Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 76: Accusations (1)

"Did you find the dress you want to wear?" Gabriel asked Cassandra.

He used the time his mother wasn’t around to lay with Cassandra. She was good at taking his mind off the things which troubled him.

"I did. I would love to show it to you but it is a surprise. You will fall in love with me again when you see it. I don’t know if your mother might like it," Cassandra said, rolling to lay on her stomach. "She was trying to get me to wear her old wedding dress. It isn’t as pretty as when she wore it and it smells."

"I do not want to see you in an old dress. My mother has a habit of putting attention on herself so please understand her. I will speak to her," said Gabriel.

"I don’t want to disappoint her but it is our wedding. I want to be the most beautiful bride for you. Sometimes, no. I shouldn’t say that," Cassandra shook her head, getting rid of her thoughts.

Gabriel used his right hand to have Cassandra look at him. "What is it? I don’t want any secrets between us."

"It’s just that I feel she punishes me in place of Selene sometimes. I want to be close to your mother but the feelings of hatred for Selene are still there. What can I do to get closer to her? To have her forget about Selene and love me?" Cassandra asked.

Gabriel smiled as he raked his fingers through Cassandra’s hair. "The mere fact you think of how to get her to love you is a start. I am happy you care for my mother so much. It is a stark difference. All she thought my mother needed was money."

Cassandra laid on Gabriel’s chest to calm him. "Do not think of her now especially when we lay like this. I fear that you may try to go to her. I do not mind if you still harbour love for her. I understand it but please, do not speak of her."

Gabriel thought it was foolish to say this when she was the one who brought up Selene first but he decided to let the matter go. "I won’t," he promised.

"Do you think with a little more convincing the king might attend our wedding? It would be the talk of the kingdom if he did. Since you risked your life for a war he pushed to happen then it is only fair that he attend our celebration. Why wasn’t he at your banquet?" Cassandra said, angry the king was ungrateful.

Gabriel laughed at Cassandra’s angry side. "The king doesn’t accept invitations from just anyone and I will not ask about it to annoy him. Now is the time for me to get on his good side as I enter the palace. The more status I gain, the more I will decorate you and let you enter the palace."

Cassandra just needed to wait a little.

Cassandra smiled, her intentions hidden behind the innocence Gabriel adored. She doubted him at first but Gabriel was proving to be quite useful.

"Wait," Gabriel sat up. "There is trouble outside."

Cassandra frowned. What trouble could there possibly be now?

Cassandra tried to search for her dress as Gabriel got up to put on his pants. She didn’t know what he had heard outside but when she neared a window, she saw there were a few men below.

Gabriel exited the room as soon as he got his pants on. He didn’t like the sound of what he was hearing outside.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gabriel questioned the men who were welcomed inside. "You are servants to my father. What happened?"

"There was an attack on your mother during her ride back home. Her left foot suffered the worst of it-"

Gabriel grabbed the collar of the man speaking. They had to be speaking nonsense. No harm should ever come to his mother.

"Gabriel!" Cassandra called to stop him. "You mustn’t hurt him. He will not harm you," she promised the frightened servant.

Gabriel released his hold on the servant. His anger had gotten the best of him. "Get me a horse and my sword."

The servant had more to say before Gabriel left in a hurry without knowing the full story. "Your mother’s left foot was injured and she suffered a stab wound. She was left to die but a passing farmer helped her. She was able to say the name Selene before she passed out."

Gabriel froze when he heard Selene’s name. If his mother hadn’t told him of speaking with Selene today then he wouldn’t have believed it could be true.

Selene had gone so far as to try taking his mother from him. She couldn’t have expected his mother would survive to tell the tale.

’Is this Bryce’s doing?’ Cassandra wondered.

The attack sounded like something Bryce would do since he wouldn’t be able to kill Lucinda. He had a hard time killing who he viewed as innocent but Cassandra knew if he spent a day with Lucinda he would not think she was innocent.

’This works well for me,’ Cassandra thought as all blame was targeted at Selene.

It made perfect sense for anyone to believe Selene had something to do with this. There was some good in Lucinda being so quick to go after Selene earlier.

Cassandra was curious if Bryce said anything to make Lucinda think it was Selene’s doing or if Lucinda jumped to that conclusion. For now, Cassandra had to play her part.

Cassandra gasped, covering her mouth with her hand to play shock. "How could anyone do such a thing? I will go to see Lucinda. We must all be at her side."

"No. You need to stay here where it will be safe," Gabriel ordered Cassandra.

Since Selene had gone so far it was to be expected she might also target Cassandra. Gabriel couldn’t have anything happen to another woman he loved.

"I will go to see my mother to confirm what was said and then take care of who did this. Promise me that you will stay here and not sneak out. I don’t know what other plans she has," Gabriel said, trying to protect Cassandra.

"I don’t. I cannot sit back while your family is under attack. I should be there with your mother. At least allow me to sit beside her while you deal with who did this. I’m sorry," Cassandra apologised, trying to wipe her tears.

Gabriel did not want to bring her along but knowing his father must be out for blood, his mother would need a familiar face when she woke up. "Get something to cover your dress and bring one of your maids. I will leave you with my mother."

Cassandra wiped away the last of her tears and moved quickly to find Mandy. She had to see what had become of Lucinda with her own eyes. It was something she couldn’t miss.

In the meantime, Gabriel grabbed what he needed for the fight that would come tonight. He needed to call the town guards to help him get inside Lord Blackthorn’s estate.

If Selene was the one behind what happened to his mother then Gabriel would make sure she had hell to pay.