Annalise found herself returning to the real world as a sweet voice tried to pull her out of her dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself looking into the beautiful icy blue orbs of Lord Valerius.
It took her brain a couple of moments to realize that she was actually lying in the Lord's arms and it made her hurriedly move away from the man as she scrambled to stand up which proved to be quite a hard task.
Her rushed movements resulted in her feet getting entangled in her dress and as a result, she lost her balance. Fortunately or maybe, unfortunately, she didn't end up landing on the floor. Instead, she returned to the arms of her husband who seemed more amused by the entire ordeal rather than being worried.
"You are such a clumsy little thing, my wife. How about you stay still for a few moments and get yourself together?" Lord Valerius suggested as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
His soft touch sent energy sizzling through her body and Annalise failed to suppress the shudder that shook her body lightly. Clearly, the Lord noticed her reaction too and it made embarrassment take over her.
Not knowing how to react or what to do in her embarrassed state, she just lowered her head and focused her attention on her hands that were sitting on her lap.
The Lord was silent for the next couple of moments but then he finally broke the silence. "Damien and I will leave for the Palace early coming morning. Kenric will stay here with you. Try to be a good girl and don't end up getting into some sort of trouble. You can do that, right?"
Annalise felt like a small child getting schooled as she nodded her head in response. Even though Lord Valerius' voice was calm and it didn't sound like he was actually ordering her to behave, his words still succeeded in making her feel like she was being warned to behave.
She was yanked out of the train of her thoughts when she felt Lord Valerius' hand coming to rest against the back of her head. Instinctively, she raised her face to look at the man but received another surprise in the form of a forehead kiss.
It seemed like the world stopped around her for a fleeting second as her husband's cold but soft lips came in contact with her forehead. She wasn't sure but it seemed like her breath was also caught as her body stopped functioning properly.
She just stared wide-eyed at the man as he pulled away and gazed at her with his icy orbs filled with warmth and affection, something that she was getting to see more and more in all of her husbands' expressions these days.
"How about we head downstairs? It's already late afternoon." Lord Valerius suggested and Annalise immediately nodded her head in agreement. She had no idea that so many hours had passed since they came to the library. Considering, she had skipped lunch, she finally understood why she was feeling a little hungry.
This time around, she didn't even try to move. Instead, she waited for the Lord to help her which he did before he too stood up.
Annalise fixed her dress and hair while Lord Valerius returned the book of poems to the shelf. Once they both were done, they headed outside the library and down the stairs to find others.
- - -
That evening, the dark lords once again skipped the meal as they all disappeared into the basement after bidding her goodnight.
"The Lords keep skipping the meals. How are they going to survive like this? What am I doing wrong? Don't they prefer the food that I cook?" Annalise heard Aunt Claire questioning herself after the Lords left the dining room.
"Don't overthink. The food that you cook is always delicious. As for the Lords, let's not pry into things we should not." Her words were both for herself and the servants. She was just as curious about the topic as Aunt Claire and that's why she had to remind herself from time to time not to poke into her husbands' business. She would just wait for them to reveal the answers themselves on their own at some point in the future.
She hurriedly finished her meal before she and Sera headed toward the pool room. In the past ten or so days since she came to live in the castle, this was only the fourth time she was about to step inside the pool room.
Once they were at the pool, Sera helped her get undressed before Annalise stepped inside the pool. The fragrance of scented oils and rose petals engulfed her senses and body as she relaxed in the water and allowed it to perform its magic on her sore and tight muscles.
The constant work in the renovation of the castle was taking a heavy toll on her body. Though Sera and others always tried their best to make her do as less work as possible, it was still inevitable for her to not spend at least a couple of hours everyday cleaning and organizing the rooms, only then did the castle allows the rooms to stay in the state they wanted them to.
Sera took all the hairpins out of her hair and left them loose before she started washing her hair. The soft massage that the girl gave her every time she washed her hair, made a deep sigh of relief and contentment escape Annalise's lips.
She spent over half an hour in the pool before she finally decided to get dressed and retire for the night. The nightgown that Sera selected for her was one of her favorites. It was a velvet gown in dark purple color with a sleeveless chemise and an outer full-sleeved robe.
A little spell fixed her wet hair which became dry and felt soft, smooth, and silky when she ran her fingers through them. Once she was done getting ready for the bed, she and Sera parted ways as Annalise headed toward her bedroom.
At some point, she had completely forgotten about the man who was already waiting for her inside her room.