Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 123: Accepted (2)

"Cecilia, I want the best for you and Dante," Victoria said as she walked with Cecilia. "I understand your feelings. Believe me, I do. I don’t want to see you pushed to the side by Dante. I watched Ophelia with her family, and they don’t get along. Her mother seems to care more for Lord Valthorn’s children."

"Why am I to accept a woman whose own mother doesn’t want her? Dante should marry a woman who suits him. A woman who can offer him power. Ophelia has all the benefits of being with my son. What can she bring to him other than trouble?" Cecilia asked, waiting for an answer.

Cecilia thought it was even more important to get rid of Ophelia since she had Edward’s attention.

"The king will be after Dante even more now that he wants her. I knew she shouldn’t have joined him. She looks to be a woman who wants to gather the attention of every powerful man in the kingdom."

"It is not so. Edward was the one who grew affections toward her. I do not believe there was a moment when Ophelia attempted to seduce the king. To me, it appeared that the king took a liking to her because he wanted what Dante held. The king is an awful man. You mustn’t forget," said Victoria.

Victoria hoped that Cecilia wouldn’t be so cruel as to forget the man Edward was, all because it concerned Ophelia.

Victoria stopped walking and held Cecilia’s hand. "You were upset when rumours spread that the king wanted me. We mustn’t be accepting of his ways just because it is Ophelia he wants. You are to have morals."

"I know he is awful, but it would take her off our hands. When the war is said and done, I cannot allow her to remain at his side. Surely, she will want her brother to stay, and then it won’t be long before her mother tries to join him. It has always been her plan, and I will stop it," Cecilia said, feeling one step ahead.

"You must listen to me. I witnessed the interactions Ophelia had with her family. All she cares about is her little brother. She doesn’t care for her mother or any of the Valthorns. Ophelia helped Dante to kill his enemies-"

"He said he wasn’t attacked," Cecilia interrupted Victoria.

Victoria bit her lip. "I do not know why he kept that from you. Both Dante and Ophelia were ambushed in their chamber, but Dante killed the attackers. It gave us reason to leave the palace and stay in the mansion. He invited men, whom I thought were his allies and killed them."

"It seemed Ophelia helped him because she wasn’t phased by him killing those men. Whatever it is that has grown between them seems to work. Perhaps it is not love. Maybe I have seen it wrong. Dante could be working with her to learn Joel’s secrets," Victoria said, trying to end Cecilia’s worry of Dante falling in love.

"That might be Dante’s intention, but that girl will see it as something more. I am tired of speaking about Dante and that woman. Tell me about how your time in the palace went. Did the ladies adore the dresses I picked?" Cecilia asked, purposely shifting the conversation.

Cecilia didn’t like seeing Victoria giving up on Dante so easily.

The king’s interest in Ophelia and Alistair’s wanting to kidnap her were both worth looking into. If Ophelia was the sacrifice needed to please the king and take his anger from Dante, then so be it.

Cecilia only thought of protecting Dante.

Later in the day, as night came upon the town, Ophelia got dressed for her outing with Dante. Ophelia got changed twice as she overthought what she would wear. She didn’t have the faintest clue where Dante would be taking her, so she didn’t know what to wear.

Ophelia eventually settled on a simple dress and sat on her bed, looking out at the setting sun.

As time went by, she started to wonder if Dante had forgotten what he told her.

Luckily, a knock was heard, causing Ophelia to stand up fast.

Ophelia closed her eyes, scolding herself for being too excited.

"Come in," Ophelia said, opening her eyes.

The door opened, revealing Dante. He examined what she wore.

Ophelia looked down at her dress and asked, "Is it not suited for where we are going?"

"It is fine since we won’t be going too far. It’s time to go," Dante said, holding the door open for Ophelia.

"Will we be back in time for dinner?" Ophelia asked, covering her shoulders with a shawl as she walked towards the door.

"I would not keep you from dinner. We will be back before your food goes cold. Since you care so much about food, I would not like to see how you are without food," Dante said, closing the door behind Ophelia.

Ophelia laughed. "You would not believe it, but I am quite calm when I don’t get food. I go to sleep longing for the moment I will be fed."

"That is sad," said Dante.

It was sadder to Dante because he knew it happened to Ophelia before in his castle when he was not paying attention to her care.

The pair engaged in idle chatter as Dante led Ophelia out of the castle.

Ophelia drew closer to Dante as they headed into the woods. "I must continue to remind myself that I have been good to you and you did not bring me out here to kill me. If I may," Ophelia said, clinging onto Dante’s arm.

"You suspect I want to kill you, so you want to cling to me?"

"No," Ophelia shook her head. "I suspect we are no longer alone. Are we having guests?"

"No, but I sometimes feel as though I am never alone here. There are no guards or servants here. No one is spying on us," Dante assured Ophelia. "We are here. This is what I wanted to show you."

Ophelia stared at a giant rock.

Was this what they came for?

"It is a rock," Ophelia said.

"It is where my great-grandfather is buried. My father shared a story with me about a mistake my great-grandfather made in his youth. He betrayed a woman he claimed to love, and as a result, she not only cursed him, but his family," Dante shared, staring at the grave no one visited in years.

"We’re slowly ripped off our humanity with each passing full moon and forced to endure an animalistic side we cannot control. Do you believe in beasts, Ophelia?"