Chapter 24
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On a warm summer afternoon, thirty-year-old Clara II walked down the stone path of the Lake Geneva estate holding her six-year-old daughter, Emily II.
Little Emily II had long dark hair, bright blue eyes, and loved carrying a small wooden toy car that her great-great-grandfather Charles had carved decades ago.
They walked down to the edge of the sunlit wooden pier, where eighty-two-year-old Lily was sitting in a comfortable rocking chair, watching the lake water sparkle.
"Great-Grandma Lily!" little Emily II cheered, running up to wrap her small arms around the elderly judge's knees.
"Hello, my beautiful sweet pea," Lily smiled warmly, lifting the little girl onto her lap and kissing her soft cheek.
"Look what I found in Great-Great-Grandpa's shop!" Emily II giggled, holding up the carved wooden car.
Lily took the wooden toy gently, feeling its smooth, worn texture, remembered the giant, loving man who had carved it with his own hands so many years ago.
"Your great-great-grandfather was the brave knight who saved us, Emily," Lily whispered softly to the little girl.
"And your great-grandmother Emily was the queen who built our castle."
Little Emily II looked out over the calm blue water, her curious eyes reflecting the bright summer sunlight dancing across the lake.
"Are we going to be brave knights and queens too, Great-Grandma?" the little girl asked innocently.
Lily looked down into the clear blue eyes of the child who carried her mother's name, her heart bursting with pure, transcendent joy.
"You already are, my darling," Lily answered softly, holding the child close against her heart.
May you like
"You already are."
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