Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 27: Change in plans (2)

After Eliza left the chamber, Ophelia walked to the balcony to look down at the guards and busy servants. From the tower, Ophelia was able to learn when the guards changed their positions, and to her right, she had a tiny glimpse of the training grounds.

Ophelia touched her shoulder. Already, the pain was going away, but it would take longer for the redness to go away.

Ophelia thought of her future with both Dante and Joel.

"They’re going to get rid of me the second I am not married to Dante," Ophelia said, since she would no longer be useful to Joel.

In a way, Ophelia needed Hastings. She needed their power to get her brother, and then once the illusion of a truce faded, she would take Theo and leave.

For now, hiding away in a tower wasn’t useful to her brother.

It was a mistake. Ophelia had been so focused on Cecilia that she didn’t stop to make a plan of how she would get Theo away from her mother and Joel.

The only person Ophelia could turn to for help was none other than Dante.

Ophelia hurriedly walked to the door and opened it to find the guard. "I wish to speak to Lord Hastings," she said.

The guards looked away from Ophelia.

"Very well. The next time I see him, I shall let him know that you didn’t alert him to an important matter. Tell me, how does he punish his guards when he is upset?" Ophelia said, wearing a smile when her words did the trick.

"Wait here."

"Gladly," Ophelia responded to the guard.

Ophelia closed the door and waited patiently for Dante to arrive. She expected Dante to be late since her request was rather abrupt, but to her surprise, it wasn’t long before Dante came to her door.

"You came quickly," Ophelia said as she stood up from her bed.

"It is the first time my wife has sent for me. I thought it was best that I be on time. So," Dante said, closing the door behind him. "What is it that you want from me? Another favour?"

"An agreement," Ophelia said, deciding to use Dante. "An agreement that when this truce fails, and you succeed in killing Joel, you would allow me to leave your castle alive."

"Oh, this is rather amusing," Dante said, going toward the lone chair in the chamber to sit down. "Go on," he encouraged Ophelia.

"We both don’t care for this marriage, and as I said before, I want no part in this war. When it is over, I want to quietly leave, and I wish that you would allow me to do so."

"You speak as though you know of a plot to end my life. There is meant to be peace now, so why worry about our marriage ending?" Dante asked, curious as to what drove Ophelia to this point.

Ophelia drew closer to where Dante sat, but kept a reasonable distance. "Do you truly believe Lord Valthorn won’t try to kill you?"

"No."

"And having lived with him, I understand if you want him dead. I know nothing of his plans for you. My only interest now is acting as a good wife and staying alive. Can you promise me that as long as I remain not a threat to you, I can walk away in the end?" Ophelia asked, offering her hand for Dante to shake.

Dante stared at Ophelia’s hand at first and then back to her face. "That was always my plan. What drove you to think of this?"

"We must all think of our future at some point. I’m sure, before you and Joel try to kill each other again, you want us to appear as a happily married couple before the king. I can play that role for you, but there is one thing that I ask for," said Ophelia.

"Go on," Dante said, eager to hear what she wanted now.

The dirt was intriguing, and upon his recent visits, Dante learned of how much his wife liked to garden. Ophelia truly was a survivor.

"In every shape and form, I want to have the power that is bestowed upon Lady Hastings. That means that I can punish anyone who tries to harm me and send away anyone who disrespects me. I am to be respected as Lady Hastings," Ophelia said, then waited for Dante to answer.

Dante stood up and held Ophelia’s hand, but did not shake it. "If you want this power to go against my mother, it is useless. She is leaving in the morning."

"I can almost jump for joy, but there are others who need to be dealt with. The head maid, the maids sent to me, and the guards have been unpleasant to be around. I’ve been struck by your head maid twice now," Ophelia revealed.

Dante frowned, the news coming as a surprise to him. "I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me about it?"

"That doesn’t matter anymore. I want to deal with her as I see fit, as well as the others," Ophelia requested.

"It’s better to send her away. I’ve been meaning to do it," said Dante.

"Very well, but before then, I want to repay her for the pain she has caused me. You have not shaken my hand yet," Ophelia noticed.

"Why must I shake your hand when I have not said what I want? So that I know that you aren’t a threat to me, I want you closer to me. How could I appear as a loving husband when my wife resides in a tower? You’ll take the chamber right next to mine."

Dante’s smile grew the more Ophelia showed her displeasure. "Now, I am considering having you be right where you belong from the start since you’re so amusing. My chamber is spacious."

"If I share a chamber with you, you’ll wait up with a dagger to your throat," Ophelia warned Dante.

"There you are," Dante said, for the first time seeing the real Ophelia. "That weak character didn’t suit you. What did you gain from now fighting back?"

"It helped you to realise that I mean no harm," Ophelia pointed out. "I will be fair and give you what you want, but can I have this tower for when I want to be alone? It is peaceful here."

"You’ve made good use of it, so I do not see why you cannot keep it. Along with the tower, I will allow you to walk around, but a guard must be at your side so we do not have accusations anymore. Now, I agree," Dante said, shaking Ophelia’s hand.

"Once your mother is out of the castle, I shall move to the new chamber," Ophelia agreed.

With the freedom given to her, Ophelia plotted to use her new power to sneak Theo away from under Giselle’s nose.