I’m Done Letting My Sister Take It All Chapter 09
On the tenth day of my recovery, the palace held a small banquet.
Officially, the event was to soothe the ladies who had been frightened during the horse race. In reality, everyone knew Lauren intended to use this occasion to settle all the scores that needed settling.
A thin gauze lightly covered the wound on my forehead. In the mirror, I looked thinner than before, yet my eyes shone with unusual brightness.
By the time I arrived at the banquet, the Hinchcliffe family and the Guzman family were already present.
Katherine had dressed in the plainest attire, as if afraid others might not notice her recent grievances. The moment she noticed me, her eyes reddened, and she put on an expression of hesitant sorrow.
I didn’t spare her a single glance.
Halfway through the feast, Lauren spoke calmly. “Since everyone is here today, the matter of the marriage between the Hinchcliffe and Guzman families should reach a conclusion.”
The hall fell silent instantly.
Christopher’s mother, Marchioness Melanie Hinchcliffe, forced a smile and stood up. “The children simply had a misunderstanding. Once I return, I’ll certainly…”
“Misunderstanding?” Lauren interrupted her. “Your son sought Clare’s hand because she saved his life. Then he became interested in her sister and secretly wrote letters asking to switch brides. And your entire family agreed. In all my years, this is the first time I’ve learned that this can be called a ‘misunderstanding.'”
Melanie’s face drained of color. The other noble ladies cast contemptuous glances her way.
Christopher knelt down, his voice hoarse. “Your Majesty, it was my fault to be disloyal. Please punish me. But this has nothing to do with Kate. I was the one who developed feelings first…”
“Of course, it was your fault.” I stood up and looked at Christopher. “If you hadn’t been so fickle, how would Katherine have had the chance to play the innocent?
“If you hadn’t wanted both the reputation of repaying a debt of gratitude and the advantage of marrying the Guzman family’s eldest daughter, why would you two scheme against me together?
“Neither of you is innocent.”
Katherine’s tears fell as her body swayed unsteadily. “Clare, I never wanted to hurt you. At first, I kept refusing, but Mom said you and Christopher were not a good match, so I…”
“Did you refuse?” I gazed at her and smiled faintly. “You ate the Bakewell tart he sent you. You accepted the amulet he gave you. Last year, you took the cabochon as well.
“Kate, when you enjoyed the attentions of someone else’s fiancé, why didn’t you think you weren’t well matched?”
Soft sneers rippled through the hall.
Lauren raised her hand, and a lady-in-waiting immediately presented a tray. On it lay those letters along with the paste pendant I had once smashed.
“Hinchcliffe and Guzman families, hear the decree.” Lauren’s voice turned icy. “Because of Christopher’s improper conduct, his engagement to Clarice is hereby dissolved. From now on, whoever Christopher wishes to marry has nothing to do with Clare. As for the Guzman family’s eldest daughter…”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the trembling Katherine.
“She stole her sister’s marriage and has shown deficient virtue. For three years, no noble man in Landon may take her as a wife.”
At those words, Katherine’s strength gave out, and she nearly collapsed on the spot.
I stood in the hall, and the long-pent-up suffocation in my chest finally dissipated.
After the banquet, I stood in the long corridor, letting the breeze wash over me.
“Clare.” Christopher stopped behind me. “I know you hate me, but why must you drive Kate into a dead end as well?”
I turned around and stared at him for a moment.
“I drove her?” I repeated softly, the corners of my mouth lifting gradually. “Christopher, did I force you and her to flirt behind my back? Did I force you when you let go of my hand on the racecourse for her sake?
“Now I have simply laid out everything you did for others to see, and you cannot bear it?”
His expression darkened. In the end, he could only squeeze out one sentence. “I truly love Kate.”
I looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter.
“That is wonderful. Katherine truly loves to steal, and you truly love to betray. You are a perfect match.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.
“Must you be so heartless?”
I glanced down at his hand, a wave of nausea rising inside me. “Let go.”
He didn’t move. In the next instant, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.
I put all my strength into that slap. My own palm stung with numbness. Christopher’s head snapped to the side, five red marks blooming swiftly on his cheek, even his ears turning crimson.
“Lord Hinchcliffe, this slap is for the Clarice on the racecourse who reached out her hand to you, but only to be abandoned.
“Remember this. In the future, when you see me, you had better walk the other way.”
He could not speak, only stared at me fiercely. His eyes held humiliation and resentment.
I turned and walked away. A lightness I had never felt before bloomed in my chest.