He Chose Her, I Closed the Portal

Chapter 3

Emily knelt outside the main castle's great hall until dawn broke the next day. The first pale streaks of morning light were just bleeding across the sky when Oliver finally stepped out of the hall.

He stopped right in front of her, his handsome face completely devoid of warmth. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

Emily lifted her head slowly, meeting his cold, indifferent gaze with a bitter, heartbroken smile. "Oliver, my biggest mistake was being stupid enough to wish for your exclusive, lifelong love."

Oliver's face darkened instantly. That twisted, bitter smile on her face made his skin crawl, like he was staring at something ugly and offensive. He scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive. "Since you still refuse to show any remorse, you'll serve in the main castle's great hall starting today. Maybe that'll knock some sense into you about your place in this kingdom."

Watching his back as he stormed off, Emily mumbled under her breath, so quiet only she could hear. "Emily thanks Your Majesty for this generous gift."

This was no punishment, she thought dryly. This so-called gift would let her get closer to the door that led back home. It was giving her the perfect chance to get far, far away from him for good.

The early morning sun spilled over her shoulders, and she forced a smile that looked more miserable than if she'd been sobbing her heart out.

That whole scene was caught by William who'd come to pay his respects to the king. The young boy curled his lip, finding the sight absolutely revolting, and marched over to Emily, his face thunderous as he snapped, "You're being punished on your knees and you're smiling? You're making a complete fool of yourself! How did I end up with a mother like you?"

Standing next to him, Amelia quickly tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft. "William, you can't talk to her like that."

Emily's eyes flickered as she looked at her daughter, but before she could say a word, the girl turned back to scold her younger brother.

"It's fine to grumble about this stuff in private, but if you act out right in front of the main castle, Father might think you're too rude and reckless to be granted a noble title later. That's not going to do you any favors."

William glowered at Emily, his face twisted with resentment. "Once you're done with your punishment, go straight back to the lakeside side hall and stay there. You don't belong here."

Amelia reached out and wrapped her hand around Emily's palm, her tone so earnest it could almost pass for genuine. "Father has decided that William and I will be calling Duchess Eleanor our mother from now on. We won't have any real connection to you anymore," she said. "No matter what status you used to have, William and I still have half your blood in our veins. You want us to have smooth, happy lives in the future, don't you?"

Emily stared at her two children standing right in front of her, and it felt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer straight into her chest. She could barely breathe, the pain sharp enough to choke her.

Once, she'd thought these two children were the greatest gift fate had ever given her. Her eldest daughter Amelia was sharp, quick-witted, and silver-tongued. Her young son William was bold, lively, and unapologetically straightforward. But she'd never seen it coming. The kids she'd cherished more than her own life would turn into sharp blades plunged straight into her chest, ripping her to shreds and leaving her utterly broken.

Emily could feel her daughter's hand wrapped around hers, and she croaked out a hoarse reply. "Of course."

It wouldn't be long before she left this world that never belonged to her for good, ditching every last worthless person and memory far behind.

Amelia broke into a bright smile the second she heard that, tugging William along with her into the main castle to pay their respects to the king.

Emily stumbled as she pushed herself up off the ground, staring at the two children's retreating backs before turning to trudge back to the lakeside side hall. Her entire silhouette looked hollow, frayed at the edges, and utterly alone.

After she'd quickly packed up the few personal belongings she had, she headed back to the main castle's great hall, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by a royal manservant from Eleanor's retinue.

"Duchess Eleanor requests your presence inside."

Emily stepped into the inner chamber and spotted Eleanor lounging lazily on a velvet sofa, with Edward, the manservant hovering right beside her, his face twisted into a disgustingly obsequious smirk.

The second she saw who it was, Emily's eyebrows shot up, her stomach lurching.

Eleanor glanced over at her and let out a cold, amused chuckle. "Emily, this is your future contract spouse. Edward, the king has rewarded you specially for your years of loyal service by my side. What do you think of this reward?"

Edward's eyes raked over Emily's lean, striking figure, no attempt to hide the greedy, lecherous hunger written all over his face. "You tease me, Your Grace. I never could've dreamed the king would favor me like this. I'm truly overwhelmed by this honor."

Eleanor scoffed, flicking a finger toward a tiny silver vial of potion sitting on the table. "This is a pleasure tonic I had the court apothecary mix up just for the two of you. Your betrothal's already set in stone, so tonight I'll do you both a favor and let you spend the night together. It's been years since you've had the company of a lover. After all, this tonic will help you enjoy every second of it."

Edward's eyes snapped back to Emily, his cheeks flushed bright red with excitement. His knees buckled under him as he dropped into a deep bow. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Grace!"

Emily's stomach churned, bile rising in her throat. She spun on her heel to storm straight out, but four huge, bulky castle guards immediately stepped forward to block her path and hold her. She thrashed with all her might, but one person was no match for the combined strength of multiple men. In the end, she was roughly hauled off and dragged into the side lounge.

By the time Emily broke free of their hold and scrambled to her feet, the male servant had already downed the potion, and was standing right in front of her, eyes blazing with greedy urgency. "There's my pretty little wife. I'll treat you real nice!"

Outside the lounge door, Eleanor was posted up with a crowd of attendants. When the sounds of struggle drifted out from inside, a cold, triumphant smirk flickered across her face. "Send someone to fetch the king."

Just then, Oliver's voice carried down the hallway before she could finish speaking. "Eleanor, what did you need me for?"

Eleanor rushed forward immediately, grabbing Oliver's hand and putting on a forced look of awkward embarrassment. "Your Majesty, I only called Emily over to ask her a few questions. Who would've thought she'd lose all control the second she laid eyes on Edward? Broad daylight, and they're already fooling around in the lounge together."

Oliver went rigid instantly. Staring at the tightly closed wooden door of the lounge, white-hot rage surged straight to his head. "Bust the damn door down!"

The guards sprang into action, slamming their shoulders against the wood again and again. The door caved in with a splintering crash.

Light flooded the lounge, landing first on the male servant Edward, who was curled up on the floor, clutching his stomach and twitching and writhing in agony as he rolled around on the floor.

It also fell on Emily, who was sitting a short distance away from him, gripping a small, bloodied dagger tight in her fist.