He Chose Her, I Closed the Portal

Chapter 7

A ragged, gaping void felt like it had been gouged right out of Emily's chest, and frigid wind—colder than the ice water in flooded dungeon cells—gusted through it, biting straight to her bones.

She couldn't even remember how the guards had escorted her back to the main castle. It was only when her eyes landed on the carved crest archway of the main hall that she snapped groggily back to her senses.

A flicker of softness crossed Oliver's face. "Eleanor and I are getting married in the church tomorrow. I originally planned to lock you up in the quiet west tower to keep you from causing trouble and ruining Eleanor's good mood. But she said you've stood by my side for ten whole years, so you deserve to witness my happiness with your own eyes." He glanced at her, and that faint warmth vanished instantly, leaving only cold severity in its place. "Eleanor is being so kind and thoughtful. You will not throw her kindness back in her face."

The earnest, eager look on his face as he talked about the wedding tomorrow felt like a razor-sharp spear, driving straight through Emily's already tattered, broken heart.

She bit down so hard on her lower lip she nearly drew blood, shoving the searing, roiling pain back down into the depths of her chest. Her voice was so faint it was almost a whisper. "I understand."

'Oliver, ten years by your side, two children we share... and the last thing I get to do is stand off to the side and watch you build a future with someone else,' Emily thought as she lowered her eyelids. There were no tears left to cry; her eyes were all dried up, as barren as a long-abandoned well.

That night, she sat on the stone threshold of the main hall's side wing, staring up at the bright, silvery full moon hanging outside the window.

A patched canvas bundle sat at her feet, holding only three things.

The shards of the family crest pendant Oliver had shattered with his own hands years ago, a lock of soft baby hair from when Amelia was first born, and William's very first baby tooth that had fallen out.

Other than these small, tattered fragments of memory, this castle that was never truly hers had nothing else worth taking with her.

Moonlight spilled over the entire castle garden. Emily lifted a hand, murmuring softly to herself, "Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'll be home soon... really soon. Grandma used to say you two were so in love when you were alive. I always thought I'd find someone like that too, someone I could spend my whole life with. Turns out it was all just a hollow, fleeting bubble. If only I'd listened to Grandma's advice and never stepped foot in that study back then..."

The side wing was dead silent and empty, save for her quiet voice. There was no one there to ease the crippling grief weighing heavy on her chest.

By early the next morning, sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows, and the bright, rousing brass fanfare celebrating the wedding drifted over from outside the castle, yanking Emily sharply back to reality.

She looked toward the main hall entrance. A procession of musicians in shining silver knight uniforms marched up in perfect formation.

The lead knight boomed, "His Majesty the King knows the Duchess has long wished for a simple, traditional noble wedding. He has ordered us here to escort the Duchess to the church!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a swarm of attendants ushered Eleanor out of the main hall. The velvet wedding gown she wore was the exact design Oliver had picked out with Emily all those years ago.

Fussed over by the entire entourage like a celebrity surrounded by adoring fans, Eleanor was escorted toward the church.

The main hall fell eerily quiet and empty in an instant. Emily pushed herself to her feet, her legs stiff after sitting in the same spot all night, stumbled two unsteady steps forward.

The right time she’s waiting for is just around the corner. All she wanted was to see Oliver one last time, to say a proper goodbye. After ten years of side-by-side life, the least they deserved was a proper, dignified goodbye.

But right as she was about to step through the side hall archway, two figures blocked her path. William and Amelia were dressed in festive wine-red formal outfits, their faces stone cold as they planted themselves firmly in front of her.

William snapped, "Father ordered us to make you wait here. You can only leave after he and the Duchess reach the church altar."

Amelia snarled, "This is all your fault! Now me and William can't even stand by the Duchess for the most important day of her life!"

Staring at that same icy, unyielding glint in their eyes that Oliver always wore, Emily felt her heart turn to solid ice. Of course. Even this tiny, meaningless last wish of hers would be crushed by Oliver himself.

A bitter, hollow laugh tugged at the corner of her mouth. She opened her lips to speak, but not a single sound came out.

William's small face was puffed up with rage. He fished a brand-new family crest pendant out of his pocket and thrust it right under her nose. "I don't get what anyone even sees in you. Father actually ordered the craftsmen to make a whole new royal dispensation crest just for you. You must be feeling so smug right now, huh?"

Emily stared at the softly glowing crest, but made no move to take it. After a long, heavy silence, she spoke slowly. "William, broken things can't be put back the way they were. Once something has a c***k in it, there's no point trying to fix it."

William tilted his little head up at her, a flicker of confusion crossed his face before he frowned again. "Go back inside the side hall and stay there. Father said we'll bring you over once the celebration ends. He'll come see you after the ceremony is done."

Emily looked at the two children, their features the spitting image of Oliver's, and forced a faint, weary smile.

Wait around for Oliver's wedding to wrap up? No way. She wasn't going to waste another second waiting for a man who'd stopped loving her long ago. And where she was going, Oliver would never find her.

Emily lowered her eyes, gazing at the two children who hadn't even bothered to spare her a single warm glance this whole time. All the raw, tangled hurt in her chest slowly ebbed away, leaving nothing but cold, quiet calm.

After today, no one in this entire castle would ever have to feel upset because of her again.

She drew in a slow, deep breath, turned on her heel, and walked back into the side hall. She then grabbed the mended canvas bundle she'd packed ages ago, then stood motionless by the window until the last peal of the festive brass band outside faded into silence.

Her gaze drifted through the carved glass window toward the church in the distance. Her lips moved softly, shaping a single silent phrase. "Goodbye, Oliver..."

As soon as the words left her, she slipped over to the hidden side door of the hall and pushed the old wooden panel open.

The moment she stepped across the threshold, a blinding silver light burst forth, flooding every inch of the room.

When the glow faded, the side hall sat empty and silent. No one was left inside.

One second later, the panicked shout of a royal attendant rang out from outside the door.

"Your Majesty! The scheduled time for the wedding is here—why have you come back?"