The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 176: The woman in the manor (1)

Chapter 176: The woman in the manor (1)

Annalise dragged her feet down to the kitchen to enjoy her dinner before having to go back to see if Rafael would need her for something before he went to bed. She spent most of the day having to listen to him try to piece together why it might have been her peeping at knights.

He was teasing her, trying to get under her skin, and it angered her that it worked. She wanted to flip his large body and stick his head down into the mud until he would take back his words, but being the good maid that she was, she smiled and said nothing in response to his words.

"What have you looking so down?" Heidi asked, walking ahead of Annalise to get a good look at her face. "We have more help now so we will get rest more times throughout the day. I will be cleaning the first floor of the knight’s quarters with four other maids instead of two. More will be coming tomorrow."

"Really? I thought it was only one group coming in the evening after the one from this morning. That is what Mavis said. They have hired a lot more than I thought they would," Annalise said, feeling better now that her mind was taken off Rafael.

"We really do need the help with all the knights we have to clean up after and the other rooms in the manor. This is the normal amount of maids the manor would have to help with the knights, but you came at a time when the manor was empty. I think those coming tomorrow will work in the stables, garden, and around the yard. There are plenty of horses to be cared for," Heidi said.

Annalise now wondered where Rafael kept all the horses for the knights to travel with. The ones in the stables were not enough.

"I have good news for you. Beatrice says she doesn’t want to keep me from Rafael when she is here so she asked that I recommend a maid that I am close with to care for her. I suggested you and Cara so the next time she is here, she might call upon you. Are you going to faint?" Annalise questioned because of Heidi’s expression.

Heidi hugged Annalise, catching her friend off guard. She longed to be picked as a maid for a guest and to be considered for Beatrice was great news.

Annalise balanced herself so that neither she nor Heidi would fall. "Um," she replied, not knowing how to handle the affection. Her hand moved to pat Heidi’s back, but then she hesitated.

Annalise looked around at the passing maids staring at the two of them in wonder. "Others are staring at us," she whispered.

"Let them," Heidi answered, squeezing Annalise tighter. "I could just hug you until you turn red and pass out. See, this is why I say you are a good friend. Always looking out for everyone like with the pastries you shared and the fruits. Everyone else who is not in our group misjudges you," she said, letting go of Annalise.

"You are not a woman who puts on a show to get close to Rafael so you can end up in his bed-"

"That is still being said," Annalise muttered.

"Of course, it is still being said, but not out loud. No one wants to get fired since Rafael did warn us not to speak about him being with a maid. It is the only thing the others can think of since they cannot understand why a new maid got to be Rafael’s maid when he made it clear on the night of his return that he did not need one," said Heidi.

Annalise would never be able to understand why they thought she wanted to be with Rafael when she was only doing her job. She knew there was a ranking here amongst the maids that the ones who had been here longer should get the better jobs and they weren’t pleased that she had cut the line, but their assumptions were getting out of hand.

"I’m really hungry," Heidi said, touching her belly that begged her to eat something. "What type of meat do you think there will be tonight? I cannot wait for the hunt to start so we will be given the leftover meat and drinks from his storage. Hurry," she said, pulling on Annalise’s hand to get to the kitchen faster.

Thinking about food, Annalise was surprised that Rafael did not call her to his room and say they would be eating there. He was either finally listening to her concerns or it was only breakfast he thought she needed. Whatever it was she was glad to not be stuck in a room with him.

"There’s already a long line," Heidi sighed, tiptoeing to see who was in front of them. "This is the downside to having many new workers. The line for food is much longer. You can go ahead since you need to eat quickly before Rafael is finished with his dinner."

"I will stay here with you a little longer. If it nears time for Rafael to be finished and I have not reached the kitchen, I will just leave and get my food later. Going to the front of the line will only create problems," Annalise said, leaving against the wall to relax while she waited for their turn.

Jonah ruled the kitchen with an iron fist to send out Rafael’s food on time and keep the line for the maids and knights moving quickly. She would be able to get her food and eat some before going back to Rafael.

There was also no point in going to Rafael since he would just send her away. Now that she knew more about him not being able to sleep, she considered asking Jonah to let her use the kitchen to make Rafael tea. Any kind that would be able to make him relax and go to sleep.

’If he gets a good night’s sleep, he might be in a better mood and not tease me. There is always the option of hitting over the head. Perhaps with one of his helmets. If I hit him hard enough, he might not remember it was me,’ Annalise smiled at her evil thought.

"It must be nice to be his maid."

Annalise looked to her left at a maid she had not seen before. It had to be one of the new ones or someone who did not stay in the servant quarters at night so she never came across her.

"My name is Olivia. I was introduced to you today by Mavis. I don’t know anyone here so I hope we can get along," Olivia said, holding out her hand to greet Annalise.

"It is nice to meet you," Annalise replied, shaking Olivia’s hand. She looked down at their hands, getting a peculiar feeling from the maid’s hand. "How long have you worked as a maid?"

"This is my first time so I hope you don’t mind taking care of me. I do not want to get fired so soon. The head maid’s list of duties for us makes me feel nervous," Olivia said, pulling her hand away from Annalise. She shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at the two women.

"I have not been here for a long time so I am more than happy to help you. As for being Rafael’s maid, it is nice. You will find working here to be wonderful," Annalise said, balling up her fists to feel the palm of her hand.

She felt a few blisters on Olivia’s fingers that reminded her of when she used to play around with arrows too much and a few of her fingers suffered from it.

Annnalise didn’t think too much into it for long since it might be a hobby Olivia had or the blisters might have come from doing other work.

"I need to eat," Annalise sighed, feeling like she was more paranoid than normal because she needed to eat and rest.

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