The man in the carriage and Ruby Redsleeve spoke one after another. Ruby, having been ordered to slap her own face, spoke with a muffled voice, while the man's words carried a hidden anger. It was clear this newcomer was no ordinary figure—his maid was so spoiled she dared defy anyone, and even after being punished, she still had the nerve to argue.
Serena ignored Ruby Redsleeve and addressed the man in the carriage: "Your words are what sound like a threat. You and your servant are causing trouble in Eastlyn, so naturally, you'll be dealt with according to Eastlyn law."
"Causing trouble? If you hadn't crashed into my carriage, I wouldn't have had any quarrel with you." The man snorted coldly, clearly displeased.
Serena remained indifferent and said, "It was my fault for crashing into your carriage, and I've already agreed to compensate you. But you and your maid refuse to let it go, pressing the issue relentlessly. Since we can't resolve this peacefully, we'll have to let the authorities handle it. I trust the officials will give us a fair judgment."
"Fair judgment? Fair for you or fair for me? Officials have two mouths under their hats, and these constables treat Miss Serena with utmost respect. Are you sure the authorities will give us a fair verdict?" The man mocked, speaking just loudly enough for those outside the carriage to hear.
There was nothing wrong with what he said—Serena did wield considerable influence in Eastlyn, and the authorities certainly wouldn't dare offend her. But...
"If I were that kind of person, would you still be getting compensation? Take a closer look at the two carriages involved. My driver was at fault, but your driver isn't completely innocent either. If you hadn't forced your way ahead, my driver wouldn't have missed it and crashed. Do you really think I'm just a clueless noblewoman? I could recite traffic laws in my sleep."
"So you're saying we were the ones at fault from the start?"
"You can come out and see for yourself." Serena didn't answer directly. The man pondered for a moment, then said, "Fine, I'll see for myself who's right and who's wrong."
The carriage door lifted, and a man in white stepped out. He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, nearly the same age as Prince Nolan, but lacked Nolan's imposing steadiness.
The man's features were refined and handsome, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes. Tall and slender, he carried himself with composure, but the pride in his gaze was unmistakable. Clearly, he came from a privileged background and had never truly tasted hardship.
His every gesture revealed the bearing of a martial artist, much like Sean. His eyes were clear—he didn't seem like an unreasonable person.
Overall, he was an outstanding figure—both in looks and presence, he was among the very best. Add in his obvious noble origins, and it was no wonder he carried himself with such pride.
But anyone who could raise a maid like that instantly lost points in Serena's eyes.
While Serena was sizing him up, the man was also sizing up Serena. He noted her clear, upright gaze, but since men and women were different, he didn't linger—just a glance before looking away.
"Miss Serena, your reputation is well deserved. Your bearing truly sets you apart." With those words, it was clear he knew exactly who Serena was.
"You know me? May I ask your name?" Serena noticed he didn't mention the carriage crash, and a suspicion flickered in her mind—this whole accident must have been orchestrated by him to test her.
Truly, only a bored man with a golden spoon and too much free time would think up such a scheme to test someone, without any regard for how others might feel. The more Serena thought about it, the less she liked him.
They were both smart people—one glance and they knew the other understood. The man sensed Serena's displeasure but didn't explain. He simply said, "I'm Linden Ling, of Skyvault Fortress."
"The young master of Skyvault Fortress?" Thanks to the upcoming Martial Arts Conference, Serena knew a bit about Skyvault Fortress. Hearing his identity, she immediately understood why he was so arrogant.
As the young master of Skyvault Fortress, Linden Ling was a VIP wherever he went. In the Nine Provinces Realm, he truly had the power to walk wherever he pleased.
"That's right," Linden replied modestly.
"So you really are the young master—my apologies." Serena clasped her fists and performed a martial greeting. "May I ask how I've offended you, and what exactly you intend to do to make things difficult for me?"
"Make things difficult? Miss Serena, you exaggerate. I simply wanted to meet you—I've heard Sean mention you often, and my curiosity was piqued. Sean says you're a rare woman in this world, and seeing you today, I can confirm your reputation is well earned." Linden spoke as if his actions were perfectly reasonable, not seeing anything wrong with his approach.
"So you know Sean." No wonder he'd sought her out—now that Serena understood the reason, she felt relieved.
She had no desire to get tangled up with Skyvault Fortress for no reason. While she wasn't afraid of offending anyone, she preferred not to make enemies unless absolutely necessary—making trouble everywhere was not the mark of a wise person.
Linden seemed to think he hadn't shocked Serena enough, so he added, "My master and Sean's master are martial brothers."
"Wait—you mean you're Sean's junior-uncle? You only look a few years older than him. That generational gap is huge!"
Linden nodded. "Why would I lie to you? I was the last to join the sect—just three years before Sean."
"Of course you wouldn't lie about something like that. I was just caught off guard and didn't react at first." After all, anyone could verify this—how long could a lie last?
"Calling me 'young master' is far too formal. Sean treats you like a sister, so you can call me 'junior-uncle,' just like he does." Linden decided outright.
Serena was about to refuse, but the word 'sister' gave her pause. After some thought, she went along with Linden's request and called, "Junior-uncle."
"Good girl. Here's a meeting gift from your junior-uncle." Linden looked pleased, producing a wooden box from nowhere and, without concern for the occasion, handed it directly to Serena.
The box was surprisingly heavy—Serena nearly dropped it. Out of courtesy, she opened it on the spot, and was stunned by what she saw, unable to help exclaiming, "What a fine blade."
To be precise, it was a dagger—its deep-black blade faintly glowing red. Serena recognized it immediately as a mystic-iron dagger.
This mystic-iron dagger was small and clearly made for a woman. Serena liked it a lot, but she closed the box and handed it back to Linden. "It's too valuable—I can't accept it."
"Don't worry, just take it. If you accept this gift, then I can stay at your house." Linden was completely unbothered by formalities, bringing up his request again.
Serena wanted to refuse, but remembering Sean and Linden's relationship, she held back. Politely, she said, "Junior-uncle, there are only my younger brother and me at Feng Manor, and he's just a child. I'm afraid we can't host you properly. But I do have a villa in West City—if you don't mind, I can have it prepared for your stay."
"We're family—no need to be so distant." Linden looked at Serena with a half-smile, clearly refusing to accept her polite rejection.
Who’s family with you?
Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smiled. "If you have no other requests, Junior-uncle, I'll have the villa prepared right away. You can move in today. As for your carriage, I'll have it repaired and sent over to you."
Realizing Serena was set on not letting him stay at her main residence, Linden didn't insist and let her arrange for a carriage to take him to the villa.
After all, now that they were 'family,' Linden couldn't keep making things difficult for Serena.
Seeing how quickly things had changed, the constable realized he was no longer needed, but still asked, "Miss Serena, I'll have someone fix the carriage. But what about that maid—how should we handle her?"
They hadn't forgotten that Serena had asked them to hold the maid accountable. Even if he was her junior-uncle, the maid had still offended Miss Serena...