The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 437: Grandmother’s help (2)

"Grandmother!" Annalise called as she knocked on Celeste’s door.

The house was dark which would be a sign to anyone that Celeste was not home, but Annalise knew her grandmother liked to keep her home dark sometimes to act like she wasn’t around to send away guests.

"Why have you come to bother me, child?" Celeste questioned, lighting a lantern to reveal herself inside.

"Grandmother, you can simply send away your guests if you don’t want to speak instead of pretending that you are not home. There is much for everyone to see with the knights so you won’t have anyone coming to bother you. Are you not happy to see me?" Annalise asked, opening her arms wide for a hug when Celeste opened the door.

"I sent the two of you off to do something and you failed me. Come inside quickly before someone sees that you are here and tries coming to speak," Celeste said, leaving the door open for them to enter.

She thought Annalise and Rafael would return bearing good news, but she was listening to everyone passing by and didn’t hear anyone mention something about a wedding. She also looked forward to meeting River, but Rafael was here without his father.

Where are the other Callahans so she could see what Iris spoke about? She was visiting her friend’s grave to tell her stories about what Annalise said, but Annalise didn’t bring anything new to make Iris happy.

"I have not long returned from visiting your grandfather’s grave. He needed to have fresh flowers," said Celeste.

"Grandfather hated flowers. He was like me," Annalise said, closing the door behind Rafael. "Well, almost. I dislike flowers because they make my skin itch, but all flowers made my grandfather sneeze. Are you angry with him?"

"How could I be angry with a dead man? The flowers can’t bother him now that he isn’t alive to smell them. I can’t leave his grave without looking like there is not anyone around who cares for him. He’ll appreciate it when I see him. This is the same man who used to bring home flowers though he hated them. Sit sit," Celeste said, going to the kitchen to grab cups to pour a drink.

"Why didn’t you come to see me when I returned to my grandmother?" Annalise asked, walking to the table in the middle of the room.

"I am old. Why didn’t you come to see me when you returned? It has only been a few hours and I was waiting for the crowd around you to get smaller. I see that your father has put Rafael to stay in a different house. This cannot be the same man who snuck around with your mother before they married. What do you want to drink? Have you eaten?" Celeste asked, ready to prepare something if they were hungry.

"Mother’s soup is almost ready. I will bring you a bowl so you won’t need to go down the hill. I will drink whatever you have," Annalise answered.

"I am fine with anything," Rafael said, not knowing what she had to call for something specific.

"He doesn’t drink anything with alcohol," Annalise added, knowing her grandmother might prepare them something with a bit of alcohol.

"Oh, your grandfather would not like that. He’d laugh and say you aren’t a man because you can’t handle what you drink. Then not long after he’d pass out. Those were the best times for him to be carefree before going back out to fight for us. Do you plan to be a knight all your life, Rafael?" Celeste inquired, worried about Annalise becoming like her.

Having to visit your husband’s grave when you missed him.

Celeste didn’t have to worry about Annalise going out to finish fighting in the war now that there was a truce coming. Though Annalise loved to fight, she was going to change in the coming years, specifically when she had children and second-guessed fights that she wanted to take.

Being the leader will have Annalise busy as there will always be something she has to look over here, but Rafael would have to continue to fight the king’s battles. Other than the border, the Castro kingdom had many enemies who had men talented like the Callahans to fight for them.

Annalise will not be getting involved in helping Rafael fight the king’s battles. Celeste would make sure of it.

"I will stay a knight until King Tobias’s reign comes to an end. We are close friends from our youth and it is something that I promised him," Rafael answered.

"Are you worried about something happening to him? Why aren’t you worried about me?" Annalise asked, childishly jealous of Celeste’s interest in Rafael.

"The war was our greatest problem. Who will you be going out to fight now? Most of your fights now will be with words. There will only be a few fights with people who try to harm you because of your position here. When you went to that palace, there might be a few people who started to plot your life. You will be here to stay protected and not take part in fights that you can stay out of," said Celeste.

Annalise didn’t want to argue with Celeste that there was no peace yet and she would have to continue to defend herself. Whenever her grandmother went to visit her husband who died during a fight, she always returned like this, asking everyone to not fight.

Annalise didn’t go out looking for fights all the time for Celeste to worry about her. It was mostly to defend herself or the people here. It was inevitable that she and Rafael had to risk their lives in the future.

Annalise already knew that the men she had angered in the court might still try to kill her so they could take over the border. Right now she trusted the king, but not the men close to him. Her days of fighting were far from over.

Celeste placed three cups on a tray and walked to the table to sit with the couple. "Did you sneak away from Phillip to come here?"

"He has injured his back after challenging Rafael. My mother is continuing to torture him," Annalise answered, watching Celeste try not to spill the drinks she filled the cups with right to the top.

"Good. Your father needs to find something to do now that you will be taking over for him. It is a good gift that I did not lose my only child in this war. He should take up farming or just lay around at home. He has earned it. Make sure you drink all," Celeste said to Rafael as she placed a cup before him.

Rafael picked up the cup with the brown liquid inside of it. Leaves were floating around the top and so far, he didn’t know what it was. Still, he brought the cup to his lips, trusting that Celeste wouldn’t give him something to kill him.

The moment the drink touched his tongue, Rafael coughed because of the horrible taste.

Annalise stared at her cup, refusing to take it up now because of Rafael’s reaction. "What kind of drink is this?"

"One that will make you both strong. Drink up," Celeste said, picking up her cup to take a sip. There was nothing bad about the taste to her because she drank a lot of it when she was younger and looking to have a child.

"I am already strong," Annalise said, pushing her cup back to Celeste and then saving Rafael by taking his cup from his hands.