The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 376: A change in the manor (1)

Chapter 376: A change in the manor (1)

"I have never been more scared than I was today trying on dresses with your mother and Giselle. I am happy that it is over and I do not need to try on more dresses anytime soon. I am also glad you don’t attend many parties so I won’t need to get more dresses. Here you go Herbert," Annalise said, leaving a few insects she caught by a corner for her spider to eat when he wanted.

After a long, long day of picking out what dresses she wanted to wear, Annalise was finally retiring to bed after dinner. Beatrice and River had long returned home to save their garden from the coming snow and to be alone.

Rafael sat on Annalise’s bed, looking around for the spider he hoped had secretly left. It was good for the spider and his sake that it wasn’t in the room. He was ready to comfort Annalise if the spider had run off.

Rafael sat, leaning back on the frame of her bed, watching Annalise hurrying around the room to do last-second things before joining him in bed. She eventually stopped in front of a mirror to brush her hair.

"Why are you watching me so intently, Rafael? Have you fallen in love with me all over again right now? I am more alluring than I knew," Annalise said, looking at Rafael’s reflection in the mirror.

What luck had she stumbled upon to have a man so handsome sitting half-naked in bed, waiting for her to join him? His arms were folded and from the mirror, she got a good glimpse of his muscles. All Annalise wanted to do now was run her fingers all over his body.

Annalise stopped brushing her hair and put the brush down to quicken going to bed. She could not wait any longer after seeing him sit so handsomely. The thought of sleeping alone was so boring now that she experienced sharing a bed with Rafael.

Annalise went to the right of the bed where there was enough space for her to lay without having to be close to Rafael, but she crawled right over to where Rafael sat.

"At last," Rafael said, holding her to pull her closer to him. He rolled her over to the other side of the bed which was warmer thanks to the fireplace. "Are you smiling because I rolled you?" He asked, lying on his side to get a good look at her.

"Why ask if you already know? We should get a smaller bed since we are sleeping so close, but then again, yesterday you made use of a big bed. We spent two nights sharing a bed and tomorrow, I don’t want to sleep alone. I’ve been thinking at dinner that I should move into your bedroom. I don’t care what anyone will say about me," said Annalise.

"Though you’ve announced me as the lady of the manor when I walk around and some maids didn’t realise that I was there, I hear I am no different than a mistress believing your words. I know I should have scolded them for disobeying your order, but they will always talk. New people coming into the manor will talk. As long as they do not try hurting me, I am fine."

Though Annalise said she was fine, Rafael still thought of finding out who it was speaking about her to have them sent out of the manor. He gave a simple order to respect her. If they were going to talk, they could have at least waited until they reached the servant quarters instead of talking where Annalise could walk by.

He didn’t want Annalise to hear that she was no different than a mistress and for her to accept hearing it. Annalise was far from being a mistress.

"I know you wish to protect me from what will be said, but I will be fine. It only matters what the people I like say. How much longer are we going to have Edwin keep this floor empty and then sneak out in the morning? I want to lay around in bed with you a little longer before breakfast and wake up to see you still beside me," Annalise said, pinching Rafael’s chest because of what happened this morning.

"Would our problem be solved if we got engaged, but held off the wedding until we are ready?" Annalise asked.

"I am not proposing to you for that reason," Rafael answered. He wanted to propose when they would be ready to go through with a wedding because they wanted to be husband and wife, not to dispel rumours. "If you want us to share one bedroom, I will have it done in the morning. I can’t say that I won’t worry about how you will handle the judgement."

Annalise shifted her body to face the window and backed Rafael. Her back was pressed to his chest. "One day it is going to be revealed that I am from the border. A couple that is not married sharing a bedroom will be forgotten when they start talking about me being a barbarian. I’m more concerned about you than I am about myself."

Rafael had a reputation here in this town and around the kingdom. She worried that with it coming out that she was from the border, people Rafael needed would distance themselves from him, trying to understand why he would want to be with someone he was meant to kill.

Annalise was all for cutting ignorant people out of your life for judging instead of asking questions to understand your actions, but she didn’t want Rafael to have to cut ties with too many people because of her or hear how he was crazy. Though they talked about this, it kept bothering her.

"I don’t want to change much of who I am and how I have always been at home, but I will try my best not to embarrass you. To act like a proper lady if you have a guest. Until we move closer to the border," said Annalise.

"How many times must we go through this, Annalise? I don’t need you to act like another person. Look at how many people have come to love you because of the person you are. I will have Edwin and Mavis handle moving your things to my bedroom and making space. You can store some of your dresses here. Make it a room for your pets and clothes," Rafael suggested.

"We’ll need a bigger bedroom when we build over the manor. When we return to the border, I must ask your father for your hand."

"I think you will have better luck asking my mother or grandmother. My father will be petty to make you do foolish things to get his permission. It would be fun for me to watch. Oh, was that snow?" Annalise asked, propping herself up to get a better look out the window. "It is. Winter has started here. We should-"

"We should stay in bed," Rafael said, wrapping his hand around her waist to stop her from leaving when it wasn’t long since she was in bed. "This is the perfect place to watch the snow fall."

Annalise tried to escape his hold but failed. His arm was not budging to let her get up to sit by the window.

"You should be careful with how much you move around," Rafael said as they were so pressed against each other that her movement was arousing him.

"And you called me the pervert in the beginning. I suppose the view here isn’t so bad," Annalise said, laying back down to enjoy the snow falling with Rafael. "I have a few coats now. We should go outside tomorrow when you are free to enjoy the snow. I have a few people I want to throw snow at."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by free(w)ebnovel(.)com