The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 377: A change in the manor (2)

Chapter 377: A change in the manor (2)

Annalise stayed awake while Rafael had long fallen asleep so she could continue to watch the snow. She couldn’t attempt to sneak out of bed to sit near the window as his arms were still around her.

She had grown comfortable with him hugging her as if she was his hostage to think of leaving the bed. Since Rafael had easily gone to sleep, Annalise did not want to wake him. It was now that she remembered a gift from her mother as she had asked for everything she needed to make the tea to help Rafael sleep.

’I need to finish unpacking tomorrow,’ Annalise thought.

Annalise also thought of making a cage and putting Herbert in it so she could know where he was while she made him a better home in this room. She had no idea if he had come out to eat the food she caught for him.

Annalise continued to look out the window, excited to see the snow tomorrow. She hoped that the snow would not cause the knights to have a longer break from training.

"Did Thomas and the others get coats?" Annalise asked herself, now thinking about what they would wear during winter. Though they were her guards, she wasn’t seeing much of them and she had heard from Heidi that they were walking around with the knights.

"They did," Rafael answered.

Annalise jolted, surprised to hear his voice since he should still be sleeping. "How long have you been awake, Rafael?" She asked.

"It could be for an hour now. You were moving around too much earlier for you to be asleep. Can’t sleep or is it the snow?" Rafael asked, opening his eyes to watch the snow with her.

After he was woken up by Annalise moving around, he pretended to sleep to listen to what Annalise was up to.

"The snow. I wonder how much of the ground is covered now. If not for you putting wood in the fireplace and starting a fire, I would be freezing right now. After we go outside to see the snow, we should come back to bed," said Annalise.

"For you to suddenly have a guest and that plan be ruined?" Rafael asked.

"Giselle won’t be coming tomorrow and there is no one else who should want to have a word with me. Now that your mother is gone and the knights are not training, I have nothing to do. A job would be a good way to-"

"Not happening," Rafael interjected as they had already been through this. "Edwin will speak to you tomorrow about the money put aside for you to do whatever you want. If you want to go to the market, I will join you. There are training rooms inside you can use as long as there aren’t any knights using them."

"I thought you wouldn’t want me to leave the manor because of Travis. We don’t know who else is a spy for him. Oh! Maybe I should do that. Search around for anyone acting suspiciously. I will do that with my time," Annalise decided.

"If you wish, my father and I have a plan for how we can attack Travis without having to deal with the town guards and having the court speak of it when we go to the palace. We would need you to say that Olivia tried to hurt and kidnap you when the guards come asking about the reason we had to fight him," Rafael said, loosening his hold on Annalise so she would be able to freely move around.

"I’ll do whatever you need. Hopefully, I can be there to see your father kick Travis’s ass. It’ll be good to see River fighting and Travis getting what he deserves. I hope right after we get news from the palace we will be welcome to talk about the truce. Rafael," Annalise said after a pause. "What will we do if the court won’t go through with the truce? Do you think the king would still award you land near the border?"

"I am owed a lot from the palace for protecting the kingdom. This would be one of the rare times I asked the king for something. He should be willing to grant it as long as I give up the land here. If he doesn’t, he will find another way," Rafael answered.

"As the new leader, I would permit you to build a new manor on our land. I don’t know about a town because we might go back to having conflict at the border if a truce is not made. I’ll convince the king. I only need a moment alone with him to do it," Annalise said, determined to make it work.

"You can’t threaten or kill him," Rafael said. It would put him in a difficult spot if she did that. Some of his friendships would become awkward.

Annalise rolled over to face Rafael. "How could that be the first thing on your mind? I would never!"

Rafael stared at Annalise, not believing threatening or killing Tobias didn’t cross her mind.

"Maybe I did think of threatening him, but it was wrong of you to think I was going to kill him. We can’t get peace with violence. I would have a serious talk without whoever is in his court getting in the way. If you don’t mind, I would also mention that his greatest knight and friend loves me so wherever I go you go and he would not want to lose you," said Annalise.

"Is that so?" Rafael asked, enjoying that she would be staking her claim over him.

"If I were the king, I wouldn’t want to lose a knight like you."

"And why is that?" Rafael questioned, urging her to compliment him more.

"I know what you are doing. Trying to fish for compliments. Have you no shame?" Annalise asked, poking his bare chest with her finger. Still, she would give in to stroke his ego. "You are a very talented knight. You are so talented that your name reached my door at the border. You are kind and it might not matter to the king, but it does to me that you are very good-looking."

"It is surprising that there are not any artists coming to the manor to create portraits or sculptures of you. I want both of them. If only I knew how to paint or draw I would do it myself to make the painting more meaningful. I will find a teacher. Were those compliments enough?"

"They will suffice for now," Rafael answered. He touched her cheek with the back of his right hand to check if she was cold. The fire was dying out as hours had passed since he lit it. Her cheek felt warm so they could go a little longer without having to get out of bed.

"I need to get you a gift for how you have treated me and you have given me plenty. I don’t know much about dresses, but I assume the ones brought today were not cheap. What should I get you?" Annalise asked, tapping her fingers on his chest as she thought it over.

Rafael was long overdue for a gift from her. She had her own money saved from working as a maid so she wouldn’t be buying his gift with his money.

"I don’t need-"

"What if I dress up for you when going to bed? Look at the excitement on your face. I was only joking since you were going to say you don’t need anything. Goodnight," Annalise said, shifting her body to go back to facing the window and maybe finally going to sleep.

"Now wait," Rafael said, refusing to let it end right there. "Come here," he said, helping Annalise to move to lay on top of him. "We shouldn’t end that conversation so fast. That would be a gift I enjoy. Even if it is just to look at."

"I doubt you would keep your hands to yourself. Getting dressed up for bed won’t be your gift. That will be something natural because I want to see your reaction. Tell me what you want and I get it for you. You seem to have everything you need so it is hard to decide what to get you," Annalise said, sitting up on his lap.

Rafael didn’t have anything in mind he needed that Annalise would be able to get him. It was already enough that she had come back to the manor with him. Still, he knew Annalise wouldn’t accept that answer and would want to give him something.

"Surprise me. Get what you think I need. Now, go to sleep, Annalise. If you want to have energy to play around in the snow, you should get some rest now."

"Fine," Annalise said, going down to lay beside him. She was starting to feel tired and now she wanted morning to come sooner so she could go outside. "Do you think if I brought a snake in here it would attack Herbert?"

"Sleep Annalise," Rafael said, covering her eyes with his hand.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om