Seeing Sabrina’s desperate tears, Damien felt a twisted satisfaction.

He raised his hand and pinched her chin, forcing her to tilt her head and look at him, asking, “What do you think I take you for?”

Sabrina was stunned. The pain felt her heart crumble into pieces, making her tremble all over.

Damien's smile grew increasingly cold and they asked again, "You wanted to marry and leave the Steele Family that simple? I won't give you what you want!”

He added, “You're now the lowest palace maid, vulnerable to anyone who wishes to trample on you or torture you. Until you're driven to despair and forced to end your own life!”

Sabrina cried so intensely that she struggled to catch her breath. Glaring at Damien with anger, she declared, “I won't give up! I promised my mother that I would live my life to the fullest and never commit suicide! It never crossed my mind!”

As soon as the time came, she would clear her mother's name from the sin she never committed, escape Damien's trap and find true happiness elsewhere.

Sabrina couldn’t believe her mother had indeed poisoned Martha Steele, Damien's late mother.

Her mother had been gentle, wanting to raise her well and marry her into a good family.

It was hard to believe that her mother had murdered Martha out of jealousy.

In one blink, Damien laughed out loud and said, “This is not something you can decide.”

Outside the window, the cold snow drifted again, slowly covering the gloomy and oppressive palace.

The vermilion walls and blue tiles stood stark against the white snow, creating a bleak and hopeless scene.

Meanwhile, Sabrina had a long dream.

Back then, it was on her fourteenth birthday.

Martha didn’t like her mother but wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for her.

She even asked the butler to allocate funds for her birthday banquet and invited many close friends as guests.

Steele’s mansion was filled with laughter and joy before.

He tenderly combed her hair, teasing that he’d kiss her in two years.

Sabrina’s cheeks flushed, though his thoughts were on Damien, who was thousands of miles away.

Years ago, Sabrina had always thought that it would only be Damien if she ever wanted to marry. She had no one in mind that could level him.

The birthday banquet started on a joyous occasion, laughter echoing in the four corners of the wall.

When Sabrina was about to speak with her best friend, Astrid Smith, a tragedy destroyed everyone's night.

The Steele Family’s secret guards burst in that moment, seizing her amid the crowd’s screams. They dragged her roughly to the main hall and threw her to the ground.

“Murder!”

“Poison! Jealousy!”

“That wretched person committed suicide out of guilt! This is her suicide note!”

"Yes, this is her handwriting! It's really similar to how she writes and no one can replicate it. Only her! Such a despicable person; she actually dared to poison and murder Martha!”

“And this wretched Sabrina! Which lady in the capital would let a concubine bring in a proper lady to befriend the wealthy? The lady was so kind, hosting her birthday banquet and inviting guests. How could her mother do this? It’s madness!”

Mockery, curses and contempt filled the air.

Bound to a stool and beaten mercilessly, Sabrina cried out, "My mother didn’t... please! Don’t accuse her falsely! My mother didn’t do it!”

With no evidence to clear her name, Sabrina was helpless. No one supported her mother, only her.

Damien, whom she had admired so deeply, tortured her to death as soon as he returned home, turning all her admiration into endless fear and hatred.

Sabrina sobbed uncontrollably and tried desperately to escape. Still, when Damien caught her, he was like a cold, ruthless devil, inflicting unimaginable cruelty.

“Sabrina, this is what you owe me. You will never escape from my grasp, not in this lifetime!” Damien roared.

Once again, Sabrina was lost in despair in her dream. She struggled but couldn’t move. She wanted to sob in pain but couldn’t shed a tear. All she could do was curl up in a ball.

The warm pavilion felt as comforting as spring. A nurse replaced the wet cloth on Sabrina’s forehead, but she stayed unconscious, crying and mumbling, “Don’t let me go.”

With that, Damien's face darkened. Sabrina’s body burned hot in his hands, making his eyes heavy with worry.

He felt a surge of irritation and angrily demanded of the imperial physician, “Why isn’t she awake yet? How did you prepare the medicine? I want answers!”

Damien's rage concealed his true feelings.

The imperial physician didn’t dare wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Sabrina is too weak, lacking vitality and strength. She has been overly active and caught a cold,” he said cautiously.

Sabrina's pulse showed a slight sign of miscarriage, hinting at possible joy. Still, the time was too brief to be certain and the physician dared not say more.

Later on, Sabrina mumbled, her crying slowly subsiding. A faint whisper of “Your Majesty” slipped from her lips. Upon hearing her voice, Damien's expression darkened on her.

It was as if Sabrina was too focused on the emperor.

“Since I can’t die, there’s no need to make a fuss! I’m just a person with a low status, a palace maid! Why are so many people gathered here? Are you all bored? Get out of here!” Sabrina exclaimed out of the blue.

Damien remained too cold, with his eyes starting to darken.

He cast one last glance at Sabrina on the bed, then, with a sleeve sweep, ordered, “Remove her and throw her into the Wintershade Palace! Assign someone to watch and ensure Your Majesty doesn’t come near. The East and West Palaces are for concubines. One palace maid is enough for the Wintershade Palace!”

As time passed by, Sabrina woke up in the Wintershade Palace.

The music of the emperor’s wedding could be heard outside the Wintershade Palace, but inside, it was eerily quiet.

In the lonely hall, only a deaf and mute old woman stood guard. When she noticed Sabrina, she excitedly gestured.

Exhausted and haggard, Sabrina could barely rise and struggled to understand the old woman's gestures. She didn't comprehend what she meant by her gestures.

She had always been physically weak, her health deteriorating at the age of fourteen.

Now seriously ill and failing to care for herself, her body had rapidly withered. When she lifted her arm, her skinniness was striking.

Sabrina smiled bitterly. She feared Damien wouldn’t need to force her; she might not have long to live anyway.

Could it be that until her death, she would remain trapped in Damien's grasp, never genuinely living for herself?

Time dragged on for more than a month.

Damien did not come to see her again. He imprisoned her, forbidding her from going out or allowing the young emperor to visit.

Sabrina felt a deep sadness, finding her situation both ridiculous and pitiful. As soon as she touched her wrist, her heart suddenly raced.

“This pulse,” she mumbled under her breath.

No one knew that her mother had a basic understanding of medicine and Sabrina had learned about it from her mother. She even felt her pulse; it seemed odd, but she was on cloud nine.

Sabrina’s breath caught and an intense sensation spread through her heart; whether sadness or joy, she couldn’t tell. Gradually, an absurd thought began to take shape in her mind.

As days passed, a group of people forcefully smashed the door of the Wintershade Palace.

“How did the young lady end up living in the Wintershade Palace as a palace maid?” one of them sneered. “If it were me, I would have preferred to end my life sooner to avoid such humiliation!”

Lately, Sabrina's head had been growing increasingly dizzy.

Reluctantly, she looked out the window at the sound and saw a beautiful woman dressed as a noble concubine leading the way.

Sabrina slowly sat up, put on her dusty coat and, surprised, asked, “Astrid?”

The visitor was her best friend from the Steele residence, the niece of Martha and the eldest legitimate daughter of the minister’s family, Astrid Smith.

A palace maid shouted, “How dare you! In front of Noble Consort Smith, you don’t even kneel! Someone, drag this palace maid, Sabrina, out and must be punished for being disrespectful!”

The deaf-mute nanny tried to intervene but was roughly shoved aside by the three burly palace maids.

Sabrina was dragged off the low bed in silence and thrown harshly into the cold snow.

Dizzy and disoriented, Sabrina carefully shielded her belly and struggled to rise. However, Astrid stepped forward and cruelly crushed her hand with her embroidered shoes adorned with pearls and gemstones.

“Sabrina, do you still think I’m your good friend?” Astrid asked, with her brows raised in disgust.

With the crisp sound of bone cracking, Sabrina couldn't help but let out a painful cry.

The pain from her fingers was as intense as a broken bone, but she was weak all over and couldn't even escape.

Astrid sneered and waved her hand, signaling for the palace maids to leave the Wintershade Palace. She then approached Sabrina, looking down at her with disdain.

“Fool! I only befriended you to get close to Damien! In truth, I’ve loathed you all along!” Astrid admitted the truth.

She gritted her teeth, her expression fierce as she met Sabrina’s horrified gaze.

“But to him, you are the lowest of the low, the most despised. You mean nothing compared to anyone else,” Astrid continued to mock. “But I’m different. I’ve loved him for years, entered the palace for him and spied on His Majesty for him. In short, I am important to him!”

“Stop talking! Shut up!” A thousand needles pierced Sabrina’s heart.

With a sneer, Astrid stated, “Oh poor thing! Did I mention that Damien is actually on his way here? You’re just his plaything to be used and humiliated as he pleases. Do you think if we both got hurt, he’d feel more sorry for you or for me?”

Upon understanding what Astrid meant, Sabrina was surrounded with fear and an overwhelming sense of danger surged.

As Astrid brandished the golden hairpin and aimed it at her chest, Sabrina instinctively tried to stop her.

But Astrid stumbled, falling against her and seizing her hand.

With a fierce thrust, she drove the hairpin toward Astrid's neck. Blood spurted out violently.

Outside the Wintershade Palace, a palace maid’s scream pierced the air, echoing around.

“Help! Palace maid Sabrina has attacked Consort Smith! Someone, come quickly!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

Sabrina’s heart sank as she realized she had walked into a trap.

Sabrina tried to stop Astrid, but Astrid seemed determined to use the situation to provoke Damien further.

As Astrid screamed in agony, Sabrina’s heart raced. At that moment, Damien burst through the palace gates, his eyes widening in shock at the chaotic scene before him.

For an instant, Astrid collapsed onto Sabrina, her neck bleeding heavily from the scratch made by the golden hairpin, her groans of pain filling the air.

Witnessing Astrid's plan, Sabrina's face turned pale, desperately trying to fling the golden hairpin away.

“Sabrina!” Damien’s voice thundered. “You really meant to kill someone? Just like your mother; bold and vicious!”

When Damien arrived, he found Sabrina sprawled on a low couch, her face blank and resigned. She knew he wouldn’t let this go and expected punishment, possibly even to the point of death.

Terror gripped Sabrina’s heart as Damien approached. Out of nowhere, Damien did a brutal kick to her chest; he sent her stretched out. She flew through the air, hit a pillar with a sharp crack and fell hard to the ground.

In agony, she lay there, struggling to move, feeling as though her ribs might shatter into pieces any minute.

The intense pain made her vision go dark and she lost consciousness for a moment, only to be jolted awake by the agony.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Damien crouching beside Astrid, his face etched with worry as he held her neck.

“How is she? Is it serious? Call the doctor now! What are you all standing around for?!”

Astrid held the wound on her neck, gasping for breath, but her smile was joyful and satisfied, with only Damien's handsome face in her eyes.

“It’s okay, Damien. I will do anything for you. I’m willing to die for you if it helps,” Astrid said.

Damien half-knelt, holding Astrid close. His face was set in worry as he ripped off his sleeve to cover her wound.

“Don’t talk like that; you’re not going to die,” Damien assured.

The palace maids hurried to summon the imperial physician, but in the chaos, Sabrina was ignored. As she was neglected, sadness washed over Sabrina.

She lay on the ground, wracked with pain and unable to move. Despite her struggle to survive, no one paid her any attention. Damien ignored her completely and the palace maids relished her suffering as part of her punishment.

In her agony, Sabrina could only watch as Damien and Astrid clung to each other. They were lost in their world, leaving Sabrina feeling like an outsider in her misery.

The clamor of voices reached her ears. A palace maid called out, “The imperial physician has arrived! The imperial physician is here! Quickly, let him attend to her!”

Damien threatened fiercely, “What about Noble Consort Smith? Hurry and treat her! If you can’t save her, I’ll have your head!”

Fortunately, the imperial physician reassured him, “Lord Steele, Noble Consort Smith will be fine. We were lucky to rescue her in time. She only suffered flesh wounds. With immediate care, there's no danger out of it.”

“It’s not that I saved her in time; it’s that the person who harmed her didn’t get the chance to finish the job!” Damien's fury grew and Sabrina heard his heavy footsteps approaching, growing louder with each step. “You vile creature! What else do you have to say for yourself?”

Still, Sabrina was puzzled and couldn’t decide which pain the worst felt was worse. It was the pain from her injuries or the aching bitterness in her heart. She managed a weak, painful smile, struggling to mask her suffering.

Her hand throbbed so intensely that she could barely feel it and she suspected her fingers were broken. The sharp pain in her chest hinted at a possible rib fracture. She dared not breathe deeply, her vision dimming to black.

"I said I didn't mean to hurt her. I claimed she was scheming against me. Would you believe me now?” She explained that she wanted her name to be cleared from accusation.

Meanwhile, a tall figure approached, creating a dark shadow over her.

Sabrina lifted her head with the last of her strength, her gaze filled with desperate hope as she peered into the silhouette.

"Please," she pleaded, "please believe me. She’s lying. She wants to hurt me…”

In the end, Damien dared not to listen to her pleas.

Instead, Damien roared, “The palace maid Sabrina has been accused of murdering the noble consort, refuses to confess and is now sentenced to the Celestial Prison!”