LOUIS CASTLE

After a few days her body was not soaked in water, finally Annabelle could clean herself in the bathroom in the castle belonging to the noble Louis. The maid had prepared warm water and fragrance for Annabelle to use. A sun-yellow dress, carried by a maid, came into her room.

For a moment Annabelle was amazed by the dress made of silk. The dress is very soft and looks comfortable to wear. There is flower embroidery, adorning the bottom. The maid helped Annabelle to put on the dress and combed her hair. Instead of braiding her hair, Annabelle chose to let her golden hair loose. Makes her look so beautiful and charming.

"Lord Louis is waiting for you to have breakfast with you, My Lady," said the maid.

"Take me to see Lord Louis."

"Very well, My Lady."

Annabelle came out of the room and followed the maid's footsteps. The castle was so big, he didn't want to risk getting lost in the castle, so he asked the maid to take him.

Annabelle's eyes didn't blink as she looked at Albert in his casual clothes, sitting at the dining table in a large room with beige walls with paintings hanging on each wall. Albert chose to wear tight black trousers with a white shirt on top. He saw the straps of his shirt tied across his chest. Albert looks so masculine and also seems romantic.

Seeing Annabelle's arrival, Albert got up from his chair and greeted her. His hand reached out to kiss the back of Annabelle's hand. If the glove used to protect his hand, now Albert's lips could touch the back of Annabelle's hand without a hitch. It made Annabelle's skin swell because of those hot lips. As if being electrocuted, Annabelle's brain responded to the touch and created a tingling sensation in her lower body.

"How are you, my lady?"

"Why is everyone here calling me, My Lady?" Annabelle said not answering Albert's question.

"I ordered them, because your status will change soon. And can you get rid of that formal language of yours. My ears itch to hear that."

"Your jokes are not funny, My Lord."

"Well that's better," said Albert as Annabelle began to abandon her formal language. He took Annabelle's hand and sat her down beside her.

"May I return to the estate today? I'm afraid, everyone there is worried about me. What's more, I've been here almost a week."

"They won't worry knowing that you are with me. Besides, is your body strong enough to return to your estate?"

"I'm feeling pretty good, thank you for helping and taking care of me."

"From today onwards, I will not let you go alone into the forest. If you want to go there, you have to be with me or bring a bodyguard to go with you."

"Why does it have to be like that? It made me uncomfortable. You already know what I was doing in that forest, will you allow me to undress in front of your guards?"

Albert's jaw immediately hardened, imagining the beautiful woman in front of him undressing and swimming in front of his bodyguards. "Then you may go to the forest if you are with me. If I am not with you, then you are forbidden to go to the forest alone. Can you imagine if I didn't find you then? Your body must have been stretched out by the time people found you," said Albert.

Albert's words made Annabelle shudder in horror, what Albert said was true. Without Albert helping her back then, she would be dead by now. "Okay, My Lord. I'm going to the forest if I'm with you. Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome, My Lady," replied Albert, smiling at winning their argument.

"What were you doing in the forest that time to find me?" Annabelle asked curiously. Did Albert have his own pleasure in going to the woods like him?

"I am preparing horses for hunting this season. The rules are out and the hunt this time will be much more challenging. The range of hunting this season will be expanded, we can spend days in the forest, and we are allowed to bring more than one horse, considering the distance is far, so it is not possible to bring one horse."

"Sounds like a lot of fun, is your offer to take me hunting still valid?"

"Of course, we will hunt together and get a big catch. I believe we can win the race?"

"We? Are we going to be a team? I want to compete with you My Lord."

"That I will not allow My Lady. I'm not going to make you a soft meal."

"Believe me, I can kill beasts easily My Lord. Since I was little, my father has invited me to hunt."

"It's not the animals that I'm worried about My Lady, but the humans who will prey on you, that's what I'm more afraid of."

"You're thinking too far," replied Annabelle with a cynical smile.

"Oh yeah, one more thing, we're getting married before the hunting season, so I'm sure you'll be hunting with me. If you don't want to, then you will stay in this castle to wait for me to come home."

"Do you think the marriage is not too soon?" Annabelle asked.

"Are you still in doubt?" Albert asked back.

"Of course not, My Lord."

Knowing that Albert always wins the debate, finally Annabelle was willing to get married before the hunting season, and at the same time go hunting and team up with Albert, instead of having to live alone in a castle this big.

"Today I can't take you to the estate, do you mind if you go home alone?"

"Of course I don't mind, My Lord. I know how busy you are."

"There is something important that requires me to go to parliament today. When the time comes, I'll tell you."

"It's all right, My Lord. You don't have to feel bad for me for being busy."

"This morning I still have time, eat first, after that we can take a walk to see this castle. It feels very different, when compared to the night."

Annabelle's eyes of course immediately lit up when Albert again asked her to tour the castle again in the morning where the sun was already shining on Louis's castle. They ended up eating without much talking.

After they had eaten dessert, Albert put Annabelle's hand on his arm and carried her around the castle. "This castle was built for self-defense, there are several secret rooms that serve as hiding places from enemies, but I won't take you there," said Albert.

"Too bad, but I would be very excited to explore a place full of secrets and mysteries." Albert smiled at that.

Albert began to take Annabelle to the outside of the castle, so that Annabelle could see its beauty. Castle Louis is in the middle of an artificial lake with a drawbridge connecting the castle to the outermost road from the nearest mainland. The shape is very graceful, in contrast to other castles that look dark, gloomy and scary.

The castle is built on rock with slender towers soaring high into the sky. Annabelle stared at the tower with flushed cheeks. Remembering what they had done together on it.

Albert who realized this, gently stroked Annabelle's cheek. What Albert did, didn't make the red hue disappear but instead made it clearer. Albert then distanced his fingers and continued their journey.

"I've always wondered, is there enough clean water in this castle? Given the remoteness and distance from the mainland?" Annabelle asked.

"We have enough wells to meet our water needs. Besides, the land outside this castle still belongs to Louis, so you also make a well across the lake and drain it into the castle. So we will never be short of clean water."

"I can breathe a sigh of relief then, because I need a lot of water to shower."

"Yes, I believe in that. You even use the water throughout the forest for bathing," Albert quipped.

"It was so fresh and fun, My Lord. One day you should try it too."

"Plunge into the water like yourself? I don't think I'll even try."

"Are you afraid of water or heights, My Lord?"

"No, I'm not afraid of anything, My Lady," Albert replied emphatically.

"In that case, I dare you to dive with me into the water, someday."

Albert just stared at those blue eyes without answering. After that, he grabbed Annabelle's hand and led her to walk again. "We'd better continue our journey before the sun rises any further."

**