Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 162: Prisoner (1)

"I was searching for you. I am taking my carriage to visit a friend in a moment. There is a gathering I want to attend, so we shall find dresses together," said Victoria.

"A gathering? I haven’t attended one in ages. Should I accompany you?" Cecilia asked, welcoming a chance to get dressed.

"I would love for you to join me, but it is a small gathering for ladies who are not yet married. We are gathering to speak of ways to help each other, and I think it is a good chance to bond with others. They are all eager to hear about the palace," Victoria shared.

"Victoria, you know better than to attend such gatherings. These types of gatherings are for ladies who will always struggle to find a suitor, and you are not like them. You would benefit from attending a gathering of my choosing. Tell them you cannot attend," Cecilia said, already having another gathering to attend.

"I still want to attend. I have spoken to some of the ladies before, and they are all wonderful. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few more friends. After all, you never know who they might marry. A friendship with them might be useful in the future," Victoria tried to reason with Cecilia.

Cecilia shook her head and thought of how Victoria didn’t know what was best for her. "You’ll sully yourself by gathering with those women."

Victoria didn’t mind. "You forget that I already ruined myself by letting others believe I was Lord Hastings mistress. I want to get away from it and meet ladies with the same interests as me. I will marry soon, so you must accept it."

Victoria approached Cecilia and held her hands. "I can help you to get back in good graces with Dante. I know you hate being away from him, and I hate to see you both like this. You must talk to him."

"I will not go to him; he must come to me. I am not the one who turned my back on my family and chose the enemy. If you want to help me, then you must wait for my son. Can’t you do that for me?" Cecilia pleaded, desperate for Victoria to hold on a little longer. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Victoria shook her head. "I have told you that I am tired of waiting. Dante isn’t the man for me. He is my friend, but he is your son. We both know Dante will soon need you. You cannot leave him alone, all chained up in the castle. You must go to him."

Cecilia stepped away from Victoria and rubbed her temple. "What Dante needs is his father. How am I to understand what he faces? I cannot bear to see him like that. How could a child of mine turn into that creature?"’

"If he would allow it, I would join you in the castle. What will we do about Ophelia? If we are not there to distract her, then she might stumble upon him. Shouldn’t we help Dante to keep his secret? I trust her, but I worry about her reaction if she were to see him," said Victoria.

Victoria didn’t want Dante to lose the woman he cared for, all because Ophelia became afraid.

"You are right that we should be in the castle. My family has too many secrets for us to allow her to stay there. Then, she will be bringing her brother, and I assure you that her mother is coming next," Cecilia said, furious simply from the thought.

"I have told you that Ophelia isn’t close to her mother. It is only her brother she loves, and from what I have heard, Lady Valthorn doesn’t seem to care for her son. She kept him out of sight and never bothered to take him to the palace. She is a cruel woman," said Victoria.

"How could a mother not love her children? The issue doesn’t lie alone with Lady Valthorn. Sometimes our children are never grateful for the things we do. You and I will soon return to the castle where we rightfully belong," Cecilia assured Victoria.

"I don’t want to go back to the castle to live. I want my family home, and I am not going to get it by chasing after Dante. You must get rid of your dreams for me to marry Dante. I urge you to mend your relationship with him as his darkest hour shall soon be here," said Victoria.

"I intend to be close to Dante again, but I cannot bear seeing him with that woman. We should have gotten her out of the castle before the full moon. Don’t you agree?"

Victoria agreed with Cecilia, but she didn’t want her words to be twisted for Cecilia’s benefit. Victoria suspected Cecilia was plotting something, but after days of prying, she had yet to find a clue to send to Dante.

"I think Dante knows what would follow if Ophelia were to discover his secret, so I trust he has come up with a way to get her out of the castle. We are in luck that he imprisons himself in the dungeon, and no one is permitted to see him. It would be better to cage him here," Victoria suggested.

"No!" Cecilia exclaimed, afraid of destroying the home she felt comfortable in. "We don’t have the space to hold such a beast. We must leave him in the castle."

Cecilia couldn’t have Dante getting out of the castle to ruin her plans of killing Ophelia.

"I have also thought of your troubles with your uncle. It upsets me that a man who stole everything from his brother, who was loyal to my family, is still alive. Alistair is not loyal to the Hastings, so he must go. No one will miss him, and it will be easier to chase his family away," Cecilia plotted.

"Dante will not kill Alistair-"

"He didn’t kill him because you pleaded with him not to kill Alistair. You were young and foolish. Dante made the mistake of considering what you wanted. It doesn’t matter that Alistair is now close to the king. We only need to make it look like an accident. Trust me," Cecilia said, confident in her plans.

"If you have plans to kill him, you must let Dante know of them. Think of how Dante would take the blame if you fail. I should take Ophelia’s advice to wait. You always say the war isn’t over till Lord Valthorn is dead. It will be easy to kill Alistair then, so let it rest," Victoria pleaded, not wanting to be burned by a failed plan.

"I am starting to have my doubts about letting you marry my son. If not for all that you know, I would turn to another lady. If you leave to meet with those women or any man courting you, you will not be allowed inside my home," Cecilia warned Victoria.

"If you don’t have me, where can you go?" Cecilia pointed out. "Do as I say, and you will be well cared for."

Victoria backed away from Cecilia. "You are starting to sound like my uncle. If losing your shelter is the price to pay for choosing myself, then I shall accept it. Thank you for all that you did for me," Victoria curtsied. "I will leave and keep my freedom," she decided.