of your sister not marrying my father, but that is all. I don’t know anything else about her and I want to get to know her on my own. She will be my mother-in-law and the grandmother to my children one day. It is best we start getting to know each other soon. My father wants to hear news of a child as soon as I get married to Rafael. He is impatient," Siena replied.

"Is he now? That is something he cannot control. That is up to you and Rafael when the time comes. I will find a way to introduce you to my sister soon, but you must not tell her that you are under my care. Also, you don’t need to worry about pleasing her. She will not be around for long," said Travis.

"Oh, will she be leaving town soon?" Siena asked, hoping that was not the case. She was looking forward to seeing what Beatrice was like and having her on her side to help her win over Rafael.

"Something like that. Don’t ask any more about my sister. It irritates me. You should be more concerned about the man you are to marry. Here. Take a look at what the paper says about him," Travis said, pushing the paper toward her. "What do you make of him so far from what you have heard?"

"The way everyone speaks of him, he seems to be a wonderful man. A well-respected man throughout the kingdom. There are rumours that the king might reward him for his last victory. Perhaps he will gain another title. I am not like your wonderful nephew. I worry about the two of us falling in love," Siena said, running her finger on top of Rafael’s name on the paper.

Travis frowned, put off by the mention of love. He would never understand women and their obsessions with finding love. Marriage was hardly about love for the wealthy. It was about gaining more money and power. Love could be left for the poor who deluded themselves into thinking love was what they needed when it was actually money.

"You will learn to love him. Or not," Travis added. He had not come to love his own wife. He just tolerated the woman because of her family and the fact she had given him children. She knew to be silent and not bother him with foolishness like other people.

Hearing this, Siena’s shoulders slumped. It was an arranged marriage suddenly brought upon her, but she was hoping to meet with Rafael and fall in love. She was already halfway there with all the stories she heard about him. She knew not to expect much, but she was trying to remain positive that this marriage would work somehow.

Her mother said that she was lucky Rafael spent most of his time away from home so they would not see much of each other for them to get on each other’s nerves.

Travis tapped his fingers on the table, seeing her sad expression about love. He would have preferred for her father to speak to her about love. "Love will bloom between the two of you. You will be what he is missing in his life now. He will see it the moment he meets you. He has no choice but to love you."

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