The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 197: The ride home (2)

Chapter 197: The ride home (2)

Annalise stared out the window of the moving carriage Rafael made her enter. In the morning, she had travelled with Edwin and all the other servants because of how distant Rafael was, and now he wanted her to ride with him.

Annalise tapped her fingers on her cheek, bored by all the silence and the fact there was nothing interesting to see on the outside. "So, will there be a lot of new knights now?" She asked.

Rafael sat with his head resting back on the seat and his eyes closed to get a little rest before returning to the manor. "There will be a few. Most of the men who won took the money and declined the offer to join the knights. It is expected since the competition is seen as a way to earn extra money to care for your family. Not everyone wants to take part in war."

"When will women get the chance to join? I know I could have beaten a lot of those men and taken all the money. It isn’t fair," Annalise sighed. Men were getting all the fun. When was she going to get the chance to fight someone again? It was so bad that she was now begging.

Rafael opened his eyes, staring at Annalise pouting as she looked out the window. "It would have to be a small contest not many people know about so there wouldn’t be any complaints. Fathers will fear a contest to allow women to use swords to poison their daughters’ minds. I don’t want to hear it."

"Isn’t the hero suppose-"

"I am just a knight. I only look to defend. I am not the person who will make the big change this kingdom needs. Besides, wouldn’t it be best for a woman to bring on the change? It would show how adamant you are in wanting change," said Rafael.

"Believe me when I say that no one in this town would like for me to be the person to bring about that change. I will make it like hell in this world and have the men wetting their pants. I will never understand how the palace works. The queen cannot make changes for the women in the kingdom. Why is marriage seen as something fun to look forward to?" Annalise muttered.

There were so many other things one could possibly do. So many hobbies to have instead of sitting around knitting or painting to impress a man.

"Why is your kind deserving of women’s attention all their life?" Annalise asked, inspecting Rafael’s body for the answer. They were only good to look at. "First her father, then her husband, and then a son. It is a never-ending cycle of having to care for a man here."

"I am also not exactly fond of the union, but my views have changed over the years. You only need to find the right person and then marriage won’t be so bad. Many find it to be terrible because they meet their partners one day and start planning a wedding a week later. Or the marriage is arranged."

"Your parents are always so in love with each other when I see them. Sometimes it looks like they have hearts in their eyes when they see each other. I’m sure many people expected you to be eager to be married by now. I will be honest that I have heard the maids mention a few of your past relationships and then there are the rumours that you might have taken an interest in men-"

"I have not," Rafael said, annoyed by the ridiculous rumour that started because he turned down women.

The town had a backward way of thinking that the only reason he did not like any of the women coming to his manor to court him had to be that he did not like women entirely. That men had to be the reason he was no longer spotted with women.

Annalise chuckled. "I don’t believe the rumour. I think that with how the town views men being together, they hope the rumour might get you to pick a woman to end it. With the way you kissed me, you certainly have some interest in women. Your mother knows that you like me."

"What did she say?" Rafael asked, ending it with a sigh. He deeply regretted admitting it to his mother.

"She didn’t have to say anything. I guessed it from the way she was acting and the charm she gave me. I am certain it was for you, but I gave it to Logan. How long do you intend to keep my ribbon around your sword? You already have a charm there. You might be teased if you are seen walking around with my ribbon on your sword," Annalise said, looking at the sword leaning up on the door.

Now that she looked at it, the charm from the young woman they saw today was not there.

"I happen to like that ribbon. What am I supposed to tie my hair up with now?" Annalise asked.

"Find something else," Rafael answered. "The men never give back their charms. It is a gift."

"I didn’t give it to you to keep forever. Why would you want to walk around with a ribbon on your sword? That is something that I would not do. Give it back," Annalise said, scooting down her seat to get the sword.

Rafael grabbed the sword before Annalise could get it. "I don’t allow too many people to touch my sword and if you want the ribbon back, you should offer me something in exchange for it. That is only fair."

Annalise glared at Rafael. He was quick to be his annoying self after ignoring her for a few days. It felt like the kiss they shared never happened and they had fallen back into their usual antics. "I’m sure there have been plenty of women to ask back for their charms."

"Are you certain you want to court me? You won’t like me when I am angry. You will wake up to something in your bed and do not tell me about being fired because I will be long gone by the time you wake up," said Annalise.

"I expect nothing less from you, Annalise. I am quite aware of being woken up by a snake in my bed if I anger you. Just know that I would hunt you down and bring you back to the manor to punish you for what you did. Are you certain you want to play a trick on me?" Rafael asked, smiling as a frown formed on Annalise’s face.

She had her tricks and he had his. While she was good at scaring people, he thought of himself as good when it came to punishing.

"I should have left when I thought about it," Annalise muttered, looking out the window.

Rafael agreed with her that she should have left when he was not stopping her. Now that she decided to stay, he was not going to let her go so easily. He could wait for as long as Annalise needed to have feelings for him. Having her near was enough at the moment.

"What if I let a poisonous snake bite you when you are sleeping? You’ll be too sick to hunt me down," Annalise added, not wanting to lose.

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