A whole month had passed since that painful day in the royal study, but Yan Meilin still could not forget the Emperor's cold rejection.
Since then, she had been living quietly in the mansion that the Emperor had gifted to her aunt. She rarely stepped outside. Day after day, she stayed inside her room, sitting by the window and staring into the distance.
Her once bright and cheerful face had lost all color. Her lively eyes now looked dull and lifeless. She hardly ate anything, and her body was growing thinner with each passing day.
Her aunt was deeply worried. She tried many times to cheer her up, to bring back the strong and determined girl she knew. But nothing worked.
One morning, her aunt gently placed a bowl of warm congee in front of her and spoke softly, "Meilin, you need to move on. It's not the end of the world. There are other good men out there. Many would be lucky to have someone like you."
