Chapter 268: Hastings ball (3)
Ophelia and Dante soon arrived at the ball, which was held outside to accommodate all the guests in attendance. Areas of the castle were opened to the visitors, allowing them to get a glimpse of the inside of the castle.
Ophelia’s eyes scanned her surroundings, ensuring that all was well before she could relax and enjoy herself.
The music sounded magical as Alice said, and already there were couples dancing in the centre. There was food and drinks all around. The ball had a wonderful turnout as it seemed most of the town was present.
Ophelia linked her arm with Dante’s.
They walked through the crowds, returning greetings to those who greeted them.
Ophelia relaxed as the ball was off to a good start.
"Lady Hastings," a greeting came, followed by a crowd of women surrounding Ophelia.
"I, yes," Ophelia said, uncertain as to who she should look at first.
Dante was forced to release Ophelia’s hand since the crowd had no interest in him, and he was getting in the way of the women being close to Ophelia.
Dante didn’t mind. Ophelia had become popular and rightfully so. He stepped off to the side but remained close enough to watch over Ophelia.
They could never be too safe.
"It seems my sister is well desired tonight, Lord Hastings. I fear you won’t get the chance to dance with her," Theo’s voice came from behind Dante. "You might as well sit down."
Dante looked back for a moment before his gaze went back to Ophelia. "I will share a dance with her. She did not endure all those lessons for no reason. The women are simply excited to see her."
"Her actions during the war greatly helped her with the townspeople. I hear they sent baskets filled with food to the castle. It is unfortunate that Ophelia could not eat them because of the incident prior. Food is certainly the way to Ophelia’s heart," said Theo.
"It was a kind gesture, but we cannot take any chances. I heard from Thomas that you are planning to go back to the mansion and you will have your studies there," Dante said, being respectful to look down at Theo as he spoke.
"Yes, I am. It will only be for a few weeks. I want to have a little experience of what it is like to be independent. With me out of the castle, Ophelia won’t have to be constantly checking on me. She will have a break, and she is in dire need of one. Please get her to rest," Theo requested.
"I already have a rope ready to tie her with if she doesn’t plan to rest," Dante replied.
Theo laughed and wished to be a fly on the wall to hear when Dante spoke of this rope to Ophelia. "I wish you good luck with that plan. Ophelia might not be as skilled as you when it comes to fights, but I assure you that my sister will not allow you to tie her," Theo said, his laughter slipping between his words.
"I can be rather convincing. Are you enjoying yourself?" Dante asked, fearing that Theo felt out of place.
"I am. So far, I have had two drinks, and both gave me the feeling that I could stand up. While I can’t dance, I enjoy speaking to the knights, and the maids are kind enough to pretend to show interest. I am already happy that I can attend a ball," Theo said, satisfied with his invitation alone.
Theo watched the guests laughing, drinking, and having a good time. "For years, I could only listen to the music from afar, but now I am here, getting to experience it. It is even better that Ophelia is the one who planned this. She has come a long way, and I couldn’t be any prouder."
"You were right there on that journey along with her. You mustn’t count yourself out. Could you keep an eye on Ophelia for a moment? There’s a guest I need to send away," Dante said, his gaze fixed on Kaden.
"I will try my best to but I think those drinks have the world moving," Theo said, but he still tried his best to keep his eyes on Ophelia.
Dante walked over to where Kaden stood without any guards at his side. "I didn’t hear about you getting an invitation. You should be in the palace."
"I was, but when I heard you were hosting your first ball in years, I thought that I should make an appearance. It is a celebration of our victory, and I did help you. As for the invitation, a friend who couldn’t attend happily offered me their invitation," Kaden explained.
"What friend?" Dante asked, wanting to ban that person from the castle.
"I did not stop to ask his name. I was in a hurry, and once I spoke of money, our conversation went by fast. He’s a nice fellow about this height," Kaden said, showing the height with his hand. "If not for his kindness, I wouldn’t have made it inside the castle. I’m a little disappointed to not receive my own invite."
"You know I don’t consider you a friend," said Dante.
"Well, yes, but considering we rode into the face of death together, you should consider us to be a bit close now. We helped to put an end to Sebastian’s short-lived reign. We must get over the past and build a friendship. I am not here to spy," Kaden said, suspecting it was why Dante was suspicious.
Kaden had his own suspicions about Dante, but since Dante was a well-guarded man, he gave up. Dante wasn’t a man Kaden wanted as his enemy, and quite frankly, with his enemies dead, Kaden had no more interest in fighting.
"I came here with my only intention being to enjoy myself and have a few drinks before I return to my land. Matters in the palace have been settled, so I no longer need to be there. A man came to me in the palace and spoke of an order Edward made before he passed. He didn’t want Sebastian to be king," Kaden revealed.
"I’ll only tell you the rest of what I found if you allow me to stay-"
"I’m not interested," Dante said, motioning for a guard to approach.
"Wait, you bastard. Be honest that you are not angry with my presence. You are annoyed that your wife is surrounded. I am surprised you would stand here while that man courts her..."
Dante turned around to see who was courting Ophelia, only to find her still surrounded by women. He sighed, annoyed by Kaden. "You," he said, but Kaden was missing when he turned back around. "Bastard."
