Habits and Hair-Binding as Husband and Wife

After hearing the news, Serena Feng kept wanting to find time to speak with Nolan. She wanted to know what he was thinking—and whether he intended to act regarding Lady Min and Clara Phoenixfield.

Of course, Serena also wanted to examine Nolan herself and see how well he was really recovering, but for several nights in a row, he simply didn’t appear.

The first couple nights, Serena didn’t think much of it, but as time dragged on, she started to feel a little lost. She’d gotten used to having someone in the room—when that person suddenly stopped coming, it felt like something was missing.

“Habit really is a terrifying thing.” Serena sighed, then summoned Jada Tang and Mira Tang. “What has His Majesty been up to lately?”

Serena didn’t beat around the bush and asked outright, leaving Jada and Mira momentarily at a loss. The two glanced at each other, then quickly looked away.

Both secretly thought, Oh no, Miss must have noticed something. Sure enough, Serena lifted her gaze and asked coldly, “Speak. What are you hiding from me?”

Lately, everyone around her only reported good news, never bad. For the child’s sake, Serena pretended not to notice, but this time Nolan’s sudden ‘disappearance’ had gone on too long—it wasn’t like him at all.

Nolan was the kind of man who never gave up until he got what he wanted—he’d never quit halfway.

Serena’s worries weren’t unfounded. The reason Nolan hadn’t come to see her for so long wasn’t because he didn’t want to or didn’t have time—it was because he couldn’t.

Nolan’s words in the great hall quickly reached Southlyn and Northlyn. Their spies confirmed that half a year ago, Nolan suffered serious injuries, and his old wounds still hadn’t healed—his strength was greatly diminished.

Southlyn is in dire straits, and Northlyn is eager to seize the chance to attack Eastlyn. The two kingdoms, acting in concert, sent assassins into the palace to kill Nolan as soon as they heard he was wounded.

Whether the two states coordinated in advance or it was just a coincidence, Southlyn and Northlyn’s assassins struck at the same time—and in overwhelming numbers.

To kill Nolan, the Southlyn King played almost all his trump cards—the assassins were both numerous and highly skilled. Only with the combined efforts of the imperial guards and the shadow guards could they be contained. Then, just as things reached a breaking point, Northlyn’s killers surged in, and before reinforcements arrived, the pressure on the guards increased so much that two assassins slipped through and reached Nolan.

With assassins right in front of him, Nolan had no choice but to fight.

The assassins were no match for him, of course. But Nolan’s own injuries hadn’t healed, and with so many troubles lately, he hadn’t been able to rest. The exertion triggered his old illness. After the assassins were subdued, Nolan coughed up blood again and collapsed in the hall.

The palace was thrown into chaos, but the imperial physicians treated him in time. It wasn’t life-threatening, but if he didn’t recover properly, it would become a lingering problem. When William Wang heard the news, he rushed to the palace. No one knew what he said to Nolan, but after seeing William, Nolan finally agreed to rest and recuperate in the palace. He still managed state affairs, but wasn’t so reckless about it.

After Jada finished speaking, she looked anxiously at Serena, afraid she’d be upset or blame her for keeping things quiet. But Serena didn’t say anything—she just frowned slightly and said, “Go, take those old wild ginseng roots from the storeroom and send them into the palace.”

The Snow Wolves had risked their lives to gather those ginseng deep in the mountains—they were even better than the ones kept in the palace. Whether or not Nolan used them, it was Serena’s way of showing she cared.

Jada quickly agreed, called Summer to help, and personally brought the ginseng into the palace, tactfully expressing that her lady was very concerned about His Majesty’s health and hoped he would rest well.

The eunuch, thinking this was a great errand, smiled and sent Jada off, then personally delivered the ginseng to the hall. In front of Nolan, he exaggerated how worried Serena was, hoping for a reward—but Nolan just gave him a cold look and ordered, “Drag him out.”

The eunuch turned pale, staring at Nolan in panic, completely clueless about what he’d said wrong.

Nolan opened the box, looked at the perfectly preserved ginseng inside, and a hint of warmth crept into his cold eyes. Serena might not care as much as the eunuch claimed, but she was still concerned for his health—otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered to send the ginseng.

With a snap, Nolan closed the box and handed it to his attendant. “Give it to the imperial physicians—see if it can be used medicinally.” If Serena sent something, it should be used first if possible.

“Yes, sir.” The personal attendant took the box without another word.

Serena had the ginseng sent not just because it was excellent, but to tell Nolan she wanted him to recover well. With that intention made clear, Nolan dared not ignore it.

No one wants to die young—he hoped to stay with Serena for a long, long time, not just a few short decades. As William Wang said, even if it was just for Serena and their child, he had to live long enough to clear the way for their child to inherit the throne.

For the next stretch of time, Nolan stayed in the palace to recuperate. Even though he missed Serena, he forced himself to focus on healing. Still, he never forgot to send her a small gift every day.

They weren’t expensive gifts, nor were they grand gestures like the imperial rewards Serena received after returning from Mystic Healer Valley. Instead, they were the kind of presents a man gives the woman he loves.

A slip of paper, written in his hand: 'Heaven may never grow old, but love—real love—just can't be cut off.'

A brocade pouch with a lock of Nolan's hair, and a note: 'Tied together as husband and wife—may we never doubt our love.'

A thick, warm quilt, and a note: 'Let's share one quilt in life, one coffin in death.'

Ninth Royal Uncle had the shadow guards deliver these gifts directly to Serena. Each time, a slip of paper came with the present, sometimes a love note, sometimes a reflection of his mood—like little pieces of his heart, always intense and passionate.

He hadn’t appeared for over a month, yet everywhere around Serena, his presence lingered.

Day by day, for more than a month, Serena filled an entire box with these tokens, yet never sent a single word back to Ninth Royal Uncle. Aside from that ginseng, she didn’t send anything else into the palace.

Jada and Mira watched anxiously from the side, wishing they could urge Serena to reply, even with just a word. But they didn’t dare—so they could only hope, day after day, that Serena would finally respond. Every time, their hopes were dashed.

Time slipped by, and soon it was the new year. Serena’s due date was just days away, and everyone at Feng Manor had no heart for festivities—all eyes were on Serena’s belly, worried she might go into labor at any moment…