With Lance Quinn's help, Serena was able to administer the medicine to the Little Prince smoothly this time. Once she was certain the baby wouldn't spit it out again, Serena took him gently from Lance's arms.
Whew... Lance let out a sigh of relief, quickly stepping away from the bed. His urgency was so out of character for someone usually so cold.
Unfortunately, Serena was entirely focused on the Little Prince and missed this rare, entertaining moment.
The medicine was given, the injection administered—everything that could be done had been done. Now, all they could do was wait for the medicine to take effect and see if the Little Prince could pull through.
Serena tucked the blanket around the Little Prince, quietly stepped back, and pointed to the nearby table and chairs, signaling Lance to sit there.
"Why are you here?" Only now did Serena have the presence of mind to ask why Lance had broken into Radiant Hall at midnight.
"Just passing by. I heard you were here, so I came to check on you." In reality, he was worried something might happen to Serena, so he snuck into the palace under the cover of night—handling other business along the way.
Passing by?
Serena was left speechless, a black line forming on her forehead.
How powerful would you have to be to 'just pass by' the Imperial Palace?
"If there's nothing else, you'd better leave quickly. This is the Imperial Palace, not your backyard—it's not somewhere you can just stroll through. If you get caught as an intruder, I can't save you."
"Are you worried about me?" Lance deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound low and ambiguous—so much so that in the dead of night, it was impossible not to overthink.
A string in Serena's mind suddenly tightened; she stared at Lance in shock, making him feel inexplicably awkward. Only then did Serena realize she was probably overthinking—she was hardly the type everyone loved.
She quietly let out a breath and lowered her voice: "As a friend, of course I worry about you. But really, it's best if you leave soon. The palace is no place to linger."
If she had a choice, she wouldn't set foot in this place for the rest of her life.
Lance gave a small smile. "I'll be fine. I came to the palace because I have business to handle." As if he really was 'just passing by'—he'd only passed by Radiant Hall.
"Oh... So, are you done with your business?" If so, then he should leave.
"Not yet. No one's noticed I'm here." Lance's words were cryptic. Serena was totally lost: "What do you mean? Are you trying to get the palace guards to spot you?"
How full of himself did you have to be to pull something like this?
Lance nodded. "Exactly. Someone's trying to catch me, so I need to lure him into the Imperial City." That way, Belle and Storm Cloud Bu would be safe.
"Need my help?" Serena's eyes lit up with a mischievous smile—completely different from her earlier, serious demeanor while treating the Little Prince.
"Aren't you curious who's trying to catch me?" Sometimes, Lance really wanted to crack open Serena's head and see why she had so little curiosity.
"Of course I'm curious." But that didn't mean she had to ask—she had plenty of things she was curious about.
"Then why not ask?" Lance found himself feeling a deep sense of helplessness with Serena. She was even more reserved than he was, always keeping everything to herself and making people guess.
"If you want to say it, you'll say it. It's not like I absolutely have to know. Even if I don't, it's just a little itch—it's not life or death."
Fine, Lance resigned himself and volunteered, "Felix Fuller. He's investigating my whereabouts and wants me dead."
"Felix Fuller? Did you offend him?" Felix was smooth and cautious, never picking fights lightly. Even when working for the Emperor, he tried to avoid offending Ninth Royal Uncle or her.
A man like Felix Fuller would never go after Lance Quinn on his own initiative.
"It's not that I offended him. Someone sold me out to him." Lance said this while watching Serena closely.
Serena's heart skipped a beat, and she gave a wry smile: "It was Ninth Royal Uncle, wasn't it?"
Don't ask her how she knew—she just did.
"That's right, it was him. Anything you want to say now?" Lance admitted he was being a bit wicked.
Serena gave a dry laugh and declared righteously, "Ninth Royal Uncle is truly shameless—how could he just sell you out to Felix Fuller? Did he at least get a good price?"
Uh... Now it was Lance's turn to be speechless. Serena's fierce defense of Ninth Royal Uncle left him both pleased and annoyed.
Seeing his reaction, Serena assumed Lance was upset and timidly asked, "So... you know Felix Fuller is after you because Ninth Royal Uncle told you, right?"
Lance wanted to say no, but in the end, he nodded.
"Whew... That puts my mind at ease." Serena let out a long sigh of relief. She really didn't want to be caught between Ninth Royal Uncle and Lance, just like she didn't want to be caught between Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang.
Why did men's business have to drag her into it?
"Ninth Royal Uncle probably didn't sell you out—he just wanted to mess with Felix Fuller. Felix only just left the city, probably on the road now, but the moment you show up in the Imperial City, he'll have to turn back. Don't worry... Once Felix returns, you'll be safe. As a court official, Felix can't just leave the city whenever he wants." Serena tried to reassure him, still defending Ninth Royal Uncle.
Lance gave Serena a long look and asked, with meaning, "Is everything Ninth Royal Uncle does always right in your eyes?"
"No, I've never said Ninth Royal Uncle was right." A man with ambition, one who wants to conquer the world—his actions can't be judged by simple notions of right and wrong.
"Ninth Royal Uncle, he..."
"Waa, waa..." The Little Prince on the bed suddenly began to cry softly, cutting Serena off. Her expression changed, and she quickly apologized to Lance before rushing to the Little Prince's side.
Lance stood alone, a bitter smile flickering in his eyes.
In Serena's eyes, he couldn't even compare to a baby. Truly defeated.
He stood there for a long time, and just as he'd arrived, Lance left without disturbing Serena. By the time she finished soothing the Little Prince and remembered Lance, he was already gone.
Serena shrugged unconcernedly. With Lance's skills, he would never stumble in the palace; and if he did, she'd definitely find a way to get him out. So...
There was nothing to worry about.
Serena continued watching over the Little Prince, checking him every half hour and giving medicine every hour. She was busy all night, but the Little Prince's breathing grew steadier and steadier.
"The poison's cleared." The results were in, and Serena broke into a wide smile.