Jamie Zhou, Evan Zhou's son, knew exactly who Prince Nolan and Serena Feng were—so of course he couldn't greet them as casually as everyone else. But just as he was about to kneel in formal salute, he realized he couldn't lower himself to the ground no matter how hard he tried...
What was going on?
Jamie glanced down and saw a pair of black brocade boots blocking his knees. He looked up—and found himself staring straight at Prince Nolan's famously icy face.
Jamie jumped in fright, freezing in place, completely forgetting how to react.
No denying it—Prince Nolan's face still had serious intimidation power. Especially these past few years, his aura had only grown stronger. If he hadn’t deliberately toned it down, anyone with half a sense for status would immediately know he was someone important.
Noticing that Prince Nolan had startled another child, Serena Feng nudged him aside and gently helped Jamie to his feet. "Just call me Aunt, and him Uncle. There's no need to be so formal."
Compared to Prince Nolan, Serena was pure spring breeze. Jamie nodded eagerly, "Aunt, Un...cle, please come in."
He stumbled a bit on "Uncle."
Calling the emperor "Uncle"—really, truly... that's not something most kids could manage without turning pale.
"Mm." For Serena's sake, Prince Nolan actually responded, just a brief sound—but Jamie was so excited he nearly tripped over his own feet.
With Jamie leading the way, the group headed toward the Zhou family's tent.
Once they arrived, shadow guards posted themselves outside, forbidding any outsiders from approaching...
Once inside the tent, Jamie's first instinct was to make up for the missed salute. Cleverly, he knelt and then announced, "Nephew Jamie Zhou greets Aunt and Uncle, wishing you health and happiness."
"Jamie, that's a wonderful name. Come on, get up—the ground's cold..." This time, Serena didn't stop him. Realizing she hadn't prepared a proper meeting gift, she simply...
...reached to Prince Nolan's waist and unhooked a jade pendant.
Serena did it so naturally that even Prince Nolan was momentarily stunned—then he just smiled.
The jade Nolan wore was certainly precious, but nothing in the world was more precious to him than Serena.
"Take this jade pendant. If you ever go to the Capital, you can enter the palace with it." Serena didn't care what Nolan thought—she pressed the jade into Jamie's hands.
"Aunt, this jade is too valuable—I can't accept it." Jamie tried to refuse, glancing nervously at Prince Nolan, whose expression was unreadable. That only made Jamie more afraid to take it.
But Serena ignored his protests and insisted, pushing the jade into Jamie's hands. "A gift from an elder must not be declined."
"But, but..." Jamie clutched the jade, nearly in tears, his gaze flickering to Prince Nolan again and again.
Is it really okay to just take something that belongs to Uncle Nolan?
Prince Nolan's face darkened: Did they really think he'd eat someone over a jade pendant?
Serena noticed and jabbed Nolan in the ribs with her elbow. Stung, he gruffly ordered, "Take it!"
That was an order nobody could refuse. Jamie, terrified, accepted at once, leaving Serena exasperated. "Why did you refuse me for so long, but took it the moment he spoke?"
...Should he admit he had more visible authority than Serena?
No way he could say that—if he did, Serena would twist his ear for sure.
Nolan kept silent, and the tent grew oppressively quiet. The adults could handle it, but Jamie, just a child, couldn't stand the tension. He whispered, "Aunt, I wasn't ignoring you, it's just, it's just..."
He stammered for ages, unable to finish. Serena kindly supplied the rest, pointing at Nolan: "It's just that you didn't dare disobey him, right?"
Jamie nodded eagerly, looking utterly relieved to be understood.
It was like at home—he might dare ignore his father, but never his mother, because her anger was terrifying.
"But do you know, even your uncle has to listen to me sometimes?" Serena teased. Jamie nodded solemnly, "My mom's the boss at home, but she still listens to my dad. So really, my dad's the biggest authority."
So, I get what you mean...
Jamie glanced at Prince Nolan, mentally merging him with his own father. And just like that...
Prince Nolan was left thoroughly embarrassed.
He shot Serena a glare, only to get her laughter in return. Jamie didn't know why, but seeing Serena laugh, he joined in too...
His fingers secretly stroked the jade, enjoying its warm, comforting feel. It was even finer than any jade his parents had given him.
But the happiness didn’t last. Suddenly, noisy shouts erupted outside the tent. Prince Nolan and Serena Feng could hear the herdsmen yelling in the local dialect—so jumbled and unfamiliar that neither of them could make sense of it...
Jamie’s face went pale. "Oh no, the neighboring tribe is stirring up trouble again. They must know my parents aren’t here."
"What’s going on?" Serena asked, puzzled.
Jamie was young, but he knew plenty. He quickly explained the rivalry between the two tribes to Prince Nolan and Serena Feng...
It turned out that Evan Zhou’s tribe was the weakest on the steppe—thin sheep, few people, always on the move. Many were forced to sell themselves into slavery just to survive.
But ever since Evan joined, the tribe grew wealthier and attracted envy. Some powerful tribes believed they’d seized the best pasture and tried to drive them out by force.
Who was Evan Zhou, really?
He’d started as a powerless, landless prince and clawed his way up to hold real authority in Southlyn—able to match Prince Damien in cunning and ruthlessness. He was a master of schemes.
Every time the other tribes tried to provoke Evan, they got nothing and had to retreat, empty-handed.
This time, they must’ve heard Evan was away and dared to come looking for trouble. But little did they know...
...they were about to kick a steel plate again!
"Let’s go take a look." Serena wasn’t curious for herself—this was Evan’s home. With him gone, she felt responsible for protecting it.
"Aunt, those people aren’t polite at all. You…" Jamie glanced nervously at Serena and Prince Nolan.
Honestly, these two didn’t look like fighters. If things got violent, could they really escape?
He looked at his own skinny arms and legs—if he tried to drag two adults, all three would just get caught.
"Aunt, maybe we should wait for my parents to come back. The tribe can hold out for a while." Jamie knew full well: if anything happened to his aunt and uncle, their whole family—and the entire tribe—would be doomed.
Everyone—his whole family, even the tribe—wouldn’t be enough to pay for it.
"Kiddo, you’re underestimating your uncle. He’s really tough." Serena ruffled Jamie’s hair and took his hand, heading outside. "Come on, let’s watch your uncle deal with the bullies."
"Uncle… is he really up to it?" Jamie followed Serena, casting a skeptical look at Prince Nolan...
Uncle’s not exactly young anymore—can he really take on those strong young warriors?