Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 55: Mother (2)
Giselle’s eyes lit up.
"You must keep your word. If you go back on your word, I won’t do as you ask of me for weeks," Giselle said, needing to hear Joel promise it one more time.
Joel went back on his promises too many times for Giselle to believe he would give her an expensive necklace if she did well.
Joel flicked his wrist, annoyed that he had to repeat it. "I mean it. I do not see why women need their necks to be so decorated, but you may have it as long as you do well."
Giselle stood up and walked over to where Joel was to rub his shoulders. "It is not all for me. If I am wearing a grand necklace, it speaks of your wealth and what you could afford. It will make the other women jealous, and they shall run to their husbands who shall envy you."
"Haven’t you seen how the young women look at Freya? How they eye her dresses? They know that she is spoiled by a father who doesn’t spare any money when it comes to dressing her. Tomorrow, you shall see many ladies dressing like her," Giselle explained.
Joel liked the sound of it. "It is as it should be. Freya should have the young women wanting to be her, and the men courting her. She will set the stone for when it is Bella’s time. Though Bella is not ready for marriage, have her behave."
Now was the time for Joel to get families with young sons to know of the young beauty Joel had for a daughter.
"If Bella could also marry a young prince, it would be good for my family. The king would have even more reason to be on my side," Joel plotted.
"Forgive me if I have asked you before, but why is the king so against Lord Hastings? The Hastings have always been loved by many around the kingdom, yet the king has held a hatred toward them for years," Giselle said, puzzled as to why it was so.
If Giselle were in the king’s shoes, she would take the Hastings side since they appeared to be more powerful. Joel was merely someone who did all that the king wanted, so he could be granted more power.
If not for the king meddling, Giselle believed Dante could have long killed Joel, but this wasn’t something Giselle could speak of out loud.
"There are secrets to the Hastings land which they are unwilling to share. I don’t know what the king suspects or knows, but as long as I have known him, he has been angry that the Hastings won’t follow his every order and share their secrets," said Joel. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Joel also wished to know what it was.
"They have stuck their noses in matters that don’t concern them and keep staking claim on land I deem as mine. The king should have long killed them for not revealing what it is they hide. What is he waiting for?" Joel wondered.
Joel always thought of the possibility of the king changing sides if Dante were more obedient.
"Well, it doesn’t appear to be quite simple to kill Lord Hastings even for the king. I have always found it strange how he would return from war unscathed. Weren’t there many rumours of him being gravely injured, but he walked into the palace as though it never happened?
"Who is his doctor?" Giselle asked, since the man behind healing Dante was very skilled. "Perhaps you need to get rid of his doctor. If Lord Hastings recovers after you have killed his doctor, then it must be that he is a man who cannot be killed. Maybe he is not human," she joked.
"I will look into who heals him. I have already stolen quite a few of his allies. You must get close to the other wives so they can convince their husbands to reconsider whose side they are on. I must go speak to my peers," Joel said, wanting to make the most of Dante being out of the palace.
"I will go speak to Freya and tell her about meeting with a prince. She will be delighted, and I have a lot of work to do to prepare her for tomorrow. I must get Bella to stop playing," Giselle said, afraid Bella would get in the way.
"Be stern with her. Bella is not a child, but a young woman to be noticed by others. I cannot have her childish antics deter potential suitors from her," said Joel.
"There are many who are fond of such innocence. She will make them feel like they still have their youthful side. I only need her to stop running around and speaking of Theo. She is always asking to speak to Ophelia. When did they get so close?" Giselle wondered.
Giselle did her best to keep the children separated, yet Bella grew attached to Theo and Ophelia.
"It must have been due to Freya and Nigel growing up to have no time for her. I will find suitable ladies of her age to frequent the castle when we return, and you must reconsider my idea. Let us send Theo out of the castle to a small home where he can be cared for," Giselle suggested.
"I told you that I want to get rid of him for good."
"You know why you can’t. It won’t be long before Ophelia is asking to see her brother. She’s always acted as though she were his mother. No matter how hard she tries, Ophelia will never forget. You must be patient," Giselle advised Joel.
Joel hated that everyone around him was asking him to be patient. His fight with the Hastings started when Dante’s father was alive, and now he was fighting Dante.
"I can’t leave this fight in Nigel’s hands. That boy is all talk and runs when the fight gets deadly. I will not have him embarrass the family name. Not when the king wants to take him under his wing. Where is Nigel?" Joel asked, now realising he had not seen Nigel in the morning.
"I have not seen him. He was in a foul mood at the ball. It doesn’t take much for Nigel to become angry. Just as I must keep watch of the girls, you must keep a hold on him. Luckily for you, he is participating tomorrow, so it is his chance to impress the king. He must win," Giselle said, wanting something to boast about.
"He will," Joel said, willing to do anything to make Nigel the victor.
