Chapter 2127

Amid the swirling snow, a stiff figure trudged slowly through the drifts. Step by step, she walked. No one knew when she had left the palace behind. Somehow, she had wandered into the soft glow of spring, where the trees were green and the sun was warm. In that gentle sunlight, she seemed to glimpse two tiny figures, once huddled together within the cold stone walls of the palace. "There now, no more tears, Grace. If Madam Lovell punishes you again, I will take the beating for you next time," the young Serena declared proudly, thumping her little chest with righteous bravado. Grace's tear-streaked little face turned toward her companion, sniffling. "But… If you do that, you will be the one who gets hurt…" "That does not faze me! Pain does not fear me! Now, you mustn't cry. I promise you I will take the punishment for you next time." Those childhood moments felt so close that Grace could almost reach out and touch them. But in the blink of an eye, the little girl in front of her h