Interrupted, You Disturbed This Prince

The more you know, the faster you die.

Once everyone had withdrawn, only the four of them were left outside. William Wang felt stifled and miserable, keeping his head turned away, refusing to look at Nolan and Serena. Serena narrowed her eyes, a trace of confusion flickering within.

Had something happened that she didn't know about?

Serena glanced at William Wang, then at Sean Xuan, and finally at Nolan. Sean was about to say something to warn her, but Nolan stepped in first, blocking him and facing Serena: "Don't overthink it. We'll be leaving tomorrow—William probably just doesn't want to say goodbye."

As he spoke, Nolan reached out to smooth Serena's hair.

Such a flimsy excuse. Serena shot Nolan an exasperated look, but she endured his gesture in silence.

She felt Nolan's public display of affection was a bit theatrical, but considering his pride—and that they'd only just reconciled—Serena didn't want to embarrass him. She cooperated, gently warning him with her eyes whenever Sean Xuan and William Wang couldn't see.

A smile flickered in Nolan's eyes. Without a word, he smoothed Serena's hair, then lightly brushed her cheek with his fingers—right over the bite mark.

Serena jolted, a flash of panic in her eyes, but quickly regained composure, looking at Nolan in confusion, silently asking: What are you doing?

Nolan shook his head, offering no explanation. He squeezed Serena's hand gently in silent reassurance, then turned to Sean Xuan: "I wonder what brings the Palace Master to seek me out at midnight?"

"So you know it's the middle of the night." Sean Xuan, seeing that Serena had composed herself, let his anger subside a little, but his tone remained sharp.

Sean Xuan was already angry at Nolan for being so forward with Serena. Even though he knew about their relationship, seeing Nolan act so intimately with Serena in public still made him deeply unhappy—he had the urge to kill someone.

Serena frowned but said nothing. Nolan, however, snorted coldly in displeasure: "Sean Xuan, this may be Skyvault Palace, your territory, but that doesn't mean you can meddle in my affairs or track my movements."

Nolan's words were a warning to Sean Xuan: speak more politely, don't use a commanding tone, and don't forget their respective statuses.

Sean Xuan realized his own rudeness, took a deep breath, and forced an unnatural smile as he offered a half-hearted apology: "I was too impulsive just now. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

At this moment, if he could smile naturally, that would be a miracle. Nolan was simply too arrogant, but Sean Xuan couldn't say what just happened out loud—otherwise, Serena would be mortified.

Nolan acknowledged him, accepting the apology: "Then may I ask why the Palace Master went to such lengths to find me tonight?"

"I heard from a disciple that Your Highness had gone missing. I was worried, so I came to check, only to find you with Serena." Sean Xuan glanced at Serena, who stood to the side looking confused, and sighed inwardly.

Serena was clever, but compared to an old fox like Nolan, she was still a bit out of her depth.

Sean Xuan didn't realize that, in this back-and-forth, Nolan had already seized the initiative, and Sean was now following Nolan's lead, completely at a disadvantage.

William Wang understood all this, but he had no intention of getting involved. He was in a terrible mood and afraid that he'd lose control and say something he shouldn't, so he chose to remain silent.

Nolan observed William and Sean Xuan's reactions, knowing William wouldn't interfere, so he focused his attention on Sean: "I'm not a child, Palace Master. I don't need you watching my every move."

Nolan's words were a warning to Sean Xuan not to meddle in his affairs. Sean was just a minor palace master—he had no authority over him.

"Your Highness is an honored guest of Skyvault Palace, of course I must ensure your safety. Tonight has been chaotic—I was worried you might lose your way." Sean Xuan spoke with double meaning.

He had originally suspected that tonight's commotion, and Lance Quinn's appearance, were connected to Nolan. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Of course, he'd have preferred if Nolan was involved with Lance Quinn. That would be easier to accept than the reality: Nolan had spent all that time in Serena's room, and judging by their appearance, things had happened that he didn't want to imagine.

"I'm not familiar with Skyvault Palace, nor do I care to be." Nolan made it clear he wasn't after Skyvault—Sean Xuan could rest easy.

"If there's a chance, I'll give Your Highness a proper tour of Skyvault Palace. It can't compare to the imperial palace, but it has its own charm." Whether Skyvault Palace would change hands depended on his own ability—Sean Xuan didn't need charity. Cooperation was fine, but he would defend Skyvault with his own strength.

"You can tour it yourself, Palace Master. I have no interest in this secluded, out-of-the-way palace." No matter how prestigious, Nolan had no desire for an outside force like this.

"In that case, I won't insist. It's late—I'll leave you to rest." Sean Xuan said politely, though the wariness in his eyes never lessened.

He thought Nolan would just let it go, but Nolan raised an unhappy eyebrow: "You've already disturbed this prince."

Everyone knew exactly what kind of 'disturbance' he meant. The three men understood without needing to say it. Sean Xuan and William Wang's faces grew even darker—Nolan, could you be any more shameless?

The two men turned at the same time and glared fiercely at Nolan. Nolan wasn't flustered at all—he let them look him over as much as they wanted.

He'd already dared to act—why would he be afraid of people knowing?