Chapter 260: Visitor (2)
"Ester? Why are you here?" Ophelia asked, surprised to see it was Ester.
"I tried to send all the visitors away, but some of them would not leave. I’m sorry," Alice apologised.
"It is not your fault, Alice. Some people are very persistent. Can you arrange for maids to bring my husband’s meal, and see that all the knights who returned are fed well? They are to have the day off from their duties," said Ophelia.
"Right away," Alice said and curtsied. She left the bedchamber, leaving Ophelia to deal with the pushy visitor.
"That was a long wait," Ester said, still annoyed.
"My husband just returned from war. I think the fault should be with you for coming to the castle so soon. I would have left after the first few moments of not seeing him," Ophelia said, but her words fell on deaf ears.
"The trip to your castle isn’t one that I enjoy, and I try not to come here too often. You won’t see me standing here for three or four years. I came because I wanted to see for myself what your state was," Ester said, observing Dante from head to toe.
"Did my husband not see you on his way toward the palace?" Ophelia asked, placing her hands on her hips as she faced Dante. "He said that he would."
"If he came to see me, I would not have come here. I see that you have cheated death," Ester said, no longer getting the sense that Ophelia was going to die.
"Good to know. I have the slight feeling that you were not right about me dying. You just wanted to scare me," Ophelia said, lacking confidence in Ester’s abilities.
"I might not be as strong as others, but I did sense it. You could have died during the full moon, or you could have been saved from an attack. Thanks to my warning, you must have been well guarded. You should be thanking me," said Ester.
"I think I should leave the two of you to speak. After all, you are here for my husband unless you also see danger in my future," Ophelia said, wishing Ester did not need her.
"It is true that I am not here for you. I came to see if he truly got rid of the beast, but I see a small part of it still lingers. You are the one in control of it now. If it bothers you that it is still present and you want to die-"
"Let us not speak of death. Do you suspect that the part that remains inside of him will turn him back into a beast during a full moon? Must we be prepared?" Ophelia asked, focusing on what mattered.
"I do not know. It wasn’t my curse, so this is all new to me. There is a chance that he could lose control during the next full moon and not change, but he might also change. Time will tell," Ester answered.
"It doesn’t feel as strong as before. These days, I am in control of it. It is only the hearing that remains. I have been cut, and it didn’t heal as it would before," said Dante.
"Hmm. Then, it might be slowly weakening. It was a strong curse, so I wouldn’t expect it to go away so fast, but it would not hurt to keep a part of the beast. Did it not help you with your battle?"
"The hearing helped. While it is useful, I would not like to pass it on to someone else," Dante said, concerned about the curse being inherited by a child.
"Why is that a concern? You said you didn’t want children. Oh," Ester said, realising the cause of Dante’s new plans. "Well, you would have to get the child and then see if the curse has passed on. You did better than the men before you, so I don’t think your child should inherit it."
Considering Ester never heard of the Hastings men shifting back to their human form during a full moon, the curse was broken, but she was curious why Dante still had a lingering feeling of the beast.
"Perhaps keeping some of the beast’s talents is a reward for not being like the men before you. You get the talents and don’t turn into a beast. I don’t think there is any cause for concern, but if you were to have a child, now you know how to break the curse. Find a wife who truly loves him," Ester advised the pair.
"Wife? What if we have a girl?" Ophelia asked, but then she remembered. "The Hastings family hasn’t had a girl in years."
"If you two were to have a girl, then I would conclude the curse is over. Here is your answer. You should pray to have only girls, or perhaps you would like to try one of my concoctions-"
"No!" Dante exclaimed, not wanting Ophelia to consider it. "Thank you for the offer, but I am not going to let her consume your concoctions. I remember the effects of drinking them."
"I was not going to accept it either way," Ophelia muttered.
Ophelia wouldn’t trust taking a glass of water from Ester.
"Well, I have done my part, so I hope neither of you will come searching for me. I want to have peace," Ester said as she walked to the door. "But I am happy you have come back safe. I was right to have high hopes for you."
Ophelia stayed silent until the door closed. "Had you gone to Ester on your way to the palace like you said you would, she would not have come to see us. Why didn’t you go to her?"
"Kaden was glued to my side. I didn’t want him poking around and trying to learn who Ester was. I did plan to go to her. I swear it," Dante promised.
"I believe you. I am thankful Ester has very little interest in visiting the castle so often. She never seems to have any helpful news. It doesn’t surprise me that your family took so long to break the curse. I am going back to bed," Ophelia said, walking back to the bed.
"Would you like me to undress you?" Dante asked, though he suspected he needed to be cautious.
"What for? It is not as though there will be any more lovemaking. Weren’t you planning to move to another chamber? I shall make sure you regret letting that suggestion leave your lips, even though you weren’t serious. Welcome home," Ophelia said as she sat on the bed.
"How silly of me to make the suggestion," Dante said, reluctant to approach the bed. "Your foolish husband will see where our food is," he said, seeking an escape.
