Bella Qin is gravely ill!
Her illness has reached a critical stage; she's barely hanging on, waiting for Serena to save her.
Storm Cloud Bu stepped forward and quickly described Bella's condition, then urged Serena to hurry with him. Thankfully, Serena didn't lose her composure like Bu did. "Where is she now?" she asked.
"Sutton Manor, with Evan Wen. Come with me, quick!" Storm Cloud Bu was frantic, reaching out to grab Serena, but she dodged him. "Wait, I need to get my medicine chest."
Serena jumped off the carriage and strode toward Feng Manor. Storm Cloud Bu anxiously paced outside but didn't dare act out again. When Serena came out, he rushed up to her, "Serena, hurry... Bella really can't hold on much longer. Stop wasting time!"
"I know," Serena said, brushing past Storm Cloud Bu and mounting his horse to ride to Sutton Manor, leaving Bu behind. Only then did Bu realize he hadn't asked Feng Manor to prepare a horse for him—he simply gathered his strength and sprinted after her.
By the time he reached Sutton Manor, he could only ask the servants if Serena had arrived. Hearing she was already there, Bu collapsed from exhaustion.
As soon as Serena entered Sutton Manor, Evan Wen greeted her and led her straight in. Without even catching her breath, she went to treat Bella Qin.
Storm Cloud Bu hadn't exaggerated—Bella Qin really was gravely ill, barely clinging to life. She was so thin she was hardly recognizable, her face no bigger than a palm, and even in her coma, her brow was furrowed in worry. She looked pitiful.
To put it nicely, Bella's illness was depression turned to disease; bluntly, she was making herself sick—drowning in sorrow until she was half-dead.
Bella Qin's heart was never strong to begin with. After surgery, she could breathe like a normal person and didn't suffer sudden heart attacks anymore, but her heart was far from healthy.
The blow of Lance Quinn's death was too much for her. Bella Qin's grief turned into illness, triggering her heart condition. Serena could only barely save her, keeping her alive for now.
"Miss Qin's heart disease has relapsed. If her emotions can't be calmed, all we can do is wait for death." Serena knew Bella Qin's personality—her illness had nothing to do with anyone else; it was all because she thought too much.
"Wait for death? There's really nothing you can do?" Evan Wen was shocked. Even if Prince Nolan refused to marry Bella, he would never let her die.
Serena replied flatly, "Heart illness needs heart-medicine. I can treat her body, but not her fate. Miss Qin is choosing death herself—there's nothing I can do."
Bella Qin is a devoted woman, but also fragile. Without love, she can't survive. Lance Quinn was her entire world.
"You mean, Bella doesn't want to live because Lance is dead?" Evan Wen managed to ask, stunned. When Serena nodded, Evan was left momentarily speechless.
Is it really that serious? What now—bring Lance back to life?
Serena glanced at Evan Wen in confusion, a sudden idea flashing through her mind. Before she could grasp it, a servant entered and said, "Young Master, Dr. Feng. Miss Qin is awake."
"Let's go see her," Serena reminded Evan Wen, who was lost in thought.
Evan Wen quickly covered up his reaction, while Serena was busy checking on Bella Qin and didn't notice his little gestures.
"Her emotions have stabilized. I'll prescribe some antidepressants. Keep a close eye on her these next few days and try to distract her—don't let her fall back into depression. Help her move on from Lan..." Serena paused, unable to say that Lance Quinn was dead.
The news of Lance Quinn's death came so suddenly that she couldn't accept it at all. Even now, it all felt like a dream—unreal.
She went to Lance Quinn's grave, she went to Night City to find Prince Damien of Southlyn, and then Prince Damien was sent back to Southlyn... Each scene felt like fragments from a dream.
She always believed Lance Quinn was still alive, that he would appear before her one night when she needed him. Only when Bella Qin showed up so sick did the pain finally become real.
A single tear slid from the corner of Serena's eye. She closed her eyes, hiding her sorrow. While Evan Wen was focused on Bella Qin, Serena had already left Sutton Manor, riding Storm Cloud Bu's horse at full speed...
Right now, she wanted to see Prince Nolan!
Serena was desperate to see Prince Nolan, but he wasn't home at this hour. The butler saw her anxious look and asked if he should go to the palace and let Prince Nolan know so he could come back early.
Serena refused without a second thought, running all the way. Her mind was much clearer now. She declined the butler's offer and left immediately.
Meanwhile, Storm Cloud Bu immediately sent news of Bella Qin's illness to the palace. Prince Nolan squeezed the note, a flash of impatience in his eyes.
When Prince Nolan left the palace, night had just fallen. Returning to Ninth Prince Manor, he paused briefly when the butler said Serena had come, but then kept walking. If the butler hadn't been observant, he would have missed it.
That night, in Sutton Manor's secret chamber, Prince Nolan sat on a stone chair dressed in black, radiating a chilling cold. His deep eyes seemed to shoot daggers, making people shiver to the bone. Evan Wen pressed himself against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Lance... Bella is innocent. You can't be so cruel." Storm Cloud Bu was pale, but refused to back down.
"Lance Quinn is already dead." Prince Nolan spoke with icy lips, delivering the most cutting words.
"You and I both know the truth. Whether you want to admit it or not, why say such things?" Storm Cloud Bu glared at Prince Nolan, eyes full of struggle and resentment. "Lance, what will it take for you to save Bella?"
"I'm not a doctor." Still refusing, Prince Nolan's tone grew even colder, showing just how bad his mood was.
"Doctors can only treat bodies, not hearts. Serena says Bella's illness is of the heart, and only heart-medicine can cure it. Lance, you are Bella's heart-medicine." Storm Cloud Bu spoke each word with utmost seriousness. Seeing Prince Nolan unmoved, Bu pleaded, "Lance, I'm begging you. If not for Bella's dead parents, then for the sake of our brotherhood, please save her."
Storm Cloud Bu gave Evan Wen a look. Evan sighed and stepped forward, bracing himself: "Lance, just meet Bella once in private. As long as she regains her will to live, Bu can take her to Heaven's First Consortium to recover. Serena will never know."
"If she sees Lance Quinn, will you still have a chance, Bu?" Prince Nolan's eyes sharpened as he looked at Storm Cloud Bu, a mocking smile on his lips. "She's been sick so long, and I haven't heard a word. Only when she was dying did you bring her straight to Serena. Bu... I underestimated you."
Don't treat everyone like fools. No one in this world is truly stupid!