The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 421: Fight for what you want (2)

Rafael glared at Otto and Julius who conveniently sat beside each other for him to pick them up at the same time. "Over my dead body," Rafael said, balling up his right hand.

Annalise was not going to become a hostage for them to get Phillip to do whatever they wanted. Not while he was around.

So far it was only Otto and Julius being annoying pests while Saul and Mark were listening to everything, patiently waiting for their turn to talk.

Rafael couldn’t help but wonder why Tobias arranged for these two out of the many men of the court to be present. They were going to die today if anyone made a move toward Annalise. He followed the rule to not have his knights step foot in the court, but that didn’t mean they weren’t lingering around nearby.

Rafael knew that today’s meeting could go left so he had his knights waiting around for any sign that something had gone wrong. Should his knights not be enough, if Edgar were to get involved and something happened to him, his butler Alfred would send out Edgar’s followers to the palace.

Julius smiled as it could be arranged for Rafael to die right now. He was already a traitor in Julius’ eyes for letting this woman seduce him.

"Go ahead and try to make me your prisoner," Annalise said, surprising everyone in the room. They weren’t going to move on from trying to capture her if they didn’t get a good lesson on what would happen should they try to lock her away.

This meeting would feel more normal if there was at least one fight to embarrass a few people who were up on their high horses. Annalise was only less quick to fight because Hazel was beside her. She wouldn’t fight near anyone carrying a child because something could go wrong and Annalise did not want it to be because of her.

Tobias sighed as this was a headache he didn’t need today. It was unfortunate that Otto and Julius’s position in the court meant that they had to be here today. This was a repeat of them coming to complain to him about Rafael bringing Annalise to Lockwood.

Tobias had to suffer their complaints once and he was not looking to hear them anymore after today. He had a plan in mind to get Otto and Julius to finally listen to Annalise and start putting together the truce.

Though Tobias had enjoyed running off to war to escape his responsibilities in the palace in the past, now he wanted this war to be over so he wouldn’t be passing it off to his sons. To avoid so many families losing their sons.

They could work together with Annalise to make the kingdom stronger. Share knowledge that would help each other. There had to be things here Annalise could benefit from and things from the border the Castro kingdom could benefit from.

Men like Otto and Julius could speak as they did because they were the ones doing everything in their power to avoid being sent off to war. Their sons never picked to go off to aid the palace guards. Tobias planned to change that today.

He had been disposing of those who abused their positions in the palace given to them to help the people. Annalise coming to the palace to speak of a truce allowed him to properly deal with Otto and Julius.

Saul was surprisingly quiet after he had been one to share his dislike of Annalise coming here, but Mark was his usual self.

"Only when your side agrees that the land does not belong to you can we move forward. I do not want to waste my time going around in circles trying to convince you. Look beyond your biased books and see the truth of history that we were here first. We will only allow you to come onto our land as we expect that we can come here without being captured and killed," said Annalise.

"What is your opinion, King Tobias?" Saul asked, wanting to hear Tobias’s opinion as it was his family who were the ones, in the beginning, to claim the land at the border belonged to them. "Your honest opinion. I do not want to hear one affected by your friendship with Rafael."

"My family has always said that the land at the border was ours to take. That we have the power to go and claim it. My father told me that it was my duty to follow past kings in finishing the job to finally get to the border. Thinking back on their words, I can only think now that we were fighting to have something that didn’t belong to us," Tobias honestly answered.

They had enough land as Annalise said. They gained more when they defeated their other enemies. Should they want to try to take Annalise’s land away this war would never end.

"I do not wish to see this fight continue for a second longer. There is a moment for us to correct the past and exist with each other. We should work on a truce which will benefit both sides," Hazel suggested.

This war continuing meant that Tobias might have to go out to lead at some point. She would like to prolong that happening now that their family was growing. Why fight when they could talk and have peace?

"We have guns. Give the order and we can clear out those savages-"

"I don’t like that word," Annalise said in a low threatening tone. She had been controlling her anger to not react as she normally would to how people here would address her, but it was starting to get to her again. "Since you wish for the fight to continue, I have invited you to take me as your prisoner. I will not let Rafael get involved to stop you. Surely you can take on one woman to get what you want."

"I won’t join you in using a weapon. That should make it easier for you to have a small chance to beat me. It doesn’t matter which one of you wants to be the one to capture me or both. I will show you why the border sent a woman. Shall we?" Annalise asked, waiting for Julius or Otto to make a move.

She was even open to going against Saul or Mark.

"We are not here to fight with you. Guards," Otto called to the armoured men in the room. It was the job of the guards to fight.

Annalise scoffed, having a lower opinion of Otto after seeing him order the guards to fight her. "You’re cowards. You want the fight to continue, but you will not be the ones risking your lives. I am starting to think that my people shouldn’t make a truce with people like you. Then you’ll be expecting us to aid you in battles. Be the ones doing most of the fighting while you sleep in the warmth of your bed."

"I think that we should not go forward with a truce," Tobias declared, starting his plan to change the tune on his side. "Since most of my court is against it and wants to continue trying to claim the land, I have no choice but to listen. Since Rafael has already said he will not help us attack the border, I must look to the house of Otto, Saul, Mark, and Julius to send forward men in your family to fight."