Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 107: Late night visitor (1)

"This is silly," Ophelia muttered, regretting coming to Dante’s door. She turned around, hoping he was too deep in sleep to hear her knocking, so she could slip back into her chamber.

Unfortunately for Ophelia, Dante’s door opened before she could get back to her door.

Dante leaned on the frame of his door and eyed the woman trying to sneak away. "Why come all this way just to sneak off? Unless you are playing a little game to wake me and run back to your chamber, but you were too slow."

"It is not that. I changed my mind because I didn’t want to wake you after you had a tiring day as well," said Ophelia.

"Well, you were wrong since I couldn’t sleep. I had to kill two men in a place where I rest my head."

’You are no stranger to war and death. Why would killing those two stop you from sleeping?" Ophelia asked, puzzled by what Dante faced. "Are you trying to get me to enter your chamber to comfort you?"

"Is it working?" Dante inquired.

"No, it is not. You can be honest about the reason you are awake. Like, worrying about the future. That is a good reason why you cannot sleep. A man in your position must be worried since your allies moved to the enemy side," said Ophelia.

After a moment of silence, Ophelia said, "I don’t think you did anything wrong, and I am not being biased because I am fond of you. I say this because between you and Joel, I would put my life in your hands. Joel only has the support of the king, but at what cost?"

"It pleases me you trust me that much," Dante said, his mood changing for the better.

"Why wouldn’t I? I enjoyed seeing you fight, and I know that should you have to fight Joel one-on-one, you would be the victor. The others who turn their backs on you know that you can win the war, but it is the king they don’t want to upset. Don’t lose faith," Ophelia said, hopeful her words would place Dante in better spirits.

"Ophelia."

"Yes?" Ophelia replied.

"Come inside my chamber."

Ophelia stared at Dante.

His hand rested on the door to stop it from closing, and his expression was rather serious, as if there was no space for her to argue with him. Only to listen to him.

Still, Ophelia wouldn’t make it that easy.

"You must remember that I am a lady, not a knight, for you to order. If you want me to enter your chamber, surely you could be welcoming for a lady. For your wife," Ophelia said, standing still. She smiled, enjoying how Dante chuckled because he knew he wouldn’t win this battle.

"Dear wife, would you please enter my chamber?" Dante asked, offering his hand to Ophelia.

Ophelia stepped forward until she placed her hand on Dante’s. "Now, that wasn’t so bad, right? You may win the wars on the battlefield, but you won’t win them here. You are no match for me."

Ophelia let go of Dante’s hand and entered the chamber before anyone eavesdropping could notice her. She looked around the chamber and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

Was it wise to enter the chamber of a man who kept a secret she believed to be dangerous?

’I could have just walked into a monster’s lair,’ Ophelia thought.

The sound of the door closing was heard behind her, followed by Dante’s footsteps.

"I would offer you a drink, but we both know how that would go. I am not in the mood to stop you from trying to fly. Or, this time, you would seek water to swim in. Would you care for water or should I send for food?" Dante asked, seeking something to keep Ophelia occupied.

"It is a kind offer, but I have already eaten since I woke up. Will you not tell me the reason why you are awake? Surely, you couldn’t have been waiting for me to come to you. What if I had long fallen asleep? Would you have kept waiting for me?"

"I know when you are awake. As quiet as you think you are when you sneak around your chamber for food, you are loud to me. I would have gone back to sleep when your chamber got quiet," Dante explained.

"Must I be cautious of what I do when I am alone since you can hear me in my chamber?" Ophelia asked, turning away from Dante.

"Well, if you were doing something that required privacy, I would leave my chamber and return when I assume-"

"Why must your mind go there? I could have been referring to anything," said Ophelia.

"But we both know you are not. How trusting of you to come to my chamber without a coat to cover yourself. Are you certain you are not here to seduce me?"

"Says the man who stands before me without a shirt. I have not come here to seduce you. We laid together on our wedding night, so there is nothing to hide," Ophelia said, walking past Dante to go to a chair.

Ophelia sat down and looked at where Dante stood. "I am here because I cannot sleep, and it turns out that you share the same struggle. We should help each other by talking until we are tired enough to sleep. Did your talk with Victoria go well? She looked nervous."

"We are alone in my chamber, and of all things, you want to talk about Victoria? Not the day we had?" Dante asked, joining Ophelia by sitting down to the right of her.

"I thought I made it quite evident that I enjoyed the day with you. I also thought that there seemed to be something wrong with Victoria, so you would want my help. You can’t worry about your enemies and be concerned about Victoria’s troubles. I can help you," Ophelia offered.

"I prefer not to trouble you. There is something I must bring to your attention, but right now, I want to speak only about us. Were you honest that their deaths did not trouble you?" Dante asked, unable to shake the thought that he could have scared Ophelia.

"I assure you, I wasn’t afraid. I have never seen someone die up close, but I wasn’t terrified. With the number of people I had killed in my head, I feel perfectly fine. If anything, I was happy you rid yourself of people who betrayed you before it was too late," Ophelia explained her current feelings.

"How disappointing. Here I thought you would be so scared that you would ask me to comfort you," said Dante.

"Lord Hastings, I would hate to think that you find yourself drawn to me," Ophelia said, hoping it wasn’t the case.

"And if I were?" Dante answered.