Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 206: Guests (1)

Selene gave all her attention to Josephine for the day. She was lucky Josephine didn’t drink and decided to get what she needed to move away from Nathaniel.

Selene made a point of Josephine only needing to collect what she had at home but Josephine spoke of starting fresh.

Hours later, the pair were on their way back to the estate. Josephine rested her head on Selene’s shoulder, getting some rest after a long day. She wasn’t energetic anymore and went back to her usual self.

Selene held Josephine so she wouldn’t fall. Her heart ached for Josephine. It was never a good feeling to step away from a marriage especially when there were still some feelings. It felt awful now but Selene knew Josephine would feel free in the end.

Lucas looked out the window instead of watching the pair. This was the first time he saw Josephine so relaxed with anyone. He would have liked to see what happened inside the shop to change Josephine’s plans to get drunk.

"Lucas, would you be willing to take some guards to collect what Josephine will need while she stays with us? I fear something bad might happen if Xavier goes and sees his father. Now isn’t the time for them to fight each other," said Selene.

"I can go but I will need a list of what she needs as well as Lady Josephine’s word that I can enter her home. Maybe a letter should be sent ahead that I am coming," Lucas suggested.

"Just leave them there," Josephine spoke, startling the two. "If anyone goes there beside me, it will anger Nathaniel and he will fight with Xavier. It truly isn’t the best time for them to fight with the tension among the Blackthorns. It is a house divided."

Josephine sat up, giving Selene some space. "I got what I needed and when I am ready to move from the estate into my own home, I will go get what I need from Nathaniel."

"Why would you leave? We would not chase you away," said Selene.

"Oh please. You’re still in that stage when all you want to do is touch each other and it would feel strange to do it while his mother is around. I want to give you back your space at some point," Josephine explained her decision.

"But to spend money just to be away from us," Selene said, disliking this idea.

Josephine laughed at what concerned Selene. "I have another home to my name. After all these years I have been alive, why would I only have one home? I just want to be near you two for a moment and then I will head out. I should stick to my plan to visit my family."

"You should do what makes you happy," Selene suggested.

"That is easier said than done. Being near my son makes me happy but I can’t disturb him now. I hope to hear about children soon. I am jealous that my friends get to experience the joys of grandchildren but don’t worry, I won’t hassle you. I’m still too young to be called a grandmother," Josephine said, hoping to avoid the dreaded title.

"I do want to advise you that whenever you suspect you are pregnant, you stay far away from the other Blackthorns. It is easy for them to pick up on when you are carrying one of their own and the king would be able to tell," Josephine shared.

Selene frowned. "They are all connected more than I thought. I am curious. If a woman the king sleeps with becomes a child, will she enter the palace and raise that child as a royal?"

"I hope you are not asking this for yourself. You should never think of picking Darius over my son but if one of his women were to be pregnant, her treatment all depends on her status. The king would not get rid of one of his offspring but if the mother isn’t of good status, they might be placed in the background," Josephine answered.

Josephine continued to say, "They will also need to be wary of Vivienne’s father. He isn’t too fond of anyone other than Vivienne carrying Darius’s child. That is why other than the child Vivienne shares with Darius, there have not been other heirs. That woman would be walking right into her death."

"I see. Her plans won’t go as she wants," Selene said, thinking of Natalie.

"Victor will do what he can to kill her but if she plays her hand well, she might beat him. It depends on how well she can convince Darius to keep her safe. Since you are speaking about this, there must be someone who carries his child. Do not get involved," Josephine advised Selene. "It will be messy."

"I wasn’t going to get involved in it. Frankly, I don’t like speaking about it for anyone to overhear but I was curious. Seeing how this person would go behind the queen’s back to have a child with the king is exactly why I don’t need you to fix my problem. These women aren’t friends. They are using each other," Selene concluded.

"I understand it better now. I’m sorry if I bothered you by speaking of fixing it. Indeed, we are not all friends though we call each other that. We just play pretend and use each other to make our days a little entertaining. I am still concerned for you cooped up in the estate but I will leave you," Josephine promised.

"Thank you. We have a guest," Selene said after spotting another carriage parked before the front door. "Do you know who it is, Lucas?"

"It belongs to Isaac. Lord Blackthorn must have sent for him to come to the estate," Lucas answered.

"We haven’t had this many guests since the wedding. I wonder if he would stay long enough to have dinner with us," Selene said, eager to have others seated at the table.

Lucas knew the odds of Isaac staying for dinner were low. It was likely that Isaac already didn’t want to be here but Xavier forced him to be.

’If I find a rope he can stay forever,’ Lucas thought. All he needed was to cover Isaac’s mouth so he couldn’t call for help.

Lucas was the first one to exit the carriage when it stopped and offered his hand to help the women out.

"Maybe I should have told Xavier that I would be staying a little bit before I bought all those things today. He might not like this," Josephine said, nervous about Xavier’s reaction.

Xavier offered her a place to stay on the estate but he probably never thought she would need it. freewebnøvel.com

"He will be fine with it and if for a second he does not like it, I will convince him. You have my word," Selene promised Josephine.