The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 344: Fired (1)

After Rafael reluctantly left her bedroom so that he could also wash up for breakfast, Annalise enjoyed sitting in water and properly cleaning herself with soap after a long trip only dipping in streams or using barrels to dip water out of.

Annalise then changed into one of the dresses she brought from home which was bought by her mother. The style was different from what she saw here, but it was comfortable so she would wear it around the manor.

Before going down to the dining room, Annalise stopped to see if Rafael wanted to walk together but found he was not in his bedroom. Since it was close to when breakfast would be served, Annalise decided to walk downstairs by herself to sit at the table early.

"I should go catch spiders while he is busy," Annalise said, planning to sneak in more friends for the spider. "Hopefully they don’t fight each other. Or would it be better to get a snake? It could help me scare the chickens."

As she walked down the halls and then down the stairs, she passed maids who weren’t able to hide the fact word had reached them that she was now the lady of the manor.

Their words became hushed as she passed them. Some stared at her with curiosity, or greeted her with a smile, while some stared at Annalise having her feel the judgement over her new status in the manor. Annalise wondered if their opinion of Rafael had changed since he was her employer and entertained a relationship with her.

Walking around the manor wasn’t as bad as one would imagine for Annalise since the maids were taking some of Rafael and Beatrice’s warnings. They were still whispering about her, but that was nothing to be easily stopped unless Rafael started slicing off heads in the yard to show just how far he was willing to go to stop their whispering.

Annalise slowed down just before she was about to enter the dining room as Mavis walked out. Annalise felt evil for liking the fear in Mavis’s eyes. If she had to scare anyone, it would be Mavis since her reactions were too funny. The fact that her presence alone had Mavis jumping enticed her to scare Mavis more often.

"A-Annalise. Lady Annalise," Mavis corrected herself. "I was just going to your room to tell you breakfast will be served in a few minutes. Did a maid not visit you to help you get dressed?" She asked, looking down at the strange-fashioned dress Annalise wore. It suited a woman like Annalise but not the lady of this manor.

Then there was Annalise’s hair that was not tied, braided, or pinned up. Mavis could not figure out why Rafael picked Annalise out of all the women in town. Annalise lacked proper training, and knowledge about things a lady should know, and then there was her behaviour. Not even the maids who spent more time with Annalise could figure out when Annalise’s relationship with Rafael changed.

Mavis wondered if there was more to why Rafael gave Annalise a dress or if he knew of Annalise before he had returned to the manor since he saved her from getting fired.

There was so much to do before Annalise could meet other young women from good families. If they let her leave the manor and speak of her being the lady of it, Annalise would make a mockery of the Callahan name.

"Mavis, let’s be friends," Annalise said.

Mavis stared at Annalise in disbelief and once more, there was a tight feeling in her chest. For some reason, Annalise’s offer to be friends scared her. Mavis didn’t know if it was the offer to be friends, the sweet tone Annalise forced, or the smile Annalise wore which seemed to have an evilness to it.

Mavis didn’t want to be Annalise’s friend even though she had always wanted to become close to the women of men with titles. Becoming a friend to Beatrice was nothing like becoming a friend to Annalise.

After so much yelling at Annalise and wanting to fire her, Mavis knew this offer to be friends was a cover so Annalise could torture her.

"That is a kind offer, but I am the head maid. I know my place and I do not want to get too comfortable being your friend. I apologise that I cannot accept your offer," Mavis said, feeling her shoulders relax.

"What a shame. That was my way of saying we should start over. I hope your heart can take what will come," Annalise said, referring to how Mavis panicked when they crossed paths now.

However, Mavis interpreted Annalise’s words differently. She took it as she was about to be dragged through hell for wanting to fire Annalise in the past.

"Listen," Mavis said, attempting to grab Annalise’s hand to plead with her to start over, but Annalise moved at the same time, causing her hand to brush against Annalise’s belly. Mavis gasped, knowing she made a grave mistake. "I’m sorry. That was careless of me!"

Annalise took two steps back, taken aback by Mavis acting as if she had just hit the queen. Then she was reminded of her thought that Mavis must have assumed that she was pregnant.

Annalise chuckled, considering acting like she was just to make Mavis panic, but didn’t decide to go through with it since the lie would become a problem in the future. "I am not pregnant. That is not why Rafael is treating me well," Annalise clarified.

"You are not?" Mavis asked, not believing it though it came from Annalise’s mouth.

"Do you know better than I do if I am pregnant or not? It is my body and I am telling you that I am not. I appreciate the concern that if I was, you regretted accidentally hitting me. I’d also appreciate it if you stop thinking that before the maids start to think I am because of you acting strange. I am not going to trouble you because of our relationship in the past. I wasn’t the best maid," Annalise confessed.

What she disliked about Mavis wasn’t about getting fired. It was about Mavis sitting around doing nothing when they could use an extra hand, having favourites among the maids who got away with their behaviour others were scolded for, and how Mavis didn’t defend them to guests who were rude to the maids.

Now that Annalise was the lady of the manor, it would no longer pass for a guest to be rude to a maid when the guest was in the wrong. A guest like Delilah would never be welcomed.

"You are a good head maid. I know it and Rafael knows it. There are just some things you do that make me think less highly of you. I don’t want to be at odds with you forever so I hope you can stop trying to think of how I am with Rafael and help me with what I need," said Annalise.

Going forward, she would need Edwin and Mavis’s help. There were ways for Mavis to be useful outside the manor.

"Of course," Mavis replied, feeling a little ashamed she had been more interested in believing Annalise was pregnant than acting as she should as the head maid. "I look forward to aiding you in the future. Please excuse me. I need to get Lady Beatrice and Rafael."

Annalise let Mavis leave and entered the dining room to find the maids were still rushing to have it set before the food came out and the others arrived. Ezra was the only one seated at the table with his eyes closed and arms folded, not bothered by the maids running around to get the table finished.

Annalise walked to the table and pulled out a chair to the right of where Rafael often sat. "Ezra, you are-"

"What are you doing?"

Annalise looked away from Ezra to the familiar face of someone who was no longer a friend. She had forgotten all about her issues with Aria. "Sitting where I am meant to sit," Annalise replied.