Watching the Show, Blood on New Year’s Eve

Never mind anyone else—even Prince Nolan and Dominic Zhai would be hopping mad. Being sent out on official duty on New Year's Eve is absolutely not a happy matter.

Dominic Zhai charged in with a stormy face, looking like a rakshasa. Without even glancing at Prince Nolan or Serena, he coldly pointed at the fighting death-soldiers and guards and ordered, "Attempted assassination of Prince Nolan—arrest all of them for me. Anyone who resists will be executed without mercy."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers Dominic brought were no rookie patrols—they were real veterans who'd seen battle. Facing the Walker clan's death-soldiers, these veterans knew how to use their numbers: ten men formed a circle, joining forces with Feng Manor's guards and Prince Nolan's men, fighting and surrounding the enemy, slowly grinding them down.

These veterans weren't fancy, but every strike was deadly. Even if they couldn't subdue the death-soldiers quickly, they could strip away their advantage. The battle ring kept shrinking, the death-soldiers trapped in the center. Serena knew it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.

Serena let go of her gun, finally relaxed enough to look at Dominic. She meant to greet him, but...

Right now, Young Lord Dominic was standing outside the battle ring with a dark face, ramrod straight, looking every bit the heroic general commanding thousands. Anyone else would have praised his courage and said he took after his father, but Serena just wanted to laugh.

Can you imagine the usually jumpy Dominic suddenly acting like Prince Nolan? It was like a kid wearing adult clothes—especially comical.

Serena pointed to the spot Dominic had stomped into the ground, barely holding back her laughter. "Young Lord, do you have a grudge against my courtyard paving?"

"Serena, I'm on duty. Don't interfere with official business." Dominic said sternly, his tone stiff and full of authority.

Serena played along, immediately covering her smile and nodding hard. "Got it."

"Hmph..." Dominic huffed and turned away, but he definitely didn't forget to glare at Serena.

What does she 'get'? Can't she see he's upset? She could at least coax him a bit.

Damn it, can't people get any peace even on New Year's? He'd been happy to finally skip the palace banquet this year, only to get a sudden emergency order from Prince Nolan—patrol near Feng Manor with troops in case anything happened.

Emergency, my ass. Prince Nolan, you're chasing after your beauty—why do I have to freeze my butt off patrolling the streets on New Year's Eve while you get to hold your woman? Is there any justice in this world?

Thinking of this, Dominic spun around again and shot Prince Nolan a fierce glare. So what if he's Prince Nolan? He still made Dominic's New Year miserable.

Pfft... Dominic's awkwardness was just too funny. Serena couldn't help it and burst out laughing, which nearly made Dominic jump with indignation. "What are you laughing at? If you laugh again, I'll arrest you for obstructing official duties!"

"I'm done laughing, I'm done! Please forgive me, sir—you're so magnanimous, don't hold it against a humble woman." Serena laughed, about to step forward and coax Dominic when Prince Nolan calmly seized her hand. "Don't disturb Magistrate Zhai at work. It's too bloody here for a woman on New Year's Eve. With Dominic here, everything's under control."

With that, Nolan didn't give Dominic any time to react—he took Serena's hand and walked out. By the time Dominic came to his senses, all he saw were their backs, and he nearly jumped with anger.

"Prince Nolan! Serena! You're too much! Why—why is this clearly a Feng Manor matter, yet you both left and dumped the aftermath on me?"

Dominic wanted to cry but had no tears. His adjutant glanced at him with sympathy and silently bowed his head.

Young Lord, no matter how much you jump around, it’s useless. When it comes to Prince Nolan, you might as well just accept your fate.

With everyone gone, Dominic had no choice but to accept it—even if he didn’t want to. But he was furious. Who wouldn’t be, saddled with such a headache of a job on New Year’s? And the masterminds had walked off! Dominic had nowhere to vent, so when he heard the clang of battle, his temper flared even higher. He pointed at the black-clad death-soldiers and roared, "Kill them! All of them! No survivors!"

"Yes, sir." Obedience is a soldier’s duty. Even if they didn’t understand Dominic’s order, not one of them objected.

Just as Prince Nolan had warned, what followed was extremely bloody. Whether death-soldiers or guards and soldiers, no one held back. This fight could only end in life or death...

Prince Nolan bundled Serena into the carriage. The coachman didn’t need instructions—he flicked the reins, and the carriage rolled smoothly through the night. Inside, Prince Nolan stretched his legs, taking up two-thirds of the space, and gestured for Serena to sprawl across them.

There wasn’t much room left in the carriage, and Serena didn’t want to squeeze herself into a corner. She obediently sprawled across Nolan’s legs—after all, it wasn’t her legs that would go numb.

"Where are you taking me?" Serena asked lazily. After a long day, she was exhausted. Lying on Nolan’s legs, with the carriage bumping along, she was soon half-asleep. To keep herself awake, she started chatting.

Nolan patted Serena’s back like soothing a child. “Asking now? Isn’t it a bit late?”

"Late or not, I still want to know. Where are you taking me?"

"To watch a show." Nolan had just decided this—better than leaving Serena in the blood-soaked Feng Manor.

Any other time would be fine, but seeing blood on New Year's is always bad luck. At this moment, Prince Nolan was thinking only of Serena—everyone else didn't matter to him at all.

"A show? Whose show? Princess Yara's? Nathan said he'd give her a surprise tonight. It's a pity I'm not allowed into the palace, or I'd get to join the fun." Serena sounded genuinely regretful.

Life really is lonely as snow. Finally something she could enjoy, and she couldn't see it for herself—just a shame.

"You really want to see Yara's trouble?" Nolan was skeptical. He knew Serena wasn't usually so petty—if she wanted into the palace, all she had to do was ask.

"I'm bored, so I don't mind watching. If Yara suffers, I'm happy." Serena never hid her pettiness—she was the type to repay every slight. That whole 'saintly forgiveness' thing? Not her style.

Her philosophy was simple: if you make her unhappy, she won't let you be happy either.

"Yara was definitely embarrassed, but there wasn’t much to see. The battles between women are all about saving face—a little humiliation, nothing serious."

"So what happened? Tell me." Serena turned her head, waiting for Nolan to play storyteller.

Nolan had no choice but to begin: "Su Rou accused Yara at the banquet of losing her virginity before marriage and having an affair with Prince Chun. Then, to promote friendship between the two kingdoms, Su Rou danced before the emperor, who was delighted. Nathan seized the chance to suggest that Yara also dance for the emperor, and the emperor agreed."

"Making Princess Yara, a dignified royal, dance in front of everyone? That’s a slap in the face for the Xiling royal family. The emperor’s gone too far—he’s only doing this because Yara’s brother isn’t here to protect her."

Even without seeing it firsthand, Serena could imagine how mortified Yara must have been—a princess treated like a mere dancer. She didn’t feel sorry for Yara at all; instead, she grinned wickedly. "Did she dance or not?"