Prince Nolan underestimated Feng Jin's fighting power. As a 'toothless' child, Feng Jin didn't need to care about face, reason, or rules with Prince Nolan. All he wanted was to catch Serena's attention and, right under Prince Nolan's nose, win her focus for himself.
As an adult, Prince Nolan couldn't just shamelessly compete with Feng Jin for Serena's favor. The end result was that, before Prince Titus arrived, both Serena and Prince Nolan had two major obstacles—one person and one wolf—between them. Prince Nolan couldn't even get a moment alone with Serena to say a few intimate words.
Frustrating!
Prince Nolan's frustration couldn't be put into words. As soon as Prince Titus walked in, he saw someone looking thoroughly unsatisfied.
"Looks like I came at the wrong time," Prince Titus said with a cheeky grin. Seeing Prince Nolan eat humble pie made his long journey to deliver a message totally worth it.
"Hmph..." Prince Nolan shot Prince Titus a cold glare. Titus immediately straightened up and raised his voice: "Ahem... Serena, my legs are feeling uncomfortable. Could you make me some medicine?"
"Sure." Serena replied with a half-smile, scooping up Feng Jin and calling the snow wolf to follow her out, leaving the room for Prince Nolan and Prince Titus.
"Alright, stop staring. They're long gone." Prince Titus flopped down, muttering with zero decorum, "When did you get here? Are you alone?"
"Last night." Prince Nolan set down his teacup and looked at Prince Titus, who unconsciously sat up straighter under Nolan's gaze. "Are we talking business now? This isn't the right place, is it?"
If someone overheard, that would be bad...
"It's fine." Outside, all the guards are Prince Derrek's trusted men. Prince Nolan had already investigated Prince Derrek's character and thought highly of him. Plus, with Master Graves on watch, anyone approaching would be detected immediately.
Prince Nolan clearly wasn't worried about being overheard. Prince Titus nodded and asked, "Why did you come to the city at this time? Did you rush here because you got my letter?"
"Yes."
"Uh..." Prince Titus's face twisted in disbelief as he looked at Prince Nolan and started counting on his fingers. "You sent word earlier that you were still in Xiang'an. When you got my message, you should've been in Luoshui. From Luoshui to the capital, even at top speed, it should take you six or seven days, right?"
A journey that should take six or seven days, and Prince Nolan forced it into just three. How desperate was he?
Prince Nolan shot Prince Titus a glance but said nothing...
"You—you're really that impatient? Couldn't even wait two or three days? Do you realize coming to the city now is dangerous?" Prince Titus dropped the joking and got serious.
Risking so much for a woman isn't something Prince Nolan should do. Men who get tangled up in love like this make their subordinates lose faith.
"Let's talk business." Prince Nolan ignored Titus's nagging and changed the subject.
"Business? What business?" Titus couldn't keep up with the sudden shift. Prince Nolan helpfully reminded him, "The National Preceptor."
"The National Preceptor? You came here just for him?" Prince Titus was suspicious—things lined up a little too perfectly.
Prince Nolan raised an eyebrow and shot back, "What else?"
Prince Titus thought for a moment and nodded, "True. There's no way you'd act impulsively over a woman." If Serena's life were in real danger, that'd be different. But just over some words? Even in a rush, a couple days wouldn't matter.
Bottom line: even if Prince Nolan ever did lose his head over a woman, no one would believe it. People would just come up with all sorts of excuses for him, and the 'love-fueled rage' would end up being just a cover to hide the real truth.
"The National Preceptor hasn't made any moves lately. Is there really something so urgent that you had to come yourself?" When it came to business, Prince Titus got serious and stopped teasing Nolan.
"When Serena entered the palace, he was lurking in the shadows and saw Feng Jin."
"How do you know that?" Prince Titus was stunned—even he hadn't heard that news.
"Your father secretly summoned Master Ian Reed." Prince Nolan's source was Master Ian Reed. When he explained, Prince Titus finally relaxed.
The fact that Prince Nolan, a thousand miles away, knew what was happening in the Lyndarian palace while Titus did not was embarrassing—and made people wary of Nolan's power.
"Why did Father summon Master Ian Reed? Did the National Preceptor see Feng Jin and say he had the destiny of an emperor? Is Father planning to make Feng Jin the crown prince?" Titus wasn't interested in the throne, but he was proud—he could give up the crown prince's seat, but he absolutely couldn't tolerate being cast aside.
"The National Preceptor didn't say Feng Jin had the destiny of an emperor, but he did say you have no dragon aura and are definitely not crown prince material." Prince Nolan was testing Prince Titus with these words.
Power is seductive, and Prince Titus's position only grows more secure—who's to say he won't get other ideas? Testing him early means Nolan can prepare in advance.
Even if Nolan trusted Prince Titus, he still kept backup plans ready.
"Of every ten things the National Preceptor says, only one is true. But that one's legit—I really don't have any True Dragon aura." Prince Titus said it carelessly, his eyes falling to his own legs.
Without a word, Prince Titus let Nolan know: these legs were a gift from Prince Nolan, and everything he had now was thanks to them. Without legs that could walk, even as the legitimate son, he'd have no right to fight for the throne.
Compared to the throne, he cared more about his legs.
The two exchanged a knowing look, then looked away. Prince Nolan spoke: "Feng Jin... shouldn't get dragged into Lyndaria's mess."
"You're worried about Serena, aren't you?" Prince Titus understood—even if Nolan was here for official business, half the reason was Serena.
Of course, that wasn't Titus's concern. All he cared about was knowing Nolan wouldn't lose his head over a woman.
Prince Titus asked, "What did Master Ian Reed say?" Not many knew that Feng Jin was Master Ian Reed's son, but Titus was one of the few in the know.
No helping it—the one who caused this mix-up was his hopelessly naïve mother.
Prince Nolan shook his head. "I'm meeting him tonight."
"At this hour?" Prince Titus frowned. "Is it safe?" If Master Ian Reed started scheming for his son, Nolan would be in trouble.
"I'll have people on guard." You shouldn't intend harm, but you must be on guard—people are unpredictable. In Lyndaria, Prince Nolan had to be extra cautious.
If he got taken down here, it'd be a huge loss.
"Best not to go. Wait until you officially enter the city—then no one will dare touch you." Prince Titus didn't want Nolan to take risks and suggested the safest option.
"There's no time." Besides, Master Ian Reed had already asked—if Nolan refused, it would look like he didn't trust him, or worse, that he was a coward.
Even if this meeting was a trap, Nolan had no choice but to walk into it.