The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 214: Flowers (2)

"You should have gone inside with your mother and father. I would have been fine out here by myself. There is no one on the road to pass by and try to steal me. They might bring me back after a few minutes alone with me," Annalise joked.

"If you did this because you didn’t want her to enjoy telling me not to enter when I am not her maid, I am thankful to have you step in, but I am fine."

Rafael remained quiet as he walked further into the garden he remembered walking around for peace and quiet when he was a child. A lot had changed, but it was still peaceful as he remembered.

Annalise folded her lips, becoming annoyed with his silence. It felt like he was angry with her and not the young lady who clearly liked him.

"You’re off to a bad start for your trip. Now the lady Wendy will feel like she has offended her guest. I can stay here and you can return-"

"Annalise, as much as I like to hear your voice, I ask that you be silent for a moment," Rafael finally spoke up. He stopped now that they had gotten far enough from the door. "The trip started from the moment we departed the manor and I have quite enjoyed myself. For me, it is off to a good start."

Annalise still felt that it would be awkward since she had looked back to see that Siena’s carriage was still present. A few tears over Rafael walking away from her would have Annalise be the villain since it was somewhat because of her that Rafael walked away.

"It seems she lied to you, but is that all to make you angry with her presence? Do you fear she will be another young lady so obsessed with you that she came here in hopes of being with you? I think that she was being honest that she is travelling around because it is freedom given to her before her duty to marry," Annalise said.

She believed it because of the smile that did not reach Siena’s eyes. She didn’t seem to be happy.

"It can’t be helped you are such a wonderful man that ladies will lie just to be near you. You should feed your ego a bit with it. How much the women love you-"

"I will when it is you on the other end," Rafael said, continuing to walk further into the garden.

Annalise stood by herself, stunned by how he could casually say something like that and then walk away. "You are not doing a good job at hiding the fact you like me," she said, following him to wherever they were going.

"We are not in the manor for me to have to hide it. No one will look down on you for long once it is clear you are the woman I am courting. You should feed your ego with this knowledge. That no matter what young lady stands before me, it will always be you that my eyes go to. It suits you," Rafael said, placing a red flower he picked from the garden, into her hair. "Maybe it will attract a spider for you to have as your pet during your time here."

Annalise silently watched Rafael pick another flower and try to place it in her hair. It was easy to place thanks to her tying her hair up before they came here. She thought he would stop at two, but then she saw him picking another. "They will get tangled up in my hair when the wind blows and it will be hard for me to get all the pieces out."

"Then, it will be a reason for you to come to my bedroom tonight," Rafael said, sticking another flower in her hair. The red flower matched well with the red hue showing on her cheeks. "What dirty thoughts must you be having when I am only offering my help to take out the flower?"

Annalise touched his hand to stop him from adding another. "There would be no need for your help if you would stop putting them in my hair. I did not have dirty thoughts."

Annalise took the fourth flower from his hands and tiptoed to stick it in his hair to see how he liked it to have flowers in his hair. "See if you can get it out before the knights have something to laugh at," she chuckled.

Rafael didn’t mind if it stayed in his hair for the knights to see. Instead, he had a plan in mind to make Annalise regret putting it in his hair. Rafael leaned down to whisper, "If it becomes tangled in my hair, I will need your assistance during my bath to search for it."

Annalise wasn’t going to fall for his tricks when he was standing in front of her and she could easily pull it out. He had another thing coming to him if he thought she was going to visit him while he sat naked in water just to search for a flower that was already starting to blow out of his hair.

Annalise held his right arm with her left hand to hold him in place as she tiptoed to get out the flower, but Rafael being the sly devil that she knew he secretly was, stepped back so she would not take it out.

Annalise glared at him for moving when she was so close to getting it. She stepped forward as he walked backwards to get away from her. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the boyish grin from his face as he laughed while avoiding her.

"Stay still," she muttered, continuing to hold his arm while she jumped to get the flower from his hair. She didn’t worry about pulling on his hair accidentally in the midst of getting the flower since he deserved it.

Frustrated that she could not reach him, Annalise let go of his arm and pushed his chest.

"Oh no," Annalise muttered as Rafael was soon going down, and unfortunately for her, he was taking her with him. Annalise closed her eyes as she fell on top of Rafael who let out a groan when he hit the ground. "Why was it so easy for you to fall? You are normally like an oak tree."

The one time she managed to push him over, she did not mean to do it. It was meant to be a playful push to show that she was frustrated over not reaching his head to get the flower.

"This counts as me knocking you over. I will brag about this to the knights," Annalise said, taking it as a victory since she did knock him off his feet.

"Brag all you want, Annalise. I’m afraid I will be seeing you tonight. I can feel the bits of old leaves and twigs under me. They must be tangled up in my hair because of you pushing me. You will take responsibility to get out each one of them, won’t you?" Rafael asked, carefully moving his hands to hold her waist.

"I really hate you," Annalise muttered.

"I see it differently," said Rafael.

Annalise wanted to grab a handful of the dead flowers and throw them on his face. "The day has not long started. Will you keep twigs in your hair just for me to join you-"

"Goodness!"

Annalise froze, startled by Beatrice’s voice not far behind them.