THE STORM THAT MEETS

"Miss Annabelle, there's something I want to talk to you about," said Griselda, running as fast as she could to find Annabelle on her horse farm.

"What is it Griselda? Can't you wait for me to come home to talk about it?" said Annabelle, still faithfully brushing her pony hair.

"I've kept the coat you brought from Lord Albert Louis' ball."

"You ran all the way here just to say you've kept the coat?" asked Annabelle who couldn't understand the servant's attitude.

"That's not what I wanted to tell you, Miss Annabelle."

"Then what do you want to talk to me about? I'm getting more and more clueless about your attitude, Griselda."

"Haven't you ever noticed that symbol on the back of the coat you're carrying?"

"Which symbol? I never paid attention to it."

"The symbol of Louis' noble family, which is at the bottom of the coat."

"Then what do you want to say?"

"That means, your coat belongs to one of the nobles of the family. Do you not suspect why you were able to walk around the castle with him without any problems, as you told me? How did he so easily enter every room and know in detail, the ins and outs of the castle?"

Annabelle began to remember what she did with the man who claimed to be named Simon. What Griselda said was true, a friend who was not a resident of the castle, couldn't possibly know about the ins and outs of the castle in too much detail.

"If he is indeed a member of the Louis family, why would he claim to be Lord Albert Louis' friend? Is it possible that he is Lord Albert Louis himself?" Annabelle thought. That possibility made Annabelle's body freeze. "What if Simon is Lord Albert Louis?" Annabelle asked Griselda.

"That means, you've found it, you just have to seduce it and grab it," answered Griselda.

"It wasn't that easy because I told him I was looking for Lord Albert Louis to pay my debts on this estate."

"How can you tell us about our condition before being sure that he will marry you?"

"I don't think he is Lord Albert Louis. After all, you said that I had to find a man who was charming and surrounded by women. He's just charming with no women around him, so I don't think he's the person I'm looking for," Annabelle replied.

"I'm sorry Miss Annabelle, what I'm telling you are just my imagination."

"Because of your shadow, I made the wrong person. Now he can't possibly choose me to be his bride. I'm just a poor and polluted noble. I don't have a dowry that I can bring to him. Only a huge debt will be my dowry. Which aristocrat would want to marry me with my condition like this?" said Annabelle looking desperate. It was as if his hopes of obtaining Lord Albert Louis had been lost.

"Where are you going Miss Annabelle?" said Griselda when she saw Annabelle take her saddle and begin to put it on the horse she had just brushed.

"I'm going to the forest to calm my mind."

"But the sky is very dark, it will rain soon," said Griselda looking worried.

"I'll be careful, the rain doesn't scare me," said Annabelle, who had then mounted her horse.

"But Miss Annabelle..."

Griselda's words seemed not to be heard by Annabelle. He needed calm right now. Spurring on his horse, he began to enter the forest. Soon the sky was crying. Only half-way through, heavy rain poured down the forest.

Instead of turning to go home, Annabelle entered the forest even more. His mind drifted somewhere.

No wonder he didn't contact her again when he knew very well where to look. There was no news after the dance.

If indeed he was Lord Albert Louis, the opportunity to obtain him had failed. Annabelle cursed her mouth for telling her family problems so easily.

Heavy rain made the roads muddy and slippery. Annabelle had to be careful on her horse. He didn't want to, his horse slipped and fell with him. If something happened, there would be no one to help and find it.

Due to the forest conditions that did not allow him to ride his horse, he was forced to turn his horse and return to his estate. All he could do was wait for a miracle so that before the end of this month, he would get the money to pay Lord Falkner.

Otherwise, like it or not, Annabelle would become Lord Falkner's mistress to defend the estate and the servants who worked in it. If he was too selfish to defend his honor, many of his servants would be kicked out of the estate and not know what their life would be like.

Just as Annabelle turned to go home, suddenly lightning struck the tree directly above her. Making the tree fall and hit Annabelle's body, which looks very small in the forest. A scream, not even heard because the sound of nature dominates the dense forest.

His body fell off the horse and rolled over with his head hitting a rock very hard. Annabelle's body sank into the mud, and suddenly her vision darkened.

Today, Albert tried his new horse. To welcome the hunting season, he had to prepare some horses. The hunting rules this time will be very strict and more challenging. They will add more days to their hunt by allowing participants to bring more than one horse. The hunt, which took several days, did not allow only one horse to be brought.

Almost all day he entered the forest and kept on racing his new horse, wanting to know how strong it was. Unfortunately, Albert didn't notice that the sky was rapidly turning dark.

Realizing this, he immediately turned his horse around to be able to return to the castle. Not long after, it rained heavily. He could no longer ride his horse at high speed because the road he was walking on quickly turned muddy and slippery.

When he slowed his horse's pace, suddenly thunder sounded very loudly accompanied by a woman's scream.

Albert immediately cursed, his thoughts went straight to Annabelle because she was the only woman who often went to the forest. With his horse, Albert went to the source of the sound.

It didn't take long when he found a woman's body in the mud lying motionless. His heart skipped a beat, certain that he was dead.

Golden hair mixed with mud was visible on the woman's head, making Albert believe that she was Annabelle. He quickly got off his horse to check it out. Sure enough, when he approached and turned the woman's body, Annabelle's face was very pale with a wound on her head.

Albert looks for signs of life in Annabelle's body. Look for Annabelle's pulse and breath. Albert breathed a sigh of relief when he found it. He immediately picked up Annabelle and hoisted her onto his horse. Cautiously he led Annabelle to his castle.

***

Anabelle's eyes opened weakly with a throbbing head. His eyes swept across the room where he lay, feeling unfamiliar with the room. It's too luxurious for the room.

The room he was in was decorated with beige and gold, the four corners of the bed had poles that were used as white mosquito nets draped there. The ceilings of the rooms were carved and painted by renowned artists. Annabelle seemed to be sleeping on a royal bed. Had a prince saved her?

Annabelle was wary as the wooden door to her bedroom creaked open. A maid with a wooden container and a white towel entered the room.

The maid was surprised when she saw that Annabelle had opened her eyes. "You are awake, My Lady? I will call Lord Louis to inform you of your condition," said the servant.

"Wait!" said Annabelle, stopping the maid from leaving.

"Yes, My Lady," replied the maid.

"Where am I? Who helped me?"

"You are in the Louis family castle, and it was Lord Albert Louis who brought you here."

Deg

Annabelle's heart seemed to stop for a moment. "Lord Albert Louis," she muttered.

***