Glacial Citadel
As the icy wind whistled through the towering spires of the Glacial Citadel, Empress Yu Mei stood at the window, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon. Her heart ached with the weight of a decade's worth of longing, memories of her family like fragile treasures locked away in the depths of her mind.
Her fingers traced the frost-kissed patterns etched onto the windowpane, a reflection of the cold barriers that had kept her imprisoned in this frigid fortress. Beside her, Emperor Chen Jing leaned against the stone wall, his face a mask of stoicism, hiding the same ache that gnawed at his soul.
"I wonder how Father's laughter sounds now," Yu Mei mused aloud, her voice carrying a wistful note. "And Mother's gentle lullabies, do they still echo in the halls of our home?"