The hall felt strangely hollow once the nobles left—like a grand theater emptied between acts, the chandeliers still glowing but no one applauding.
Only the Mickelsons remained.
The Duchess stood frozen beside the abandoned altar, veil crushed in her fist. The Duke stood stiff beneath the archway, jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful. His eyes burned on his children, on the daughter who refused to kneel and the son who dared to come back with defiance in his stride.
And on Hyacinth.
Especially on Hyacinth.
Selene stood at the center of it all, breathing slowly, calming the tremor in her hands. The train of her wedding gown pooled around her like spilled moonlight.
"Enough games," the Duke finally said. His voice was low, cold, and dangerous. "You have publicly humiliated this family. You've embarrassed our allies. You've destroyed a contract that took years to arrange."
Selene didn't flinch.
Neither did Hakeem.
Neither did Vincent.
A united front, for once.
"You forced a contract I never wanted," Selene replied.
"You agreed to it," the Duke snapped.
"I agreed to survive," she said quietly. "Not to be owned."
The words echoed sharply—too sharp for a daughter who once whispered instead of speaking. The Duke's nostrils flared.
His gaze shifted to Hyacinth.
"You," he said, voice dropping into a cold snarl. "You dare return here? After the trouble you caused, after the influence you used to poison my son—"
"I influenced nothing," Hyacinth said, though her voice trembled. "Hakeem made his own choices."
The Duke stepped forward.
Hakeem stepped in front of her immediately.
"You will not speak to her that way," he warned. "Not anymore."
"Move," the Duke growled.
"No."
It was the first time Hakeem had ever told his father that word without fear.
Hyacinth felt her breath catch.
Vincent leaned lazily against a pillar. "Father, do be careful. He looks one insult away from hitting you. And honestly, I'd like to watch."
Selene shot him a warning glance, but the smallest smile tugged at her lips.
The Duke exhaled sharply in frustration.
"This family is falling apart," he muttered.
"No," Selene said. "It's finally waking up."
---
The Duchess Breaks
The Duchess's voice finally rose, shaking.
"Do you think you're heroes?" she demanded. "Sabotaging the future we built for you? Undermining the trade alliances? Throwing away stability? Reputation? Security?"
Selene walked toward her mother slowly.
"Mother… stability built on fear is not stability." Her tone softened. "And you know that. I've seen how unhappy you are. How often you wanted to leave this house yourself."
The Duchess stiffened.
For a moment, her carefully built composure cracked — eyes flickering with shock, guilt, recognition.
But she straightened her spine again.
"You don't know anything, Selene."
"I know you wanted us to be strong," Selene said. "But strength is not quiet suffering."
The Duchess looked away, unable to hold her daughter's gaze.
---
Duke vs. Heirs
The Duke turned to Hakeem.
"You will never inherit this house if you insist on behaving like this. Never."
"Then I won't inherit," Hakeem said without hesitation.
Silence rang louder than the bells had earlier.
"You would throw away everything," the Duke said slowly, "for a maid."
"She is not something to throw things away for," Hakeem said, voice steady. "She's someone I love."
Hyacinth's breath hitched. Her eyes widened, but tears didn't fall—they brightened instead.
The Duke looked at him with disgust.
Selene looked at him with hope.
Vincent gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "Took you long enough to say it out loud."
"Vincent," Hakeem muttered.
"What? I'm proud of you."
---
Hyacinth Speaks the Truth
Hyacinth stepped forward. She had stayed silent long enough.
"I didn't return to cause war," she said to the Duke. "I came back because Selene needed someone to stand beside her. I didn't know Hakeem would be here. I didn't come to steal anything. I only came because I couldn't live with myself knowing she was suffering alone."
Selene reached for her hand—Hyacinth startled, then held it back.
Their joined hands made the Duchess's breath falter.
"You had no right," the Duke said coldly.
"Maybe not," Hyacinth answered. "But sometimes doing the right thing means breaking rules you were never meant to obey in the first place."
The Duke took a step closer.
Hakeem blocked him again.
"Touch her and we walk out," Hakeem said. "All of us."
Vincent nodded. "I'll pack the good liquor."
Selene added softly, "I'll leave with them."
The Duke froze.
For the first time in his life, he looked… uncertain.
The threat wasn't empty.
Not anymore.
His children weren't scared.
His authority wasn't absolute.
His house wasn't untouchable.
And he knew it.
He stepped back.
---
The Quiet After the Storm
Selene slowly slipped off her wedding veil and placed it on a chair. The sound of the lace falling felt like a curtain dropping on a dying play.
"I want to rest," she said quietly. "For tonight… no lectures. No punishments. No discussions."
The Duke opened his mouth.
Hakeem stepped forward in warning.
The Duke closed it again.
Selene exhaled, relieved but still trembling from adrenaline. She reached for Vincent, then Hakeem, then Hyacinth—touching each lightly, as if needing to feel they were real.
"I'm not as strong as I sounded," she admitted.
Vincent smiled. "That's normal. Heroic speeches are exhausting."
Hyacinth wrapped her arms around Selene, holding her tightly. The Duchess watched the embrace with a haunted expression—the realization of how little affection she herself had ever allowed.
"Thank you for coming," Selene whispered into Hyacinth's shoulder.
Hyacinth's voice cracked. "I'd come again. A thousand times."
Hakeem swallowed hard.
---
The Duke's Final Words
As the siblings prepared to leave the hall together, the Duke spoke again.
"This is not over."
His voice was quiet — not threatening, but warning.
Hakeem turned. "Maybe not. But for once, we'll decide how it continues."
Selene nodded. "We choose our own stories now."
Vincent smirked. "Try not to ruin ours too much."
The Duke said nothing.
Because he finally understood—
He no longer controlled the next chapter.
---
Selene left the hall with Hyacinth's arm linked through hers.
Vincent followed, hands in his pockets, humming like he'd just witnessed the best drama of his life.
Hakeem walked last, watching Hyacinth with a look full of relief and unsaid promises.
And above them, the chandeliers flickered — as if the house itself knew change had come, and nothing would ever be the same again.