I’m Done Letting My Sister Take It All Chapter 07
I held onto that old scented sachet and barely slept the entire night.
At dawn, Lauren’s people returned from the Guzman’s mansion with two large boxes filled with letters. I sat at the desk, my fingertips slowly tracing the yellowed pages, as though I were touching the five years of my life that had been stolen from me.
Most of the letters I’d sent had gone unanswered. More absurdly, tucked at the bottom of the box were over a dozen letters addressed to me, but they had never reached my hands.
The senders ranged from Matthew to Mom and even Christopher.
The letter at the very top was from Christopher, dated the third day after I’d saved his life at St Crathie Kirk.
“Clare, you saved my life. I promise to repay your kindness for the rest of my life.”
But then, as time went on, his letters began to change.
At first, they seemed harmless enough — he’d send me greetings and small gifts, but soon they shifted to more prying questions. He’d ask when I planned to return from the mountain or enquire about Katherine’s marital status, with each letter sounding increasingly cautious, almost probing.
One of his letters was especially nauseating.
“Just the other day, I visited your family’s estate and briefly encountered your elder sister. I was stunned to find that there exists someone so gifted and beautiful in both talent and looks. However, because of our engagement, I dare not say more. But I trust that if you care for me at all, one day you will surely bless me with your understanding.”
The paper crumpled under my grip as my stomach twisted violently, leaving me on the verge of throwing up.
So he hadn’t changed later, he’d changed almost immediately after meeting Katherine.
And during that time, he was still writing me letters claiming, “Clare, I adore your cheerful nature.”
Lauren had seen the letters too. She was so furious her hands shook.
“Shameless! No wonder the Guzman family was so desperate to swap brides, no wonder Matthew kept saying Kate was trying to bail you out. It turns out they’d been scheming together all along!”
I hung my head, unable to say a word for a long time.
What hurt the most wasn’t having something stolen from me. It was that I had once believed the lies were real.
Back in the mountains, I used to count the days until Christopher’s letters arrived. Every packet of fruit he sent, every box of cosmetics, filled me with joy. Even hearing him call me Clare was enough to make my heart race. Now I finally understood. Every kindness he showed me had calculation hidden beneath it.
Jenna was so angry she started crying. “They’re awful! How dare they keep letters like these? They must’ve thought you were easy to fool!”
“It’s not about being easy to fool,” I said quietly. “It’s just that I always thought my family wouldn’t betray me.”
But the truth was far crueler. When family affection was used as a weapon, it cut deeper than any blade.
Lauren walked over and rested a hand on my shoulder. For once, her voice was gentle. “Clare, if you don’t want to read any more of this filth, I’ll deal with it for you.”
I lifted my head and looked at her. My eyes burned, but I didn’t cry.
“I need to read them. I need to understand just how foolish I’ve been, so I’ll remember this lesson forever.”
From now on, I won’t give anyone the chance to deceive me twice.
Three days later, the king personally issued an order to investigate the incident that happened in the hunt.
In the forecourt of the Royal Lodge, a long table was set up, and everyone involved was summoned for questioning. I sat off to the side, draped in a cloak, watching quietly.
When Matthew was brought in, his face was ashen. Allen had already confessed; the servant who purchased the silver needle had been apprehended; and even the accounts from the pharmacy near the racetrack had matched up. The evidence was so overwhelming that Matthew no longer had any room to deny it.
Yet he still clung to his excuses. “I only wanted my sister to lose. I never imagined it would cause such a disaster.”
The king’s cold gaze settled on him. “So in your eyes, even a royal competition can be manipulated for your personal amusement?”
Cold sweat broke out across Matthew’s forehead. He immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness. My father and mother knelt behind him, pale-faced and silent, not daring to utter a single word.
I watched them quietly. To my surprise, my heart was completely calm.
Once, I believed that if I were more obedient and forgiving, they would one day recognize my sacrifice.
But the truth was, those who weren’t cherished would never be appreciated, no matter how much they endured.
In the end, the king decreed that Matthew would be stripped of his privileges to join this year’s autumn hunt and ordered to reflect on his actions at home for three years. Dad, for failing to raise his son adequately, would forfeit half a year’s salary.
For a child of nobility, three years was enough time to miss countless opportunities. Matthew’s proud future, the one he valued above all, was shattered by his own hands.
When he finally raised his head, his eyes were red, brimming with fury. He instinctively turned to glare at me, his gaze filled with venomous resentment.
I met his eyes and showed him a smile.
In that instant, the blood drained completely from his face.
Katherine was summoned next. Kneeling on the floor, her voice was choked with tears as she claimed ignorance of the entire plot. She begged the King not to punish Matthew, saying it was all her fault for bringing trouble upon the family.
On any other day, this performance might have earned her praise for her devotion to her family.
But today, Lauren merely sneered. “How noble of you to take responsibility. Since you’re so eager to bear the blame, I assume you didn’t miss out on the benefits either, right?”
Katherine’s face turned white as paper, and she dared not say another word.
As for Christopher, his fate wasn’t much better. Abandoning his fiancée in front of everyone at the hunt had made him the laughingstock of the kingdom.
His father, Marquess Raymond Hinchcliffe, was so enraged that he kicked Christopher right in public, forcing him to kneel and apologize.
I had thought that seeing Christopher humiliated like this would bring me some satisfaction, but when the moment came, all I felt was exhaustion — like waking from a long, bitter nightmare.
As the crowd began to disperse, Matthew brushed past me and hissed under his breath, “Clarice, are you pleased with yourself now?”
I stopped in my tracks and looked him in the eye. “Matthew, you were the one who wanted me to lose. You were the one who decided my life was a fair price to pay for Katherine’s happiness. Now the consequences have finally caught up to you, and you’re asking whether I’m satisfied?
“To be honest, I’m not. Not nearly enough.”