19th Century Swapped Marriage Bonds

The Norman family's two sisters are both engaged, but the entire family is distraught. The kind and innocent younger sister is to be used as a pawn, marrying into the treacherous ducal mansion....

Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Bella/This is the game of her life…

Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Bella/This is the game of her life…

Seeing Isabel approaching on horseback, the Saxon men at the starting point whistled.

"Hey! Jack! Remember to behave like a gentleman! Give way to the ladies!" The Duke of Saxony admonished his son, the contempt in his eyes was self-evident.

"Yes, father!" The Duke's son, the young Master Saxon, took off his hat and winked at Isabel from his horse. "Don't worry, Miss Norman. The Spencer family may not know how to be gentle with women, but we in Saxony will never make that mistake."

After he finished speaking, the Saxons around him burst into ambiguous laughter.

"I thought horse racing was all about performance, but it turns out the Saxon family relies on their eloquence."

Isabel looked straight ahead and urged Blake to push aside the two men and take the middle position.

The Saxon young master, who had been pushed aside, whistled, looked back to see Heinrich far away, and then glanced at Isabel, saying in a low voice, "Then prepare to enjoy your failure, ma'am. Although I do admire brave beauties."

The starter raised his hand to signal for readiness. Everyone looked solemn, even the audience seats fell silent.

Isabel leaned close to the horse's back and looked straight ahead.

Master Saxon chuckled in my ears: "If Spencer is not suitable for you, you are welcome to come to Saxon House in northern Ceylon at any time."

The starter counted down: "Three, two..."

A second before "One" landed, Master Saxon heard a sneer from the side.

"Sorry, I dislike the defeated general even more than Heinrich."

The next moment, the starting gun sounded, and the black horse rushed out first!

Rows of horses' hooves kicked up billowing clouds of dust. Within seconds, the clung to the dusty fog, the leaders emerged. Black, clad in black save for his silver-white horse ornaments, gleaming in the setting sun, took the lead! His pale green figure burst through the encirclement, leaving the other men in his wake.

Saxon's expression changed drastically. He whipped his horse whip and shouted, "Chase!"

The whistling wind scraped across her cheek like a sharp blade. Isabel heard the rumbling of horse hooves behind her and a scornful smile crossed her lips.

Saxony's chestnut horse was also a top-quality product selected from numerous battles. When turning, it raised its hooves with all its might and pushed Blake away by more than a body length!

Isabel quickly tightened the reins to avoid the collision!

Her skillful horse-controlling skills immediately made everyone realize that she was definitely not a novice with no chance of winning!

As early as the hunting feast in Chalvey, she saw Heinrich galloping on his horse, and this desire arose in her heart - to gallop without any scruples, happily and openly!

It wasn't until she was freed from her restraints and sat on the horse that Isabel seemed to have regained her old time!

In her previous life, as Xu Lisha, she had obtained worldly honors and successes that most people envied, but such happiness could never last long.

It’s like climbing one peak after another. Only when you reach the top do you feel an unparalleled sense of accomplishment, and then everything returns to normal.

When she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she didn't even have any attachment to this world. She simply signed a consent form to give up drug treatment and booked a ticket for a round-the-world trip the next day.

Xu Lisha once felt that life is a journey and destiny is a script written by a higher-dimensional creator, so why bother about the length of life?

Just like she was born an orphan, and because of her outstanding appearance and intelligence, she was adopted by a professor couple. The two elders were very cultured, but they only placed the affection for their deceased daughter on their adopted daughter, and were disappointed by her frigid personality. The family of three lived in a respectful manner.

Perhaps it was the benefit of her cold nature that didn't make Xu Lisha sad. In fact, she hardly felt sad at all.

As an experiencer or even a bystander of the story, Xu Lisha has a fatalistic attitude towards everything that happens and respects its existence.

An impressive resume, considerable wealth, sought-after fame, and a so-called shining life are nothing but a destined plot.

She thought she would remain like this forever, until she reached the end of her life.

But on the day she saw the sunrise in the northern border, she galloped on her horse with her remaining body still able to run. The rising sun fell on her eyelashes, the morning mist reflected in her pupils, and the cattle and sheep mooed leisurely in her ears...

At that moment, she felt the blood boiling in her body. It was the call of life, something she had ignored for so long.

She rode her horse all day, from the rising sun to the setting sun, and seemed to have experienced the ups and downs of life.

The sun was setting, and her life was drawing to a close. At this juncture, fate granted her one last gentleness.

The breeze brushed across her fingertips, telling her that there were not only peaks to be climbed one after another in this world, but also vast fields, where there was the freedom of the wind and the fragrance of green grass. You could gallop freely or lie on the grass and watch cattle and sheep eat grass all day long.

She closed her eyes, and the hole in her chest filled.

The wind blew the grass low, calves were grazing on the hillside, and Xu Lisha said goodbye to the world with a smile.

When she opened her eyes again, Isabel was born amid her family's anticipation, and her mother's light blue eyes were filled with tenderness and love.

The indifferent emotions in her body were difficult to change, but at the moment she became Isabel, she seemed to hear Xu Lisha telling herself, don't look back, go and experience it.

To experience waiting for a flower to bloom; to watch a curly-haired child grow up, calling her sister; to lie in the courtyard in the sun amidst the commotion of the house. A book covers her eyes, the wind rustles the marigolds – all of this is about the experience of life.

Including now——

The setting sun was blazing, galloping horses left afterimages, and the strong wind messed up the dignified bun.

Isabel casually threw away the pearl crown in her hair, and her golden hair fluttered in the wind.

Amid the exclamations of the crowd, a happy smile was reflected in those ice-blue eyes.

This is her game of life, where freedom and happiness are the most important things, and for this, she will do everything in her power!

"Blake, now..."

She squeezed the horse's belly, bent down, and stared at the figure in front of her, "Overtake him!"

As if driven by the will to fight, Blake spread out his arms and charged forward with unstoppable force!

Young Master Saxony and the other gentlemen were thrown out of the way!

The light green figure was dashing like lightning, and its dazzling golden hair captured the attention of the entire audience - everyone was amazed by the scene before them!

Some people even raised their hands but forgot to clap, and just stared blankly with their mouths open: "Oh my God..."

At the edge of the field, Heinrich stared at the figure that stood out from the crowd, and was stunned for a long time.

At this moment, no one would notice his prolonged gaze, because no one could take their eyes off the blonde.

The lilies that should have bloomed in the garden are now blooming on the battlefield, so breathtakingly beautiful!

Even more dazzling than her dashing posture is the expression on her face, which seems to clearly tell the world that she is determined to win!

In the audience, everyone was in an uproar, and then fell into a strange silence.

"Oh, Eternal Holy God, am I hallucinating?!" Someone was so shocked that he kept making the sign of the cross and even recited the entire prayer, begging God to wake him up and at least tell him that it was not a woman who won the game!

Louisa muttered to herself, her eyes widening: "Audrey is really stealing the show!"

Eleanor frowned at the fluttering green skirt, her expression complicated. "I tried not to let the old lady know that her granddaughter-in-law was sitting astride a horse, even in tattered clothes."

Mrs. Saxon and her fans were so shocked that they forgot to control their expressions. "How is this possible! How could Jack lose?!"

Most people, like Lilith, went from being surprised to excited and couldn't help but cheer: "Great! Miss Norman is awesome!!"

Most young noble ladies could ride horses, but complicated rules put heavy shackles on their legs.

They were forbidden from sitting astride or walking fast, and were required to dress elegantly, modestly, and beautifully. The tight bindings made it difficult for them to even breathe.

It is euphemistically called horse riding, but in reality it is no different from a fallow deer wearing a wreath, a symbol of victory; it is just an embellishment of the hunting feast.

It seems that women have never been seen in men's games until now——

The broken green skirt fluttered in the air, the golden hair fluttered, and she looked very heroic!

So shocking, yet so full of vitality!

It turns out that sitting on a horse and moving forward bravely is so beautiful!

Lilith felt vaguely that something seemed to be broken!

She couldn't help but look at her dazed companions around her. She was not the only one attracted by the lightning-fast figure!

There were more than one pair of broken shackles.

Someone stood up and shouted, "Miss Norman! First!"

Lilith broke free from her mother's arms, then stood up and shouted, "Audrey Norman! Number one!"

One after another, people kept shouting, and soon the cheers became one and the same, "First! First! First!"

This episode was very brief. The freedom of noble ladies was always limited. Even if it was just a cheer, it would be stopped by their elders in just a few minutes.

But the people on the field seemed to have heard their shouts. Blake, with his majestic momentum, once again shook off the maroon horse!

At that moment, Master Saxon heard a chuckle coming from the next room.

"Enjoy your failure, Mr. Saxon. I hope a gentleman won't cry." The ice-blue eyes were full of sarcasm. "But I will be a lady and hand you a handkerchief to wipe your tears."

The voice passed by swiftly, and Jack looked at the blonde woman walking away, his mind almost blank.

The moment she easily surpassed him, Master Saxony's teeth were almost broken!

The harsh words I just uttered seemed to turn into a slap in the face, hitting me hard!

A weak woman who couldn't even lift a finger had actually defeated him?!

He's the heir to the House of Saxony! The future Elector of Ceylon!

What a shame and humiliation!

This would bring shame to the entire Saxony family and would make him unable to hold his head up again!

The end is in sight, and if no action is taken, the outcome will be in doubt!

The barbed whip was swung down fiercely! The startled horse neighed to the sky!

At that moment, a sinister glint flashed across his eyes. A second before turning, he suddenly rushed diagonally towards the black horse in front of him.

"Oh no!"

The audience was in an uproar.

With a panoramic view of the entire field, they can best understand the current situation!

If the black horse is knocked over, at its current speed, the rider will surely be thrown off! That's no longer a matter of winning or losing the race, it's a matter of life and death!

Saxony was in the blind spot of her vision. Isabel did not see the horse galloping behind her, but she instinctively sensed that danger was approaching!

The moment I heard the hissing sound, the impact behind me brought about a change in the air flow rate!

In a thousandth of a second, Isabel almost immediately tightened the reins and controlled Blake to avoid the collision behind him!

But! It’s too late!

The horse was going too fast, and even though Blake was agile enough, he could hardly stop the momentum of turning!

Behind him, a chestnut horse charged forward! Its back was dripping with blood, its pupils dyed the same crazy red as its owner!

At the moment of collision, time seemed to stretch out, and the air was so tense that it stagnated.

In the audience, Louisa widened her eyes and covered her mouth: "No——"

Eleanor crossed herself.

Becky closed her eyes and dared not look.

Lilith stood up suddenly, her fingers shaking.

Sophia forgot to breathe and clutched the folding fan tightly.

On the platform, even the queen frowned!

At the moment when everyone acquiesced to the tragedy, suddenly, a sharp arrow broke through the air, carrying with it an astonishing aura, and rushed straight into the arena.

Everyone was stunned and had almost no idea what was happening!

On the roadside, the referee who witnessed everything was in a daze for a long time.

The scene happened in a flash. Before he could react, the decorative bow and arrow beside him was snatched away by a pair of slender white hands, and then aimed at the crazy horse behind him with extremely agile speed!

The setting sun shines obliquely in the center of the field.

The strong wind blew in with the moisture from the wilderness, making her blonde hair fly, but her ice-blue eyes were full of fighting spirit. Even when the sharp bowstring scratched her palm, she didn't seem to feel any pain!

In the backlight, Isabel held the horse's belly in an extremely thrilling posture, her eyes sharp, her hands bent and her bow drawn, like a Valkyrie in myth and legend.

An arrow pierces the clouds!

"call out!"

There was hardly time to see clearly before the sharp arrow shot straight into the horse's belly, and the chestnut horse fell to the ground with the young master of Saxony on it!

At the same time, another arrow from the opposite direction grazed Jack's face and was nailed into the mud, splashing a line of blood!

If just now they were only amazed by her riding skills, then at this moment, her reaction speed to turn the tide convinced all those who knew the ropes!

Ignoring everyone's surprise, Isabel looked calm, threw down her bow and arrow and rushed to the finish line. When she looked back, she ignored the loser with dirty means and only looked at the man in the distance.

There, Heinrich lowered his bow and arrow at the same time, and their eyes met briefly.

The dark horse was ahead, and the starter announced to everyone in a low voice - Miss Norman from the Spencer family won!

After a long silence, the audience burst into sparse applause.

Some were still immersed in the horror of the previous situation, while others were surprised that a woman won the championship!

"Oh! Jack!" In the audience, Mrs. Saxon didn't care about success or failure. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was stopped from rushing forward!

The Duke of Saxony was still in shock. He took a breath and then looked at the edge of the field, where he saw the tall man still holding the bow and arrow.

He saw it clearly!

The woman's arrow hit the horse! But Heinrich's arrow was aimed at his son's life!

Just an inch away! The arrow would not have grazed Jack Saxon's face, but would have pierced his head!

The Duke of Saxony's fingers trembled, and he was so frightened that he couldn't recover. The next second, Heinrich blew a whistle, summoned a white horse, and rushed straight to the arena.

There, Jack Saxon fell down with a bruised face, but because he was the instigator, there was no sudden collision and his life was not in danger!

Just as he was about to stand up, he was hit by a heavy punch and his nose started bleeding!

"Oh! Are you crazy Hein?!"

"stop!"

“Stop!”

The Saxon people who arrived at the finish line one after another shouted and gathered around.

Heinrich sneered and grabbed Jack, punching him again and again.

Everyone in the room was shocked!

The Duke of Saxony roared and stepped forward: "Heinrich Spencer! Let go of my son! In front of the Queen! Do you want to kill someone?!"

The Saxon people surrounded him, and at the same time, Heinrich was surrounded by people from the Spencer family, staring at the opposite side with a fierce look.

The man had a defiant look in his eyes. He beat Jack into a pulp before he raised his head, a sarcastic smile crossing his lips.

"Old Saxon, you should be thankful that this happened in front of the Queen, otherwise..." He paused and chuckled, "I would have killed him."

The Duke of Saxony shuddered and met those deep black eyes. He knew that what he said was true!

Heinrich Spencer is a true lunatic! To mess with a lunatic is like being targeted by a hyena; they won't let go until they've ripped a piece of your flesh off!

The Duke of Saxony gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger, waving his hand and ordering his son to be carried away.

Mrs. Saxony cried heartbreakingly and howled for justice from the Queen.

The attendants followed the queen down the platform and everyone saluted.

Duke of Saxony: "Your Majesty! The Spencer family has gone too far! Jack was almost beaten to death by Heinrich! I demand that he be punished according to the laws of the Principality of Ceylon!"

The Saxon people responded one after another, and the Spencer family was not to be outdone. Edmund said indignantly: "Your Majesty! It was Jack who tripped us up first! Why are you punishing our Spencer family?"

The two groups started arguing.

The person involved, Heinrich, was calm and showed no guilt at all for beating the man into a pig's head.

The Queen did not answer immediately, for she had already heard the whole story.

"Hein, where's your statement?"

Heinrich said calmly, "You can sue me for intentional injury, but first, hang Jamie Saxon for the premeditated murder of my fiancée."

"You! Heinrich! What evidence do you have to prove that he intended murder?!"

"With so many eyes here, including the Queen's, no one will frame you." Heinrich slowly drew his firearm from his waist, approached the Duke of Saxony, and lowered his voice. "If you dare to quibble again, I will personally enforce the law if necessary. If you don't believe me, just try it yourself!"

There was a crazy smile in his eyes. The Duke of Saxony, who had heard all kinds of rumors, took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

It is the code of conduct for normal people not to reason with a madman.

After all, you wouldn't dare bet on whether there are bullets in his gun!

The queen pondered for a moment, and suddenly looked at the ignored champion lady not far away.

"What's your request?"

Everyone looked at Isabel.

Isabel had been standing still for a long time. Seeing everyone's attention focused on her, she dismounted calmly and bowed to the Queen. "I won. I hope the Duke of Saxony and his family will not forget to admit defeat and apologize to me and the Spencer family."

"Apologize?! You Spencers are so overbearing, and you still want me to apologize?" The Duke of Saxony shouted.

Before he could finish his words, a gunshot was heard!

"Oh my God?! What happened?!" Everyone screamed in fright!

The Duke of Saxony widened his eyes, subconsciously raised his hand, and stared stiffly at the scene in front of him.

The chestnut horse, whose flesh and blood had been beaten to a pulp by Jack Saxon's whip, fell in a pool of blood, stopped twitching in pain, and closed its eyes peacefully.

Blake whined and moved forward to rub against his own kind.

Facing Heinrich's gaze, Isabel calmly put the firearm back into his waist, as if she was not the one who had just fired the shot.

"Everyone has their own destiny, and so do horses." Isabel stroked Black's mane. "Perhaps a quick end would be a better outcome for him than being tortured to death by his foolish master. I will give him a good burial."

Blake blinked his moist eyes and rubbed Isabelle's palm.

Saxon's lips trembled and his face turned pale and blue!

He didn't think this woman was talking to Ma, she was clearly threatening the entire Saxon family!

Facing Saxony's hostile gaze, Heinrich didn't try to defend himself, but instead stood behind his fiancée in a tacit agreement. The two of them were like villains in a play, making people hate them to the core.

His brows were grim as he spoke word by word, "Yes, we can only blame it on a master who doesn't follow the rules and doesn't keep his promises."

Saxon's face flushed red: "You...you guys!"

Great! So arrogant! One of them beat up his son! The other one killed the Saxon family's horse and stomped their faces on the ground!

This couple is so arrogant!

Saxon wanted to say something, but when he looked up, he met the queen's cold eyes and instantly broke free from his anger.

Although the Spencer family is arrogant, they are in the wrong this time, and no one on the scene will stand on their side.

Although Saxony and Spencer had a long-standing grudge, the struggle was a struggle, and as an elector, he could not make things too ugly in many cases.

Losing is not a big deal, but if you refuse to give in and cause more scandals, I'm afraid that the Saxon family will be the talk of the town for the whole year.

Thinking of this, the Duke of Saxony gritted his teeth and bowed with all the Saxon people.

"Okay, Miss Norman, we admit defeat and apologize to you."

The Spencer family burst into laughter, while the Saxon family looked extremely ugly.

Isabel said slowly: "What else?"

The Duke of Saxony suppressed his anger and said, "What else?!"

Isabel glanced at Jack as he was carried away and chuckled, "A man from the Saxon family blatantly cheated in the competition. What should we do according to the rules?"

Heinrich then said, "Apologize to the victim and suspend this idiot who didn't follow the rules."

"Don't go too far?! Victim?! The victim is my son! And your fiancée is unharmed!"

"Do you think Jack showed mercy to my men, Duke of Saxony?" Isabel raised her eyes indifferently with a cold expression.

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other in surprise, knowing that the lady was able to survive not because of Jack's kindness, but because of her own ability!

The Duke of Saxony was speechless and was about to make an excuse when a serious female voice sounded.

"That's enough, Duke of Saxony, don't lose your composure." Lorna, the first secretary standing next to the Queen, spoke.

Saxony understood that this was the Queen's intention.

He took a deep breath, leaned over, and nodded to Isabel. "I apologize to you on behalf of Jack. Every knight should abide by integrity. I promise that the Saxon family will not participate in any hunting competitions for the next year."

The social circle of Mellenvik is so small, which means that the face lost by the top dignitaries today will become the laughing stock of the capital for the whole year to come.

The Saxon guys who were so proud just now were now covered in dust and dirt, and they wished they could bury their heads in the ground!

On the other hand, the Spencer family, headed by Edmund, were so happy that their expressions were beyond words, even happier than the main person who was in the spotlight.

Edmund was about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but then Isabel glanced at him, as if to say: What does my victory have to do with you?

For a moment, his smile froze, and resentment flashed across his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he finally held it back.

It was not decent to cause such a dispute in front of the Queen, so Duke Philip quickly tried to smooth things over. Both sides said a few nice words and called a doctor to treat Jack. The conflict was resolved.

The families present were all very respectable and took the opportunity to bring up other topics, and the scene became harmonious again.

The queen returned to the platform and looked at Isabel who was about to lead her horse off. She suddenly signaled the guard to keep everyone quiet.

Everyone thought the queen was going to make an important announcement and saluted.

She only said in a kind voice: "Everyone, we still owe the winner applause."

Isabel was a little surprised and stopped in her tracks.

At the Queen's call, someone started to applaud first, but then everyone else started to applaud, and the applause became thunderous.

This time, it was no longer the cheers of a small group of people, but a genuine congratulations on the victory.

In the audience, Lilith ignored her mother's attempts to stop her and was so excited that her palms almost turned red.

Louisa was silent for a long time, but still responded perfunctorily.

Sophia smiled as she looked at her daughter and cheered for the future Duchess of Spencer.

Eleanor glanced at the queen on the podium, made the sign of the cross on her chest, then looked at Isabel who was safe and sound, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Heinrich stood there for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking, and clapped his hands lazily twice.

He looked at the dazzling figure, and the image of her drawing her bow and arrow appeared before his eyes.

Arrows coming from different directions but shooting towards the target at the same time, just like the two of them.

Although our paths are different, our destination is the same.

Each of them is sharp and has its own unique edge.

He didn't have time to think before picking up the bow and arrow.

As he was about to release the arrow, he met those determined blue eyes, and his aim shifted, glancing past Jack's face.

In a long and quick moment, he suddenly realized that Miss Norman was a strong person who could fight back in desperate situations. Even without the arrows of help, victory would still belong to her.

Amidst thunderous applause, Isabel's tattered green skirt swayed in the wind, her blonde hair hung down her shoulders, and a gentle smile graced her face.

Although she looked miserable, she confidently stretched out her hands, then bowed to everyone and calmly accepted the congratulations on her victory.

Looking up again, her ice-blue eyes looked directly at the tall figure in the crowd and met his gaze.

She tilted her head, a smile in her eyes, and did not hide the provocation in her eyes.

Lip-sync: "I win."

An unconscious smile appeared on Heinrich's lips, but he soon realized something, lowered his head to hide it, and put on a cold look again.

He waited until that gaze moved away before he looked up.

The sun had completely set, and she was covered in the remaining red, with her hair shining.

It was just like the day they first met, at Chalves' hunting feast, when he walked towards her through the crowd.

The fallow deer, representing victory, was given to the future Duchess.

At this moment, she won the victory herself, dazzlingly.

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The author has something to say: Sister and brother-in-law CP: The daily life of the confrontational couple!