Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 132: Powerless (1)

"I am not against you, Queen Croswell. I have apologised to your son for what I did, and he appeared to have accepted it-"

"He did not," Althea stopped Freya in her tracks. "My son was being a gentleman, not acting out before others, but he hasn’t forgiven you. More importantly, I haven’t forgiven you. Did you think that because I was so kind to you before, you could get away with disrespecting me?"

"You keep saying that I disrespected you, but it is the third prince I betrayed. Don’t you know what everyone says about you and your son? They say he latches onto you, so it makes him look like a little boy. If the prince is so upset with me, then he should be the one to come to me," said Freya.

Althea smiled as it was funny that Freya thought the prince would come to her. "You can’t get the crown prince to come to your bed, so why would my son grace you with his presence? You’re not going to see a prince anytime soon."

"Do you know where the crown prince is now? Does he care to tell you where he goes throughout the day?" Althea asked, sitting down on a chair.

"Does the king tell you of his whereabouts? Everyone knows that the king does not love you, so before you take jabs at what I have with the crown prince, I advise you to take a look at your marriage," Freya suggested.

Althea wasn’t hurt by what Freya said. "That would wound me if I cared to know where my husband is. I have the freedom of going where I please, while you are stuck here in the smallest chamber of this wing. I picked it out for you. It suits you."

"I am Lord Valthorn’s daughter," Freya reminded Althea.

"I know. I made sure the maids included your father’s name when they spoke of what you did. No one will forget that you are Lord Valthorn’s daughter. You’ll soon find how slipping into a man’s bed when you aren’t married ruins a lady. I’ll have a gathering soon, and you are invited," Althea said, enjoying the way Freya’s confidence faded.

"I will not attend," Freya declined the invitation. It was obvious what Althea wanted to do.

"You will attend unless you want to be dragged out by the guards in whatever attire you wear that morning. You must stop thinking of yourself as your father’s daughter. You belong to the palace, and I control the women here-"

"Yet, you cannot stop them from going into bed with your husband," Freya interjected. "I heard rumours there might be a new prince or princess, but you are not pregnant. I suspect you are angry with me because you can’t take your anger out on those women."

"You are playing with fire, Freya. Had you cried a little bit and appeared remorseful, I would have gone easy on you. It must be because you have never suffered once in your life that you are so bold. I will open your eyes to how good your life once was," Althea decided.

"I am the crown prince’s woman. If anyone is to oversee what happens to me, it will be him. I don’t want to fight with you since we were once close, but I will speak of your actions if you persist," Freya warned Althea.

Althea leaned forward to ask, "To whom? Who will you complain to?"

Freya gripped her dress.

Althea was the first visitor Freya had aside from the maid who came to see her.

"I will be so kind as to tell you where the crown prince is now. He is with his future bride, getting to know her as we start to plan the wedding day. Soon, she will live here, and I will allow her to command the crown prince’s women. There should be a ball soon. Would you like to see it from a tower?"

"Leave me be. If all you have come here to do is toy with me, then I suggest you leave. You will not get to me when I know well that you are not happy here. My father is the right-hand man to the king. I know of the king’s secrets and who he meets with. You don’t want to mess with me," Freya said, deciding to fight back.

"So, your father, against the king’s wishes, has been speaking of what my husband orders him to do. I am curious how my husband will react to this," Althea said, finding joy in Freya’s stupidity. "You truly are foolish, Freya. It is no wonder that everyone turned their heads toward the young woman who is your stepsister."

Freya realised her mistake. "My father never shared the king’s secrets. I overheard them."

"Yes, but who was he speaking to for you to overhear it? You must know when to be silent, Freya. What a pity," Althea shook her head as she stood up. "I would have adored you if you married my son. I was quite looking forward to us getting closer, but you went and ruined it for a man who has forgotten you existed."

"I will take constant care of you and always remember that you don’t have a mother. I’ll do well to scold you in her place. At tomorrow’s gathering, I want you to be present. I will send a dress for you to wear and let you meet the woman you will share the crown prince with."

"Oh," Althea said, as she remembered an important detail. "She knows of your plans to get rid of her so you could be with Sebastian, and she is not pleased about it. Her family isn’t pleased, and you have given your family one more enemy."

"My brother is close friends with the crown prince," Freya said, not afraid of the future queen. "The king is all that matters."

"Oh, how you always overlook us. Come in!" Althea yelled for the guests she had waiting outside to hear. "The king won’t bother himself with matters of women. He’ll leave it for his queen to deal with. Since you are left in my care while the crown prince is busy, I can do as I want."

Freya stepped back as maids came inside carrying buckets of water, and a man, dressed in robes for a priest, entered. "What are you doing?"

"I asked if you were repenting of your actions, and from our talk, I can see that you don’t regret what you did, so I must help you. The kind palace priest will help you to wash away your evil ways. Don’t stop until she appears remorseful," Althea ordered the servants. "May prayer help you, Freya."