Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 186: Threat (3)

Ophelia entered the dungeon with Thomas not far behind her. She couldn’t put off speaking to Eliza, and whilst she was in the dungeon, Ophelia wanted to have a word with Cecilia.

Ophelia came to a stop before Eliza, who sat alone in a cell.

Eliza’s head was bowed as she hugged her feet.

A guard hit the cell door with his sword to get Eliza’s attention

When Eliza looked up, her heart sank. She dreaded seeing Ophelia more than Dante because of what Ophelia told her.

"Lady Hastings," Eliza greeted Ophelia.

"Don’t be respectful now. You made your bed, and now, you must lie in it. I won’t bother to ask if it was worth it since I can see the regret in your eyes. Don’t bother begging me for forgiveness. I have never liked you from the start, and I had good reason not to," said Ophelia.

Ophelia peered down upon Eliza.

Ophelia wouldn’t accept Eliza blaming her actions on Cecilia. Eliza made the choice to follow Cecilia’s orders.

"I said I was going to kill you, and I intend to follow through with it. What a shame that a good doctor would have to die. What method should I use to kill you?" Ophelia thought it over.

"Milady, please spare me. I know what I did was wrong, and I swear to you, I would never go against Lord Hastings orders again. I thought you were a danger to us all. I thought you were going to kill him," Eliza said, realising too late that Ophelia was not the enemy. "You saved him."

"From the start, I have made it quite clear that I was not here to harm anyone. I revealed to you that I was not the one behind Victoria’s illness, and Lord Hastings knew it. You were fixed in your own beliefs, and now you are here," Ophelia said, lacking pity for Eliza.

"I have thought of how I am going to punish you. You not only didn’t treat my hand, but you also helped place me to be attacked by my husband. That would have been a brutal death for me had my husband not snapped out of it. I can be brutal too," Ophelia said, having the best way to kill Eliza.

"Killed by a beast. Hmm," Ophelia considered it. "I shall let you know how it feels. Only then will you realise the consequences of your actions."

"Lady Hastings!" Eliza exclaimed as she stood up. Eliza feared death. She studied medicine daily because she wanted to prolong everyone’s lives.

"There are dogs present, right, Thomas?" Ophelia asked, looking over her shoulder at Thomas.

"Yes. Some of them are for hunting," Thomas answered.

Thomas looked back and forth between Ophelia and Eliza. He didn’t think this was going to be how Eliza died.

"Good. Have the guards prepare them for a hunt. Since Eliza likes to play dangerous games, we shall let her indulge in them," said Ophelia.

"Ophelia!" Eliza yelled and gripped the metal bars keeping her captive. "I am sorry. Truly, I am. I have been loyal to Cecilia for years because-"

"I don’t care for the reason. Once you try to kill me or have me killed, I don’t care for you and your excuses. When I said I was going to kill you, you should have taken it seriously. You should have done better to get out of the castle."

"I suggest you use this time to think of how you would outrun the dogs. Be wise," Ophelia advised Eliza.

Ophelia walked away from Eliza’s cell, ignoring the cries and pleas to forgive her.

"I know you wish to say something. Speak," Ophelia encouraged Thomas.

"Would you have her killed by the dogs?"

"I would not torture the dogs to feed on her flesh. I do intend to use them to scare her because she deserves it, but Eliza will be hanged. I have already spoken of it with my husband. She deserves to be consumed by fear. Wouldn’t you agree?" Ophelia asked, turning around to look at Thomas.

"I don’t mind how evil it might place me in your eyes. One day, I might wake up and decide to let her be fed by some other animal. I shall never forget the lengths they all went to hurt me, and I will repay tenfold."

"I can be kind, but my kindness ends when I am attacked. It will not affect my sleep to know she has died cruelly. I will not be upset knowing you are against it. Now, where can I find his mother?" Ophelia said, looking around for Cecilia’s cell.

Ophelia walked around the dungeon as if she were walking around the garden. She wanted to see who, along with Cecilia, had been placed in the dungeon.

Ophelia came to a stop at a cell where Cecilia comfortably sat on a chair.

"Who gave her the chair?" Ophelia asked out loud. "All prisoners are to be treated fairly, or else the dungeon would be seen as a luxury. I want the chair to be removed."

"Look at you, acting like you own the castle," said Cecilia.

"Evidently, I do. Your son is quite adamant on having me see what is his as mine. In your absence, I shall take care of the castle. I shall do it the right way. You know, I have been thinking of how I would punish you," Ophelia said, approaching the cell. "Imprisoning you simply isn’t enough for me."

"You’ll soon find that despite placing me here, my son loves me. Dante cannot be angry with me for long. You can only seduce him for a while before he realises that he needs his mother," Cecilia confidently spoke.

"I hope you will use this time to get better. There is some sort of sickness inside you that blinds you from seeing the truth. Instead of plotting with Eliza to kill me, you should have turned to her for help to fix you. If Dante weren’t serious, he wouldn’t have placed you here," Ophelia pointed out.

"It is your-"

"I never told him to place you here. I never told him what he needed to do to you. I allowed him to make his decisions because I didn’t want to get in the way of his relationship with you. In the end, he decided to place you here," Ophelia shared.

"Blame me all you want, but it shall always be Dante who placed you here, not me. I managed to break his curse with love, yet you think it is only seduction between us. I have never once used my body to get anything out of your son," said Ophelia.

Cecilia shook her head. "You’re just like your mother."

"That upsets me. For your plans to have me taken by Alistair, you need more punishment. Since you think I seduce your son well, I will act upon it. If I do it well, perhaps I could get you to be here for two more years," Ophelia said, considering the idea. "I will do well to seduce him."