Taking It All Off to Please Royal Uncle

Serena Feng was still injured, and with Prince Nolan leading troops, it was inconvenient for them to enter the city. The group camped outside, and Serena's tent was set right next to Prince Nolan's. The attendants had already prepared hot water and clean clothes for her.

When Serena learned that Prince Nolan had met up with Felix Fuller and William Wang Jinling outside the canyon and safely arranged for them, she finally relaxed. With Prince Nolan around, what was there to worry about?

No matter how big the crisis, as long as Prince Nolan took charge, it could be resolved.

Staring at the steaming bath barrel, Serena longed for a hot soak, but her injuries on her back and thigh kept her from moving freely. She could only wipe herself down, pitifully, just to feel a little less filthy.

Smelling the sour stench on herself, Serena couldn't help but admire Prince Nolan, who was a neat freak—how could he stand holding her for so long? Just imagining him frantically scrubbing himself after returning to his tent made Serena burst out laughing.

Whenever Prince Nolan was frustrated, she found herself in a good mood.

But her laughter quickly turned to misery—she tore open the wound on her thigh, yelping in pain. Instinctively, she shrank away, only to bump her injured back, making her eyes water from the agony.

Damn it, could she possibly be any more unlucky?

Serena had no mood left to keep bathing. She quickly washed her hair and wrapped it up, careful not to let any water drip onto her wounds. After cleaning up, she wore only her undergarments and draped a loose robe over herself. From a distance, she looked carefree and elegant, almost with a touch of old-world charm.

She had no choice—her thigh injury had never healed properly, and even when sleeping beside William, she kept it tightly covered. The wound on her back stretched from collarbone to waist, making it impossible to wear normal clothes.

Serena pulled out medicines and instruments from her Smart Med-Pack and, from behind the curtain, told a servant to fetch a military doctor—preferably a female one. Her wounds were on her back and she needed help. But before the servant could respond, she heard Prince Nolan ordering all the attendants away.

"Prince Nolan?"

When she saw Prince Nolan walk in, Serena hurriedly clutched her robe tighter, looking flustered.

Prince Nolan glanced at Serena, pretending not to notice her actions, and walked inside without a sideways look.

Honestly, what was there to hide? He’d already seen everything before—wasn’t it a bit late to be shy now?

"Mm." Though he was still angry, the thought of Serena's injuries made Prince Nolan soften, and he responded gently.

Serena gave an awkward laugh, realizing her behavior was a bit much. Still, she didn't let go; instead, she pulled her robe even tighter, wrapping herself up securely.

The fabric scraped against her wounds, sending a sharp pain through Serena's heart. Yet, facing Prince Nolan's scrutinizing gaze, she forced a bright smile, as if nothing hurt at all.

Truthfully, she just didn’t want Prince Nolan to see the extent of her injuries. Besides the wounds on her back, she had a mottled bruise at her waist and festering abrasions along her inner thigh. In fact, apart from her exposed face and hands, there wasn’t a single spot on her body that was unscathed—not even the soles of her feet.

She was sure that if Prince Nolan saw her like this, he’d be furious. If the roles were reversed, and she saw him so badly hurt, she’d scold him for being careless, then tenderly treat his wounds.

Even if Prince Nolan felt heartache seeing her injuries, he would never say so. He'd just blame her, and get very, very angry.

She hadn't managed to coax Prince Nolan out of his mood yet—if she added another problem, she'd really be in tears.

Unfortunately, Serena's plan was doomed to fail. Prince Nolan had come specifically to apply her medicine. If he hadn't needed to change out of his dirty clothes first, he'd have arrived even sooner—there was no way he'd let Serena bathe on her own.

He'd done this plenty of times before. Maybe no other man of his rank would bother with such trivial tasks for a woman, but he was willing—so what?

Prince Nolan raised his brows and looked Serena up and down. Aside from thinking she was acting oddly, he didn't notice anything else unusual.

He didn't dwell on it, and pointed to the low couch on the left, giving an order Serena couldn't refuse: "Take off all your clothes and lie down!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Prince Nolan realized he'd spoken wrong out of worry. But it was too late to take them back, so he kept his face stern, pretending he hadn't slipped up.

Even if it was a mistake, it wasn't his fault—it was all Serena's doing. When had he ever misspoken before?

"Huh? Take off everything and lie down? Prince Nolan, you're not really..." Serena's face twisted. "Prince Nolan, I'm still injured, and it's broad daylight! There are people outside!"

Serena had no idea what Prince Nolan was really planning, but she was sure that if she lay down, her wounds would be exposed. So she deliberately twisted his words—after all, his command was definitely open to misinterpretation.

She left out the words 'like a beast'—Serena didn't dare say them aloud.

Well, at that moment Prince Nolan's face turned completely dark, his voice growing colder and sharper: "Serena Feng, what are you thinking? Am I that kind of person? I really don't know what nonsense fills your head all day long."

Only Serena had the ability to make Prince Nolan so angry he wanted to kill someone—yet he could never actually lay a hand on her.

"Oh, so you didn't mean that?" Serena exclaimed. Prince Nolan's face darkened even further, his ears reddening as he turned away with a huff, making it clear he wanted her to coax him. His whole posture screamed: I'm angry!

Serena had really gone too far!

Alright, she admitted it—she was wrong!

Serena lowered her head and shuffled over to Prince Nolan, tugging at his sleeve and giving it a little shake...

Prince Nolan's mood swayed with her movements. Gradually, his displeasure faded away, though his expression lagged behind—his face still dark, as if Serena owed him money.

"Alright, I was wrong. Prince Nolan, please forgive me. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions or projected my own thoughts onto you. I thought you missed me after so long apart—well, I missed you, so I assumed you felt the same." By the end, Serena's voice was nearly a whisper, her head almost buried in her chest.

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To Prince Nolan, her look was shy and coy—but only Serena herself knew she was actually disgusted by her own words.

Sure enough... shamelessness truly has no limits. She’d never imagined she could say something so brazen.

Prince Nolan told himself to stay stern, not to let Serena know he wasn’t angry anymore. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips and the warmth in his eyes.

Ahem...

Prince Nolan coughed lightly to hide his happiness, then pointed to the low couch again: "Loosen your outer robe and lie down." This time, his tone was much gentler, with a hint of coaxing.

By now, if Serena still didn’t know what Prince Nolan intended, she’d have to be an idiot.

Sniffling, Serena's eyes reddened, but she quickly blinked away the tears and smiled: "No need to trouble yourself, Prince Nolan. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious—I can treat myself. Don't forget, I'm a doctor. Little wounds like this are nothing to me."

The only trouble was, the wound was on her back and out of reach.

"Really? Then who just ordered a servant to fetch a female doctor for you? Are you saying I rank below a doctor?" Prince Nolan's tone was full of threat—if Serena dared say yes, she was finished.

Serena had always prided herself on being practical, so she immediately denied it, insisting that wasn't what she meant.

"Since you don't mean that, then lie down. Don't make me do it myself." Prince Nolan emphasized 'myself,' sending chills down Serena's spine. She quickly let go of his sleeve. "I'll do it myself."

Dragging her feet, Serena slowly undressed, glancing back at every step toward the low couch. To an outsider, it would look as if Prince Nolan was forcing her, and she was only complying under his intimidating authority.

Under Prince Nolan's watchful gaze, Serena crawled onto the couch at a snail's pace, her face full of pleading as she hoped he'd change his mind. But once Prince Nolan made up his mind, not even Serena could sway him.

No matter how slow she went, eventually she couldn't delay any longer. Serena finally lay down on the couch; as her legs touched the surface, a piercing pain shot through her, and she nearly jumped up. But meeting Prince Nolan's eyes, she forced herself to stay put and managed a smile.

That smile melted away all of Prince Nolan's anger. He still couldn't understand why Serena refused his help, but decided she must just be embarrassed. And honestly, he liked seeing her act shy, like a new bride.

"Take off your clothes." Now in a good mood, Prince Nolan's tone shifted from stormy to gentle—if not quite springlike, at least no longer so cold.

Either way, it had to be done—Serena braced herself.

Gritting her teeth, Serena took off her robe. The jagged wound stood out starkly against her pale back, and the bruising at her waist was even more obvious in contrast.

"When did you get this?" Prince Nolan pressed on the bruised area, his eyes darkening with worry.

"Ouch, go easy!" Serena winced, nearly biting her tongue. It was just a minor injury—she'd gotten used to these scrapes back in her rough-and-tumble days.

"Now you say it hurts—where were you earlier?" Despite his words, Prince Nolan gentled his touch, his face full of concern.

When would this woman ever learn to put him first, or take care of herself so he wouldn't have to worry?

Serena: Never. So you'll have to worry about me, care for me, cherish me, spoil me, and love me—for a lifetime!