Yes, My Alpha: Mother of an Empire

Chapter 66

The confusion was clear on Barnabas's face, "What?" he questioned, "Don't know how could you not know?" He added after a moment, Ophelia sighed standing up and stretching. She was so stiff now. "I just don't." Ophelia replied cracking her back, Lionel stood up and did that same, though she didn't notice it at first she and Lionel ended up doing a couple of stretches in sync with one another.

"Do you have any input on this Lionel?" Barnabas questioned, "The kid can't remember where she came from." Lionel replied rolling his arm in a windmill motion, "What?" Barnabas questioned tilting his head, "I have amnesia." Ophelia sighed, "The church in Flat Trench found me washed up on the river banks when I was just a kid. I don't really remember anything before that."  Ophelia explained taking a moment to redo her hair, "I don't know how to know how to make perfume, read maps, ride horses or a lot of other stuff. I just... I just do."

The duke was quiet listening to Ophelia with a thoughtful expression on his face, Ophelia tightened the pony tail in her hair once she was satisfied with it. "That might explain why you were able to beat Solomon Clovis's grandson, you might have a stronger background in sword play than expected." Barnabas spoke up rubbing his chin. "The kid does have a natural talent." Lionel chuckled as he waltzed over to his seat and flopped down.

"You need to be careful with doing that, it's difficult to get a new one." Barnabas snapped, "Ah you worry too much, it's fine!" Lionel waved him off, Ophelia watched the two men before letting out a breath, "I didn't beat him in a sword fight." Ophelia confessed, the bickering between the old men settled down and the looked to Ophelia looking perplexed as to what she meant. "But you said you won?" Lionel spoke up his bushy brows furrowed together tightly.

"Yeah I did. But Solomon's law never says it has to be a sword fight." Ophelia spoke with a frown on her lips, "It only says to kill or be killed." She continued, "Then how did you--." Barnabas spoke up but Ophelia cut him off, "I choked him to death and cut his head off with my axe." Ophelia answered, the two men went silent.

"The entire Clover camp watched it happen." Ophelia shifted a bit unsure if she should add in that detail or not. "Why... Why didn't you just use your sword?" Lionel questioned in a small voice, "Our swords flew out of our hands, Lorcan was going for his and mine was right next to his. So I just got..." Ophelia trailed off thinking about the fight, "Got to him before he got to his weapon." Barnabas spoke up. "Yes." Ophelia replied looking to the duke.

A long heavy sigh came from the older alpha men.

Ophelia stood there unsure as to why they looked sick to their stomachs at this point.  

Were they mad she didn't use a sword? Ophelia couldn't help but think to herself, Lionel did talk a lot about honor on the battle field. Ophelia sure if she subscribed to that idea. After all operating under some vague honor code without knowing that your foes were going to do the same only benefited them and left you dead in her opinion. Why did it matter if she killed Lorcan with a sword or a axe? She murdered someone regardless, to pretend as if that was an honorable action was just lying to herself.

But she wasn't about to feel guilty about it. She did what she had to do and Lorcan had to go, if anything she had pick the best possible option with the least amount of blood. Even if that led to having herself on the line in the end.

"I think it might be good for Spencer to have a long talk with you about common decency." Barnabas spoke up rubbing his hands together. "Please don't wake him up." Ophelia begged with a grimace on her face she had gotten her fill of the commanding officer for today. She couldn't take any more.

"Why did you have to strangle him?" Lionel questioned looking at a loss for words, "Would you have rathered I started to chop his head off with him still alive?" Ophelia questioned tilting her head, "I mean he was a rapist but that seems a bit much Lionel." Ophelia couldn't help but grimace at the thought. The two men paused and stared at Ophelia, "Wait... He was a rapist?" Barnabas questioned, "Yeah he was assaulting someone when I turned up in camp." Ophelia sighed with a frown on her lips. "Kellis seemed to act like it happened often." She added after a moment in a softer voice.