Receiving the Princess and Princess Vivian’s Escape Route

In the end, Prince Nolan still didn’t get his way. There are things Serena insists on, and not even Prince Nolan can make her compromise.

Prince Nolan could only give in and let her go. The good news was, the tension between them had eased—at least Serena wasn’t angry at him anymore.

That night, Prince Nolan skipped his paperwork and took Serena out of the city, calling it a stargazing trip.

Such a petty man.

Serena cursed him in her heart but said nothing aloud. She obediently held out her hand for Prince Nolan to help her onto the horse.

With both of them on a single horse, they raced down the empty official road. The wind roared past, and Serena buried her face in Prince Nolan’s arms to keep her cheeks from being stung.

They went faster and faster, and for a moment it felt like they might take flight. It was nothing like riding alone—Serena couldn’t help but cry out, making Prince Nolan laugh: “So, Serena gets scared too.”

“I’m not scared. My riding’s better than yours.” Serena punched Prince Nolan hard. “You did that on purpose.”

“I just don’t want to waste time on the road.” Prince Nolan didn’t slow down—in fact, he sped up even more. Serena clung tightly to him, staying quiet so she wouldn’t eat dust.

Soon, they reached the foot of the mountain outside the city. With Prince Nolan there, Serena didn’t have to climb—he scooped her up and, with a few swift leaps, carried her straight to the summit.

"We're here," he said.

Standing atop the mountain, Serena looked up at the star-filled sky, smiling with happiness.

The mountain wasn’t high, so there was no illusion of plucking stars by hand, but... the air was fresh and, with no city lights, the stars above were perfectly clear.

Serena pointed at the sky, counting the stars one by one and muttering to herself. Prince Nolan couldn’t quite hear, so she simply lay down, resting her head on his leg. “The stars are beautiful here.”

The borderlands were vast and eerily quiet. No matter how restless your heart, it would settle here. Serena gazed up at the stars, talking idly.

She used to sit and stargaze often. On the battlefield, there was no other entertainment, and the work pressure was huge—watching the stars seemed the only way to unwind.

The stars above the battlefield were even more beautiful than in the city, but every time, she was alone.

"If you like it, I’ll bring you here again." They’d surely return to the border someday, so Prince Nolan wasn’t just making empty promises.

"Alright, I’ll remember." Serena didn’t bother with polite refusals, but she didn’t really expect much in her heart.

If Prince Nolan was working this hard to coax her, it meant they’d just had a fight. Serena didn’t mind fighting, but she didn’t want them quarreling every other day.

Serena pointed to the stars above and began introducing them to Prince Nolan: “Look, that’s the Imperial Palace—represents the royal court. That one’s the Emperor Star, that one’s the Crown Prince Star, that’s the Pivot Star, that one’s the Lady-in-Waiting Star, and that one’s the Canopy Star...”

Serena named each constellation without a second thought, leaving Prince Nolan staring at her in disbelief. After a long moment, he finally asked, shocked, "You know astrology?"

Was Serena actually a descendant of the Fu clan, and not the Feng clan?

"Not at all. I only know a little—just enough to fool people who know even less." Serena grinned mischievously. Watching Prince Nolan go from shock to disappointment and then to calm, she couldn’t help but laugh, remembering that dark-skinned officer from her past.

Back in the days when everyone studied Western constellations, there was a guy who obsessed over the Eastern ones, memorizing all twenty-eight by heart. Serena had been amazed, looking up to him with admiration and asking if he really understood astrology. The answer...

He just said, "Nope. I only know this much—just enough to pick up girls."

Ever since, Serena has always been skeptical of so-called know-it-alls.

After a moment’s thought, Prince Nolan realized Serena was just messing with him. He rubbed her head, a little annoyed: "You’re getting more and more like a child."

"Isn’t that a good thing? It means I’m happy and don’t have to grow up overnight." Except for the very beginning when things were tough, life here really suited her. Compared to the bustling city, she liked this life much better.

"It’s wonderful. If you stay this way, I’ll make sure you’re safe for life." He’d wanted a woman who could stand by his side, but now that he’d found her, he couldn’t bear for her to suffer.

"A comfortable life is nice once in a while, but if you spend your whole life in comfort, you’ll become useless. We have to stay alert, remember: if you don’t plan ahead..."

Serena lectured him earnestly, rattling off one principle after another. If Prince Nolan weren’t so mature, he might have actually nodded along.

Prince Nolan could only shake his head. No one had ever scolded him like this before, but seeing Serena’s bright smile, he knew she was doing it on purpose, so he let her talk and didn’t interrupt.

As long as she was happy, nothing else mattered!

It was rare for them to leave the city, so of course they wouldn’t go back so soon. Stargazing wasn’t enough—they had to see the sunrise too. Prince Nolan wasn’t about to let William Wang Jinling have all the glory. Despite the heavy mountain dew, he held Serena close at the summit, waiting for the sun to rise before heading down.

Serena was completely satisfied. On the way down, she leaned in Prince Nolan’s arms and shamelessly asked, "Next time, take me to watch the sunrise by the sea."

"The sea?" Prince Nolan paused, thinking she was recalling the Lu pirate clan, but seeing her innocent face, he realized he was overthinking. He nodded and offered, "Next time, I’ll take you to the island where the Lu clan once lived."

Lu clan?

Serena blinked. "Isn’t that in Westlyn territory?"

"Once Titus ascends the throne, we can go." Prince Nolan replied with certainty.

"Titus? So Westlyn’s situation has settled?" Serena asked. Eastlyn, Southlyn, Westlyn—Prince Nolan really had his hands full.

"The Westlyn Emperor had no choice." He’d killed off all the other heirs—Titus was the only one left. Even if he didn’t like it, he had to let Titus take the throne. After all, Titus was his own blood.

"Titus really has come through a lot. When’s his wedding?" Serena sighed.

From crippled prince to where he was now, it hadn’t been easy for Titus of Westlyn.

"Next spring. He’s not young anymore. If his mother hadn’t interfered, he’d have married long ago." Prince Nolan said. Titus wasn’t like him—marrying early was normal for a prince.

"Will you go to the wedding then?"

...

They chatted idly all the way back. It was so early that the road was empty, so they didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing them share a horse.

They returned to the relay station before breakfast. Serena was about to wash up when a staff member rushed in: "Your Highness, my lady! Prince Rowan’s personal guards are here with an edict from the Empress. They say they’ve come to receive Princess Vivian of Southlyn, claiming they don’t trust us to protect her."

A blatant slap in the face—an open challenge to Prince Nolan’s authority. Even though they’d half expected it, the staff couldn’t help but fume at how arrogant the other side was!