Serena Feng had cornered Princess Yara Valen and Su Wan, but she felt no real joy. She knew both Yara and Su Wan were far from easy prey—trying to gain any advantage over these two women would take serious effort and cunning.
Yara kept watching Serena closely, trying to read something from her face, but Serena remained serene as ever. Aside from a faint, tranquil smile, there was nothing else to see—her expression was as detached as a monk, utterly at peace with the world.
Frustrated, Yara could only calculate Serena’s odds of winning in her mind—and plot how to turn the situation back in her own favor.
There was no way the Bloodsweat Charger could be allowed to fall into Eastlyn’s hands. If Eastlyn used it for breeding, Lyndaria’s horses would lose their edge. Su Wan felt exactly the same.
“What’s wrong? Can’t you two offer a proper stake? If you can’t even come up with a wager, I suppose there’s no point in continuing. Looks like Princess Yara and Miss Su Wan just can’t afford to lose.” Serena’s voice was cool and mocking.
Though she coveted those two horses, Serena privately hoped Yara would refuse—the horse-taming trial was anything but easy. One wrong move and it could easily cost someone their life.
“Your Majesty...” Yara wanted the Emperor to step in and rebuke Serena, but when she saw the gleam in his eyes, she realized the Eastlyn Emperor was very pleased with Serena’s proposal. So instead she said, “Your Majesty, Lyndaria will offer the Bloodsweat Charger as our stake. What about Eastlyn?”
“Princess Yara, you’re missing the point. If I tame a horse, it belongs to me. If you tame a horse, it belongs to you. Simple as that.”
“Serena makes a good point.” The Emperor nodded, clearly showing his approval of Serena’s idea.
Serena quickly bowed her head, secretly mocking the Emperor—he was truly shameless. In his eyes, people were divided only by their usefulness; if you were useless, no matter how talented, he wouldn’t hesitate to discard you.
Yet no one knew that when Princess Yara named her hands as the wager, Serena’s heart gave a jolt. What a clever princess—she knew exactly what Serena valued most.
"Dr. Feng, what do you say?" Princess Yara hated Serena's confidence, as if she had everything under control.
"Princess Yara, that’s quite an interesting wager. Are you sure you won’t change it?" Serena stretched out her hands, studying them carefully. "My hands are what I’m most proud of. Princess Yara, you have excellent taste."
In the sunlight, Serena’s hands looked like the finest white jade—smooth, delicate, every vein visible. She had cared for them meticulously...
"What’s wrong, Dr. Feng? Afraid to part with them?" Princess Yara knew the Eastlyn nobles thought her demand was vicious, but so what? They’d just say she was making things difficult, unwilling to lose the Bloodsweat Charger, and trying to force Serena to back out.
But Yara understood better than anyone—Serena’s hands were truly gifted. To destroy them would be to destroy her future.
"Serena, you can’t agree!" Prince Adrian couldn’t help himself, speaking out even in front of the Emperor.
"That’s right, don’t accept it. Princess Yara’s demand is too much!" Samuel Zhai echoed, and several other noble sons, seeing the Emperor silent, spoke up one after another:
"Princess Yara is deliberately making things difficult, trying to force Eastlyn out of the contest. It’s outrageous."
"Exactly! Princess Yara is far too cunning—Your Majesty, please don’t let a woman like that marry into our court!"
Sweat… If we’re talking cunning, Serena Feng isn’t any less than Yara. Didn’t she just propose staking the Bloodsweat Charger and Blackcloud Stallion as the wager?
People always side with their own, not with reason. They stand for Eastlyn and think only of Eastlyn’s interests.
The crowd buzzed with debate, but the Emperor, Ninth Royal Uncle, Crown Prince, Prince Samuel and others remained silent. Perhaps it was a hard decision—even if the odds were one in a thousand, they were willing to gamble. If they won the Bloodsweat Charger and the Blackcloud Stallion, Eastlyn’s cavalry would be greatly strengthened.
Of course, it’s not about using these two horses for battle, but for breeding. As long as their bloodlines are passed on, even ordinary horses would be stronger.
As for Serena’s hands—does anyone really care? Maybe. But compared to those two legendary horses, her hands seemed insignificant.
Serena kept looking at her own hands, her eyes full of laughter. But only she knew how sad she truly felt—her most treasured hands meant less than a horse in their eyes.
She gave a soft laugh, hiding her sadness, and pulled her hands back. "Miss Su Wan, what about you? Princess Yara wants my hands—what do you want?"
Serena asked lightly, as if none of it mattered. But what did it matter, really? Besides herself, who else would care?
"Dr. Feng, your hands are beautiful, but Princess Yara already claimed them. I like your eyes." In other words, Su Wan wanted Serena’s eyes as her wager.
Serena Feng’s eyes were bright and clear, with a mysterious light swirling within. No one had noticed before, but now that Su Wan mentioned it, everyone realized her eyes seemed to speak, as if they could see through a person’s heart.
"My eyes, huh? Miss Su Wan, you have good taste too. These eyes are the second thing I’m most satisfied with." Serena blinked playfully, her expression carefree, betraying no hint of fear or anxiety.
Was Serena truly unafraid and unperturbed?
The crowd looked at Serena, puzzled by her reaction.
Of course Serena was nervous and afraid. She wasn’t at all certain of victory—she just…
Would anyone give her the right to refuse?
The answer was no.
Did you not see the Emperor’s cold gaze? Did you not see Nolan’s tightly closed eyes? Did you not see... the predatory looks from Princess Yara and Su Wan?
She made the first move, and Su Wan and Yara retaliated with the fifteenth—that’s just how it goes.
"Since the stakes are settled, I’ll go down to change clothes." Serena bowed to the Emperor and the assembled nobles, then departed gracefully. As she turned, her scarlet gown swirled through the air like a butterfly taking flight.
But no matter how beautiful a butterfly is, it only lives for a single day...
Serena Feng, do you truly have any chance of winning?
Everyone’s hearts were like taut strings, waiting for Serena to either loosen them—or snap them.