Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 98: Misunderstood (1)

In Ophelia’s chamber, she got dressed for the guests she would soon meet.

"What is Victoria’s uncle like? Is he a threat to my husband?"

"I don’t believe he can cause any harm to Lord Hastings. What makes him untouchable thus far is how close he is becoming to the king. Some say he does the king’s dirty work, so the king offers him protection. There were rumours that Lord Hastings was going to kill him," Alice answered.

Ophelia looked to her right at where Alice fixed her dress. "Why didn’t he? If his goal was to help Victoria, why didn’t he just kill this man?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I do not know. It is only a rumour for me. Only Lord Hastings and Miss Victoria can tell you what happened. You don’t need to worry about Lord Hastings. He could kill Victoria’s uncle without breaking a sweat."

Alice stepped away from Ophelia as she finished tidying Ophelia’s dress. "Will you be going down to sit with them? I thought it was only going to be Miss Victoria and Lord Hastings."

"I should go down to greet guests, but I won’t sit with them. I know nothing of the relationship between Victoria and her uncle, so sitting with them would do no good. It is our other guests I am getting dressed to greet. We must go," Ophelia said, ready to see Victoria’s uncle.

Alice followed Ophelia out the door. "Will there be ladies attending dinner as well?"

"No. It is a man my husband knows. Well, I can’t say for certain there won’t be ladies. Maybe they might bring their wives," said Ophelia.

"If they are allies of Lord Hastings, then you have nothing to fear. They should respect you, and if they are thoughtful, they would come bearing gifts," Alice said, trying to calm Ophelia’s nerves if there were any.

"I don’t need gifts from anyone. I need to see if they are still on his side. Maids speak to maids of other homes, right? I have seen some share news of homes they do not work for. Do you have friends here?" Ophelia asked, hoping Alice did.

"I do not. I do not frequent the capital often, but it wouldn’t be hard for me to speak with other maids. I only need to share one story about the Hastings castle, and other maids would start telling me of what they witnessed in the homes they work for. Why?" Alice asked, eager to be of some use.

"It might be useful for me one day. I will need you when we return to the castle. I think it is too dangerous to send you out to speak to others while the Valthorns are here. They have seen you at my side," said Ophelia.

Alice thought she could still do what Ophelia wanted. "Why would the Valthorns bother themselves with a maid? I would never betray Lord Hastings."

"I am not concerned about them approaching you to betray Lord Hastings. I am concerned about one of them approaching you to hurt you. Never let them or their servants ask to speak to you alone. It is not safe for you, as it is not safe for me. Understood?" Ophelia questioned and stopped to look at Alice.

Alice nodded her head. "I understand. I have lost people close to me because of the war. I would never willingly go near the Valthorns. I will be vigilant. Thankfully, you will soon be away from them. If only the others in the castle knew how you are with the Valthorns. Then, they would understand you."

"I don’t need anyone’s pity to make them like me. They should like me because of what they see from me," Ophelia responded.

"Isn’t that why Lord Hastings likes you? Oh," Alice patted her mouth.

"You think he likes me because he pities me?" Ophelia asked, not surprised others saw it that way. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Ophelia once thought Dante was pitying her because of what she shared.

"No," Alice answered, afraid she made a grave mistake. "He likes you because of what he has seen."

"You are an awful liar. Thankfully, today I witnessed that he is kind because it is in his nature, not because he pities me. You could have been in a bit of trouble," Ophelia said purposely to make Alice panic.

"I said nothing of being kind. I said it is why he likes you. I am not the only one who has noticed it. The knights are being careful because they don’t want to end up like Rick," Alice revealed.

Ophelia frowned, puzzled by what Alice meant. "What has happened to Rick?"

Alice closed her eyes and wished she were somewhere far away. "I did not know you were unaware. I have heard that when we return to the castle, Rick will not be with us for long. Lord Hastings is sending him to the border, and it could only be as a punishment. The others are concerned, but they dare not voice it."

"It might not be because of you. It is only gossip," Alice said before Ophelia blamed herself.

"Of course it is not because of me. I did nothing to Rick, nor did I speak to my husband about sending him anywhere. We’ll be late," Ophelia said, continuing on her way.

As she walked, Ophelia wondered why Dante was sending Rick away. It couldn’t be simply because Rick didn’t like her. That wasn’t a good enough reason to send away a man considered to be Dante’s right hand.

When Ophelia arrived at the front door, she found Victoria standing with Nora beside her as she looked out the open door.

Ophelia approached Victoria and looked out to see what had her attention.

Dante was outside speaking to a man Ophelia had seen before, but she did not know was Victoria’s uncle.

"It will go well. I know nothing of your uncle, but I know Dante won’t let any harm befall those he cares about. While you sit with your uncle, you should think of Dante. Think of him as the sword you could use against your uncle," Ophelia suggested.

"I won’t show him weakness. Thank you," Victoria said, welcoming the advice. "You should join us. My uncle would be more well-behaved in front of a guest."

"Would he care to be well-behaved before me when the only status I have comes from the man protecting his niece?" Ophelia asked, not thinking of herself as important.

Victoria nodded her head. "He would. He is concerned about how others perceive him. He wouldn’t like it to be known that the caring uncle he portrays himself to be has been a lie."

"If it is what you want, then I will join you," Ophelia said, watching as Dante came forward with their guest.

"Ah, this must be Lady Hastings. I have been looking forward to the chance to speak with you. Lady Hastings, I am Alistair Lowe. Victoria’s uncle," Alistair said, offering his hand to Ophelia.