Chapter 137
The palace gardens glowed beneath thousands of crystal lanterns.
Music drifted through the warm evening air.
Laughter echoed beneath the stars.
The wedding had become everything the kingdom had hoped it would be.
Nobles congratulated the newlyweds.
Children chased one another between the flower beds.
Even soldiers smiled as they relaxed for the first time in months.
For one night...
The kingdom had forgotten sorrow.
But not everyone shared their happiness.
Hidden beneath the shadows at the edge of the gardens stood one man.
Lord Bracken.
His eyes never left the celebration.
Every laugh.
Every smile.
Every congratulations spoken to House of Ambrose.
Each one felt like another knife twisting inside his chest.
His hands slowly clenched.
"It should have been me..."
Across the gardens, Owen quietly excused himself from another group of nobles.
"Please forgive me...I just need a little fresh air."
The Duke smiled politely before making his way toward one of the palace balconies overlooking the moonlit gardens.
For the first time in weeks...
He was alone.
He rested both hands against the stone railing.
His shoulders finally relaxed.
Aurora was happy.
The Duchy had been saved.
The miners were home.
The future finally looked bright.
A quiet smile appeared on his face.
Behind him...
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Slow.
Measured.
Owen frowned.
"I thought I asked not to be disturbed."
A familiar voice answered, "You always did like having the last word."
Owen slowly turned.
His expression immediately hardened.
Bracken.
The two men stared at one another.
Neither spoke.
Years of history filled the silence between them.
Finally...
Owen broke it, "What are you doing here?"
Bracken smiled. A cold, empty smile.
"How could I possibly miss my best friend's daughter's wedding?"
He laughed bitterly.
"Oh..."
He shook his head.
"Not best friend. Former best friend."
Owen's expression remained calm, "You should leave."
Bracken ignored him.
"I watched everything."
"The ceremony."
"The vows."
"The smiles."
"The happy family."
His eyes darkened.
"You always get everything you want."
Owen sighed quietly.
"No. I fought for everything I have."
Bracken laughed.
"Did you?"
"You were born into the richest Duchy."
"You inherited wealth."
"You inherited power."
"You inherited respect."
"And then...You stole Eleanor."
Owen's jaw tightened, "I stole no one."
Bracken stepped closer, "You knew I loved her."
"I also knew...", Owen interrupted calmly, "...that she didn't love you."
Those words struck harder than any sword.
Bracken's face twisted with hatred.
"You never gave her the chance!"
"I never stopped her from making her own choice."
"You stood between us!"
"No.", Owen's voice remained steady, "She chose....She chose me."
Bracken's breathing became uneven.
"You know what?", His voice cracked, "Eleanor was supposed to become my wife."
His eyes filled with madness.
"We were supposed to build a home together. We were supposed to have children."
He pointed violently toward the ballroom.
"Maybe...Maybe the daughter you proudly walked down the aisle tonight......was supposed to be mine."
Silence.
Owen stared at him. Not with anger. With pity.
"You've spent twenty years chasing a life that never existed."
Bracken trembled, "You ruined everything."
"No", Owen shook his head, "You ruined your own life.You let jealousy become hatred. You let hatred destroy innocent people."
"You murdered."
"You trafficked women."
"You destroyed families."
"You tried to murder my daughter."
Every word struck Bracken harder than the last.
"I lost Eleanor...", Bracken whispered, "And then...I lost everything else."
His hand slowly reached beneath his coat.
Steel gleamed beneath the lantern light.
Owen immediately stepped back.
"Bracken...Don't."
Bracken slowly drew his sword.
"I have nothing left", His voice was frighteningly calm, "So neither should you."
Without warning— He lunged.
Steel crashed against steel.
Owen had barely managed to draw his own sword in time.
The sound echoed through the balcony.
The two former friends clashed beneath the moonlight.
Every strike carried years of resentment. Every block carried years of regret.
Bracken attacked wildly.Driven by rage.
Owen fought with discipline. Trying to end the fight.Not prolong it.
"You can still surrender!", Owen shouted, "It's over!"
Bracken laughed like a madman, "It was over twenty years ago!"
Their swords collided again.
And again.
And again.
Across the ballroom...
Aurora smiled as another noble offered congratulations.
Then she frowned, "It's strange..."
Lucian looked at her, "What is?"
"I haven't seen Father for a while."
Lucian glanced around.
Neither had he.
Aurora looked toward Philip.
"Have you seen Father?"
Philip thought for a moment.
"I believe one of the knights mentioned His Grace walked toward the western balcony."
Aurora smiled, "I'll go fetch him."
"I'll come with you," Lucian offered.
Aurora shook her head, "I'll only be a moment."
She slipped quietly from the celebration.
The music faded behind her. The corridor grew silent.
The closer she came to the balcony... The stranger the silence became.
Then—
CLANG!
Metal striking metal.
Aurora froze.
Another crash echoed through the night.
Her heart stopped. She hurried toward the sound.
As she stepped through the balcony doors...
Time seemed to stop.
Two figures.
Locked in combat.
One...
Her father.
The other...
Lord Bracken.
Aurora's face turned white.
"Father!"
Her scream tore through the night.
Both men looked toward her.
For the briefest moment...
Everything changed.
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