Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 147: A mother’s love (1)
In the Valthorn castle, Giselle parted ways with Joel since he wasn’t in a good mood, and decided it was time to visit Theo.
It could not be avoided that Joel had to send Theo to Ophelia. It was decided that Giselle would be the one to accompany him, along with some of Joel’s guards.
Giselle didn’t want to go, but after Freya’s mistake, she couldn’t say no when Joel was in a foul mood.
Freya created a mess for everyone else, so now Giselle had to be on her best behaviour. The bright side was that Giselle did not have to bear with Freya’s antics.
Aside from Joel’s anger, the castle was peaceful.
Giselle’s smile fell when she stood before the door to Theo’s quarters. Coming here always left a bad taste in her mouth.
Giselle opened the door and entered the small chamber.
Like always, Theo laid on a bed, unable to help himself.
Between the two children, Theo was Giselle’s greatest weakness. He served no purpose to exist since, unlike Ophelia, he couldn’t be used to benefit Joel.
Giselle stared at Theo, watching as he slept.
Who had she angered for Theo to survive this long despite his weak state?
What happened to the doctors claims he wouldn’t live long enough to be a man?
"Theo, you must wake up. I need to speak to you," Giselle said, his name leaving a bad aftertaste.
Theo opened his eyes. "I was wondering who came to see me and was so quiet. I didn’t expect to see you, mother. I thought you forgot I existed. Where is Ophelia? Is she well?"
"Enough of this. You will be leaving the castle soon to see your sister at the king’s order. I have come to have a proper talk with you about your future. Do you intend to burden others all your life? Do you intend to have Ophelia always take care of you?" Giselle asked, doing as Joel wanted.
Theo laughed. "Just say you want me to die. If you can’t say it, why do you let him put you in these positions? How hard it must be for you to wish death upon the children you brought into this world."
"No one pushed me to do this. I am thinking of you and Ophelia. She’s been taking care of you all her life, and now, she wants to take you to the Hastings castle. Your presence there will only bring her trouble. No matter how hard we try, we cannot find a cure for your state-"
"Just say it, mother. Be out with it," Theo urged Giselle. "You want to get rid of the last bit of your past. When was the last time I saw you? How did you know where to find me? You haven’t come to see me since we came to this castle."
"That is not true. I provided you with a place to rest your head, and I always speak to your doctors. I am Lady Valthorn. Do you think I have time to be at your door every day? There is much for me to do, but you cannot see it because you can’t walk around!" Giselle yelled, frustrated that she was always criticised.
"I would like to see the outside world and all the work you must do, but you placed me here. You left me here for Ophelia to watch over me. I almost forgot who you were when I opened my eyes. When I think of my mother, all I see is Ophelia," Theo confessed.
"How tiring it must have been for Ophelia to spend her youth raising her sibling. I always wondered how she felt, but she always came to me with a smile. You have no idea how guilty I feel. Don’t you feel indebted to her in some way, mother?" Theo asked, but he knew Giselle was too heartless to care.
Giselle was lost for words at first, but then she remembered all she did for her children. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
"I brought you two into a castle. You should be grateful for the life I granted you both. So what if you didn’t have the biggest chamber, or Ophelia had to work? You are not his children, so it is reasonable that you work. If you were not sick, you could have helped Ophelia with her chores," Giselle said, shifting the blame to Theo.
"Ophelia had to work to make up for what you could not do. If anyone has failed her, it is you. Now it is time for you to repay the one you think of as your mother. Don’t burden her anymore," Giselle pleaded.
"How do you sleep at night when you do this to your children? Do his children love you? Is their love worth it, or do they treat you as a maid? I have always been curious about how they treat you, but Ophelia wouldn’t speak of you in a negative light," Theo said, wishing Ophelia shared the truth.
"When all you do is think of how to use or get rid of us, she wouldn’t speak ill of you to me. We owe her far more than we could ever repay her. I can accept that you don’t want us, but to not help your daughter, who took care of us, I cannot accept. I wanted you to know," Theo said, getting his feelings off his chest.
"I’ve been waiting for the chance to tell you what I feel about you, and I always thought it would never come. Don’t worry, mother. I bear much guilt for being so useless. Soon, you’ll have one less child weighing you down," Theo promised.
Theo didn’t want to be a burden to Ophelia any longer. He only wanted to see Ophelia once more to know that she was well before he went on his way.
Giselle stared at Theo, annoyed that he didn’t show her any respect. "It is thanks to me and the money I set aside for doctors that you have lived to this age. Never forget it."
"Then I must have you to thank for why my medicine is so few, and the doctors sent to see me have terrible knowledge of how to tend to anyone. If you would allow it, I would like this to be the last day we think of each other as mother and son," Theo requested.
"You brought me into this world, but you are not my mother."
Giselle clenched her fist. "So be it. Prepare yourself for a long trip to see your sister. If you die along the way, blame her."
