I’m Done Letting My Sister Take It All Chapter 04
My back slammed violently against the hard earth, and the metallic taste of blood instantly flooded my throat. Sand and dust choked my nostrils, triggering a harsh, chest-racking cough that left me gasping desperately for air.
A chorus of panicked cries erupted all around us.
“Fetch the physician, quickly!”
“Miss Clarice has fallen!”
I lay there, every nerve screaming. My left arm throbbed as though it had been torn apart, while warm, sticky blood trickled down my temple.
I stared at Christopher. He had already dismounted and was kneeling frantically before Katherine, cradling her ankle with trembling hands.
His voice was tight with worry. “Where are you hurt? Does it pain you terribly?”
Tears shimmered in Katherine’s eyes, her face ghostly pale. She took a soft, feeble breath and said delicately, “Chris, I am fine. But what about Clare? Go check on Clare, quickly.” How brilliantly clever of her. With a few words, she had painted herself as the picture of selfless innocence.
I felt a sudden, bitter urge to laugh, but the slight movement of my lips caused a thin trickle of blood to seep from the corner of my mouth. Jenna rushed to my side, weeping as she tried to cradle me. “Miss Guzman, please don’t move!”
Supported by her attendants, Lauren emerged from the royal pavilion. The sound of her cane striking the ground silenced the crowd, and everyone lowered their heads in dread. “What happened?”
The moment her eyes fell upon my dirt-caked clothes and my half-unraveled hair, her expression darkened with thunderous rage.
Only then did Christopher seem to remember my existence. He rose in haste and took a few steps toward me. “Clare, I…”
I pressed my right hand against the ground and struggled to sit up. Small shards of gravel dug into my palm, sending a numbing pain through my hand.
“Christopher, don’t bother coming over. I’ve seen enough to understand. If you try to comfort me now, it will only make you look hypocritical.”
Christopher’s face turned deathly pale. “Clare, what nonsense are you talking about?”
I wiped the blood from my lips with my sleeve; my eyes locked onto his.
“When my horse bolted, you chased after me. I reached out to you because I trusted you would save me. But instead of helping me, you pulled away and turned back to Katherine.” I paused, my chest tightening with a suffocating pain, yet a cold smile touched my lips. “Since that is where your loyalty lies, why pretend to care now?”
My words cut through the air like a blade, exposing the truth for all to see.
Katherine’s tears flowed instantly. “Clare, it’s all my fault. I fell from my horse and distracted Christopher…”
“Indeed, Katherine, you are at fault,” I cut her off coldly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s utterly contemptible.”
Matthew’s face turned livid. Just as he stepped forward to reprimand me, Lauren’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “Stand down, all of you.”
She walked over to me, gently brushing away the blood-matted hair from my forehead. Her gaze grew even colder. “Where is the physician? Why has he not arrived yet?”
I gripped the hem of her gown tightly, my hands trembling and slick with cold sweat. For once, I refused to cover for anyone.
“Your Majesty, my horse didn’t panic on its own.”
Before the words could fully settle, Matthew was already barking his defense. “Clare, the horse panicked—it was nothing but an accident! Has your injury muddled your mind? Stop speaking nonsense!”
I tilted my head to look at him. “Whether it’s nonsense or not can easily be proven with a proper investigation.”
My left arm hung uselessly at my side, throbbing with excruciating waves of pain that made even breathing a struggle. Yet, the sharper the physical pain, the clearer my mind became.
“Before the race began, my horse was perfectly calm. It only became agitated after you rode over and rammed into me.
Matthew’s expression turned terrifyingly dark. “Are you accusing your own brother?”
I stared back at him, grinding my teeth against the mounting pain. “If your conscience is clear, why are you so nervous?”
Lauren let out a harsh, chilling laugh and immediately commanded, “Bring that horse here immediately. Detain the stable hands, attendants, and guards. If anyone dares to leave this venue today, I’ll treat them as the culprit.
Christopher stood frozen in place, his hand still hovering awkwardly. He looked back and forth between Katherine and me, his brow heavily furrowed.
“Clare, let the physician tend to your wounds first. Don’t be so stubborn.”
I found his concern utterly laughable. “Oh, come on. Wasn’t my injury caused by you guys?
The physician finally rushed to my side and immediately examined my arm. The moment his fingers brushed against the joint, I almost passed out from the pain, and cold sweat poured down my back.
“Miss Clarice’s left shoulder is dislocated, her temple is lacerated, and her back is severely bruised. Mercifully, there are no fractures in her legs.”
With red, tear-filled eyes, Jenna helped me sit on a cushioned chair. The slight movement sent a violent wave of nausea rolling through my stomach, filling my mouth with the iron taste of blood.
Not far away, the guards led my chestnut mare over. The beast was still snorting anxiously, pawing the dirt with its hooves.
The stablemaster walked a circle around the horse, then suddenly knelt down and extracted a thin, gleaming silver needle from the horse’s flank.
The crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy of whispers.
“Someone actually tampered with the horse!”
“To resort to such foul play during a royal tournament… how utterly ruthless!”
Sitting in my chair, I dug my fingernails deep into my palms. So, it hadn’t been my imagination; someone had truly plotted for me to fall.
Lauren was furious, slamming her walking stick onto the ground with a resounding crack. “Who did this?”
Matthew quickly interjected, “The needle might not have been inserted on the field. Horses are constantly being led in and out…”
“Matthew,” I called out, locking my eyes onto him. “Just moments ago, you insisted it was nothing but an accident. Why are you now suggesting foul play?”
The words died in his throat. The looks the surrounding crowd cast upon him shifted into cold suspicion.
Katherine’s face grew deathly pale. Leaning heavily on her maid, she suddenly swayed as if she were about to faint. Christopher rushed to support her, his face filled with deep concern.
Watching the scene, I felt the fire in my chest burn even hotter. Strangely, I no longer wanted to cry.
Lauren glared at Matthew, her eyes as cold as frosted iron.
“Apprehend Mr. Matthew Guzman immediately.