The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 406: Claimed (2)

Annalise was caught up with something that she liked and wanted to show Rafael to get his opinion but found that he was surrounded by women and a few men off to the side when she looked his way.

She smiled, finding it to be cute how everyone was excited to see their beloved hero and stayed back to let Rafael talk with them. She hadn’t thought about how the people here would be happy to see him and hear about his travels.

"When will you marry, Sir Rafael?"

This single question changed her wanting to stay back because she knew the woman asking this was looking for Rafael to be interested in her. Marriage was still in the air as there were women yet to find a husband. Annalise delivered them a new target by asking Rafael to come to the market with her.

Annalise stepped away from the stall to get a better look at Rafael and hear more clearly what was being said to him about marriage. As she walked closer, Annalise noticed Rafael was uncomfortable, but said nothing most likely because he didn’t want to be rude to the people excited to see him and the knights.

No one here knew about her so they believed Rafael was still up for grabs for them to be wed to. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"Excuse me!" Annalise spoke out loud to get their attention. She could not stand back and do nothing when he didn’t want to be surrounded by these people. Annalise also didn’t like how close the women were getting to Rafael and she imagined that they were trying to touch him. "Please get away from him."

Rafael’s body was only for her to touch and enjoy how muscular it was. Annalise didn’t care how excited they were to see him. Rafael belonged to her and she was not willing to share. They were to find their future husband elsewhere. They could have any of the knights but not the commander. Annalise had already claimed him and had no thoughts of changing her mind.

Annalise pushed her way through the crowd, grabbed Rafael’s hand, and started pulling him forward to get away from the women.

She ignored the complaints, the insults, and the sighs of women not happy to see Rafael leave them. If Rafael were their partner, they would do the same.

"I forgot how popular you would be here. I shouldn’t have left you to walk alone. This is why you should have kept up with me," Annalise said as she pulled Rafael away.

She looked over her shoulder to see how far away they had gotten from the women and though they were a few following, there was some distance between them for her to relax now.

"I think you are good here," Annalise said, loosening her hold on Rafael’s hand, but she didn’t let go. She couldn’t let him out of her sight or let go of him for women to come near him again.

Annalise didn’t want to take him away from the people wanting to speak with him, but she had been looking forward to a day of exploring Lockwood with him. Had she remembered that Rafael was popular, she would have stayed inside so he wouldn’t have to deal with being surrounded.

They were already here so it made no sense going home without looking around a little more and buying at least one weapon so they had to bear with this for now.

Annalise looked beside her at Rafael who was smiling for some reason. "Did they make you lose your mind? Or are you smiling because I saved you?" She asked.

Rafael lifted their hands for Annalise to see their fingers interlocked which should tell her why he was smiling. He enjoyed being rescued by Annalise so he wouldn’t need to waste time saying he needed to leave to a group of women who wouldn’t listen and would try to keep speaking to him.

Rafael wanted to know if she had done it because she was protective or jealous. He liked Annalise’s jealous side, but he would never tell her. After what happened at the ball with her becoming upset, he would never purposely make her jealous again, but he was lucky to experience moments like this.

"Did they touch you?" Annalise asked, leaning forward to inspect his clothes. His shirt still looked in place and she didn’t think they would be so bold to reach for his pants. "You should have told them you couldn’t talk and then walked off. They’ll call you rude because you didn’t entertain their conversation, but you are busy."

"If it is because you don’t want to ruin your reputation that you just stood there, I will be the one to send away anyone you do not wish to talk to," Annalise offered.

She could be the bad guy for Rafael to have peace.

"It is a kind offer but not needed. I don’t want to say anything that will be passed around town before we reach the palace. Anything we say or do now will be brought up in court so I will watch my words for you. I don’t want to ruin your moment," said Rafael.

"Oh. Yet I yelled and pulled you out of there," Annalise said, showing an awkward smile. "I do not regret it. If you are surrounded again, please leave if you want to. If those in the court will bring up you sending women away which has nothing to do with the truce, they must already be looking for things to upset me with. We should do as we want and not let women get too close."

"What?" Annalise asked, wanting to know the reason behind his stare. "I am trying to stop you from being uncomfortable. Do you want to be surrounded by women who desperately want to marry you again?"

"You can say that you disliked seeing so many women around me, Annalise. It is normal. You can’t tell, but you don’t look very happy right now," Rafael said, using his left hand to pinch her cheek. She looked angry yet cute at the same time.

He wouldn’t mind if someone were to give him a portrait of how Annalise looked now.

Annalise wanted to say again that she was only trying to help him not be uncomfortable but she did dislike the sight of so many women around him because they were trying to court him. Their relationship wasn’t known anywhere but the manor so many women were looking to court him, thinking he was a bachelor they could wed.

Even now that they stood holding hands, there were still women walking by staring at Rafael like they were undressing him in their heads and deciding on approaching him though Annalise stood beside him.

Normally, women looking at Rafael wouldn’t upset Annalise because it couldn’t be helped if women were smitten by his looks. Rafael also being a knight made the perfect man for them to fall in love with. He would always receive looks from women who wished to be with him and Annalise didn’t plan on pulling him away each time he was approached.

All she needed was for them to know that Rafael was taken. That if they crossed a line in doing something to a man who already had a woman in his life and was uncomfortable with their flirting, she would be coming for them.

To show off to those watching that Rafael was no longer free for them to grab, Annalise grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

It was a strange sight to the people of Lockwood who considered this something a couple should do inside but Annalise didn’t care as long as they understood that Rafael belonged to her. She hoped that this would spread around the town and reach the court to piss off the men awaiting her.