12 I'm Doing It For You

Annalise stood on the porch with Sera as they watched Lord Kenric muttering something to each of the servants and guards that were ready to leave the castle and head back to the Grand Duke's mansion.

She was curious to know what he was saying to them but unfortunately, there was no way for her to find out the answer. The distance between them was huge and even her enhanced hearing was not able to find anything.

Her eyes turned to look at the sky and found the sun that was slowly sinking towards the horizon. It was already half past four in the afternoon and within three hours, the night would descend.

She wondered if there would be another storm at night but then was reminded that the previous night's storm was the result of the bad mood of one of her husbands. Which one? She had no idea.

"My lady, the Lord is looking at you," Sera informed Annalise when she noticed the latter gazing at the sky, totally oblivious to the attention of her husband that was now turned towards her.

Annalise's gaze moved hurriedly, leaving the sky and turning towards the Lord who was now coming towards her. It took him just a few seconds to cross the distance and appear on the porch right in front of her.

"They are leaving. Do you want to say anything to them?" he asked as he stood there towering over her with an almost unnoticeable twitch on his lips. He still looked too handsome for her eyes to not betray her.

Annalise nodded her head before she walked down the few steps leading down the porch and headed towards the group of servants and guards. As she approached them, she tried to look at all their faces and recalled if she had ever interacted with them and found that she had talked with almost everyone present there during the two decades of her life that she spent in the Grand Duke's mansion.

"Thank you... for everything that you all have ever done for me, and also for the help that you all provided today in clea..." Annalise trailed off when Lord Kenric suddenly started coughing. He stopped too as soon as she stopped and pretended to clear his throat.

She was left totally confused. She arched her eyebrows while looking at the Lord in confusion, waiting patiently for him to clarify what was going on.

Kenric moved closer to her, making her heartbeat pick up its speed, something that was becoming a new normal for her. A gasp almost escaped her lips when he lowered his face and brought it closer to hers before moving it to the side against her ear.

There was barely any space left between their cheeks and she could even feel his warm breath grazing her ear, making goosebumps appear all over her body. Before this, she wasn't aware that her ears could be this sensitive.

Her lips parted while trying to keep her breathing normal as she waited for the Lord to speak. She wondered if he was aware of the effects that he had on her.

"I just compelled them to forget about all the cleaning thing. They just remember enjoying the lunch and spending some time looking around this neat and clean castle." The Lord whispered against her ear.

Annalise couldn't help herself from turning her face and looking at him with pure surprise. Even though a huge part of her brain was still focused on the fact that their faces were too close, the surprise of what he just told her was making her stay sane for the time being.

"What? I'm doing it for you." Kenric hurriedly spoke in his defense when he noticed her questioning gaze was pointed at him. How could she look at him like that?

"For me?" Annalise couldn't help but ask as she was confused why he would need to do something like that for her.

"Come on, woman! Of course, I did this for you. Or do you think any of the three of us Lords care about what these or any other people think about us or this castle? They have been gossiping nonsense about us for ages. A new addition won't matter to us." Kenric seemed a little bit hurt by her accusing eyes, or he pretended to be.

Annalise wasn't sure what to say. What he just said did make sense. The rumors about the Dark Lords and the Cursed Castle are limitless and if a few more new ones appeared, it won't make much difference.

"But... how can this be of any help for me?" She finally asked the question when she still failed to understand the purpose behind him compelling the servants and guards. Compelling - another greater spell that he performed with such ease.

Lord Kenric took a deep breath as he gazed at her in silence for a few seconds before he finally spoke, "What will be your parents' reaction when they will find out about the state of the castle and the lack of interaction between you and the other lords?"

Annalise was quiet as the realization finally dawned over her. He really did all that for her, for her parents to not worry about her.

Suddenly, she recalled all that Kenric had done since morning. He communicated with the servants and guards and joined them during the lunch which was a very unseen aspect as he was a Lord. And he did all that just to create a good impression on the servants so that they could create a positive picture when informing the Grand Duke and the Duchess.

"Thank you." She whispered in a soft voice while giving him an appreciative smile. He didn't need to do that but he still did, she couldn't help but see him in a new light.

Kenric suddenly straightened and took a deep breath. He seemed a little proud as he gave her a little nod in response, making a small smile bloom on Annalise's lips.

It seemed like this husband of hers also carried a kind side in him along with the naughty and cold sides that he usually showed.