Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 106: Consequences (3)

Ophelia didn’t look away as Dante pierced Harold with his sword. She didn’t want to miss the fall of the men who doubted her and were foolish to switch sides to Joel.

It was best that Dante got rid of these fools now before they led to his ruin. Whatever secrets they were yet to share needed to die with them now.

There was no doubt in Ophelia’s mind that once Joel got all that he needed from these men, he would have killed them. He would never be able to shake the feeling that just as they betrayed Dante, they would betray him too.

"Joel is never one to stay true to his word," Ophelia quickly spoke as Dante moved to kill Francis. "He would have killed you, too. Consider it an honour to be killed by Lord Hastings."

Ophelia didn’t flinch when Francis’s screams filled the dining chamber. His body fell to the floor, joining Harold in taking his last breath.

Dante paid attention to Ophelia’s reaction. He didn’t want her to look in case he would scare her, but what he noticed was that Ophelia was upset.

"Did I scare you?" Dante asked, dropping his sword to the floor.

Ophelia’s eyes narrowed in on the drops of blood on Dante’s shirt. "I shouldn’t have picked that shirt for tonight. You’ll have to take it off soon and have it washed so you don’t have their blood in it for long. What?" She asked as Dante started to laugh.

"Are you not afraid of what you witnessed?" Dante asked, but he should have known better. Ophelia would always surprise him.

"Afraid of what? Death?" Ophelia asked, eyeing the men on the floor. "I knew it was coming, and I know what death looks like. It doesn’t scare me, but it did scare someone," she said, noticing Victoria’s arrival. "I will be able to sleep at night. Will you?"

"I might not. It will take the company of a beautiful woman to help me sleep," Dante said in a teasing manner.

"I saw many beautiful women in the market today. Should I bring one for you? It would be an odd job to lie beside you to help you sleep, but I am certain many ladies would accept it," Ophelia replied, turning down Dante’s obvious offer to sleep with him. "We still have a guest."

Ophelia was curious why Dante didn’t kill the third man. Was that not the intention of inviting the men here?

"This is Norman Penrose. He is like an old, grumpy uncle to me. He was friends with my father for longer than I have been alive. Norman, meet my wife," Dante introduced the pair.

"I have been trying to get away from Hastings for as long as your husband has been alive, but they succeed in pulling me back. You are a strange one," Norman said, staring at Ophelia. "It makes sense with you not being his daughter."

"You might be right that they sent the right one," Norman said, referring to what Dante said. "You might have some luck with this one. His father raised him to be a good man, so he should treat you well. I am going home," he announced.

Norman’s appetite was spoiled by the dead men on the floor.

"Are you not concerned about anyone noticing you were here?" Ophelia asked.

"So what if they notice? If that old swine finds issue with it, then he should come kill me himself," Norman said, not afraid of the king’s reaction.

"Norman has been bickering with the king for years. Some say he is asking for death. The king doesn’t trouble Norman because of his grumpiness and the fact that he has control of some of the king’s army," Dante revealed.

"Don’t go telling her about me. I don’t know much about her. I taught you better," Norman scolded Dante. "Have your dinner and get out of the capital before another attack on your life happens. That time is quickly approaching, so be careful."

"I will escort you out-"

"I walked in here just fine, so I can see myself out alone. Get rid of those bodies before you have a bigger issue on your hands. Goodnight to both of you," Norman said as he walked away.

Ophelia waited for Norman to be out of the room to say, "He seems to be lovely. I see now why you don’t fear the king coming against you. To have someone on your side who not only doesn’t fear the king, but also has some hold of the king’s army is wonderful."

"He is also not fond of Joel. It is time you leave the dining chamber and have dinner in your own chambers. Both of you," Dante said, acknowledging Victoria’s presence. "I will have your dinner sent to your chambers once this mess is dealt with."

"You must remember to get out of your shirt and have it washed soon. Good night," Ophelia curtseyed, bidding goodbye to Dante.

After a long, eventful day, all Ophelia wanted to do was rest.

"Do not forget that my door is always open for you," said Dante.

Ophelia didn’t respond, but she couldn’t help smiling.

Hours after the deaths in the mansion and dinner was served, the mansion settled down again, but Ophelia found it hard to sleep despite being tired.

Ophelia laid flat on her back and stared at the ceiling above her. She tapped her fingers on the blankets beneath her.

With how much she roamed during the day, Ophelia thought it would be easy to fall asleep tonight and not wake in the middle of the night.

Ophelia closed her eyes, hoping this small action would be the start to her getting rest.

Unfortunately, time passed, yet Ophelia was still awake. She sat up, deciding to eat the bread she set aside for this moment. Her weight was going to improve simply based on how much she ate when everyone was meant to be sleeping.

Ophelia got up from her bed and picked up the bread she wrapped in a napkin. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Dante’s offer came to mind, but Ophelia thought it was too soon for her to accept it.

Was it right for her to wake him from his sleep, all because she couldn’t sleep?

Dante also had a long, tiring day, and before he could have his dinner, he needed to oversee that all the blood was cleaned up and the bodies were disposed of.

Ophelia thought against it despite the welcoming offer from Dante, but it wasn’t long before she made her way to his door and knocked.