She and Lian Xichen returned to the front hall. Han Litong was still seated in the same position as she was before, her eyes vacant and staring blankly at nothing. Ying Niang knelt beside her, silently shedding tears.

She signaled Lan Ling and the others to leave. Even after she walked out of the Great Hall, Han Litong couldn’t regain her senses.

The empty palace, desolate and lonely, should have been a place of warmth and harmony.

If she hadn’t abandoned Han Jing back then, if she hadn’t lost the courage to live on because of those painful experiences, if she hadn’t chosen suicide... would everything have been different?

She, Brother Fengxi, Qingjue, and Han Jing could have lived happily together in this magnificent palace. She would still be the proud princess she once was.

But what about the reality?

She heartlessly abandoned her own newborn daughter, leaving the infant to fend for herself in the wild. She ignored Brother Fengxi’s years of protection and waiting, only wanting to escape her inner wounds and end it all.

So the real issue lay in her inability to understand emotions, not who Han Jing’s biological parents were.

Regardless of who her father was, her biological mother was still her.

But she actually abandoned her for that ridiculous resentment in her heart.

That’s why, in the end, after Brother Fengxi risked his life to save her, he spoke those words to her.

He didn’t care whether she accepted his feelings or not. Through all those years of selfless devotion, regardless of her decisions, he never resented her even once, always indulging her. But what did she do? She abandoned her newborn daughter, left the older daughter to Fengxi, and chose death to escape.

When she could have started anew, she selfishly chose to evade.

He must be utterly disappointed in her!

Which is why he said that he repaid what he owed her with his life. He said that if there was a next life, they shouldn’t meet again.

He must be thoroughly disappointed in her.

And she never understood, always thinking he said those words simply because she didn’t accept him.

She was wrong. From the beginning to the end, she was truly wrong.

Finally, Han Litong’s tears began to fall, like strings of broken pearls, impossible to stop.

Han Qingjue returned and saw her crying in distress, but said nothing. She didn’t even know what she could say to her.

Their mother-daughter relationship had always been like this, never sharing any heartfelt thoughts, always maintaining an indifferent stance. Over the years, she learned nothing else, but on this point, she followed her to perfection.

She turned to leave, but was stopped by Han Litong.

"Jue’er," Han Litong’s voice was still a bit hoarse, "I’m sorry."

Han Qingjue stopped, her back facing Han Litong. "You have nothing to apologize to me for; you just didn’t love me that much. The one you should apologize to is Han Jing. It’s just unfortunate that she is even colder, and she will never forgive you."

Han Qingjue left without looking back, leaving Han Litong lowering her head, sobbing aloud.

Life never offers you a chance to start over.

——

Hanwu Forest is located at the northernmost end of the Polar Ice Field, still half a day’s journey from Beihan Palace.

When She and her companions reached Hanwu Forest without stopping, it was already dark.