The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 337: Change in plans (4)

"Do you mean complicated as you don’t want me with Rafael anymore-"

"Of course not!" Beatrice exclaimed, horrified from hearing they wouldn’t be together. "Why would you think that? I should have watched my words," she said, tapping her mouth since she carelessly scared Annalise.

"In the eyes of the town, your relationship with Rafael wouldn’t have been accepted well because you were his maid. Now you are so much more. I’m afraid the two of you won’t just live happily ever after like I want you to."

Beatrice meant it became complicated because Annalise would be judged even more. She always thought she could help Annalise settle in amongst the women in town moving from maid to lady. Annalise being from the border meant Beatrice had to change her plans.

A lot of the women were cruel and loved gossip so they wouldn’t miss the chance to pick apart Annalise to make her feel like an outcast.

"I’ve always left Rafael’s relationship up to him, Annalise. Seeing that you are here with us means that the two of you don’t have any problems with where either one is from. It is not my place to get involved though I have a few concerns. Knowing this certainly answers a few questions I had about you. Like what happened in the shop," Beatrice said, now knowing why it was easy for Annalise to kill a man.

Beatrice worried about the danger which would follow Annalise because some people would want to chase her away from town. She wasn’t concerned about Rafael’s safety for once. She worried about how Annalise might react to people pointing and talking about her.

It was all too much for one person no matter how strong they were.

As long as Annalise was the same person Beatrice came to like, Beatrice wouldn’t disapprove of her for Rafael. There would be some battles ahead to get Annalise and Rafael to live in peace without someone harassing Annalise or questioning Rafael about his choice, but Beatrice would continue to cheer on the two. She was so close to getting Rafael to marry and have her grandchildren to stop now.

"What exactly were you working in the manor for? Were you there to hurt my son or just to get information from him?" Beatrice asked. It didn’t matter much now since Rafael wasn’t bothered by it, but she had to know.

"It was for information. If he was ordered by the king to visit the border, I would have thought of killing him," Annalise honestly answered. Killing Rafael had crossed her mind but seeing how kind he was and his lack of interest to fight at the border, she stopped considering it.

"Have you told Rafael all of this?" Beatrice asked, looking out the window at Rafael. The carriage started to move to take them home.

"Yes," Annalise replied.

"Then there is no reason for me to get worked up over something he knows. Does your family know about Rafael?" Beatrice questioned as it was important Annalise’s family wouldn’t get upset with her being with Rafael. The last thing they needed was for Annalise’s family to try to hurt Rafael.

"They know. My mother and grandmother have gotten used to it, but it is taking my father some time to get used to me being with a man. Let alone, Rafael. We are trying to work on a truce so the war can end and I will get to see Rafael in the future. I won’t hurt him," Annalise promised.

"I should worry about you, but I worry about other people. I am going to trust you, Annalise. I don’t think you were faking what I saw each time I was near you. You don’t need to worry about me trying to split the two of you. I am hoping to hear that the two of you are finally together. Are you?" Beatrice asked, wanting one of them to admit it now. "I saw the kiss."

She knew from the goodbye kiss they shared, that something had changed when they went on the trip out of town, but since Rafael didn’t want to talk about it, she had to hear more about it from Annalise.

Annalise wished she had made a bet with someone that Beatrice would have mentioned the kiss. She would have been collecting money when they reached the manor. "We are together. He has already fired me from being his maid and will tell everyone in the manor that I am to be treated as the lady of it," she answered.

"It’s good to know that I raised him right. It would have been weird for the other maids if you continued to work as his maid. He has enough money to spoil you. Let him do it," Beatrice said, playfully tapping Annalise’s leg. "As soon as you return to the manor, he should shower you with welcome home gifts. It is what River used to do when he came home from the palace."

"Wait a moment. Does this mean that you like swords and fighting?" Beatrice asked, realising she might be alone in not wanting anyone in the family to always use weapons. She would have never imagined Annalise to be in so deep when it came to fighting.

"Maybe more than Rafael," Annalise answered. She knew Beatrice had been hoping for someone she could sit with since she already had River and Rafael who made her worry when they used weapons or fought anyone. Beatrice was stuck with someone who loved to fight.

"Oh dear," Beatrice said, tapping her fingers on her legs. "I can’t escape it. What are the odds of this happening?"

"I will try my best not to worry you. I won’t use a sword or wear armour when you are around," said Annalise.

"You won’t need to do that, Annalise. However, I wouldn’t want to see you fight anyone again. I can’t stop you from doing what you like just as I have never been able to stop Rafael. Have you discussed what room you will be using when you return?" Beatrice asked.

She thought of taking over decorating the bedroom opposite Rafael’s bedroom for Annalise. It was much smaller than Rafael’s since it was meant for a guest, but she could turn it into a good room for Annalise.

Then there was the room Beatrice used when visiting Rafael. It wasn’t close to Rafael’s bedroom, but there was enough space for the new dresses she was going to have made for Annalise.

"We have not," Annalise lied. She already planned to stay in Rafael’s bedroom, but since they were not married, there would be objections to her staying in his room. To avoid hearing that they weren’t married and shouldn’t share a room, she would use a fake room that would be the room meant for her pet.

Beatrice stared at Annalise, noticing how nervous she became. "Are you lying to me?" She asked.

Annalise shook her head. "No. We are going to wait until we get to the manor to figure out where I will stay. I have travelled with three guards so there are a lot of changes to make. We didn’t want to keep thinking about that on the ride home."

Beatrice didn’t fully believe Annalise’s answer, but there was nothing she could say. Rafael and Annalise weren’t living under her roof for her to tell them not to share a room. If they shared one, it meant she would be seeing her first grandchild soon. All she wanted was for the two of them to think of a future together if they shared a bed.

"You probably do not care for them, but as a gift for you, I will have a dressmaker make new dresses for you and decorate your bedroom. You two are not engaged, but I see you as my daughter-in-law already. Let me spoil you too. I have always wanted to do that after watching my friends talk about going shopping with their daughter-in-law," Beatrice said, needing this distraction to stop thinking about Travis.

"You can. Would it be possible for pants to be made?" Annalise asked, smiling while Beatrice stared at her with a surprised look. "I will only wear them inside."

"Then, we should make a deal. I will get you whatever you want as long as you never think of leaving and not coming back again," Beatrice said, holding out her hand for the deal. It would have pained her to watch Rafael looking for Annalise to return to the manor, but she never showed up.

Annalise shook Beatrice’s hand for the deal to be accepted. "Deal," she agreed.

A/N: The King’s Unbreakable Wife is now available on my profile.