Chapter 135
Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows of the Ambrose Manor, bathing Aurora's room in a warm golden glow.
Outside, the estate buzzed with quiet excitement.
Servants hurried through the corridors.
Knights stood proudly in polished armor.
Fresh flowers decorated every hallway.
The entire kingdom seemed to be holding its breath.
Today...
Lady Aurora Ambrose would become Queen.
Aurora stood before the mirror in silence.
The ivory gown flowed around her like moonlight woven into silk. Delicate embroidery of silver lilies climbed across the bodice before disappearing into layers of soft fabric that shimmered with every movement.
A simple diamond tiara rested upon her head.
Nothing excessive.
Nothing overwhelming.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Timeless.
Emily carefully adjusted the veil one final time before stepping back.
"My Lady..." Her voice trembled, "You look breathtaking."
Aurora smiled softly, "Thank you."
Emily's eyes immediately filled with tears, "Oh no..."
Aurora laughed quietly, "You're crying already?"
"I promised myself I wouldn't."
"You made that promise ten minutes ago."
"I know."
Emily laughed through her tears, "I've already failed."
The room filled with gentle laughter.
Then...
A knock sounded at the door.
Emily smiled knowingly, "I'll leave you two alone."
She quietly slipped outside.
The door opened once more. Owen entered. He stopped.
For several long moments... He simply stared.
His little girl.
The tiny child who had once wrapped both hands around one of his fingers because she insisted she was "too small to walk alone."
The little girl who used to run through the manor covered in mud after trying to rescue injured birds.
The child who believed she could become everything at once...
A knight.
A physician.
A dressmaker.
A teacher.
Now...
She stood before him as a woman.
Strong.
Kind.
Compassionate.
Beautiful.
His eyes slowly filled with tears.
Aurora smiled gently.
"Daddy..." That single word shattered what little composure remained.
He walked toward her.
Slowly.
As though afraid the moment would disappear if he moved too quickly.
"You look...", His voice caught, "...exactly like your mother did."
Aurora smiled through tears of her own.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
He reached up and gently brushed an escaped curl behind her ear.
"I still remember the day you learned to walk."
Aurora laughed softly.
"I fell."
"You fell six times."
"I was determined."
"You were stubborn."
"I inherited that."
"You certainly didn't inherit it from me."
Aurora raised an eyebrow, "Daddy..."
He sighed dramatically.
"Fine. You inherited it from both of us."
They both laughed.
Then silence settled between them.
A peaceful silence.
Owen gently took both her hands.
"When you were little......you never walked anywhere without holding my finger."
Aurora smiled, "I remember."
"You trusted me completely."
"I still do."
His eyes glistened, "Today......I'm letting go."
A soft knock sounded once more.
Before Aurora could pull away from her father, the door slowly opened.
Eleanor stepped inside.
She paused the moment she saw them.
Father and daughter stood wrapped in each other's arms.
Neither had noticed she had entered.
A gentle smile spread across her face, though tears already shimmered in her eyes.
"So..." she said softly, "Am I interrupting?"
Aurora immediately laughed through her tears, "A little."
Eleanor smiled, "I'll wait."
She leaned against the doorway, simply watching them for a few moments.
Watching the man she loved say goodbye to the little girl they had raised together.
Eventually, Owen reached out his free hand.
"Come here."
Eleanor walked over and slipped her hand into his.
The three stood together in silence.
Just as they had so many times before.
Only today...
Everything was changing.
Eleanor reached up and gently cupped Aurora's face.
"My beautiful girl..."
She smiled through her tears.
"I still remember the first time I held you."
"You were so tiny."
"So angry."
Aurora blinked.
"Angry?"
"You screamed at every single person who tried to hold you."
Owen laughed, "Except me."
Eleanor rolled her eyes, "She adored her father from the very beginning."
Aurora smiled, "I still do."
Owen's eyes became suspiciously bright.
Eleanor continued brushing a loose curl behind Aurora's ear.
"You've always tried so hard to make everyone around you happy. You worried about injured birds. You cried when flowers wilted.....You secretly gave away your desserts to the servants' children because you thought I wouldn't notice."
Aurora looked horrified, "You knew?"
"My darling...", Eleanor laughed softly, "Mothers know everything."
Aurora couldn't help laughing.
Then Eleanor's expression grew gentle once more.
"When you were little......I dreamed about this day. I imagined helping you into your wedding dress.....I imagined watching your father pretend he wasn't crying."
Owen cleared his throat dramatically, "I am not crying."
Both women looked at him.
A single tear slowly rolled down his cheek.
Aurora smiled, "Daddy..."
He sighed, "Fine....I might be crying a little."
The three laughed together.
Then Eleanor took Aurora's hands, "Listen to me carefully."
Aurora nodded.
"I don't care that you're marrying a king....I don't care that you'll become Queen....My greatest wish has never been to see you wear a crown."
She gently kissed Aurora's forehead.
"My greatest wish......has always been to see someone love you the way you deserve to be loved."
Aurora's lips trembled.
"You've spent so much of your life taking care of everyone else."
She brushed away Aurora's tears.
"Now......let someone take care of you too."
Aurora broke down completely.
She wrapped both arms around her mother.
"I'll miss you."
Eleanor held her tightly.
"Oh, my darling...You could live on the moon......and you'd still be coming home every week."
Aurora laughed through her tears, "I probably would."
"You definitely would," Owen agreed, "And you'd still steal food from Philip's kitchen."
"I do not steal."
Owen raised an eyebrow.
Aurora looked offended.
"I borrow."
"You borrow permanently."
"Details."
The room filled with laughter once again.
For one precious moment...
There was no kingdom.
No crown.
No politics.
Only a mother.
A father.
And the little girl who had always been the greatest blessing of their lives.
Neither Owen nor Eleanor felt as though they were losing a daughter that morning.
Instead...
They felt as though they were proudly walking beside the extraordinary woman she had become.
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