William Wang Jinling stepped forward and took the seat to the left of Dominic Zhai ahead of everyone else. "Since we can sit anywhere, Jinling will just sit wherever he likes," he said.
After sitting down, he ignored what others might think and said to Serena Feng at his side, "You look beautiful!"
Others might not know, but William Wang Jinling understood perfectly—this dress definitely didn’t belong to Serena Feng. All of Serena Feng’s clothes had been custom-made by his order, and he had never prepared such elaborate palace attire for her.
It wasn’t that William Wang Jinling thought Serena Feng didn’t look good in palace dress; rather, he knew she disliked trouble, so he never gave her complicated outfits. Besides, William liked how free and unrestrained she looked, so all her clothes were tailored for events like the Poetry Salon.
Seeing Serena Feng in palace dress today, William Wang Jinling found she had a unique charm, and immediately thought to have the steward arrange a batch to be made. The Wang family lacked neither fine fabric nor skilled tailors—Serena had no need to wear someone else’s clothes, especially ones matching Nolan Dongling’s style, no matter the reason.
William Wang Jinling’s eyes glinted with amusement as he nodded at Nolan Dongling, as if to say: Others may not know the story behind Serena Feng’s outfit, but he certainly does. Let them misunderstand—he himself will not.
William Wang Jinling sat to Serena Feng’s left, Ethan Hsieh naturally took the seat to her right, and Caleb Wang sat next to Ethan. Four seats remained open on the right side…
Just as everyone was wondering who else Nolan Dongling had invited, a servant announced the arrival of Lyndaria’s Crown Prince and Princess, Miss Su Wan, and Northlyn’s Second Prince.
"Terrence Valen from Lyndaria?" The arrival of the other three guests was understandable, but wasn’t Terrence Valen’s legs still crippled?
As if anticipating everyone’s confusion, Nolan Dongling spoke calmly: "The Lyndarian royal family sent a secret medicine—Crown Prince Terrence’s injuries are healed, and he moves as before."
So that’s how it is. Everyone nodded in understanding, realizing that Nolan Dongling’s lotus-viewing banquet was anything but simple. They began weighing their own strategies.
"Royal Uncle, since we have honored guests, allow me to greet them on your behalf," Prince Rowan Dongling offered, rising to speak.
It might be an ordinary banquet, but the guests included foreign princes. To remain seated would be rude, and expecting Nolan Dongling to personally receive them was out of the question.
Nolan Dongling nodded; asking him to greet Terrence Valen personally was a fantasy—maybe if the Emperor of Eastlyn arrived.
With Prince Rowan Dongling rising to greet the guests, the others naturally couldn’t remain seated. One by one, they stood up, making Nolan Dongling—still seated—stand out even more.
Soon, Prince Rowan Dongling led the guests in. Terrence Valen from Lyndaria and Quentin Feng from Northlyn—one elegant and handsome, the other rugged and tall. In Serena Feng’s eyes, they were two very different types of striking men.
But Princess Serenity saw things differently. She liked gentlemen like William Wang Jinling—refined and graceful. No matter how she looked at Quentin Feng, he was just a coarse, uncouth brute, someone she’d never consider.
Remembering how Northlyn’s Second Prince had publicly proposed to her, Princess Serenity felt endlessly aggrieved. She looked at William Wang Jinling with a face full of longing, but he didn’t even glance at her—instead, he gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Serena Feng’s ear.
Princess Serenity’s expression changed instantly. She was about to lose her temper when she noticed Nolan Dongling watching her, and immediately lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.
Quentin Feng entered, first noticing the radiant Serena Feng, his eyes lighting up. Then he saw the charming Princess Serenity, and when she shyly lowered her head, Quentin understood—this was the woman he’d proposed to. Relieved, he thought she looked quite good and would probably make a fine wife.
Princess Yara of Lyndaria and Su Wan followed close behind. When both women saw Feng Qingchen, they couldn’t help but show a trace of dislike. But facing Feng Qingchen in full regalia, their presence was clearly lacking; they couldn’t suppress her at all.
After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats. All attention was on Terrence Valen—his steady, powerful stride confirmed that Ninth Royal Uncle’s news was true.
This was Terrence Valen’s first public appearance in the Eastlyn Imperial Capital since his injury, signaling to all that he had recovered and would be active here once more.
The seats to the right were arranged in order: Terrence Valen, Princess Yara, then Quentin Feng and Su Wan.
Whether by design or coincidence, Prince Adrian Dongling sat opposite Princess Yara, while Quentin Feng faced Princess Serenity. Su Wan was across from Prince Caleb Dongling, though the two barely acknowledged each other…
Prince Caleb Dongling entered and immediately fixed his gaze on Feng Qingchen, trying several times to speak with her but found no opportunity.
Su Wan was much the same; as soon as she arrived, she searched for Ninth Royal Uncle. Upon seeing Feng Qingchen dressed nearly identically to Ninth Royal Uncle, her usually dull eyes lit up with a murderous gleam…
Feng Qingchen had known Su Wan would come, but seeing her appear still shocked her—after all, Su Wan had been in so much pain yesterday she couldn’t get out of bed.
Looking at Su Wan’s pallor, which even fine makeup couldn’t hide, Feng Qingchen could only think: Ninth Royal Uncle’s influence is truly enormous. Even with Su Wan so ill, she still obediently came to the banquet.
Once everyone was seated, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t say a word, just signaled for the servants to serve the food. It really looked like a simple meal, though the Crown Prince and Prince Adrian Dongling made small talk to keep Terrence Valen and Quentin Feng from feeling neglected.
The marriage between Quentin Feng of Northlyn and Princess Serenity wasn’t certain before, but now it was almost a done deal.
Although the Emperor had acquired someone like Liam Li, and was bound to launch wars against the other kingdoms sooner or later, even with mass-produced thunder-blast grenades, Eastlyn didn’t have the strength to swallow all three kingdoms at once. For a nation like Northlyn, appeasement was the main strategy.
Political marriage became the best option. Even with thunder-blast grenades, if the other three kingdoms united against Eastlyn, it would be overwhelmed. Winning over the backward but battle-hardened Northlyn was essential, and marrying off a princess was meant to reassure them.
Royal princesses, while enjoying their status and honor, had to pay the price. In normal times, a distant imperial woman could be named princess and sent off to marry, but Quentin Feng had specifically named Princess Serenity, and with all three kingdoms present, the Emperor wouldn’t jeopardize diplomacy for one daughter.
Similarly, to confuse the enemy and buy more time, the Emperor wouldn’t neglect Southern Lyn or Lyndaria either.
The previously arranged political marriages would not change. After all, Southern Lyn and Lyndaria were sending noblewomen to Eastlyn, which was no loss for Eastlyn. If needed, Eastlyn could kill the brides or use them as an excuse to start a war.
Listening to the probing exchanges among the Crown Prince, Prince Adrian Dongling, Terrence Valen, and Quentin Feng, Feng Qingchen suddenly felt sorry for Serenity, Yara, and Su Wan. Behind all their glory was blood and tears—no matter how noble or beautiful, they were just pawns to be moved.
Feng Qingchen could only sigh. If anyone was pitiful, she was pitiful too. She might sympathize with Serenity and the others, but she wouldn’t take abuse lying down—she could pity others, but who would pity her?
Knowing she’d already had enough attention today—and that in this setting, she was just background—Feng Qingchen listened for a bit, then focused on eating.
The dishes and pastries prepared by Ninth Royal Uncle all matched the occasion—most featured lotus leaves and lotus seeds, fresh and light. Feng Qingchen ate happily, while Wang Jinling, apparently uninterested in the marriage talk, kept serving her food.
Feng Qingchen would occasionally return a sweet smile, and most of the time her gaze met Wang Jinling’s. The two exchanged silent smiles, perfectly in sync without speaking—a wordless understanding that made them oblivious to everyone else, though the rest of the guests could hardly ignore them.
Suddenly, for reasons unknown, the conversation stopped. Everyone turned to look at Feng Qingchen and Wang Jinling. Feng Qingchen didn’t notice at all, and even when Wang Jinling realized, he pretended not to, simply serving her more food and sharing knowing smiles with her.
Ahem… Even if Feng Qingchen was oblivious and slow to catch on, she finally realized something was off.
It was way too quiet!
Feng Qingchen looked up and saw everyone staring at her—especially Ninth Royal Uncle, whose gaze locked with hers midair. For some reason, facing his almost emotionless eyes, Feng Qingchen felt guilty and turned away, asking Wang Jinling, "Is there something on my face?"
Why is everyone looking at her?
"Yes, there’s some food at the corner of your mouth," Wang Jinling replied with a smile. Before Feng Qingchen could react, he pulled out a handkerchief and, right in front of everyone, wiped the oil from her lips.
Boom…
Feng Qingchen felt her blood rush and heat surge to her cheeks, which turned red as she stared at Wang Jinling without blinking.
In front of everyone—Wang Jinling was… was flirting!
Ahhh… She couldn’t show her face anymore!
Princess Serenity’s eyes were practically on fire—she wished she could yank Feng Qingchen out of her seat and take her place. But Prince Rowan shot her a warning glare, forcing her to lower her head in angry frustration.
Su Wan, on the other hand, felt relieved. Her pale cheeks showed a faint smile as she glanced at Ninth Royal Uncle and saw his calm, emotionless face. She let out a deep breath in her heart.
Everyone else thought Wang Jinling’s move was far too bold. Terrence Valen, though, watched Wang Jinling with a half-smile, looking as if he saw through everything.
Wang Jinling’s gesture was like dropping a stone into a still lake, sending ripples through everyone’s hearts.
Yet Wang Jinling acted as if nothing had happened, personally ladling a bowl of soup and setting it before Feng Qingchen: "Try this lotus-leaf chicken soup—it’s really delicious."
He then offered a polite smile to everyone, nodding especially to Ninth Royal Uncle: "My Qingchen has troubled you all; Jinling thanks everyone on her behalf."
With that, he raised his wine cup and drained it in one go…
What? My Qingchen?