Chapter 8 I Got into Trouble

Elena Romano's POV:

But that smile disappeared so fast, I thought I imagined it.

Sofia's face turned worried right away. "Elena, hold onto the reins and lie down on the horse. Oh my God, this is way too dangerous."

"I can't do it."

Sofia jumped off Alex and tried to get closer to me.

I just wanted to stay away from her, scared I might hurt her, but Sofia kept coming.

"Sofia." I tried to tell her to back off, but the horse was shaking so much I couldn't get the words out.

The horse got even more freaked out.

I fell hard from the horse and rolled on the ground a few times.

As I hit the ground, the horse bolted, and the handler screamed.

I pushed through the pain and got up, seeing Sofia on the ground. She was holding her ankle, biting her lip, tears streaming down her face.

Someone at the estate quickly told Isabella and James what happened, and Sofia was moved to her bedroom, waiting for the family doctor.

The doctor checked her ankle and told Isabella and James that Sofia probably got spooked by the horse, which made her sprain her ankle.

"The party's in a week, and this is unacceptable. Do you want my poor Sofia to show up like this?" Isabella stroked Sofia's face, looking super worried.

The handler said the horse I was on had an accident, and Sofia sprained her ankle trying to save me, a newbie.

Isabella gave me a look full of displeasure.

"Miss Romano wanted to ride, so I brought out Alex and another horse from the stable. Miss Garcia wanted to lend Alex to Elena, but Miss Romano refused and picked the other horse, which was more temperamental and not fully trained," The handler explained, but I think he only got part of it right.

"Oh my God, Elena, why did you ride that horse? You don't even know how to ride! Your arrogance got Sofia hurt."

"But, Mrs. Garcia, Sofia said everyone in the Garcia family can learn to ride quickly. I thought that horse was gentle too, Sofia said..."

"Enough, Elena." James cut me off. "Sofia was right, but clearly, you're the exception in the Garcia family.

Now, go back to your room and think about what you've done until your etiquette teacher arrives. When Sofia wakes up, you need to apologize to your sister."

I was sent back to my room.

I was hurting all over, but my parents seemed more worried about Sofia, making it hard for me to speak up.

The maids cleaned the scrapes I got from falling off the horse.

I sat on the edge of the bed, covering my face. I couldn't believe I messed up on my second day in my new home.

This was awful. Isabella and James must think even less of me now.

I guessed maybe Sofia told the handler to bring a different horse, but he brought a more temperamental one by mistake, and Sofia didn't know.

When the maids told me my etiquette teacher had arrived, I was still feeling guilty.

I walked into the room the Garcias had set up for etiquette training, feeling down.

The woman standing there looked super strict. She had silver-white hair in a high bun like a ballerina.

Every button on her collar was fastened tight. When she saw me, she bent her knees slightly and nodded.

I didn't get what her gesture meant, so I just stood there.

She frowned.

"Hey, I think you're my etiquette teacher. I'm Elena." I quickly walked up to her and extended my hand, trying to make a good impression.

"Oh no, let's skip the handshake." She refused. "I'm your etiquette teacher, Vivian. You should've already heard about me from Mrs. Garcia."

Isabella was probably still taking care of Sofia and hadn't told me anything about Vivian. I only knew she was also Sofia's etiquette teacher.

I didn't know how to explain, but Vivian took my silence as agreement. "Since you're Sofia's sister, I assume you won't be too foolish, or you'll bring shame to your sister and the Garcia family."

"I'll do my best."

Vivian's words made me feel pressured. Thinking about the mess I caused today, I was eager to prove I could do well.

I was confident in my memory, but the endless and complex etiquette rules still made my head spin.

Vivian's training wasn't just one kind. She told me that the Garcia family interacted with people from all over, so I had to learn not only general etiquette but also the differences between various national etiquettes, and how to greet different guests.

For example, when we first met, she curtsied to me, so my rushing up to shake her hand was very impolite.

In formal social occasions, these etiquettes determined how others perceived the Garcia family. They might think the Garcia family was rude because of my behavior.

"I think the Garcia family's only requirement for you is not to cause trouble. After all, reaching Sofia's level in just a week is a bit too much for you."

When I practiced walking, Vivian was quite dissatisfied. "Lift your head, walk more confidently." She then instructed the maid to place a book on my head, requiring me to walk steadily with it.

This made me feel like a robot, and my movements became more rigid, which was clearly not what Vivian wanted to see. "Your understanding of etiquette is really terrible. I'm starting to miss Sofia."

Vivian mentioned Sofia a lot. Every time I made a mistake, she would raise her eyebrows and tell me how excellent Sofia was.

If it were Sofia, she could do it better.

After many times, I started to feel a bit unhappy. "Sofia is excellent, but I'm trying my best. You don't need to keep comparing me to her; it's very disrespectful to Sofia as well."

"Elena, watch your attitude." Vivian picked up a folding fan to cover her face. "If you're not good enough, you need to work harder than others. I thought you understood that?"

"But I think you don't need to keep bringing up Sofia."

"Are you a jealous person?" Vivian looked at me.

This made my face turn red. I didn't want her to think that way. "Sofia is my sister. If you're going to teach me etiquette, you should teach properly." I looked at her seriously. "Does any etiquette guide condone casual judgment of others?"

My firm attitude made Vivian restrain herself a bit.

She glared at me and didn't mention Sofia repeatedly in the subsequent training.

By the end of the training, my limbs were very tired.

In the past, I only felt this exhausted after a full day of work.

At this moment, Sofia came into the room where we were having etiquette training.

Her foot was wrapped in a white bandage as she sat in a wheelchair.

Upon seeing Sofia, Vivian immediately went up to her.