The morning arrived and Annalise was ready to start another day as the wife of the three Dark Lords. Sera helped her in getting ready and once she was dressed in a simple yellow dress with minimum jewelry. Once she was ready, both of them headed downstairs.
"What's wrong?" Annalise asked when she noticed the grim look on Aunt Claire's face who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
Unlike the previous day, the windows were mostly closed and the only light illuminating the insides of the castle was from the lanterns that were hanging around the walls of the castle.
"My Lady, you should come and see this." Aunt Claire stated in an urgent voice as she brought Annalise and Sera towards the main door and led them outside on the porch where Lord Kenric and Lord Valerius were also present along with Mr. Warren and Garron.
"What's going on here?" She found herself asking while she nodded her head in acceptance of the greetings from Mr. Warren and Garron. She headed towards the two Dark Lords and followed the direction of their gazes and only then did she find out what was going on.
"Just what happened here? Another storm?" She asked no one in particular as she stared at the front lawn with a horrified look on her face.
Everything was a big mess, the statutes were once again back to their dirty and moss-covered states, and the benches that the guards fixed the previous day were once again broken, the grass had grown up several inches within the night, and the fountain appeared just like how she found it the night she first entered into the castle grounds.
At this point, she didn't even need someone to answer her question. What she was looking at didn't seem like the work of just a storm.
"It's the castle." The person who spoke was none other than Lord Kenric who had finally turned his attention toward her.
Annalise tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the lord. "But my room still looks like it was looking the previous night. Nothing changed there."
Exactly! If it was the Cursed Castle trying to return the castle to its rundown state, then why did her bedroom still look so neat and clean just like it did before she went to sleep.
"And so is the kitchen and the pool room. Those two places are still as clean and tidy as we left them yesterday." Aunt Claire added, her voice implying the worry and confusion that she was feeling at the moment.
"Right. That's why the surprising event isn't what happened to the garden but what didn't happen to your bedroom, kitchen, and the pool room." Kenric summarized the situation for her.
Annalise tried to not blush at the mention of the pool room as the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her. And it did take some effort from her to keep her mind from diverting from the important issue at hand.
And as she pondered on the information that Kenric just provided her with, the situation indeed seemed weird and made no sense.
"You all are dismissed. No need to clean any other room until we sort this thing out." Kenric ordered the servants who bowed their heads in understanding and took their leave.
"My Lords, My Lady, the breakfast will be ready within an hour. Should I serve tea before that?" Aunt Claire asked after the other servants left.
"The two of us won't be having breakfast, but we will love some morning tea. Thank you." Kenric responded in a warm voice before he returned his attention to his wife.
Annalise watched Aunt Claire going back inside the castle, leaving her alone with Kenric and Valerius.
Once again the Lords were skipping the meal and it only made her curiosity grow. But she didn't dare to voice out the questions.
Letting out a small sigh, she returned her attention to the garden and its destructive appearance made her heart ache.
"What do you think is going on? Why did the garden end up like this but not my bedroom, kitchen, or the... the pool room?" She asked the Lords as she kept her attention focused on the fountain that was once again looking lifeless.
"It's because of you."
Annalise turned her attention towards Valerius as he was the one who spoke. "Me?" She voiced her confusion, not understanding what she had to do anything with the weirdness of the castle.
"It seems like the castle is liking your presence. There's a change in the air and a new spark in the energy." Valerius spoke as he closed his eyes for a couple of seconds as if to feel the energy that he just mentioned.
Annalise stared at the Lords in surprise before she turned her attention to her surroundings. Unlike what Lord Valerius just said, she couldn't feel anything - no change in the air and no spark in the energy.
To her, the castle still appeared just as detached as it was the moment she first arrived there.
"Are you sure? Why can't I feel anything?" She found herself asking as her eyes were fixed on the moss and vines that covered the outer walls of the castle.
"Haven't you realized it yet? Only those places that you either personally helped in cleaning or spent some time in there, are still in a good state, unlike the garden." Kenric pointed out as he looked at her with his deep obsidian eyes.
"Of course, this is just a theory, we are still not sure if it's true or not. But so far, it seems most believable." Valerius added as he too turned his full attention toward her.
Feeling the gazes of both the Lords trained on her, Annalise tried to not get intimidated but it was proving to be a hard task. "But why would something like this happen?" She found herself asking.
She was totally taken aback when someone wrapped their strong arms around her from behind and pulled her in a tight and warm back hug. And the very next second, she felt a warm breath against her earlobe.
"How about you answer that question, Princess?"