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.