I Survived My Father’s Test And Took His Throne Chapter 04
Evelyn froze for a second, then smiled.
“So you know.”
I hadn’t expected her to admit it so easily.
“We’re sisters.”
“Sisters?”
She gave a mocking laugh.
“What does blood mean when there’s a throne at stake?”
“If you hate me for exposing you at the literary gala, I can apologize,” I said, staring at her. “But I don’t understand. Why did you have to destroy everything I had?”
“Because you were in my way!”
All the softness vanished from her face.
“We’re both King Edmund’s daughters. So why did he choose you? Why did Julian love you? Why, even after you’d fallen so low, did Father still believe only you could wear the crown?”
“I refused to let him have his way.”
She grabbed my chin and forced the rim of the cup against my mouth.
“As long as you die, there won’t be anyone in the royal bloodline left to stand in my way!”
The bitter liquid flooded my mouth.
I knew at once it wasn’t an ordinary abortifacient.
Deep in my mind, my wolf sounded a frantic warning. The liquid was laced with a high concentration of wolfsbane and another toxin that would destroy my internal organs.
I struggled with everything I had.
The liquid splashed everywhere. Using the last of my strength, I smashed the cup to the floor.
At that exact moment, the door to the room flew open.
My father still wore the mask, clearly having no intention of revealing himself to me yet.
The instant he came in, Evelyn gave a startled cry and deliberately slammed both hands down onto the shattered glass.
Blood immediately welled up.
She looked up, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling.
“Sister, I didn’t mean to! But this child really can’t be allowed to live!”
My father rushed over and slapped me across the face. In his fury, he forgot to disguise his voice.
“Laurel! For some bastard’s child, you’d hurt your own sister?”
The moment he finished, he lifted Evelyn and turned to carry her away for treatment.
“Wait.”
When I spoke, something hot ran down my thighs.
It felt as if my abdomen had been stabbed through and then viciously twisted. The poison suppressed my wolf; my healing instincts gave no response.
I let go of my dignity and begged him again.
“Please call a healer for me. I’m in so much pain.”
“There’s poison in that medicine. If I’m not treated now, I’ll die.”
My father stopped.
He had just started to turn back when Evelyn suddenly closed her eyes and went limp in his arms.
“Evelyn!”
Panic overtook him. He scooped her up and rushed for the door.
Only after stepping out did he look back at me.
“You can hurt your own sister. If you’re going to die, then die far away from the castle. Don’t stain this place with your blood.”
The door closed behind him.
Soon, blood began to flow from my eyes and nose.
Slowly, I sat up and wiped myself clean with the bedsheet.
Only after I stepped out did I realize this was the wing of the castle where I had once lived.
My phone and identity chip were still confiscated, and Evelyn’s people had long ago switched the surveillance feed to a loop.
I gave the familiar door one last look and left through a maintenance passageway I had discovered as a child.
My father didn’t want me to die in his castle.
Then I would grant him his wish.
At the end of the passage was an abandoned flood-control service door. Beyond it rushed the river that encircled the royal castle.
Over the last three years, I’d had countless chances to escape this way.
Every single time, I stayed because I was worried about Evelyn.
Now, there was no one left for me to protect.
I climbed over the safety rail and jumped into the black water.
As my body fell, I felt truly relaxed for the first time.
I was finally free.
But before I lost consciousness, I thought I heard a familiar voice.
“Laurel!”
Through my blurring vision, my father and Julian seemed to be running toward the riverbank. I couldn’t tell if it was real or just the last illusion before death.