Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 210: Prisoner (2)

"Your son, your only son, has decided he wants to die. It pains me that he has to sit with the reality that you wouldn’t care that he wants to die because you wanted us dead from the start. You want to kill us right now," Ophelia said, knowing it wasn’t only Dante whom Giselle intended to kill.

Giselle didn’t believe Ophelia was being honest. Why would Theo want to die when he would now get a better life in the Hastings’ castle?

Giselle didn’t know what to feel. All she ever wanted was to get rid of the two children she felt burdened her, but never had she thought of her children wanting to die.

"Is he gravely ill?" Giselle asked, but she didn’t mean to.

According to the doctors, Theo should have passed long ago, but he managed to pull through. How could it be that after all the doctors said, it would not be Theo’s body that failed him, but Theo making the decision to end his life?

How could a young man who seemed to be doing well suddenly want to die?

Giselle couldn’t shake the thought that it was Ophelia’s doing that led Theo to this decision.

"Theo has always been gravely ill, but you were too busy with your new life to notice how much pain he was in. It must be a good day to know that you don’t need to trouble yourself with poisoning him. I bet you are rejoicing on the inside that you will finally get what you always wanted," Ophelia said, hating that Giselle would get her wish.

No matter what, Ophelia wouldn’t have it for Giselle to outlive Theo.

No, before Theo passed, he needed to see that Giselle was punished for the way she treated and abandoned him.

"Ophelia, you are far out of line. This is my son we are speaking about. I am the one who gave birth to him!" Giselle yelled, reminding Ophelia of her role. "You do not get to tell me how to feel about my son."

While Giselle felt relieved that one burden was finally about to be off her hands, she wouldn’t stand for Ophelia judging her. She had two children who didn’t care for her. Why should she be concerned about Theo wanting to die?

If Ophelia was such a good replacement mother, why did Theo yearn to die?

Certainly, Ophelia hadn’t done a good job as Theo’s mother.

"I have never once tried to erase you from being his mother, but you have placed me in the position to act as his mother. Your son wishes to die. He’s been in pain for years, and all you did was send doctors who never fully helped him. You are awful," Ophelia said, but she scolded herself for thinking Giselle would care.

Thomas returned to Ophelia’s side with a small bottle that one of the guards found.

Judging from Giselle’s expression, Ophelia knew she had found what she came searching for.

"This is all the proof I need to place you in the dungeon. You wanted to speak with Cecilia, most likely to plot against me. I will be kind enough to send you to speak with her. Take Lady Valthorn to the dungeon. Anyone who doesn’t move quickly will join her," Ophelia warned the men.

Ophelia didn’t want to speak to Giselle for much longer. She needed to return to Theo to face the reality of his decision, even though she didn’t want to think of him dying.

Thomas motioned for the guards to come forward to take Giselle.

Giselle gasped, her heart beating fast as the guards grabbed her. They gave her no time to plead her case to Ophelia for her freedom as they started to drag her out.

Kicking and screaming did nothing to help Giselle break free of the guard’s hold.

"Ophelia, dear. None of this was my idea. I wasn’t going to harm you. I can never bring myself to harm you," Giselle said, having wishful thinking that Ophelia would still yearn for her. "That is why I let you live years ago."

No matter what, Ophelia would never be so cruel as to harm her own mother. Ophelia had never it in her to attack Giselle despite all that she faced in the Valthorn castle. She knew the line she should never dare to cross, but now, a different woman stood before Giselle.

"Ophelia, please! He put me up to it. He wanted me to harm the two of you, but I wanted to protect you. My hands were tied to do his bidding. You must understand the position I was in!" Giselle yelled, hoping her words reached Ophelia as she got further and further away from the bedchamber.

Ophelia drowned out all that Giselle told her. She knew from the beginning that it would be Joel’s wish to kill her and Dante, but Ophelia was wise enough to know that Giselle also wanted them dead.

This was the same woman who tried to drown them so she could enter Joel’s castle without children at her side. The same woman who turned her back on them when they were tortured by the Valthorns, and the same woman who could not discard the poison to not go through with Joel’s plans.

Alice peeped into the chamber, curious as to why Ophelia had not moved even though Lady Valthorn had been dragged out of it. She looked to Thomas for him to be the one to question Ophelia, but he shook his head.

Alice didn’t understand until she heard whimpers inside the chamber.

Lady Hastings was crying.

Alice couldn’t believe there was a day that she would witness Ophelia crying. She once thought that Ophelia didn’t know how to cry.

After all that Ophelia faced in the castle, and perhaps in the Valthorn castle, it didn’t appear like she was the kind of person to cry easily to show others that they had hurt her.

Alice looked back after hearing the maids talking as they walked by. She closed the door, wanting to keep Ophelia’s state a secret. No one was to see Ophelia when she was in tears.

"Where is Lord Hastings?" Alice muttered, knowing Dante was the only one Ophelia would allow to see her cry. "I must get him," Alice decided.

Alice hurried away from the door in search of Dante. If moving without Opheli’s permission would have consequences, then Alice didn’t mind. She needed Dante to be present to comfort Ophelia.

Alice ran down to the training grounds, as it was the one place she assumed Dante would be at the present moment. She sighed in relief when she noticed Dante.

"Lord Hastings!" Alice yelled as she ran to him. "You must come quickly." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Dante’s focus went to Alice when he saw her running onto the training grounds. Alice’s presence here meant there was trouble. "Where is my wife?"

"She is in Lady Valthorn’s chamber. Lady Valthorn has been sent to the dungeon after poison was found in her bechamber, but that is not the issue. Lady Hastings is crying," Alice shared.