Entering the Palace, We Are Not Familiar

The carriage came to a halt, and the driver slipped away without a sound. Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan, as if they'd planned it, didn't get out right away. Instead, they remained sitting together inside, holding each other, motionless and silent—as if this moment could last forever.

Nolan was in no hurry to move, savoring the softness and fragrance in his arms; Serena, for her part, was reluctant to leave—rarely did she get this close to Ninth Royal Uncle, and she didn't want the moment to end so soon.

She didn't know when—or if—she'd ever be this close again, nestled in Nolan's arms. Maybe there wouldn't be a next time at all. That thought stung, and she quietly burrowed deeper into his embrace.

This man was not hers to have, and she'd already decided to let go. Tonight would be the last time she indulged her feelings.

Serena closed her eyes, clutching her clothes tightly to steady the ache in her heart—and suppress the emotions she shouldn't have.

Only after she was sure she'd pushed down those feelings did Serena open her eyes, now calm and still as dead water. She gently pushed Nolan away. "Ninth Royal Uncle, it's time to get to business."

Nolan hesitated, a faint sense of unease flickering in his heart. But with the dangers ahead, he suppressed it, straightened Serena's clothes, and helped her out of the carriage.

"Where is this?" Serena carefully scanned her surroundings, realizing this wasn't the place she'd arranged to meet Noble Consort Helena Hsieh.

After the fire at Feng Manor, everything that happened next had been part of Serena's plan—except for Nolan's appearance tonight, which threw her off completely.

Tonight was the most crucial night—she couldn't afford any mistakes, not even the slightest.

Nolan didn't explain. He simply took Serena's hand and led her forward. When she pulled her hand away, he stopped—though not very willingly.

"Come with me. I won't harm you. Every route the Hsieh family knows, I know as well—but there are routes only I know, and they don't. Rather than go against your intentions and make deals with the Hsiehs, why not come with me? I've said before: whatever you want to do tonight, I'll help you with everything I've got, no strings attached."

It was the first time he'd ever helped someone with no boundaries, but she didn't appreciate it at all. In nine days, Serena had done plenty, but never once thought to use his power—tonight, he had inserted himself into her plans on purpose.

Thinking about it, Nolan felt a bit discouraged. He rarely wanted to be good to a woman, but this one treated him like a thief—wary and guarded.

"No strings attached? What about the thunder-blast grenades?" Serena slipped into the secret passage with Nolan, her tone mocking.

She hadn't forgotten what happened at the villa. One moment, this man gazed at her tenderly by the lotus pond; the next, he was using her, threatening her without a second thought.

She believed she was special to Nolan, but that specialness was built on her value as a chess piece. She was just a tool—like Liam Li, useful until she wasn't.

"I never forced you to do it." Nolan frowned at the mention of thunder-blast grenades. He was the only one who, knowing Serena could make them, never pressured her. His subordinates had pestered him endlessly about it, and he'd taken on huge risks for her sake—how much did she really know about that?

"You say you didn't force me, but do I really have a choice?" Men and women, rulers and commoners—they saw things from different angles. Serena only thought from her own position, never considering what thunder-blast grenades meant to Nolan.

If Nolan could make thunder-blast grenades without limits, some things could be achieved ten or twenty years ahead of schedule. But how many decades does a person get in a lifetime?

It was understandable that Nolan was anxious—he wasn't just some powerless Eastlyn royal uncle. What he wanted was far more than a small Eastlyn.

"No choice? Serena, I've never forced you." Nolan was angry—angry that she didn't appreciate his efforts. If he'd really wanted to be ruthless, would she still be alive now?

He'd only threatened her with words, never with violence—that was already a huge concession.

His subordinates had a hundred, a thousand ways to make Serena reveal how to make thunder-blast grenades and still keep her alive.

But he hadn't done it. No matter how badly he wanted the grenades, he never used force against her.

Across the Nine Provinces, only Serena could make him compromise. Anyone else would have been begging for life or death by now.

Take the Emperor, for example—he'd grown more impatient lately, and his attitude toward Liam Li had changed. The Emperor was already pressuring Liam; if Liam didn't reveal how to make thunder-blast grenades soon, his fate would be grim.

Of course, even if Liam did talk, death would still be waiting for him—unless he could create something even more powerful than thunder-blast grenades. But even then, it would only buy him a little more time.

In the eyes of the Emperor and everyone else, Liam was just a chess piece. No matter how exquisite, once a piece lost its value, it would be destroyed. Nolan had never treated Serena that way—at least, he'd never once thought about destroying her.

"You won't force me? Even if Liam dies tonight, you'll never force me to make thunder-blast grenades? Never?" Serena didn't know what Nolan was thinking—she just desperately wanted his promise.

She'd seen death and war countless times, but that didn't mean she was used to it—or could ever adapt. On the contrary, she hated war, hated the pain and loss it brought. Wasn't the current peace and prosperity enough?

These men, every one of them brimming with ambition, eager to conquer the world—but did they ever consider how many innocent lives would be lost for their dreams?

Serena couldn't understand Nolan's grand ambitions, just as he couldn't grasp her compassion for the suffering. But that didn't stop him from cherishing her.

Serena had always been strong-willed—she only ever took what Nolan gave, never once asking for anything herself.

This was the first time she ever asked for something—and whatever it was, he'd give it. Even if the promise cost him dearly, he'd still give it.

"I won't force you." Nolan said in a low, firm voice.

There. That should satisfy you, right?

"Whew... Nolan, remember what you said tonight." Serena finally relaxed. The heavy stone pressing on her heart vanished with his words.

Nolan glanced calmly at Serena, then took her hand and walked on. As he turned, a faint smile touched his lips.

He wouldn't force Serena—but if she ever chose to make thunder-blast grenades on her own, then everything would change. Sometimes, between men and women, it was a contest. Losing this round didn't mean he'd always lose.

The matter of the grenades could wait. He was sure he'd make Serena change her mind—because he was...