Chapter 217

Matthew roared like an enraged lion, his fury utterly impotent.

Matthew blocked Athena and Natasha’s path, his face twisted with a sinister expression as he spat, “We all saw it as clear as day. Your horse injured Willow. Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”

Athena wondered, “With all that chaos on the field, who could tell if Willow had pulled any tricks?”

Matthew saw only Willow get thrown from her horse, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that Athena was responsible.

To Matthew, Athena was nothing short of vicious and jealous.

In his mind, Athena couldn’t tolerate Willow, so today’s incident had to be Athena’s meticulously orchestrated scheme.

Athena had long stopped holding out hope for Matthew. When faced with his accusations, she merely asked nonchalantly, “Do you have any evidence?”

When falsely accused, Athena didn’t rush to clear her name; instead, she put herself on the defensive.

She turned the tables, firing back with a question and tossing the dilemma right back at him.

Matthew instantly erupted in fury, his eyes blazing red. He bellowed, “Everyone saw it, clear as day! It was your horse that kicked Willow’s horse. Otherwise, how could her horse have been startled and thrown her off?”

“Then let me ask you, Lord Matthew,” Athena countered calmly, her tone measured. “Why would my horse single out Willow when there were others just as close? Doesn’t that strike you as rather peculiar!”

Matthew was momentarily speechless. But then, a fresh surge of fury washed over him, “Stop being so unreasonable! Your horse injured someone; that makes you responsible. Don’t even think about denying it!”

“Matthew, look closely, what is this?” Natasha thrust a hairpin in his face. “This is Willow’s hairpin. She tried to harm Athena but got what she deserved. Your so-called ‘kind’ sister used such despicable tricks. So, how dare you still question Athena?”

Matthew stared at the hairpin, his mind reeling. The hairpin is specially crafted by the Duke’s Estate. Willow had specifically chosen this valuable piece to wear when she left the house.

“Willow had even asked me, ‘How does it look on me?’”

"I had always told Willow she looked good in anything. So, of course, I would recognize this hairpin right away!"

At this moment, Matthew couldn’t believe—no, refused to believe—that Willow would ever intentionally harm someone.

He thought, "She’s so kind, and she wouldn’t even hurt a…"

“How could she possibly use a hairpin to hurt Athena?”

Natasha dragged Athena’s horse directly in front of Matthew, jabbed a finger at a blood spot on its flank, and snapped, “Open your damn eyes and look. What the hell is this?”

Though Willow’s stab didn’t seriously injure the horse, it still left a visible wound on its flank.

The small yet distinct bloodstain struck Matthew like a physical blow.

Matthew’s brows knitted into a tight knot as he muttered to himself, “How could this happen? How could this happen?”

Matthew refused to believe it. No...

He didn't even dare to...

But that’s Willow they were talking about.

To him, his little sister, Willow, had always been sweet and innocent. He believed that she was pure as snow.

Matthew thought in disbelief, “How could Willow do something so wicked?”

Athena caught the incredulous look on Matthew’s face and smiled coldly. “Even with all this evidence staring you in the face, you still refuse to believe it, huh?”

She mused, “The funny thing about people is that they can know the truth deep down, yet still choose to live in denial.

“He is wallowing in his fantasies, refusing to wake up.”

Matthew had always thought Willow was pure and kind; it was a conviction he’d held for over a decade.

But what if one day, someone told him that everything about Willow was a lie, that it was all an act?

This revelation was nothing short of a devastating blow to Matthew.

Matthew slowly shook his head, muttering to himself, “No… no, that can’t be. This simply isn’t possible.”

He staggered, then wheeled around and rushed after Willow.

Natasha stepped forward to block his path. “Matthew,” she snapped, “do you think you can just walk away after slandering someone!”

Athena pulled her back and said, “You can’t wake someone who’s pretending to be asleep.”

Since childhood, she had known that Matthew doted on Willow, and he indulged her every whim.

“Even if he knew the truth, Matthew would still blindly protect Willow.

“So, why bother stopping someone like him?” Athena thought.

Natasha snarled through gritted teeth, “You bastard! Don’t you dare show your face around me again!”

The little commotion on the field quickly subsided.

Athena took first place, and it was a well-deserved victory.

Athena’s eyes sparkled with excitement the moment she saw the “prize.”

“No wonder Willow wanted me to forfeit,” Athena realized. “This wasn’t just any horse. It is a royal tribute steed from the Kingdom of Veyral.

“This steed outclasses ordinary horses threefold in both stamina and speed.

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this steed could cover a thousand miles in a single day.”

As Athena cheerfully led her horse back, she suddenly recalled what Natasha had said earlier. Turning to her, Athena teased, “Why did you call yourself blind just now? And your reaction to Michael seemed way more complicated than just being enemies.”

In the past, Athena wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.

But now, upon closer reflection, she sensed something fishy.

Natasha felt her skin crawl under Athena’s piercing stare. In the end, she gave up all pretense and decided to come clean.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Natasha huffed, “Fine, fine! I’ll spill the beans, okay?"

Natasha rubbed her nose and mumbled in a low, hesitant voice, “I used to have a crush on Michael.”

“Ah…” Athena feigned surprise, though inwardly she remained utterly composed.

She thought, “Honestly, this is only natural.

“Back then, Michael was a real catch. He is blessed with both brains and brawn, and on top of that, he was drop-dead gorgeous.

“With his prestigious family background, it’s no wonder he was so popular with women."

Athena was surprised to discover that even Natasha had a crush on him. Then again, thinking about it, it did make sense.

Natasha saw Athena’s eyes widen and hastily waved her hands in dismissal. “Oh, that was just a silly childhood crush. It was nothing serious,” she explained. “But after seeing how he treated you, I lost all interest. No matter how handsome or well-off a man is, if his character is rotten, he’s just not worth it.”

Athena suddenly realized and questioned, “Is that why Willow went after you?”

Natasha let out a heavy sigh, “It’s all because I was such a fool. I genuinely treated her as a friend and confided in her about my crush on Michael. Who would’ve thought Willow was such a snake? She pretended to be nice but deliberately lured me to the lake and pushed me in…”

Athena finally understood how it had all happened. Looking at Natasha, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the girl she once was.

She reflected, “Back then, I was just as naive, thinking that if I laid my heart bare before them, I could truly become part of the Manson family.

“But alas, I was wrong.

After years of being the Monson family’s darling, how could Willow ever truly accept me, the real heiress?

“Her greatest fear, I realized, must have been me.

“She was terrified I’d come back to reclaim everything she’d stolen.

She was terrified I’d take away the family’s love and all the wealth she’d worked so hard to secure.

“Now that I think about it, all that mockery from the noble ladies after I returned to the Moon family was probably all Willow’s doing, too.”

Seeing Athena remain silent for a long time, Natasha’s heart sank, thinking Athena must be angry. She blurted out, “Athena, you have every right to be mad at me! Scold me, yell at me, even hit me if you want. Please, just don’t shut me out. You’re the only real friend I’ve got!”

Athena clasped Natasha’s hand and offered her a gentle smile. “What’s past is past. Let’s not dwell on it.”

“Alright, let’s drop it,” Natasha replied, gripping Athena’s hand tightly and giving her a sincere smile.

As Athena led her horse away, Natasha studied the steed with a thoughtful expression.

“Is there something wrong with this horse?” Athena asked.

Natasha rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then let out a low whistle, commenting. “This horse of yours; it’s definitely different. Doesn’t look like an ordinary steed. It does look more like a warhorse.”

Athena studied her mount intently, just as Natasha had advised.

Athena’s heart skipped a beat as she took a closer look. Just as Natasha had said, she really was riding a trained warhorse.

This warhorse stood noticeably larger and more muscular than common steeds.

Its head and ears were surprisingly refined for a warhorse, with a long, athletic build.

Athena’s mind flashed to Xander.

She turned hurriedly to Natasha and said, “Something’s come up, and I need to go now. Don’t wait up for me.”

Chapter 217

With that, she was gone in a flash.