While Prince Nolan was negotiating in Southlyn, Serena Feng, under the protection of the shadow guards, raced against time to reach Southlyn as quickly as possible.
To avoid exposing her identity, Serena Feng had contacted Prince Nathan of Southlyn in advance, asking him to arrange a false identity and secure a travel pass, so she wouldn’t attract unnecessary trouble.
With Prince Nathan of Southlyn’s arrangements, Serena entered Southlyn openly, and her arrival didn’t attract anyone’s attention—except, of course, Prince Nolan.
The moment Serena set foot in Southlyn territory, Prince Nolan knew. He was inwardly eager, though he didn’t show it.
"My lord, Miss Feng will enter the city tomorrow." The shadow guard made his routine report to Prince Nolan, who simply nodded and signaled for the guard to withdraw.
As soon as the guard left, Prince Nolan summoned his aide: "Go, tell Princess Vivian that I invite her to a garden outing tomorrow."
"Ah?" The aide jerked his head up. If not for Prince Nolan’s intimidating presence, he would have blurted out: My lord, did you misspeak, or did I mishear?
The aide’s reaction displeased Prince Nolan, and his face grew colder. "What are you ‘ah’-ing for? Didn’t you hear my order?"
"I heard, I heard. I’ll take care of it right away." The aide didn’t dare linger a moment longer and rushed out.
Halfway out, he realized the door wasn’t closed, so he hurried back to shut it carefully. As for Prince Nolan taking an old letter from a box to read—he definitely didn’t see a thing.
Prince Nolan glanced at the closed door and put away the blacked-out letter.
Tomorrow—tomorrow he would finally know what Serena Feng had hidden beneath those blacked-out lines.
Princess Vivian had no idea what was going on. When she received Prince Nolan’s invitation, she was so overjoyed she spent half the night rummaging through her trunks for the perfect dress.
Meanwhile, Serena Feng had just arrived at the country estate outside the city. Her group was so exhausted they couldn’t go into town that night, so they rented a large compound to rest until morning.
If Serena Feng hadn’t been so tired, she would have noticed that everything in the house seemed ordinary but was far too refined for villagers. But she was too exhausted and fell asleep the moment she hit the bed.
When Prince Nolan received the dark guard’s report, he showed no emotion on his face, but inside he was deeply distressed. He’d spent almost a month on the road, while Serena Feng had made it in less than twenty days. She must have suffered a lot along the way.
“So foolish.” She’d gone through so much hardship just to see him. It made his heart ache, but he was secretly delighted, unable to hold back the smile tugging at his lips.
That night, Prince Nolan slept soundly. The next day, he didn’t put on his formal court robes, but wore a black long gown cinched with a gold belt—especially eye-catching. Standing in any crowd, he was impossible to ignore.
His robe was narrow at the waist and wide at the sleeves; as he walked, the sleeves billowed with an elegance and charm that was hard to describe. If Serena saw him, she’d be drooling, her eyes sparkling with cartoon hearts.
So stylish, right?
Wearing this outfit, Prince Nolan went to meet Princess Vivian. You could imagine how shocked she was—the moment she saw him, her face turned as red as an apple and her eyes sparkled.
To Princess Vivian, everything around her blurred—only Prince Nolan’s figure grew clearer and clearer.
Unfortunately, Prince Nolan didn’t even glance at Princess Vivian. He strode right past her, and by the time she snapped out of it, he was already far ahead. Princess Vivian was both embarrassed and annoyed, but said nothing—just lifted her skirt and hurried after him.
“Prince Nolan…” Princess Vivian tried to keep her voice steady, but her pounding heart betrayed her feelings.
Prince Nolan didn’t respond and kept walking. Princess Vivian, though short, didn’t give up; she stayed by his side, introducing the Royal Country Villa and sharing royal anecdotes. Prince Nolan never uttered a word or even spared her a glance.
Princess Vivian wasn’t pleased, but remembering Prince Nolan had invited her to tour the gardens, she suppressed her dissatisfaction and kept chattering at his side.
A trace of impatience flashed in Prince Nolan’s eyes. He silently blamed Serena Feng for not arriving yet—if she didn’t show up soon, he really wouldn’t have the patience to wait.
By rights, Serena Feng should have appeared by now—but never forget, you can’t use logic with women. Serena Feng is a woman, too.
As soon as Serena Feng entered the city, she headed straight for Prince Nolan’s inner residence. The staff had already received word and, after a brief check, let her in.
Serena Feng was full of anticipation, hoping to surprise Prince Nolan. But when she arrived, her excitement turned into anger—Prince Nolan had left early to tour the gardens with Princess Vivian.
“Who is Princess Vivian?” Serena Feng was in turmoil inside, but kept her composure.
Prince Nolan had been so unruly lately—if he wasn’t playing at having a child, he was getting involved with some princess.
Touring the gardens! If Prince Nolan hadn’t agreed, could Princess Vivian really have dragged him there?
“Princess Vivian is the daughter of Noble Consort Grace of Southlyn. Lady Grace comes from the Su Clan.” Even if Serena Feng restrained herself, her aura was unmistakable—the aide was terrified she’d vent her anger on him.
“She’s got Su Clan blood in her veins. Looks like Princess Vivian is quite capable.” Serena Feng’s words were not praise.
The women of the Su Clan are famous for charming men. Saying a princess is good at that is definitely not a compliment.
The aide wasn’t stupid—he knew exactly what Serena Feng wanted to know. He recounted Princess Vivian’s recent actions one by one. The more Serena listened, the more familiar it all sounded.
Only when she caught the aide’s evasive look did Serena Feng realize—wasn’t this exactly how she used to chase Prince Nolan? Shamelessly persistent, ready to risk everything for him if he was in danger.
Princess Vivian really put her heart into it. But Serena Feng wasn’t worried—she trusted Prince Nolan wouldn’t fall for someone else. Success can’t be copied; the same moves, done by different people, have different results.
Serena Feng didn’t care about Princess Vivian chasing Prince Nolan, but she was seriously annoyed that Prince Nolan actually went touring the gardens with her.
Prince Nolan had never taken her on a garden outing!
Serena Feng stood up and asked the aide, “Where’s the Royal Country Villa in Southlyn? How long does it take to get there from here?”
The aide answered honestly, “The Royal Country Villa is in the east part of the city. It only takes half an hour to get there from here.”
Southlyn’s capital wasn’t small, but the Royal Country Villa was built inside the city—very convenient.
Serena Feng nodded and pressed further, “Does Prince Nolan know I’m here?” She worried about falling into his schemes.
“No. If Prince Nolan knew you’d come, he wouldn’t be touring the gardens with Princess Vivian.” The aide lied smoothly, not worried about being caught.
Serena Feng thought back over her journey. She was sure the dark guards hadn’t notified Prince Nolan in advance. He was so busy in Southlyn, he wouldn’t have time to pay attention to her, so she believed the aide.
“Go prepare an outfit and carriage for me. In half an hour, take me to the Royal Country Villa.” Serena Feng was used to giving orders to Prince Nolan’s people and didn’t feel awkward at all.
Prince Nolan’s staff weren’t surprised by Serena Feng’s orders; the aide carried them out without hesitation.