The Fall of the Past

Chapter 39

The news came unexpectedly. Mei had rushed into the queen's chamber, her expression hesitant as she held a sealed letter in her hands.

"My lady… a messenger arrived with news from your hometown," Mei said carefully.

Ping, who had been reading by the window, looked up. A strange feeling settled in her chest. She hadn't thought about her stepmother and stepsisters in a long time. Life in Mora had been overwhelming, and with Ling's condition, she barely had time to reflect on the people who had once tormented her.

She took the letter and broke the seal with slightly trembling fingers. As her eyes moved over the words, her heart clenched.

Her stepmother was dead.

War had reached their lands, and with no one to protect them, their family had fallen into ruin. Her stepsisters hadn't escaped fate either. The letter detailed how Li had been forced into marriage with an older man—a polygamous warlord known for his cruelty. Rumors said he beat her regularly, and she lived in misery. As for her other stepsister, she had been sold off as a slave.

Ping let the letter fall to her lap, her breath shaky.

"My lady?" Mei's voice was soft.

"I…" Ping hesitated. She should feel relieved, shouldn't she? These were the people who had treated her as nothing more than a servant. They had ruined her life, cast her aside, and now, fate had turned on them.

And yet… she felt no joy in their suffering.

"They were cruel to me," she murmured, more to herself than to Mei. "But… they were still my family."

Mei hesitated before speaking. "You have a kind heart, my lady. That is why you feel this way."

Ping closed her eyes briefly, swallowing down the emotions bubbling inside her. The woman who had tormented her for years was gone, her stepsisters suffering fates worse than she could have imagined. She should hate them. But instead, she felt an aching sadness.

She had spent so many years longing for their approval, their love—even when she knew it would never come. And now, there was no chance for it.

Ping folded the letter carefully.

"What will you do, my lady?" Mei asked.

Ping exhaled softly. "There is nothing I can do."

She didn't have the power to change their fates, nor could she turn back time. But she could let go of the bitterness. She could move forward, free from the pain of her past.

For the first time, she realized—she no longer needed their validation. She had built her own life. She had people who cared for her.

And that was enough.