Serena was right—standing before her was not Lance Quinn, but Prince Damien of Southlyn in disguise. And his goal was far more than just Master Wenyuan.
Prince Damien sliced slowly through the iron chains, taking his time. Soon, a shallow groove appeared in the metal. Don’t overthink it—he wasn’t putting in extra effort; these were ordinary chains, not legendary millennial blacksteel. Even the royal families of every kingdom wouldn’t have such precious metal, let alone Prince Damien.
While cutting the chain, Prince Damien watched Serena’s reaction whenever she was distracted. Seeing her gaze full of trust and no hint of suspicion, he flashed a wicked smile.
It looked like Serena had passed his test.
Lance Quinn—a ghost in the shadows, a man who never shows his face, someone close to both Nolan Doyle and Serena. This identity was tailor-made for Prince Damien.
He planned to make full use of this persona, a generous "gift" from Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan.
With this thought, Prince Damien’s movements grew more natural. Serena, sensing the shift, grew so tense her stomach cramped. She wished the chain would just snap already.
If she could get free, even if Prince Damien suddenly went mad, she’d have a fighting chance. But chained to this bed, she was nothing but a helpless victim.
Serena’s mind raced through every possible response, but the relentless scrape of blade against iron was like a demonic chant—she couldn’t calm herself at all.
Forget it. In this situation, the only way out was to play along. Prince Damien’s real target was Master Wenyuan. As long as she didn’t meet him, Damien wouldn’t kill her.
For now, this would have to do. She’d take things one step at a time—no one ever died from holding it in too long.
At last, the sound Serena had been waiting for rang out—her left hand was free. Ignoring the pain at her wrist, she flexed it, making sure she was okay. Unable to hide her relief, she smiled and thanked the fake Lance Quinn—really Prince Damien: “Thank goodness I ran into you. Otherwise, I’d have no idea what to do.”
Prince Damien gave a brief reply and this time worked quickly. In less than half the time, he unlocked the shackle on Serena’s left hand—but not before slicing her wrist again.
Serena knew perfectly well he did it on purpose, but she couldn’t get angry. Worse, she had to reassure him: it was just an accident, a minor scratch, nothing serious.
With the handcuffs off, it was time for the leg irons. This time, Prince Damien didn’t torment her—after all, she needed to walk, and if her feet were injured, it’d be trouble for him too.
Once free, Serena sprang up, quickly bandaged her wounds, and fought off her nausea and discomfort. She grabbed Prince Damien’s hand and pulled him toward the exit: “Let’s hurry! If those people find us, we’re dead.”
“Alright.” Prince Damien followed Serena at a leisurely pace, his dagger always aimed at her side. If she made the slightest wrong move, he could kill her instantly.
What he didn’t realize was that while he was guarding against Serena, she never fully trusted him either—she had his artery in her grip. With one hard squeeze, she could rupture it.
Serena knew they were in an underground palace. Seeing the pitch-black corridors outside, she didn’t panic. She simply asked Prince Damien behind her, “How did you get in? We’ll leave the same way. Just tell me which way to go.”
Serena was sure Prince Damien would never let her behind him, so she automatically ran ahead—to keep his identity from being exposed.
Now, it wasn’t just Prince Damien who had to act like Lance Quinn—Serena had to help him pull it off. Only by treating him as Lance could they keep moving forward.
“Alright, turn left up ahead.” Prince Damien was pleased that Serena was so cooperative. With him directing, Serena dragged him along, sprinting down the corridor without worrying about getting lost.
“Turn right ahead.”
“Okay.” Serena didn’t hesitate and turned right. The moment they rounded the corner, they ran into people from the underground palace.
Serena stopped immediately, eyes wary. The strangers froze in shock, pointing at Serena and Prince Damien, trying to speak. But Damien darted forward, shielding Serena behind him. “Careful.”
“Alright, Lance, you be careful too.” Hiding behind Prince Damien, Serena finally dropped her act and let out a mocking smile.
Glancing down at her wrist, still gripped tightly by Prince Damien, Serena’s eyes flashed. Taking advantage of the chaos, she quickly activated her Smart Med-Pack.
Beep beep beep… The Smart Med-Pack was booting up. If not for the cover of battle, Serena would never have dared to move.
Soon, Prince Damien dealt with the obstacles ahead. Before leaving, Serena glanced at the bodies on the ground, then kept moving forward.
These men were covered in blood and looked badly hurt, but in reality, their wounds were superficial—just bandage them up and they’d be ready to fight again.
Serena knew Prince Damien was putting on a show, but she had no intention of exposing him.
“Go.” Prince Damien grabbed Serena and kept running. This time, he didn’t make her take the lead—he acted as if he trusted her completely.
Whether he was testing her or really trusted her didn’t matter. Serena knew that if she wanted to survive and escape, she had to treat Prince Damien as if he were Lance Quinn.
Without Prince Damien leading the way, she’d never get out of this maze-like place.
This underground palace was like an emperor’s tomb. There weren’t traps everywhere, but the twisting secret passages could confuse anyone. Without Prince Damien guiding her, Serena would never escape.
They sprinted for their lives, running into several groups along the way—each one Prince Damien knocked down. Serena played along perfectly, even complimenting his improved martial arts.
With an insider like Prince Damien leading, they reached the exit in no time. Seeing sunlight outside, Serena was so overwhelmed she nearly burst into tears.
Finally—finally, she could see the sun again.
Serena sped up, rushing for the exit. The moment she stepped out, blinding sunlight hit her, and she instinctively raised her hand to block it. Just as she adjusted to the light and prepared to check her surroundings, footsteps sounded behind her.
“Hurry, chase them! Don’t let those two get away!”
“That woman—boss hasn’t had his fun yet. Don’t let her get away.”
...
Serena knew these men were Prince Damien’s subordinates. She knew they were putting on a show. Still, she had no choice but to keep dragging Prince Damien along, running for her life. As for the exit...
Forget it. When the time came, she’d just blow up the whole mountain. She refused to believe she couldn’t find Prince Damien’s lair that way.
They ran as if their lives depended on it, with the pursuers close behind. Serena thought countless times about shaking off Prince Damien’s hand and escaping alone, but every time she pictured the consequences of getting caught, she forced herself to endure.
She knew her odds of being caught were one hundred percent. She couldn’t afford to gamble that Prince Damien—this madman—would show mercy.
But just as Serena wanted to stop running, Prince Damien refused to let her go. When they passed a trap, he suddenly kicked a stone under her foot.
Serena stepped on the rock, slipped, and crashed into the pit. With a brutal snap, a steel jaw trap clamped straight through her lower leg...