Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 120: Home (2)

"I didn’t come here to argue with you. I came to look after your castle while you were away. It would be nice if you appreciated what I did, but I know you are too angry to acknowledge my good deed," said Cecilia.

Dante walked away from Cecilia since he had to help unload the carriages and carts.

Cecilia followed Dante.

"Tell me, did anything happen while you were in the palace? Was your wife well-behaved? Did the king or Lord Valthorn trouble you? I was riddled with worry thinking of you being so close to those men," Cecilia said, relieved that Dante stood before her. "Tell me."

"All is well, mother. I wasn’t attacked nor troubled in the palace," Dante answered.

"Don’t start lying to me. Each time you go to the palace, the king always tries to kill you. Why can’t you share the truth with me now? Is it because you have gotten close to that woman-"

"Ophelia," Dante corrected for what felt like the hundredth time. "Her name is Ophelia. It is not hard to remember, and I won’t have you insult her. She is Lady Hastings."

Cecilia’s lips parted as she couldn’t believe her ears. "Never have you been so disrespectful towards me. No one will ever care for you as I do. I came here and dedicated my time to watch over the castle. You could have thanked me for it."

"Thank you, mother. Now go," said Dante.

Cecilia shook her head.

Men were always going to be so simple and think with everything but their heads.

Eventually, that feeling was going to wear off, and Dante would see that only his mother was right.

"Where is Edith? I have been asking for her, but no one seems to know where she has wandered off to. What did you do to her?" Cecilia asked, suspecting Dante was the one behind it. "Did you get rid of her because she is loyal to me? You mustn’t let your emotions get the best of you."

Dante sighed. He wasn’t in the mood to hear his mother burden him with what didn’t matter.

Dante turned around, deciding to give Cecilia a moment of his time. "Yes, I got rid of her. Considering it is my castle, I don’t need to explain myself to you. I am tired of you looking for issues in what doesn’t concern you. Since I don’t want to burden myself with your presence, I ask that you leave."

"Mother, either you walk out of my castle with your head up, or I will be forced to have the knights escort you out. I would not like the people in my castle to see such conflict between us, but if that is what it must come to, I will," Dante spoke softly, trying to keep the friction hidden.

The servants of the castle shouldn’t witness the Hastings being at odds with each other.

"I will leave, but I hope you never forget this day and the day you sent me from the castle. Do you think that woman truly loves you? That she is not waiting for a moment to stab you in the back? What if she learns more about you?" Cecilia asked, confident Dante was going to be disappointed.

"I look forward to the day she disappoints you, and you are forced to come back to those who love you. Luckily for you, I will always have love for my dear son, even when you don’t want it. A full moon will soon be upon us. Keep her in the castle and let it reveal feelings," Cecilia suggested.

Cecilia wished she could be present then and unchain Dante or take Ophelia to see him. She wanted to bear witness to how quickly Ophelia would fear Dante and run away.

The best way to get rid of Ophelia would be to let her see the secret of the Hastings castle. No one could ever leave once they saw it.

Cecilia approached Dante to kiss him on the cheek and say, "Be well, son. Pay attention to your surroundings. I will take care of Victoria. Heaven knows she must be upset."

"Victoria was never my mistress. I do not say this now because of Ophelia, so do not blame her. Victoria and I have never been lovers, so stop pushing for it. I allowed that rumour to spread so she could be protected from Alistair," Dante revealed, tired of withholding the truth.

Cecilia laughed since it was absurd that Dante and Victoria were never lovers. "You want me to believe you two faked being lovers all this time and never told me? How convenient that when that woman is here, you speak of your time with Victoria as lies."

"You don’t have to explain yourself to your wife, Dante. You are well within your rights to have-"

"I urge you not to finish that sentence, mother. You would have been livid if someone suggested that my father take a mistress. If you do not believe me, ask Victoria. I am tired of having to keep the truth from you and witness you push me with a woman I never loved. Ask Victoria for the truth," Dante said. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Cecilia stared at Dante, trying to decide whether he was lying. All she ever wanted was for Dante and Victoria to be together. With them being lovers, she thought they were one step closer to becoming married, but they never did.

"No," Cecilia gasped.

It made sense why, despite all her efforts, Victoria had never become pregnant, nor had Dante taken the step to marry her.

"No, no, no," Cecilia repeated, desperate to speak to Victoria.

Neither Victoria nor Dante had a good reason to leave Cecilia in the dark. They had gotten her hopes up all this time while playing in her face.

’It cannot be,’ Cecilia thought. There had to be another explanation.

Dante watched as Cecilia walked to her carriage. For the moment, it appeared that she believed it, and as long as Victoria spoke the truth without twisting the story, the matter should be settled.

Along with everyone in town realising that Victoria wasn’t Dante’s mistress, it was most important that his mother realised it. Cecilia was the one who kept pushing them to be together, even now when he was married.

Dante didn’t move until he saw Cecilia’s carriage was no longer within his gates.

"Take everything from the carts and carriages, then go rest," Dante instructed the knights. "I’ll help you when I return."

Dante needed to see Ophelia to check that she was well after seeing his mother. He was also concerned about his mother’s time in the castle while he was away.

Dante went straight toward Ophelia’s chamber, ignoring the new head maid who wanted to greet him.

When Dante reunited with Ophelia, he found her standing alone in the middle of the chamber.

"It is all gone," Ophelia said, looking around the chamber, which lacked her belongings.