Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 57: Obsession (1)

Giselle wiped her eyes as she stormed off. She should be used to Freya’s treatment by now, but it still stung.

Giselle long figured out that Freya was only kind to her in Ophelia’s presence, as she wanted to hurt Ophelia, but after many years in Freya’s life, Giselle thought Freya would accept her.

"So many years of taking care of them for what?" Giselle muttered.

Giselle sometimes wished Joel didn’t have any children, so she wouldn’t have to put up with Freya’s antics. The only two who truly loved Giselle were Nigel and Bella.

’It will be perfect once Freya is married off,’ Giselle thought.

Freya was always the one to run to Joel to whine and upset him. Once she was married off, then Giselle could have the perfect family.

Giselle knocked on the door of Nigel’s chamber. She knew something was troubling him since he wasn’t making much of an appearance.

The door opened, revealing Nigel, who stood with a blanket wrapped around his waist.

Giselle’s eyes went to the bed where a maid was frantically trying to get dressed.

"Your father wants to speak with you. If he had been the one to knock on your door, you would be in trouble now. Fool around if you wish, but have them gone by the morning," Giselle advised Nigel.

Giselle was thankful that it wasn’t a daughter of a nobleman or worse, a princess. Then Nigel would have been in hot water.

"I did plan to send her away in the morning, but we lost track of time. I am not in the mood to speak to my father," Nigel said, walking away from the door to go back to bed.

Giselle avoided the maid as she entered the chamber. "Your father has gotten the king to take you under his wing. Any other day, you would have been thrilled to be noticed by the king. What is it that troubles you?"

Giselle noticed the mark on Nigel’s face, but she wasn’t interested in asking. She assumed Nigel got into a fight with one of the guests, so it was best she didn’t know much about it, so when Joel asked if she knew, she would be honest.

"Nothing," Nigel replied as he got back in bed.

Giselle walked to the windows and parted the drapes so sunlight would fill the chamber.

Nigel raised his right hand to shield his eyes from the light.

"This is how late it is in the day. It is time that you get out of bed and face your father. You mustn’t miss this chance to be near the king. Your father is counting on you to win tomorrow, so I suggest you find your sword to practice," said Giselle.

Nigel remained in bed. "I am going to win no matter what. You mustn’t worry."

"It is my duty to worry about all of you. I don’t want to see you and your father at odds with each other. He is already upset that his plans for Lord Hastings failed," Giselle said, taking it upon herself to tidy Nigel’s chamber.

"That man, is your daughter in love with him?"

"I believe she has fallen for his sweet words, but there is no true love between them. If he offered Ophelia a bit of gifts, I’m sure she would be foolish to think he adores her. Don’t believe their act," said Giselle.

"I found them alone in a room last night. They were quite close to each other, like two lovers hiding away to be intimate. I didn’t know she could have such a side to her," Nigel said, still ridden with anger over what he witnessed. "Did you know she could be like that?"

Giselle sighed. "You shouldn’t follow those two. They are married now, so if Lord Hastings wants her in the middle of the ball, she must follow his request. She has to obey."

"So, that is what it would take. Marriage," Nigel said, finally having the answer to his questions. "I should have trapped her in a marriage. She never listened to me."

Giselle stopped and looked at the bed. "What are you talking about now? Are you drunk as well?"

"How could I be drunk when my father ordered the servants to keep bottles away from my chamber?"

"I will pretend that you are drunk now. That is the only excuse for why you could speak of your sister-"

"Sister?" Nigel chuckled. "The only one who thinks of your children as siblings is Bella, and that is because she is young and gullible. I never once thought of your children as my siblings. You don’t even think of them as your children."

"Still, to everyone outside this family, she is your sister. I suggest you stop concerning yourself with Ophelia and focus on what your father wants. It is time that you find yourself a wife and do well to get the king to keep you at his side," Giselle said.

Giselle didn’t want to hear anymore of Nigel wanting Ophelia since it would only make Joel claim that she had poisoned his mind.

Giselle gritted her teeth.

Why was everyone so concerned about Ophelia?

Why was she on all their minds?

"I can get all that I want," Nigel said as he got off the bed. "You and my father ruined my fun. Even worse, you handed her to a man I despised. I was having fun torturing her. What am I to do when I return to the castle?’

"Find a wife here and take her back. Do whatever you want with her then, but give up on Ophelia. Even if you don’t see her as such, she is your sister. Don’t go up to Lord Hastings to speak about Ophelia. You mustn’t cause a fight."

"I’m afraid a fight has already started. You should have seen her. Since he was at her side, she was bold enough to hit me in the face. All I wanted in that moment was to drag her out and whip her until she bled, but he protected her," Nigel said, yearning for a moment to get even.

"You. It was Ophelia you fought with? How could you be so foolish!" Giselle yelled, angry that Nigel let it go so far.

Nigel grimaced, annoyed by the noise in his ear. "It is too early for you to be so loud. I will not let this go quietly. I’ll get both of them and put her where she always belonged."

Giselle needed to sit down. "You can’t do anything. For the time being, with the truce, Ophelia belongs with Lord Hastings."

"No, from the moment you brought her into the castle, Ophelia belonged to me."