Chapter 70
The palace felt colder than ever.
Days passed, but the weight of their loss still hung between them like an unspoken storm. Ping barely left her chambers. Mei brought her food, but most of it went untouched. She sat by the window for hours, staring into nothing, her mind trapped in the past.
Ling, on the other hand, buried himself in work. He spent his days in the training grounds, exhausting himself with endless sparring, trying to chase away the pain with the clash of swords. But no matter how hard he fought, it never left him. The emptiness remained.
They barely spoke.
When their paths crossed, they exchanged nothing but fleeting glances. Sometimes, Ling would pause, as if he wanted to say something—but he never did. And Ping never gave him the chance.
One evening, Mei entered Ping's chamber with a hesitant look. "My lady, you can't continue like this."
Ping didn't answer.
Mei sat beside her. "The king is suffering too."
Ping's fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress. She knew. She saw the exhaustion in his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed heavier, the way he avoided looking at the empty crib that had once been prepared for their child.
But she couldn't bring herself to face him.
That night, as Ping lay in bed, unable to sleep, the door creaked open.
She turned her head slightly and saw Ling standing there, his expression unreadable. For a moment, they just stared at each other, neither speaking.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Ling finally said, "I miss you."
Ping's heart clenched.
She wanted to run into his arms. She wanted to cry against his chest, to let him hold her, to let him share the weight of this pain. But instead, she turned away.
Ling's jaw tightened. "How long will you keep pushing me away?"
Silence.
He took a step closer, but Ping's voice came out, raw and broken. "Please… just go."
Ling's breath caught. For a long moment, he didn't move. But then, with a slow nod, he stepped back and walked away.
The door closed behind him.
Ping curled into herself, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.
She had lost her child.
And now, she feared she was losing her husband too.