Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 73: Misdirected anger (2)
"Lord Hastings, it is not up for debate. Unless you sit out of the hunting round and guard your wife, I shall watch over her. The queen and other ladies have been patiently waiting to speak with Lady Hastings. You mustn’t keep her to yourself," Edward said, his order final.
Ophelia placed her hand on Dante’s back.
The king wasn’t going to give up, and Dante needed to go prepare for the hunt.
"I will sit beside the queen. My guards will be at my side, and there are many knights where the king sits. You should go prepare for the hunt to start. I don’t want to make you late. I will be fine," Ophelia assured Dante.
Should Edward try to be inappropriate, Ophelia had something waiting for him, even if she would have to face death.
It was time the king left the ladies alone.
Dante didn’t want to leave Ophelia near Edward, but his hands were tied.
The only solution to being back at Ophelia’s side soon was to end the hunt as quickly as possible.
Dante leaned down to kiss Ophelia’s cheek as part of his goodbye. "I will be back soon," he promised.
Ophelia saw Dante off, then turned her attention back to the royals.
"I am surprised to see you have made Lord Hastings so smitten with you in so little time. Tell me, what did you do?" Edward inquired.
"I’m afraid that is a question for my husband. Only he can give you an explanation for what he feels in his heart," Ophelia answered.
Edward chuckled. "You are right. Come," he said, offering his hand to Ophelia. "I will escort you to your chair." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Ophelia stared at Edward’s hand for a moment. He didn’t have any shame in offering his hand to her when his wife stood right beside him.
Ophelia didn’t have to look in Althea’s direction to know that she wasn’t happy.
All the king was doing for Ophelia now was flaunting his interest and making Ophelia out to be an enemy of the queen.
Althea held onto Edward’s arm before Ophelia could accept. "Dear, you are making Lady Hastings nervous. She wouldn’t want to see Lord Hastings jealous."
’"He would be jealous to see us together, wouldn’t he?" Edward responded; his round belly shook as he laughed. "I have much I must speak to you about, Ophelia. I am curious about the Hastings castle."
"Your majesty has never frequented the castle? It is beautiful from the gates to the training grounds. You must visit when you have time," Ophelia said, forcing a smile.
"I am too busy to leave the palace. During your time there, have you witnessed anything out of the ordinary? Anything that should be reported to the palace? I will keep what you say now a secret," Edward said, placing a finger against his lips.
Ophelia wished to point out that Dante’s guards were still standing behind her. How could what she said now be kept a secret when Dante’s guards were present?
Ophelia pretended to think about it, then replied, "There isn’t anything I must report to the palace. Though he is a lord, my husband is a simple man. He trains and tends to his land."
"I see. If there are any changes and an issue arises that raises your concern, it is your duty to speak of it to the palace. You must help me to keep my kingdom safe. The rewards would be bountiful for you if you speak up when needed. I can care for you," Edward said, reaching for Ophelia’s hand.
Ophelia felt disgusted by Edward’s touch. He kept his hold on her hand far longer than he needed to, and his smile added to the moment being uncomfortable.
Ophelia looked to Althea for help or to control her husband, but Althea was more focused on being angry.
Ophelia took it upon herself to pull her hand out of the king’s hold. Her cheeks were starting to ache from forcing a smile.
’This is for Theo,’ Ophelia repeated in her head.
Ophelia was close to leaving to find Dante and ask that he not join the hunt so they could go home, but she remembered this was all for Theo.
"I will do my part to keep the kingdom safe. The guests around us appear to be waiting for his majesty to sit. We mustn’t keep them waiting," Ophelia said, directing Edward’s attention elsewhere.
"The hunt must start," Edward said, realising he was late with addressing the men. "The queen will take care of you in my absence."
Ophelia nodded her head. Her smile fell once Edward was no longer before her.
"Careful, Lady Hastings. I still stand beside you," Althea said, reminding Ophelia of her presence. "Take a walk with me to your chair."
"Thank you for being so kind as to offer to sit with you whilst my husband is away," Ophelia said, complimenting Althea in hopes of calming her anger.
"I understood you once before and let the matter go, but you have been rude to not join my other invitations. The games are for the men. The women sit together and speak. That is how it is done here," said Althea.
Althea couldn’t take much more of Ophelia acting on her own accord.
"You will not always be able to hide behind your husband forever, and you will make yourself an outcast for not meeting with the other ladies," Althea warned Ophelia.
"I look forward to meeting the other ladies, but I want to watch my husband without any distractions. I know watching the games is not something the other ladies might enjoy, but I do. I enjoy getting to watch my husband do what he loves," said Ophelia.
"How touching, but you can do both. You have ladies to speak to. Ladies whom you will see at every gathering you attend in the capital. It is best to get on their good side now. So far, I am not impressed by you. You go out of your way to be a nuisance," said Althea.
"You looked quite impressed the last time we sat together. I know that I will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am fine with it if the ladies aren’t fond of me," Ophelia said, not wanting to get trapped in pointless conversations.
"You truly weren’t educated, as Freya said. Many of us don’t like our duties, but we get them over with. When I say that you are to come speak to the other ladies, you must do it. Or is it because you have the king’s attention that you act so boldly?"
