"Trust?" Serena Feng muttered to herself. Can you trust a man's words? Can you trust Nolan's words?
But whether she trusted him or not, she had no choice but to believe—what else could she do about Nolan? Serena looked at Nolan, feeling like a desperate gambler staking everything on one last throw. "Nolan, I trust you," she said.
Leaving those words behind, Serena opened the carriage door and jumped out, ignoring her messy, disheveled appearance as she strode toward Feng Manor.
Trusting you only makes betrayal and deception all the more unbearable—because that would be a true betrayal, even if I know you can't be trusted...
Nolan sat where he was, neither stopping her nor speaking, watching Serena's lonely figure disappear. For the first time, he wondered if he had gone too far—even if he tried to minimize the harm, it was still harm...
"Let's go." Nolan sighed and closed the carriage door.
Since Princess Yara of Lyndaria caused trouble at his villa, Nolan would have to pay a price to appease both the Emperor and the Lyndarian royal family. With both sides watching him, many things would become much less convenient.
"Serena, whether you believe it or not, I believe in you—I believe you can get through anything."
Nolan closed his eyes and leaned back in the carriage, trying to rest.
The one who got into trouble was a princess—a matter that would require much more handling. Nolan needed to recover his strength for what was to come.
...
Trust!
She truly wanted to believe Nolan, but what did she get in return?
In just ten days, rumors swept through the imperial capital, and once again, she became the center of it all.
Too many people knew what happened at Nolan's villa; there was no way to hide it. But the story that spread wasn't about Princess Yara and Prince Adrian—it was about her and Nolan.
Hahaha...
"Young Lord, do you think I'm just unlucky this year? I haven't done anything, yet every time something goes wrong, it's always me." Serena kept laughing, but her smile was uglier than crying.
Princess Yara is a royal, so her ruined reputation drags down the Lyndarian royal family's honor. But what about her? Does she just deserve this?
Is it her fault that her parents are dead and she has no clan left? Just because she won't tarnish any family's name, does that mean she should always be the one to suffer?
The royal family cares about their reputation—doesn't she deserve the same?
The Eastlyn Emperor doesn't want any trouble before his longevity celebration, and he wants to appease the Lyndarian royal family—so is she just supposed to be the scapegoat?
Why? Why does everyone smear her name? She was clearly a pure, innocent daughter, yet the world insists she's an unchaste woman who lost her virtue before marriage. She was born a general's daughter—why do they treat her like a famous courtesan, her 'notoriety' spreading everywhere?
That night, it was Nolan who barged into her room at midnight and took her away—so why does everyone say she seduced him?
She wasn't afraid of rumors, but that didn't mean she liked being the center of gossip, the object of everyone's talk. This wasn't her first time facing such slander, but that didn't mean she could handle it with ease.
Dominic Zhai didn't know how to comfort Serena. In his eyes, these rumors actually protected her—now that she was tied to Nolan, most people wouldn't dare touch her. "Serena, isn't this a good thing? Now no one will dare mess with you. If Prince Terrence of Lyndaria insists on marrying you and the Emperor agrees, even Nolan couldn't stop it. But now, with Nolan's public words, Terrence will never pursue you again."
There was one thing Serena didn't know: after Princess Yara's scandal, Prince Rowan Dongling drank himself into a stupor for three days. When he sobered up, he acted as if nothing had happened, attending court as usual.
Those who didn't know the truth thought he was heartbroken over Serena, but Dominic Zhai knew that Prince Rowan now hated Serena so much he wanted to tear her apart.
Everyone guessed that Nolan was involved in Princess Yara's scandal, which is why the Emperor allowed the rumors about Nolan and Serena to spread—as a way to punish Nolan.
But would Nolan really be so petty as to scheme against Princess Yara like this?
Nolan had no grudge against Princess Yara, nor any real interests at stake. If he wanted to destroy her, there were a thousand ways to do it. The real mastermind behind all this had to be Serena.
Back when Princess Yara used the 'lost virtue before marriage' trick against Serena, all she's doing now is returning the favor—using the same method to pay Yara back. That's what everyone who knows the truth thinks.
Prince Rowan Dongling would never cause trouble for Nolan over a woman, but going after Serena was another matter entirely.
Nolan's public statement was another way of protecting Serena—even though he knew it would make her the center of gossip and a weapon for the Emperor to shame him.
"No one dares touch me? Young Lord, you're far too naive." Serena's smile grew more and more bitter.
What hurt her wasn't the rumors—it was Nolan's use of her. He'd foreseen this outcome, yet still dragged her into it. She'd always thought Nolan wouldn't scheme against her, but she was just too confident.
Nolan dealt with Prince Terrence and Princess Yara by giving them a slap and then a sweet date—mixing kindness and punishment, leaving them angry with nowhere to vent. But for her, he gave the date first, then slapped her hard enough that she couldn't even remember if the date was sweet or bitter.
"Serena, don't be upset now. I think this is a good thing. With Nolan around, all those stray cats and dogs won't dare scheme against you anymore. Besides, with your reputation, one more rumor doesn't matter—it's nothing to you..." The real pity is Nolan, getting dragged into all this.
Dominic Zhai started out sounding confident, but when he saw Serena's wounded eyes, his voice grew quieter and he couldn't finish his thought.
Did he say something wrong? Clearly not, right?
Dominic Zhai looked at Serena, puzzled. Wang Jinling had sent him to comfort her, but it seemed the more he spoke, the worse things got...
"So you also think these rumors make no difference to me?" Serena finally stopped smiling—she couldn't force it anymore.
So in their minds, she was the one getting a good deal. Her reputation was already ruined, so one more scandal made no difference. That made it all the easier to use her—while it was the 'pure and spotless' Nolan whose reputation was actually hurt because of her.
Heh... This time, Serena really did laugh—and her smile was dazzling.
"Serena, are you alright?" Her sudden change startled Dominic Zhai.
"I'm fine. What could possibly be wrong? You're right, this is a good thing for me. By the way, how did things go with Master Sun? I haven't been out much lately, so I don't know what's happening outside." Serena swallowed her bitterness and changed the subject.
But what did it matter what she said? Dominic Zhai couldn't understand her, and neither could Nolan. They all thought Serena was lucky to be tied to Nolan despite her ruined reputation. To wish for the status of wife was 'greedy,' and to hope for exclusivity was a crime.
There was still a long road ahead. Yara would marry Prince Adrian Dongling, and the drama would continue. Serena resolved to endure—she just had to make it through the Emperor's birthday...