The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 200: The hunt (1)

Chapter 200: The hunt (1)

"Annalise, did anything special happen today? You had a better view of what was happening since you were with Rafael. You must have some good stories to share," Cara said.

Unlike Annalise, she spent most of her time running around, helping to serve food and drinks to the knights and other men participating. The extra pay she would receive for the day was her only motivation and she couldn’t argue since she got to eat a lot of food when it was not busy.

"At least you got to go. I was picked to stay here and continue to clean the knight’s quarters while they were away. I still have so many clothes to wash and hang out tomorrow. I hope it rains so I can do something else. My back hurts," Heidi said, trying to sit up straight, but her back immediately ached.

"It wasn’t bad to stay behind today. I got used to the manor. What about you, Annalise? You didn’t answer about having any stories to tell. Did Rafael receive a lot of charms today?" Olivia asked.

Truthfully, she was upset about not being sent to the competition so she could keep an eye on Rafael to see the woman Travis wanted her to tell him about and then get rid of. It had been days since she first arrived and it was killing her on the inside to have a job take so long.

Travis might not hire her again with how long she was taking. The only bright side to staying at the manor today was speaking with the maids and getting to know more about Rafael. She learned that a few of them believed Annalise had more than a maid relationship with Rafael.

"There isn’t anything to speak about since I spent most of the day in his tent. He only accepted two charms today. You shouldn’t expect anything more. Some border guards were there so the next few days might have some guests. You’ll hear more about it if the town guards come knocking since I don’t know the full story," Annalise said, picking up her spoonful of rice to eat.

"Is it normal that he doesn’t entertain the ladies? I was hoping to get to see a love story blossoming while I work here. I kept hearing that he has a woman," Olivia quickly spoke.

"He doesn’t unless he is sneaking one in at night. I don’t see him as the type of man to care to hide anyone from us and the maids who have been here long have always said that he brought women here for dinner many times. They did not leave till morning," Heidi whispered.

Olivia picked up her cup and brought it to her lips. Before she drank from it, she said, "A man like that cannot go long without wanting to be with a woman. I think he might be seeing someone, but she does not share the same status as him."

Annalise stopped listening to the conversation now that it was about Rafael and women. She put a large spoonful of rice into her mouth so she wouldn’t have to answer anything. What was so special about knowing if Rafael was with someone anyway? How would their lives change?

"You need to be careful with how interested you are in his love life since Mavis will scold you," Cara warned Olivia. "Unless a lady walks into this manor and Rafael allows her to stay, we must assume that there is no woman in his life. He has nothing to hide. So many maids would be heartbroken to know that he is seeing a woman."

"Why is that?"

"What do you mean why? It’s obvious that many of them have fantasies of being with him. Have you ever seen him train? How can you not be filled with thoughts about what it would be like to be with a man like him? Rather than Rafael, there is a knight I have my eyes on and I am waiting for the right time to approach him. I envy maids who already married some of the knights," Heidi said, following backward onto the soft grass. "Oh," she groaned.

"After his warning about not being with any of us, there are still a few to think they can seduce him and become the lady of the manor. It is because of the current scandal in the town. A lord bought a house and placed the woman who was once his maid in it because she is pregnant. Her status changed overnight," Cara sighed, envying the lucky woman. "I could do with my own house."

"Would you be able to live your life being known as a mistress?" Annalise asked.

"I’m sure with the money that woman won’t care," said Olivia. This kind of situation wasn’t new to the town and other places she had travelled. Who would care about being a mistress when they would be taken care of for the rest of their life?

To Olivia, the women knew what they were getting themselves into when they chose to go after these wealthy married men so they were prepared to hear the word mistress a few times. Annalise must not spend enough time walking around the town since plenty of mistresses walked around like they were wives.

"I’m sure in the beginning that the money would make anyone who didn’t have much of it most of their life turn a blind eye to what is being said now, but then the years will go by, the child will grow up, but you will remain in that house. The lord will stay with his wife and children if they have any and your child will always be a second thought," Annalise said, stirring around the rice with her spoon.

"You’ll spend years trying to fight for your place in the family and try to get your child what you think they deserve, but you will always be a mistress who needs to stay quiet and your child a bastard who shouldn’t be seen. A child to be used when the lord sees fit. That doesn’t sound like it will be sweet in the future," said Annalise.

She saw the mistress given a home like a pretty bird put in a cage in a garden for the lord to visit when he was bored. When he grew tired of looking at the bird, he would go back inside. The bird could only sit and watch from the cage, always wondering when the lord would come outside.

"That’s true," Heidi agreed with Annalise. That was why she wanted to stay away from trying to court men like Rafael and other wealthy men. She one day wanted to be a wife who could walk around with her husband.

"Annalise obviously has no plans of being a mistress. That is why all the talk you hear about her and Rafael having a secret relationship is false," Cara said to Olivia.

Olivia didn’t believe that Rafael and Annalise had any kind of special relationship, but with how quiet Annalise was about the woman Rafael went to the festival with, she was starting to consider that it might have been Annalise mistaken for a lady. "Did you dress up for the festival, Annalise? You look so familiar the more I look at you."

"I wore a dress like everyone else," Annalise answered, not the slightest bit interested in the festival. She started to find Olivia a bit nosey asking about who Rafael was seeing at the festival.

"Not like everyone else. She got to wear a dress given to her by Rafael. You still need to decide if you are letting me wear it next or Cara. Just know, I would go to war over you," Heidi said, trying to get the upper hand over Cara.

Olivia smiled, realising that Annalise was the woman she had been searching for since all clues led back to Annalise as the only woman anyone could say they saw with Rafael that night. Luckily, the upcoming hunt would present her with a wonderful opportunity to finish her job.

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