Young Master...
The shadow guard had just begun to speak but instantly stopped, standing ramrod straight. At the same moment, Sean felt a chill behind him; turning around, he saw Prince Nolan hurrying over...
"You actually came?" Sean looked at Prince Nolan as he approached, his eyes full of contempt, openly provoking him.
Sean despised Prince Nolan; after winning Serena, he not only failed to cherish or protect her, but even hurt her. Such a man was unworthy of Serena's wholehearted love.
The meaning in Sean's eyes was too obvious; even if Prince Nolan wanted to pretend not to notice, he couldn't. As Prince Nolan passed Sean, he paused and spoke coldly: "Sean, my affairs are none of your concern."
Clearly, he had heard what Sean just said...
Sean wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Hearing Prince Nolan refer to himself as 'the Emperor,' Sean retorted, "The Supreme Ninth Prince, holding the power of life and death—such mighty authority. Rest assured, Your Majesty, I am but a commoner and wouldn't dare meddle in your affairs. I only remind you, now that you hold such high rank and power, remember to keep up appearances and not disturb others' peace."
"Others? I think you're the outsider here." Prince Nolan's expression was slightly proud—clearly, he had reason to be.
No matter what, Serena has always been his. The child Serena is giving birth to now is also his. Sean is just an outsider.
He possessed both power and beauty—everything was in his grasp, and no one could take it from him.
Seeing Prince Nolan's arrogant demeanor, Sean felt his hands itch to fight, but it was clearly not the right time for a brawl, so he turned his face away in disdain.
"Serena doesn't want to see you at all." With that, Sean headed inside. The shadow guards tried to block him again, but Prince Nolan stopped them: "Let him in."
"Even if you wait outside the birthing room, both the child and Serena are mine—they have nothing to do with you." The last line was clearly meant for Sean.
"Pathetic," Sean muttered, striding forward without looking back. Still, he couldn't help but wonder how Prince Nolan got the news so quickly.
Even if the shadow guards delivered news of Serena's labor right away, Prince Nolan shouldn't be able to show up at this moment—unless...
Prince Nolan had been outside Feng Manor all along!
But tonight is New Year's Eve, and with Southern Lyn just defeated, Prince Nolan should be hosting a banquet in the grand hall with his ministers. How does he have time to come to Feng Manor?
Unable to figure it out, Sean gave up thinking—right now, nothing matters more than Serena.
Frustrated by how slow walking was, Sean broke into a run using qinggong, but just as he started, a sudden gust swept past him. When he looked up, Prince Nolan's figure had already vanished ahead...
"Childish!" Competing with him over this? Eastlyn's Ninth Prince is just too much. Sean cursed under his breath, but it was useless—he'd lost the advantage and was destined not to reach the birthing room first.
Before Prince Nolan even arrived, he could already hear the commotion outside the birthing room—midwives and maids bustling about, but not a single sound from Serena.
Isn't childbirth supposed to be agonizing? Why wasn't Serena crying out?
Prince Nolan's heart clenched. Ignoring whether his body could handle it, he sped up again, leaping over the wall straight into the courtyard.
"What's wrong with your young lady?" At that moment, Prince Nolan couldn't care less; the courtyard full of women irritated him. He grabbed a maid and asked.
A young maid, carrying a basin to fetch hot water, was suddenly grabbed. Not bothering to look at who had stopped her, she snapped impatiently: "The baby's not born yet! Can't you see we're busy? Step aside."
With that, she hurried off, completely unaware she'd just scolded the Emperor himself. Later, whenever she remembered it, her legs would tremble with fear—and a bit of pride.
Prince Nolan's face darkened—not because the maid ignored him, but because she hadn't answered his question. He kept moving inward; inside, people bustled about, all women. As soon as he stepped in, he frowned, wanting to ask someone about Serena but not knowing whom to approach.
Serena's labor progressed quickly—once she lay in the birthing room, the birth canal was already open. The midwives said the baby would come soon and told everyone to prepare hot water and cloth strips.
Everyone in the room was busy, rushing about, wishing they had extra hands. No one had time to notice who was standing right in front of them.
Prince Nolan circled the room but couldn't find anyone to question. Just as he was about to enter the birthing room itself, Empress Dowager Xie came out. Lifting the curtain and seeing Prince Nolan, she froze, forgetting to bow and blurting out, "Your Majesty?"
Who notified His Majesty? Why did he arrive at this moment? Is the palace really so close to Feng Manor?
"How is Serena?" Prince Nolan stepped back, widening the gap between himself and Empress Dowager Xie.
"Ah..." Empress Dowager Xie finally came to herself: "This humble one pays..."
Empress Dowager Xie was about to bow, and the busy maids in the room froze at her pause, remembering to bow only after she did. But Prince Nolan cut them off coldly: "Get back to work." He hadn't revealed his identity upon entering, worried that all the bowing would delay Serena's care.
"How is Serena?" Prince Nolan asked again. Empress Dowager Xie quickly let the curtain fall and stepped aside, answering seriously, "Your Majesty needn't worry—Serena is doing well."
Doing well? Prince Nolan frowned. "Why isn't she crying out?"
Isn't childbirth supposed to be painful?
"She's doing well?" Prince Nolan frowned. "Why isn't she making a sound?"
"Crying out?" Empress Dowager Xie didn't quite understand, then remembered how women often scream in labor. Realizing, she quickly explained: "Serena is saving her strength. If she cries out now, she'll have none left for delivery. Though she's recovered well lately, her body was badly hurt before and this birth is risky. The midwives are urging her to eat more and conserve energy."
Prince Nolan's eyes stung, locked onto the curtain...
His Serena—the only woman he ever wanted to protect. He'd rather suffer himself than let her feel pain, yet every time, she suffered because of him.
Again and again... To say he felt no remorse or guilt would be a lie, but no amount of regret could change what had happened. All he could hope now was for Serena to deliver safely—just this one child would be enough.
From now on, he swore, he would never let her suffer again—never let her be hurt again.