The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 107: Before it’s too late (4)

Helena reluctantly opened the door to let Hazel inside so they could talk. Maybe this time they might reconcile so she wouldn’t continue to feel the way she was now. She felt terrible like she was an evil person.

Once she was alone and could go over the things she said to her mother, she realised how wrong she had been. Helena had never spoken back to her mother, raised her voice, or so much as whispered that she hated anyone in the mansion.

Helena turned away from Hazel to try fixing her appearance. No one should ever see how much of a mess it was after she cried her eyes out.

Hazel closed and locked the door behind them so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Helena would start crying again if someone were to see her face now.

Hazel followed Helena to the bed to sit on it so they could talk there. "Stop trying to hide your face from me, Helena. I’ve seen your ugly face many times. I am used to it."

Helena laughed and continued to hide her face to try wiping away traces of tears. "There isn’t anyone I know to cry and still be pretty so I don’t have to worry about this only happening to me. I’ve seen a few of your worst cries."

"Are you speaking about when Stanley tore the book father had just given me? I thought life was over that day," Hazel said, remembering the day all too well.

Helena could still hear Hazel’s loud cries whenever she remembered the incident. "I thought you were going to hit him over the head with the ruined book and have your birthday dinner come to a quick end. Mother saved the day by getting you to calm down and father was quick to send someone to get another book to replace it. Your twelfth birthday was tears and snot."

"The thirteenth birthday had a punch that mother is yet to learn about. When will our relatives learn to keep their hands off our things?" Hazel asked, looking down at her knuckles.

"It was my doll, wasn’t it? My favourite doll and someone wanted to play with it then take it home. When you saw them push me, the next thing I knew was your hand meeting with their face. Father wanted us to keep it a secret from mother. I almost forgot," Helena whispered, feeling like a fool as there were many times Hazel had defended her.

When they were young, Hazel was always the one to speak up whenever someone tried to bully her because she had been quiet. Helena became more talkative over the years so she could defend herself now. Hazel had to hold off and let her speak for herself, leading her to think that Hazel didn’t defend her.

"You protected me a lot in the past. I was thinking of the current moments I wanted you to speak for me and forgot about the past. You’ve been a good sister while I have been nothing more than a brat," Helena admitted to her behaviour.

"Well," Hazel paused, not wanting to say yes though it was true. She wanted Helena to do most of the speaking at first.

"You can say it, Hazel. I ruined your time in the palace by trying to make it all about me. I did want to become queen, but a lot of it had to do with coming out of your shadow," Helena confessed, turning to face Hazel now that she wiped away her tears. "I thought marrying the prince would be the one thing I have that no one would compare us. That I would finally have the attention be on me alone."

"It’s not easy being the little sister of a perfect older sister. I need to perfect all your talents because when you do well, everyone looks to me to see if both of us are talented. I shouldn’t have cared about what they thought since mother and father never compared us," Helena said, thinking her feelings were foolish now.

It wasn’t her parents that made her feel like she had to compete with Hazel. It was everyone else around them. She could never escape being in Hazel’s shadow.

Helena had looked forward to Hazel being married long before it was her turn so her parents could focus on her. She knew that she would hear Hazel’s season being brought up and how she was able to get a good husband, but Helena planned to just be good to show her way of getting a good husband.

Then came the news that she had to be in the selection with Hazel.

"I got so caught up in being better than you for once. I shouldn’t have directed my anger for failing to you. You didn’t deserve that. I-I am a horrible sister," Helena said, covering her face with her hands as more tears were coming on.

She could add a horrible daughter for going against what her mother wanted and acting like the queen knew best.

"I see why you defend Linda more than you do me these days."

"Helena, you’ve seen me help Linda once or twice when we were in the palace. I’ve defended her little in comparison to how much I protect you. You don’t exactly have an army by your side so I must be there for you more," Hazel answered, reaching out to take Helena’s hands from her face.

"I know how our relatives can be at times. I could have at least tried to comfort you when they tried to make you more like me. One of me is enough," Hazel joked.

Helena moved her hands from her face, letting her tears stay instead of wiping them away. "You coming to comfort me would have left me feeling embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to know how much it affected me to be compared. I should have said something to my mother or father because look how I turned out."

"I should be celebrating your engagement with you like we always planned but we ended up arguing. I am sorry for how I have been treating you, Hazel. I mean it and this time I will stop acting like a child. Is there another chance you can offer me?" Helena asked, hoping that Hazel was not done with her yet.

Helena crossed her fingers, wishing it wasn’t too late.

The David incident was something Helena would not easily forgive Hazel for if she were in Hazel’s shoes.

Hazel thought it was obvious that Helena could get one last chance. "I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if I didn’t plan to forgive you once more. I would have walked away laughing at your crying face. Being an older sister truly is difficult."

"Having to give you many opportunities to be forgiven. This is the last time I will accept an apology for your childish ways. Do not mess it up," Hazel said as she could no longer put up with it when there was a long road ahead of her.

"I will not,’ Helena promised. She was determined to show that she could be mature and not act like a spoiled child. She had much to prove to Hazel and their parents.