Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 91: Temptation (1)

"I was mistaken when we first met by thinking you were a serious man. Thomas, stand still," Ophelia said, placing a shirt on Thomas’s chest.

"You are making him uncomfortable," said Dante.

"Am I making you uncomfortable, Thomas?" Ophelia asked, ignoring Dante’s gaze. "Don’t look at him, Thomas. You are my guard, not his."

"You don’t make me uncomfortable, Lady Hastings," Thomas answered.

"See, I don’t make him uncomfortable. I should have come to the market with only Thomas since he is easier to speak with. This one is far too large," Ophelia said, handing the shirt back to the owner. "If there aren’t any smaller ones, I would need to have it made. Or make some," she considered. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Would you like to have a shirt made for you, Thomas? I am not good at it yet, but I am certain I can learn fast. You can think of it as my thank you for always guarding me," Ophelia said.

Thomas looked away from Ophelia for a moment and met Dante’s eyes. Not a word was spoken between men, but Thomas knew better than to accept Ophelia’s offer.

"Thank you, but I have many shirts. Far more than I need," Thomas answered.

"You may practice with me," Dante said, reminding Ophelia of his presence.

"You have already tasked me with mending your shirts, and I decided that I would make one for you. Must you be so greedy?" Ophelia asked, shaking her head at Dante. "You are making Thomas nervous, and I do not like it."

"You must scare the others around us, not the people I like. What can be done to change it? Thomas, what about my husband scares you?" Ophelia asked, unknowingly putting Thomas in a difficult position.

Thomas didn’t want to answer. It should be obvious why Lord Hastings scared him.

"Now you are making him nervous. Thomas, fall back with the others. I will protect my wife," said Dante.

Thomas happily left Ophelia’s side.

Ophelia was not pleased. "I was enjoying his company."

"Is this how you would be if we were to have a child?" Dante asked in a joking manner.

"If we were to have a child, I would be concerned. We both do not want to have children of our own, so please refrain from giving me that thought," Ophelia said, touching her forehead.

"Was the idea of it so bad that it hurt your head?"

Ophelia nodded. "It did," she answered. "Let us not trouble ourselves with what could be when it will not happen. Do you like any?"

"This one," Dante pointed to a shirt. "You can get it all and let your brother decide what he wants. There are plenty of men in the castle for the spares to go to."

"Right. I am to spend as I like since you are spoiling me. I want all of them," Ophelia said to the excited shop owner. "And the day has only just begun."

"I have started to regret my words," said Dante.

"You should. Should we buy fruit to nibble on while we look around, or would we be judged for walking and eating?" Ophelia asked, eyeing a stall with fruit.

"Do you care if we were to be judged?"

"No, I was trying to appear like a lady. I would love an apple. That reminds me that I need seeds for my pots," Ophelia said, walking ahead of Dante.

Dante frowned as he was reminded of Ophelia’s plans to survive in the tower. "You do not need to grow food. Haven’t you realised by now that I will always ensure you have food?"

"It is best to be prepared-"

"What for?" Dante asked, frustrated. "Have I gone back on my word thus far?"

Ophelia stopped walking and looked at Dante. "It is not that I think you would go back on your word, but what if you need to leave the castle for war or some other matter? What happens when I am alone, and everyone goes back to treating me as they once did?"

"I trust you, but that doesn’t mean I trust everyone in your castle. Don’t think anything of it. Perhaps it would just be something I do to pass the time, and I want to because it is comforting. I like having a plan should everything fail," said Ophelia.

"I understand," Dante said, accepting Ophelia’s wishes. "If it is comforting for you, I will accept it. It will be my duty to make sure you don’t need to rely on that garden to be fed. Even if I am out of the castle, you will be taken care of. That garden has no use."

"I’ll believe in you, but if I grow many vegetables, wouldn’t you eat them? It would be a waste to let them wither away. I should give them to the cook, or maybe I should grow what I can eat at night without needing to cook," Ophelia considered.

"I am a bit concerned by how much you eat at night. Why don’t you have your fill at dinner?’

"I do. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep, so I stay up and look for something to eat. I know it is a bad habit," Ophelia admitted.

"If you cannot go back to sleep, why don’t you come to my chamber? Most nights I am awake, and now I know what the sound I heard is," said Dante.

"You may regret this. I might keep you awake at night with boring talk. I cannot ignore it anymore. I must have fruit," Ophelia said, going toward where there were many. "I would like one of all, but I do not have a basket."

"Thomas," Dante looked over his shoulder. "Find my wife a basket."

"Why Thomas? I am getting the feeling that you are torturing him for some reason. Is it because I adore him?" Ophelia wondered.

"What is there for you to adore about Thomas?"

"Ha!" Ophelia exclaimed and pointed her finger at Dante. "I was right. Do you feel like I have taken your precious knight away from you? Trust me, Thomas still likes you more, and I don’t want to steal him from you."

Dante watched as Ophelia picked out berries. For a wise woman, Ophelia had her moments of being clueless, but for now, it was best she remained that way.

"You should try it," Ophelia said, offering a berry to Dante. "Oh, my mistake. I am always quick to feed Theo."

Dante grabbed Ophelia’s hand before she could pull away and leaned down to take the berry from her fingers. His lips brushed against her fingers as he took the small berry from her hold.

Dante licked his lips, savouring the juice that seeped out of the berry. "It is good," he said, letting go of Ophelia’s hand. "You should get plenty so I can be fed more."