To marry Prince Nolan, Bella Qin was willing to do anything—even to the point of making Storm Cloud Bu, who had always been loyal to her, turn against his own brothers.
At this moment, not just Storm Cloud Bu—even Sean Xuan finally saw Bella Qin's true nature.
A woman like her would bring disaster to anyone who married her. As a fellow man, Sean Xuan genuinely pitied Prince Nolan for having such a fiancée, but when he thought from Serena's standpoint, he was deeply dissatisfied with Nolan's concealment.
Still, now was not the time to pursue this. Sean Xuan watched Storm Cloud Bu, wanting to see what he would do next...
This time, Storm Cloud Bu didn’t just stand there stupidly waiting for Bella Qin to strike, because Prince Nolan said: "To die by a woman's hand—I despise you."
Yes, he despised him. The moment Storm Cloud Bu betrayed him for a woman like Bella Qin, Prince Nolan lost all respect for him—especially since Storm Cloud Bu’s actions led to Vincent Su’s death.
He would never forgive Storm Cloud Bu and Bella Qin in this lifetime. Not killing them wasn’t mercy—it was so they would spend their lives in pain, using a lifetime of misery to atone for Vincent’s death.
Storm Cloud Bu closed his eyes in pain. When Bella Qin’s blade was only half an inch from his neck, he dodged—and in the same instant struck Bella Qin, knocking her unconscious.
Clang... The blade in Bella Qin’s hand fell to the ground, and she collapsed limply. This time, Storm Cloud Bu didn’t reach out to catch her; Bella Qin crashed straight to the floor with a dull thud.
Storm Cloud Bu didn’t look at Bella Qin. Instead, he turned to Prince Nolan with a pleading expression: "Nolan, give me one more chance to avenge Vincent—even if it means killing myself."
"Too late." Prince Nolan tossed out those words and walked toward his subordinates.
The men trained by Prince Nolan were skilled and alert. Even without a word from him, they quickly set up a rope ladder, waiting for his order to go down and retrieve the corpse.
None of them believed Serena could still be alive—they had all heard that Serena had fallen.
Of everyone present, aside from Bella Qin—whose eyes saw only Prince Nolan—only Sean Xuan, who had just regained consciousness, didn’t know what had happened to Serena. But now, seeing Prince Nolan’s men lowering the rope ladder at the spot where Serena fell, what else could Sean Xuan not understand?
"Serena... she fell?" Sean Xuan’s eyes widened, brimming with tears.
Prince Nolan said nothing, just walked forward mechanically. Every step left a bloody footprint, and his bones creaked with each movement.
Except for that blank, expressionless face, there wasn’t a single part of Prince Nolan’s body that was intact—even his ten fingers were twisted and deformed.
Faced with such a ruined Prince Nolan, Sean Xuan couldn’t bring himself to utter a word of blame. He knew all too well—if something happened to Serena, Prince Nolan’s grief would be no less than his own.
Sean Xuan took a deep breath, forced back his tears, and, dragging his weak body, walked to the cliff’s edge. Before Prince Nolan could descend, Sean reached out to block him: "I’ll go down."
Prince Nolan didn’t reply, only gave Sean Xuan a cold glance. His bloodshot eyes were unfocused and frighteningly empty.
"You're in no condition to go down. Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to bring Serena back up." Thinking of Serena, once full of life, becoming a silent, unmoving corpse, Sean Xuan was overwhelmed by sorrow.
He felt he had let Aunt Emma down by failing to protect Serena.
'Serena will be fine,' Prince Nolan said mechanically. 'She is the Phoenixfield Heiress.'
'You mean...?' Sean Xuan's eyes lit up as he remembered the legend of the Phoenixfield Heiress.
It was said that the Phoenixfield Heiress was blessed by the heavens, and the Phoenixfield Heiress's mark could save her life.
There had been many Phoenixfield Heiresses in the clan, and all had proven this true.
"Yes." Prince Nolan nodded, reaffirming, "Serena will be fine." She couldn't have anything happen to her—Vincent was already gone, and he couldn't bear to lose Serena too.
"I understand. I'll go down and save her." Sean Xuan's face instantly brightened, his radiant smile making Prince Nolan jealous.
But the moment he thought of Serena falling, he couldn’t smile anymore.
"No." Prince Nolan pushed Sean Xuan aside. "She's my woman—I'll save her myself."
"Don't push yourself. You need a doctor. If you force it and can't bring Serena back up, you'll just throw your own life away." Worried Prince Nolan wouldn’t trust him, Sean Xuan added, "Don’t worry, I see Serena as a sister. I would never compete with you."
Prince Nolan still refused. With a look, he signaled his men to pull Sean Xuan back. Then, to everyone’s disbelief, he agilely climbed down the rope ladder himself, showing no sign of injury at all.
"Madman," Sean Xuan muttered under his breath.
None of them knew Prince Nolan had cut Serena’s lifeline with his own sword. Seeing how badly injured he was, yet still going down to look for Serena himself, everyone thought Prince Nolan must be madly in love with her. Serena was so lucky—what woman wouldn’t envy the favor of such a man?
They only saw Prince Nolan’s devotion—they had no idea how much Serena had endured.
To love a man who carries the whole world in his heart—how exhausting.
Prince Nolan followed the rope ladder down to the valley floor. As expected, he found Serena lying there, not a scratch on her.
Serena lay quietly on the ground. She didn’t look like someone who’d fallen from a height—more like someone peacefully asleep. Her dirt-streaked face even had a hint of color.
"Serena." Prince Nolan knelt on one knee beside her. Only in that moment did he feel alive again.
He knew in his heart Serena would be fine, but until he saw her with his own eyes, he couldn’t rest easy.
"Serena, this is the last time. I swear this is the last time. From now on, I’ll never let you face danger again. I’ll wipe out every threat—no matter the cost." Prince Nolan knelt beside her, blood dripping steadily to the ground. He reached out several times, but didn’t dare touch her.
"I hate you, I hate you!" In his mind, Serena’s voice echoed again and again. Every time he heard it, his heart twisted with pain.
"Don’t hate me." Prince Nolan covered his face with both hands, diluted blood seeping through his fingers...
He stayed kneeling like that until he felt himself about to collapse. Then he staggered closer, finally gathering the courage to touch Serena.
Serena, deep in a faint, didn’t resist his touch—her softness was his only comfort.
Now, this was all he dared hope for.
With a slight, trembling smile, Prince Nolan reached out to gently touch Serena’s flat belly. "Serena, don’t worry. Our child is fine. Vincent will protect our baby."
Prince Nolan carefully lifted Serena into his arms. He staggered two steps before steadying himself, then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Serena, forgive me. We both have to live well. We can’t let Vincent’s sacrifice be in vain, or let him keep worrying about us."
Her answer was the faint trembling of Serena’s eyelashes...