"Serena Feng?"
Prince Rowan called out tentatively, but Serena Feng remained motionless, her eyes tightly shut.
"She can't be dead, right?"
Ignoring the eunuch's attempts to hold him back, Prince Rowan stepped forward to check on her himself.
Prince Rowan lowered his head, preparing to check Serena Feng's breathing, but at that very moment—
Serena Feng suddenly opened her eyes and stared directly at Prince Rowan...
"You..." Prince Rowan was startled. He'd seen that look before—whenever his mother, the Empress, wanted someone dead, she showed the same expression.
That was a killer's gaze.
"It's me!" Serena Feng sneered, and before Prince Rowan could react, she grabbed his collar and used it to pull herself upright.
"Let go, you crazy woman!" Prince Rowan yelled, instinctively kicking out at her.
Serena Feng twisted her body, causing Prince Rowan's kick to land on her lower leg. She grunted but refused to move away, her body going limp as she collapsed into Prince Rowan's arms...
Her right foot slipped between Prince Rowan's legs and lifted upward, her knee pressing right into his crotch—a sequence of movements executed in one smooth motion...
Serena Feng leaned in close, her lips brushing Prince Rowan's ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"I am crazy. But even if I've gone mad, it's because you drove me to it, Prince Rowan!"
To outsiders, their posture looked scandalously intimate. No one could see that Serena Feng was actually threatening Prince Rowan.
"Serena Feng, you shameless woman." Prince Rowan muttered in a low voice.
With her knee pressing against him, Prince Rowan was first startled, then his face flushed red. His gaze toward Serena Feng was now filled with disgust as well as contempt.
When the palace guards reported that Serena Feng had kicked Gareth Yan there, Prince Rowan had assumed it was an accident.
Now it was clear—she'd done it on purpose. And judging by how skilled and natural she was, it certainly wasn't her first time.
He’d felt a twinge of guilt before, but now he felt none. Serena Feng had brought this on herself with her shamelessness.
Would a girl from a good family ever behave like Serena Feng?
Besides, there are so many men in the world—why does this woman insist on clinging to me?
What does my shame or lack thereof have to do with you, Prince Rowan? Don't forget, you have nothing to do with me now." Serena Feng breathed softly against Prince Rowan's neck.
As expected, the man before her reacted below the waist.
"Hahaha, Prince Rowan, didn't you say I was shameless? So what do you call this now?" Serena Feng mocked.
Prince Rowan's entire body stiffened, glaring fiercely at Serena Feng.
He wasn't dead, after all. Any man would react if a woman touched him like this—if he didn't, that would be strange.
But any woman would be fine—except Serena Feng.
"Serena Feng, get off!" As he spoke, Prince Rowan reached out, ready to push Serena Feng away.
The guards behind them finally realized something was wrong and started forward, but Prince Rowan barked, "All of you, fall back! Without my order, no one approaches."
"Yes, sir." The guards, suspecting nothing, quickly retreated.
Seizing the moment, Serena Feng pressed closer, her full weight hanging on Prince Rowan, arms wrapped around his neck, her knee nudging upward—seemingly intimate, but in truth, a threat:
"Prince Rowan, you can try—see if you kill me first, or if I ruin you first."
She knew Prince Rowan wouldn't dare let such a humiliating incident get out, so Serena Feng threatened him without restraint.
Men are always slaves to their pride!
Ruin? Yes, ruin. If Serena Feng pressed just a little harder, she wouldn't just destroy Prince Rowan's manhood—she'd destroy his future.
The Eastlyn Empire would never let a useless man become emperor!
"Serena Feng, you’ve got some nerve! Aren’t you afraid of dying?" Prince Rowan’s face darkened, wishing he could strangle her on the spot.
When had Prince Rowan ever been bullied by a woman—forced to swallow threats from one?
"Hahaha, afraid of death? Prince Rowan, you’re hilarious. What does Serena Feng have left to lose now?" The ruthless light in Serena Feng’s eyes was laid bare before Prince Rowan.
Prince Rowan believed it—Serena Feng would do it, even if he was an imperial prince.
Serena Feng had nothing left. What was there to fear? All she had left was a worthless life.
To Prince Rowan, Serena Feng’s life was worth less than what she threatened between his legs…
"Serena Feng, what do you want?" Prince Rowan asked coolly, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of unwillingness.
Maybe it was time for him to reconsider Serena Feng—the timid, useless girl everyone gossiped about.
"What do I want? Don’t you know, Prince Rowan? I’ve always wanted just one thing—to survive."
Too many people wanted her dead—the Empress, Prince Rowan, and that Gareth Yan she injured at the city gate.
Each of them held real power. If no one stepped up for her, she was as good as dead.
The Emperor talked a good game about not punishing her, but he knew Serena Feng’s death was only a matter of time.
A powerless woman—what could she possibly use to fight the nobles?
"You want me to clean up the mess at the city gate for you?" Prince Rowan secretly admired her.
Well played, Serena Feng. Even now, she was thinking about every angle—her mind was sharper than anyone guessed.
He’d originally planned: if the scandal about her losing her chastity before marriage didn’t destroy Serena Feng, he’d let the Yan family finish her off.
A girl with no background or support like Serena Feng could die quietly, and no one would ever investigate—or dare to.
So-called ‘righteous people’ were just pawns in the hands of the powerful.
Serena Feng nodded. "It’s always easier talking to smart people. Prince Rowan, I want you to guarantee I’ll stay alive for the next six months."
Six months wasn’t just a random demand—it was exactly how long Serena Feng calculated Prince Rowan might tolerate her.
Besides the Yan family, there were plenty of others who wanted her dead!
Openly or in secret, all of it was connected to Prince Rowan.
Right now, only Prince Rowan had the power to keep her alive.
Six months was the limit for this man—any longer and he’d never agree, but any shorter and Serena Feng wouldn’t have enough time to set her plans.
"Hmph, why should I handle your enemies too? Guarantee you’ll survive six months—who do you think you are? Why should I care about your life or death?"
"Prince Rowan, are you playing dumb? Don’t you know perfectly well why they want me dead? It’s only six months. Or do you want to spend the rest of your life keeping company with eunuchs in the palace?" Serena Feng gave a soft laugh—in outsiders’ eyes, the scene looked oddly intimate.
So, Prince Rowan and Serena Feng must have feelings for each other. Or so it seemed...
Ah, fate is cruel!
But only the people involved knew the real story.
Prince Rowan gritted his teeth. "You’re threatening me?"
"Not the first time, and one more won’t hurt," Serena Feng said, unfazed by Prince Rowan’s murderous aura.
They’d torn off all pretenses—what was left to worry about?
Serena Feng was born of flesh and blood, and only had one life. Prince Rowan feared death, but so did she...
Prince Rowan stared at Serena Feng, as if trying to see right through her.
Serena Feng didn’t care in the slightest. Blood streamed down her forehead and cheek, but she acted as if she hadn’t noticed, letting Prince Rowan scrutinize her.
So what if she was a mess?
So what if she was disgraced?
So what if she was humble?
So what if she was shameless?
Serena Feng was Serena Feng, no matter what anyone else thought.
The two of them just stared at each other. From a distance, they looked like lovers locked in a deep, passionate gaze...
In that moment, their eyes held only each other.