As for Henry Tuoba, when Grace got home, she naturally had to explain everything to her parents.
She told them she met him while cultivating at Moonwater Abbey.
At the time, she thought he was just an ordinary worshipper, but later learned he was Emperor Henry of the Vermilion Kingdom.
This time, she had gone to him for help.
Minister Zhuo was naturally thrilled when he heard this.
......
Grace guessed that since she hadn't followed Henry Tuoba to the Vermilion Kingdom, Colin Gu would definitely come looking for her.
She just didn't expect him to show up so soon.
That very night, Colin Gu arrived in disguise, bringing a Spiritual Alchemist with him.
When Grace heard the news, she cursed, "Damn it!" Then she forcefully surged her spiritual power through the meridians near her heart, causing herself to cough up blood on the spot.
After cleaning up the blood and rinsing her mouth, Grace lay down on the bed, pulled up the covers, her face pale and colorless.
Colin Gu saw how she looked and was filled with guilt.
He didn't say a word and had the Spiritual Alchemist check her pulse first.
After checking, the Spiritual Alchemist told Colin Gu that she had nearly severed her heart meridian. Luckily, she was treated in time. The meridians near her heart were ruptured, but her life wasn't in danger for now.
Colin Gu asked the Spiritual Alchemist to give her medicine and then sent him out.
Then, looking pale, he sat by her bed, staring at her face in silence.
Having him sit on her bed made Grace feel suffocated. She turned over, facing away from him.
The atmosphere was half-real, half-fake, tinged with a sense of sadness.
After a long while, Colin Gu finally said three words: "I'm sorry."
Grace let out a faint, cold laugh.
"Just focus on getting better. One day..." At that, Colin Gu didn't finish his sentence.
But Grace knew exactly what he meant.
He was probably thinking that one day, he'd kill Henry Tuoba himself and take her back.
She never turned around.
Colin Gu sat there awkwardly for a while, then left.
Grace sat up, took a pill, and looked at the door with complicated eyes.
Ever since she was reborn, she didn't love Colin Gu anymore.
But he was still the man she'd loved for a lifetime in her previous life.
There was still something in her heart she couldn't quite name.
Maybe it was just a sense of unwillingness.
So she pretended to still have feelings for Colin Gu.
She wanted to see if, when facing Henry Tuoba, he'd do everything he could to keep her.
Turns out, maybe he'd suffer and feel guilty, but when it came down to it, he'd always choose what's best for himself.
Grace reached for the dragon scale on her neck, finally feeling at peace.
......
Just then, Claire came in and whispered, "Miss Lawrence, Aunt Wan is here to see you."
Grace pulled up her covers and said, "Let her in!"
Grace Wan brought lots of supplements to help Grace's meridians heal, offered a few polite words, then got straight to the point: "I always thought you'd be heading to the palace soon, so when Mrs. Hu left the estate, I didn't let her come back. Now, you might not be getting married for a while, so I've brought her back."
"Mrs. Hu? Is she better now?" Grace asked.
"She's all better!" Grace Wan replied with a kindly smile. "She's been taking care of you since you were little, so she's better than anyone else. I've already brought her in—let her come and greet you!"
Grace smiled, "That's great."
So Mrs. Hu, looking healthy and full of energy, came in.
She bowed to Grace Wan and Grace, and Grace asked after her health, then let her stay.