The Crafty Lord Kenric

The morning sunlight entered the room through the open window along with the nice morning breeze that made Annalise pull the covers closer to her body.

She slowly opened her eyes when she heard someone knocking on the door and as her eyes settled on her surroundings, she realized where she was. It was no longer her bedroom in the Grand Duke's mansion. Instead, it was her new bedroom in the Cursed Castle.

Removing the covers, she sat up on the bed and hurriedly fixed her clothes and hair before standing up and moving towards the door to open it. The knocking stopped the very moment she opened her eyes and as she peered outside the door, she found no one there.

Her confused eyes searched the hallway and the staircase but there was no one except the usual darkness that was filling the entire castle. Letting out a small sigh, she walked down the stairs to the ground floor in search of some water to freshen up.

The castle was almost as dark as it was during the night and it made things harder for her as she had no idea where she was supposed to head. She was standing at the foot of the staircase when the front door of the castle opened, bringing a huge amount of sunlight inside the castle.

"Your Highness." Sera was immediately by Annalise's side followed by two other maids who were carrying buckets of water. All three stopped a few feet in front of the Princess before bowing in greeting.

Annalise smiled softly as she looked at Sera before she spoke in a serious tone, "Don't address me with the royal title anymore. I'm now married to the Lords. You all have to keep this in mind."

"Yes, my Lady." The three maids replied with another bow before they all followed behind Annalise to her room.

Sera helped Annalise in washing up and getting ready along with the other two maids who made a second trip to bring the trunks that were carrying clothes and jewelry.

Sera chose a simple but beautiful baby pink colored dress with fine needlework on the hem and cuffs of the dress. Sera next helped in adjusting the shoulder veil that made the dress look a hundred times more beautiful.

She styled Annalise's long platinum blue hair in a simple braid with a few loose strands left that caressed her cheeks. Inserting a few pearl hairpins in the braid, she completed the look.

Annalise wasn't a fan of heavy makeup, so she only allowed Sera to apply the moisturizing solution on her face and a light pink lipstick. Finalizing the look with a pair of simple pearl earrings and matching rings, she was ready to meet her husbands and the servants and guards from the Grand Duke's mansion.

"By the way, when did you all come inside?" Annalise asked Sera as the two of them headed outside the room while the other two maids remained in the room to clean it.

"My lady, it was Lord Kenric who allowed all of us inside the castle grounds early this morning. But only the three of us got permission to enter the house to help you get ready. We have also prepared breakfast for you." Sera answered as she followed Annalise out of the main door and onto the porch that had been cleaned up by the servants.

Annalise looked around the porch and found it perfectly cleaned. Her eyes followed the servants and guards that were working in the front garden. Some were clearing the broken furniture, some were sweeping the lawn, some were cutting the hedge, and some were cleaning the huge fountain.

"What are they all doing?" Annalise asked as she stared at the servants in surprise.

"My lady, it was Lord Kenric who ordered them to clean the lawn before leaving," Sera replied as she poured the freshly brewed tea into a porcelain cup that was sitting on the small wooden table placed on the porch, before handing it to her ladyship.

"Leaving?" Annalise asked in confusion as she accepted the herbal tea.

"His Lord only allowed four of us servants to stay here with your ladyship. I'll be responsible for your personal care and will continue my job as a lady-in-waiting. Aunt Claire will resume her work as the cook. Other than the two of us, only Garron and Mr. Warren will also stay here. The rest are directed to return to the Grand Duke's mansion before evening." Sera informed Annalise about what Lord Kenric told them a few hours ago.

Annalise remained silent as she slowly drank the tea, enjoying the sweet flavor and its calming aroma as she watched the servants working in the garden. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of just how crafty Lord Kenric was. Though he dismissed all the servants, except four of them, he still made sure to use them for his benefit before kicking them out of the castle.

She wasn't really fond of too many servants either. The only person she wanted by her side was Sera and it seemed like Lord Kenric remembered her words from the previous night as he chose Sera as one of the four servants to stay in the castle.

She was also happy to know that Aunt Claire would be staying too. The forty-five-year-old woman was the only person other than her mother who could make her, Annalise, swoon for the food cooked by her.

As for Garron, he was a fifteen-year-old boy whom Annalise saved four years ago while her trip to the countryside with her mother. The poor boy was the only son of a merchant family and was on his way to the capital when they got attacked by a group of rogues. Unfortunately, his parents and only uncle died in that incident leaving him orphaned.

When they found him, the little boy was sitting next to his dead mother's body while covered in blood as he wailed. Feeling pity for him, they took him to the Grand Duke's mansion and Annalise made sure to look after him till the day he finally came out of his shell.

As for Mr. Warren, he was one of the most loyal people of the Grand Duke who was assigned to protect Annalise from the very day she was born.

These four people, Sera, Ms. Claire, Garron, and Mr. Warren, were the closest to Annalise after her parents. What surprised her was that Lord Kenric chose only these four to stay at the castle. Did he already know?