The Knight's Mysterious Maid
Chapter 61: Crossed a line (3)

Chapter 61: Crossed a line (3)

Annalise knew she had to be the only one who was hoping Rafael was not going to allow the knights to stay now that the maids were here and she had to be the only one hoping that Rafael would leave.

Annalise tried her hardest not to look at the boyish grin Logan wore since he had gotten her to stay. Whatever happened to him getting rid of any feelings he had for her and her not wanting to be his friend? Had he heard the opposite of what she told him?

Logan held out the basket for Annalise to take back. "Now you can kick me back into the water and everyone will think you’re just having fun," he whispered.

Annalise had to give him a pat on the back for noticing that she wanted to throw him in the water. There was much more she wanted to do, but since there were too many eyes to see her do it and the last pair of eyes which she wanted to be here, she had to save drowning him for another time.

Annalise said nothing to Logan and followed the maids to the spot they would use to be out of the knights way and get their work done.

"Look at you getting someone to fall for you already," said Heidi, a maid Annalise got along well with. "I’m a bit jealous. I got a fortune that said my romance would start soon, but there has not been a man to come my way. Teach me your ways or better yet, give me your good luck. I cannot afford to buy any more luck. It is expensive."

"Cara wastes her money on dresses and you waste your money buying fortunes from people who have a hard time remembering what day it is. You two are perfect for each other. Maybe the two of you have been looking in the wrong place for love," said Annalise. They could lose their money together.

"You!" Heidi stared at Annalise in shock at how easily she had suggested for two women be together. "Do you want my father to lose his mind and for my mother to cry every day? Besides, as pretty as Cara may be. I like men," she said, staring at the knights moving around the water. "And there is nothing to change my mind."

"Then take the lead and chase after someone you are interested in. Take the fool that was beside me just now. I would pay you if it would help motivate you to take him from bothering me. The two of you would look wonderful together," Annalise forced a smile.

Heidi did not hear one honest word from Annalise. "That smile is not convincing me. It is just scaring me so put it away. At least I get to sneak glances at him."

Annalise knew who Heidi meant before she even looked. "Let me guess. It’s..."

"Rafael," Heidi finished. If she could, Heidi would sell the sight of Rafael without a shirt to the young ladies who wanted to marry him. "I wish I was good at painting so I could create this scene again and sell it. Stay with me here. This is a good spot to wash and watch the knights."

"A good spot to be a good stalker," Annalise said as she put down her basket.

"Aria, where are you running off to?" Heidi asked when Aria tried to hurry past her and Annalise. They would normally work together, so why was Aria running?

Aria stopped since she could not ignore Heidi. It was already bad enough that she had lost one person she thought was a good friend, and Cara was also acting strange. "I don’t want to wash here. I don’t want to be grouped into the things anyone else here does."

Heidi placed her hands on her hips, confused by what Aria was saying. She preferred when everyone got to the point instead of talking in circles. "Does that apply to me or Annalise?"

"The one who has crossed the line by flirting with the young master to get ahead of everyone else," said Aria.

Annalise couldn’t help but wonder if Aria was always this stupid or if she had suddenly lost all her sense. Aria had a single thought about how Annalise had gotten to serve Beatrice and the duke, and now she was running wild with other assumptions. Jealousy coming from someone who was once a friend was worse than that from Laura or Tanya.

Aria could not handle the fact that Annalise was doing better than her and was now reading too much into Annalise’s interactions with Rafael.

’I cannot explain any more that I was just being myself or standing around and getting those jobs,’ Annalise thought.

"How many of us have not tried flirting with him? Look around you, Aria. Look at how many are gawking at him and trying to get his attention while he ignores us. Let us have our fun. I doubt there is something between him and Annalise just because you might have seen them speaking to each other. Sit here with us and wash," Heidi said, putting her basket on the ground to get started.

Heidi didn’t see anything wrong with using a bit of flirting or kissing up to get better jobs. Everyone thought it was wrong until it finally worked for them.

Heidi stopped before she could pull out her sheets and place them in the water. She gave Annalise a look over and then peered at Rafael. Why would anyone be so foolish as to assume that Annalise had managed to get Rafael and that he was giving her good jobs? It didn’t make sense, just like her fortunes weren’t making sense. Did Aria want her to believe that the one person who would seduce Rafael was Annalise, who had no interest in men?

Annalise felt uncomfortable with Heidi’s intense gaze and the fact that Aria had not moved. "Why are you staring at me?" She finally asked.

"You’re pretty, but it doesn’t make sense," Heidi muttered, going back to pull out her sheets to put in the water.

Annalise didn’t have the slightest clue what Heidi meant. It sounded like a compliment, but at the same time, it sounded like it was not. "Thank you," she replied, in case it was a compliment.

Before Annalise started to take out her sheets to join Heidi, she looked up at Aria, who was watching them. Since Mavis had not come hunting her down to ask her about a snake, she concluded that Aria had either gone to Rafael or decided not to tell anyone.

There was no hope for them to go back to their old friendship. Aria had annoyed Annalise too much for them to go back to normal, and Annalise did not see the point in being the one to fix a friendship that was not going to last forever. Aria letting her jealousy get the best of her to reveal something said amongst friends sealed that.

"Is there something more you want to say?" Annalise asked since Aria was just standing and looking down at her. Aria might not have noticed that she was lost in deep thought, staring at her.

Annalise wouldn’t be surprised if Aria was imagining the river consuming her just as she had done with Logan. Aria had proven herself to be a delusional fool recently, but Annalise hoped Aria would not stoop lower by trying to do something now that they were around all of this water.

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