Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 122: Accepted (1)

Cecilia stormed into her home in search of Victoria.

"Victoria!" Cecilia yelled at the top of her lungs. "Come here this instant."

"Lady Hastings," Victoria answered as she ran down the stairs whilst holding the sides of her dress. "Are you well?"

"Am I well? That is a question I must ask you. Are you well, Victoria? Have I not been kind to you long before you lost your family?" Cecilia asked, her anger growing the more she looked at Victoria.

Victoria nodded, but she was puzzled as to why Cecilia was bringing this up now. "You have been kind, and I thank you for all you do for me. Have I troubled you in some way? I do not understand."

"Yes, you have greatly troubled me. I do plenty for you, yet you didn’t have the decency to tell me the truth about your courtship with my son. Did you think it was fun to watch me push for you two together, all the while knowing it was a lie? If you care for me as you say, tell me that Dante is lying about it being fake," Cecilia demanded.

"I," Victoria said, but she was stumped.

Dante had not spoken of sharing the truth with Cecilia, so why?

"Stunned? That is how I feel. You know better, Victoria. I allowed Dante to remove me from the castle for your sake, only for you to keep this to yourself. Why? Why could you not tell me, and what is the truth behind it? I don’t believe it was to protect you from Alistair," said Cecilia.

"It truly was to protect me from me, but I must admit I enjoyed the idea that we were lovers. I wanted it to be true, but Dante only thinks of me as a friend. My uncle wouldn’t trouble me as long as he felt I was important to Dante. I wanted it to grow into more," Victoria said, saddened by the fact that her hard work was all for nothing.

"But that was wrong of me," Victoria admitted. "I couldn’t force him to love me, and truthfully, I am not suited for Dante-"

"You are, sweet child," Cecilia said, grabbing Victoria by her arms. "You are most suited for him. Do not let that woman cast doubts in your head."

"No," Victoria shook her head. "I am not suited for him. Dante needs a woman who is wise to not only help him with the castle, but also with his enemies. I cannot do that."

"You can with a little effort. Your father helped my husband and son to plan wars," said Cecilia.

"But never was I present to learn from it. My father wanted me to experience a life of bliss. I wasn’t told how to deal with one’s enemies. Believe me, it is hard to let this long, one-sided love go, but I have come to realise what Dante wants and what he now loves. He wants her," Victoria said, certain of what she saw.

There was no doubt that Ophelia was the kind of woman Dante was drawn to.

Victoria could never be like Ophelia, and she didn’t want to be.

"Oh, hush. You have only witnessed them close once and think that it is all over. Men don’t know what they want. He will open his eyes soon to see that you are right for him," Cecilia assured Victoria.

Victoria smiled, but tears filled her eyes. "A while back, I would have hoped this was true, but I cannot wait for the day for Dante to realise he loves me. I want to be loved now. I want to be married and feel protected by someone who cares for me."

"You must let it go as I have. I don’t want to go back to waiting. It is best for you that you accept Ophelia because Dante has grown to love her. He took part in the event so Ophelia could bring her brother to the caste," Victoria shared.

"Her brother? What is next? Will he allow her to move her mother into the castle? I will not allow this madness. My son will not fall in love with a woman from the Valthorn. My father fought to the death protecting our land from those thieves. I do not support it," Cecilia said, unable to love the enemy.

"You must support it if you want to stay at his side. He has already cast us both aside, and we are the closest family he has. If you don’t want to ruin your relationship with him, I suggest you accept her. You don’t need to like her," Victoria quickly added before Cecilia objected. "But you must accept her."

"Dante got upset with me and sent me away because I did not tell him of my uncle’s plans to kidnap her," Victoria said, still upset that she made a mistake.

This piqued Cecilia’s interest.

"Why? Why would Alistair want her?" Cecilia asked, seeing it as their hope.

"The king has taken a liking to Ophelia, and he has made it known. I suspect my uncle wanted to take her to give to the king. He wanted me to leave the castle with Ophelia so he could take her, and in return, I would have gotten back my home. Ow!" Victoria cried out as Cecilia hit her arm.

"See? There is much you always need to share with me. This is both intriguing and upsetting. What could those men possibly see in her? I do not understand it, but this presents an opportunity for us," Cecilia said, starting to plot.

"No, it does not. I will never work with Alistair to take her. He can never be trusted, and Dante will never forgive us. I know it will be hard, but you must let go of this anger you hold toward her. Dante deeply cares for her, and he has already shown he will pick her over you," said Victoria.

Victoria had already been pushed to the side, so all she wanted to do now was work on building back Dante’s trust. If Cecilia plotted to take Ophelia to Alistair, then Dante would surely think Victoria was involved.

"Very well. I will not worry you with this," Cecilia said, patting Victoria’s hand. "Let us not think of it as so bad that you were sent here. I will enjoy that company."

Victoria didn’t believe for a second that Cecilia would give up so easily. It wasn’t in her nature.

’I must write to Dante,’ Victoria thought.

"I want to find a husband soon. Can you help me?" Victoria asked, wanting to keep Cecilia busy.

"A husband? You don’t need to speak of one so soon. Come, let us share what the other has missed," Cecilia said, changing the subject.

Victoria didn’t need to find a husband when the man for her was near.