The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 51: Old friend (1)

Chapter 51: Old friend (1)

"All your problems would be solved if you just picked a wife. All the young women hunting you down would stop. You would get the occasional few thinking you would entertain a mistress. Little do they know that your mother would kill you if you were to ever cheat on your wife. That woman scares most of us when she’s angry. I can hardly imagine what it is like for you as her son."

"Shouldn’t you be training, Michael?" Rafael asked, not looking up at the man laying around in the tree he was resting against.

"That is why I am hiding here. I didn’t think I would have the commander stumbling upon the tree I picked to hide in. We can consider this ambush training since I normally attack our enemies from above. I was practising my climbing skills and not falling out of a tree. I am hard at work sir," said Michael, one of the Callahan knights.

Rafael ignored Michael’s excuse for not being on the training ground. The other men were currently taking a break since he was not around and he promised them an hour off for putting away the chickens.

"Go to the gates and tell them to stop letting anyone in without my command," said Rafael.

"You know those young women abuse their father’s relationship with you to get inside. They will just find another way to get inside, but I will do as you say since you have not punished me for-"

"When did I say that you would not be punished for skipping training?" Rafael asked, looking to the right where the tree branches shook and leaves fell as Michael jumped down. "Five laps around the estate. Another five if you argue against it."

"I wouldn’t dare argue with your decision," Michael smiled though he was crying on the inside. "Hey, Christian!" He called to the knight running toward them. "Why the hell are you running around glistening in the sun? You’re just doing this to seduce maids, aren’t you?"

"Shut up," Christian pushed Michael by his head out of the way. "Rafael, there is a nobleman at the gates for you."

"Send him away," Rafael said as he wasn’t in the mood to deal with a noble. They were as annoying as the young women seeking him out.

"I would not like to be the one to send away Duke Collins after his long travel here," said Christian. He saw the duke many times because of the friendship he had with Rafael and knew not to get on his bad side.

"Edgar?" Rafael muttered, surprised by the visit. He had sent a letter to Lockwood for Edgar long before he returned home, but he had not received a response.

Rafael got to his feet to go to the gates to let Edgar in. He never understood why Edgar would not just enter his gates when he was welcomed.

Rafael walked around his home to avoid being seen by Giselle so soon. As he walked around to the front, he saw a familiar black carriage with a symbol of a falcon right outside his gates.

The carriage door opened as Rafael got closer.

"Good to see you are back in one piece," said Edgar Collins, the Duke. He placed a cigar he had been using on his way here into his coat to use later.

"Who do you know can kill me?" Rafael answered. He welcomed the visit of his childhood friend since they had not seen each other for months. He hardly had the time to be in Lockwood where Edgar lived unless the king called for him.

With Edgar’s personality, Rafael could get rid of the young women hovering around his home. Edgar had a special way of getting others from around him.

"Me," Edgar replied.

"That is funny. I recall beating you in most of our matches. Why are you here and not in Lockwood where you belong? Who are you running from? Tobias or your mother?" Rafael asked, knowing it was only those two to have Edgar running.

"Both," Edgar answered. They were two pain in the asses doing everything they could to try to get him to marry. His mother constantly tried to get him to marry a young lady he had no interest in and the foolish king who got married and thought all of his friends should join him. "I am going to kill that idiot," he said, referring to the king.

Rafael didn’t take Edgar’s words about the king seriously. They were all good friends who happened to annoy each other frequently. Tobias more than others.

"I sent you a letter that Tobias had sent to me about getting you to marry. It should be on the way to your estate now. Alfred did not join you?" Rafael asked, looking inside the carriage for the butler who was never far behind Edgar. He only saw Caleb, one of Edgar’s men, taking something out of the carriage.

"He is taking care of my estate in my absence. I know how you get after these trips so I came for a short visit," Edgar said, referring to Rafael sometimes feeling haunted by the people he killed. It was normal when you took many lives. "I won’t be here for the competition and I doubt Tobias will come. One of his relatives might come in his place. Grant is causing trouble in the palace."

"He has sent me letters about it," Rafael said. Grant Henson was gathering allies to go against the king if his granddaughter would not be accepted to become the king’s woman since the queen was without an heir.

"Timothy!" Edgar called his driver. "Take the carriage somewhere instead of blocking the gates. Caleb, come with me."

"What is it with you not just coming inside? I have informed the guards to always let you in," said Rafael.

"I don’t like anyone just entering my gates so I wait for your permission. You should be more strict with your gates. It helps to keep annoying people out," said Edgar.

"The people who range from five to ten?" Rafael chuckled, remembering how they used to rate annoying people when they were younger. Edgar had a habit of still doing it and since Rafael knew what the numbers meant, they would create a reason to leave before that person would approach them.

"My estate is quite peaceful so I say that it works fine to prevent me from meeting with idiots. Like the owners of those white and pink carriages you have there," Edgar said, looking at the carriages which did not suit Rafael. "Have you acquired a new taste or do you have guests? If it is the latter, I shall leave."

"I have guests who think I wish to marry them. I will start to do my gates like you. I cannot have them bothering me like this. There is much for the knights to do before we have to leave again and then there is the contest that is coming up. Marriage is the last thing that I am thinking about. I did think of you recently. A maid here placed a snake in a room to scare others," said Rafael.

"Who is this person that is stealing my tricks?" Edgar asked since putting snakes in place to scare someone was his game.

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