Serena Feng ultimately obeyed Prince Nolan's advice and spent the night at Ninth Prince Manor, planning to return to Feng Manor the next day.
She had to recover her strength—only then would she have the energy to deal with that little demon. Otherwise, she'd end up just like those previous doctors: dead or insane.
A man and a woman sharing a bed—naturally, something was bound to happen. But out of concern for Serena's condition, Prince Nolan only rolled the sheets with her once before letting her off.
After a bit of exercise, sleep came even sweeter. Serena slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed, her mood lifted, all the gloom of yesterday swept away—she was positively glowing, and the old butler greeted her with even more warmth.
Young people should spend plenty of time together—that's how feelings deepen. Seeing Prince Nolan and Serena come out together, the old butler immediately had the staff serve breakfast.
Today's breakfast was much richer than usual, but the most eye-catching thing was the bowl of bright red deer blood. Prince Nolan shot the old butler a look; the old butler just squinted and smiled smugly.
Prince Nolan rolled his eyes at the old butler, treating him like a bowl of deer blood, and refused to spare him another glance.
Serena couldn't help sighing—these days, a master truly had no privacy. Even how many times they rolled the sheets last night, the old butler knew it all. It was enough to leave her utterly speechless.
After breakfast, Prince Nolan and Serena left together. Serena assumed he was just seeing her off, so she didn't ask much. But when Prince Nolan got into the carriage with her, she was surprised and asked, "You're coming with me to Feng Manor?"
"Mm." Prince Nolan climbed into the carriage, making his intentions clear through action.
"Aren't you really busy?" With someone backing her up, Serena was happy, but she worried that Prince Nolan would be delayed from important matters because of her.
"No matter how busy I am, this moment won't make a difference." Knowing Serena was being tormented in Feng Manor, how could he just stand by? He wanted to see this Young Lord Zed for himself—a six-year-old child who had piqued his interest.
"Mm, mm, mm." Serena nodded repeatedly, deeply moved.
A true warrior dares to face any challenge—Prince Nolan was the real deal.
With Prince Nolan accompanying her, Serena felt much better. She wasn't sure what they'd do about Zed, but at least she had someone to bolster her courage—walking into Feng Manor wouldn't feel so terrifying.
Serena couldn't tell if she was just being paranoid, but ever since Zed and his people moved into Feng Manor, those red lacquered gates seemed to give off a chilling, sinister vibe.
Serena couldn't help but shiver.
"What's wrong? Did you catch a chill?" Prince Nolan asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Serena replied quickly.
She couldn't exactly tell Prince Nolan that she was scared of her own house—that would be way too embarrassing.
"If you're fine, let's go in."
Prince Nolan walked ahead, shielding Serena behind him. As for his personal guards, he hadn't brought a single one—he didn't need anyone to bolster his courage. No matter how ruthless that child was, he was still just six years old.
It was only late spring, but Feng Manor felt utterly desolate. There was no smell of blood, yet the place still gave off a cold, eerie vibe—even Prince Nolan had to admit Zed's methods were impressive.
Kids from the Demon Sect really were different—so young, yet already able to reshape their surroundings. No matter where he went, Zed could turn the place into another Demon Sect stronghold.
Prince Nolan had been inside for ages and hadn't seen a single soul. The manor was eerily spotless. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Serena, who just shook her head—she had no idea either.
Most likely, Young Lord Zed was in a neutral mood today—so nothing bloody had happened.
"Find everyone." Prince Nolan walked all the way to the flower hall without seeing anyone, and gave a casual order.
"Yes, sir." Somewhere in the distance, someone replied. Suddenly, Serena felt a strange presence drift behind her—she rubbed her arm, realizing her nerves were really shot these days.
"Come on, let's wait inside." Once they were in the manor, Prince Nolan stopped worrying about formalities and just grabbed Serena's hand, leading her in.
With no servants in Feng Manor, there was no hope for hot tea or snacks. Not that Serena and Prince Nolan would have touched them anyway—who knew what Zed might slip inside?
It wasn't long before a young boy entered, dressed in bright red brocade, his features delicate and innocent, a gold collar around his neck. He walked in on short legs, followed by two rows of guards—at a glance, at least thirty or forty men.
"Young Lord Zed." Serena stood up and greeted him flatly, her face expressionless.
"Good morning, Doctor Feng." Zed bowed to Serena Feng, a bright smile on his face.
Serena forced a stiff smile, her scalp crawling whenever she saw Zed's smile now.
She remembered their first meeting, when she had secretly felt pity for such a polite, adorable child with a hidden illness—only to realize he was a demon in angel's robes.
After greeting Serena, Zed turned to Prince Nolan, his innocent face tilting up, his beautiful eyes misty with confusion: "Doctor Feng, who is this uncle?"
Look at that sweet little mouth—who would guess such a cute child could be so cruel?
My surname is Dongling, and I am ninth in rank. You may call me Ninth Royal Uncle or Ninth Prince, but not "uncle"—I don't deserve that." Even if Prince Nolan didn't know Zed's true nature, he wouldn't be charmed just because the boy looked obedient and pretty.
"Greetings, Ninth Royal Uncle." Zed bowed with perfect manners, looking every bit the well-taught child.
In fact, when Zed isn't having an episode, he really does act like a good child—like right now.
"Have a seat." Prince Nolan glanced over the guards behind Zed and said lightly, "You may leave. With me here, nothing will happen to your Young Lord."
His tone was mild, but it carried an unmistakable authority. The guards exchanged uneasy glances, clearly torn.
"Don't make me say it a third time—leave." This time, Prince Nolan was less polite. The guards looked anxious, afraid to leave Zed, but even more afraid to offend Prince Nolan.
Before coming to the capital, they had learned all about Eastlyn's power structure. The Demon Sect Lord had warned them: in Eastlyn, you can offend anyone except Ninth Royal Uncle.
Of course, if it came down to a fight, the Demon Sect wouldn't back down—they'd rather die together than surrender. No one in the Demon Sect fears death.
Zed may be only six, but he's more composed than most adults. Seeing Prince Nolan's displeasure, he immediately ordered his guards to withdraw.
Now, only Prince Nolan, Serena, and Zed remained in the flower hall. Serena bowed her head, trying to pretend she didn't exist.
There was nothing she could do—these two, one big and one small, immediately locked eyes the moment the guards left.
This was the first time Serena had seen anyone other than William Wang stand face to face with Prince Nolan for so long without backing down. If Zed was a little pervert, then Prince Nolan was a big one. With these two monsters facing off, nothing good could come of it...
Hidden Guard 1: The prince really couldn't satisfy Miss Feng—he only went one round.
Hidden Guard 2: Nods. Usually it's at least three times. Is the prince sick?
Hidden Guard 1: Miss Feng is a doctor—if the prince were sick, she'd know. Maybe he's just weak and needs a tonic.
Hidden Guard 2: A tonic? What kind?
Hidden Guard 1: Like cures like. Maybe tiger whip or something—the Emperor eats that all the time.
Hidden Guard 2: Uh... Would the prince really eat something like that?
Hidden Guard 1: Definitely not.
Hidden Guard 2: Then why bring it up?
Hidden Guard 1: Talking about it isn't a crime.
The old butler looked worried—where was he supposed to find something to "supplement" Prince Nolan in the middle of the night?