Lesson: Ninth Royal Uncle the King of Killing the Mood

Why is everyone staring at me instead of eating? Do I have flowers growing on my face?

Serena Feng set down her half-eaten roast lamb leg, glancing at the shadow guards across from her for answers.

No idea. This lamb leg is only tasty fresh off the grill, you know? Once it cools, that gamey smell is awful—totally inedible.

It better be something important, or else...

Interrupting me while I eat? You're dead meat.

The shadow guard sniffed, discreetly gestured to both sides, then quickly flicked his gaze at Prince Nolan. Before Prince Nolan could react, he snapped his eyes back and sat up straight, terrified...

If Prince Nolan caught them tattling, he'd definitely punish them.

Her Majesty is easy to talk to, but that doesn't mean His Majesty is. It's best to be careful with complaints.

"What do you mean?" Serena picked up a small towel to wipe her mouth and hands, scanning the area. Only then did she realize something was off.

Is this a bonfire party? Why is it so quiet?

Aren't the grassland herders supposed to be great at singing and dancing? Aren't bonfire parties all about music and dance? What's going on here?

Serena looked left, looked right, and realized...

Everyone—even while eating—was being extra cautious. Only she and Prince Nolan seemed at ease.

With that, Serena couldn't possibly be confused anymore.

Fine, marrying an icy, aloof guy—she'd long gotten used to awkward silences. Any banquet with Prince Nolan was guaranteed to be a mood-killer. Just look at the annual palace feasts.

Every year, the atmosphere gets colder, and the imperial chefs prepare more and more food.

If they had any choice, Serena figured those ministers would rather feign illness than come and torture themselves with Prince Nolan. But...

What choice do they have?

That's just how Prince Nolan is. Expecting him to change and cater to others? Dream on.

Back when the emperor outranked him, Prince Nolan still refused to play nice. Now, as the ruler of all, no one dares show him attitude—and he has zero reason to compromise.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with not compromising yourself, but it's not good if it affects others.

Serena patted her round little belly, feeling she’d eaten enough. Seeing that Prince Nolan had also stopped eating, she knew he was full too.

"I'm too full—come walk with me." Serena grabbed Prince Nolan's hand and stood up...

The moment their hands clasped, Serena clearly felt Prince Nolan stiffen for a second.

Don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't that Prince Nolan was too excited or disliked it. It was just that Serena hadn't wiped the oil off her hands, and the instant they clasped, his obsession with cleanliness kicked in!

"You..." Prince Nolan glared at Serena, clearly annoyed.

He was sure Serena did it on purpose.

"It was an accident, I swear it was an accident this time." Serena quickly let go and raised her hand in oath, but Prince Nolan didn't believe her at all: "Yeah, right."

This kind of accident had happened more than once. Every time, Serena would look innocent and claim it was an accident, but she'd do it again next time—a classic case of apologizing without changing.

"This time, it really wasn't on purpose." Serena immediately reached for the napkin on the table to wipe her hands, but Prince Nolan found it too used and pulled Serena toward the washbasin instead. Then...

He squatted beside Serena, carefully washing her hands, then used a clean towel to dry each finger one by one...

Every move Serena and Prince Nolan made was open and natural, totally unselfconscious. Neither thought their actions were inappropriate for others to see.

The herders gathered around the bonfire all rested their chins in their hands, gazing dreamily at Serena and Prince Nolan...

Hidden in the shadows, no one could see Prince Nolan's expression; they could only guess at his gentleness from his actions.

"So happy!" someone sighed, prompting a chorus of agreement.

"The iron man has a soft side—it's so dreamy." That was definitely a young girl's comment. But...

The shadow guards had no idea what was going on until Jamie Zhou translated. Only then did they understand, and their mouths twitched...

These people were really overthinking it. Happiness? Tender iron man? Maybe for someone else, but for their master, it couldn't be more wrong.

They'd bet their heads that their master wasn't being tender at all—he just couldn't stand Her Majesty grabbing him with dirty hands.

And this wasn't some public display of affection either. Her Majesty was definitely getting scolded, and it was harsh.

As it turned out, the shadow guards really did know Prince Nolan well.

Prince Nolan rarely spoke, but when it came to scolding Serena, he was never stingy with words. While drying her hands, he lectured her, leaving Serena on the verge of tears.

"Am I really that bad?" Serena looked at her clean fingers, not feeling bad at all.

"Aren't you? How many times has this happened?" Prince Nolan was still wasteful—after drying her hands, he tossed the napkin away, never using it twice...

Polluting the environment!

Wasting resources!

Serena was just about to criticize Prince Nolan for being wasteful, but before she could speak, he shot her a cold look: "What? You have something to say?"

N-no.' At times like this, even if she did, she had to swallow it, quickly changing the subject: 'Walk with me—the night view here is amazing.'

The open grassland stretched on without a single obstruction; the stars and moon seemed close enough to touch. It was truly beautiful...

Mmm.' Prince Nolan had felt uneasy at the bonfire all night...

A whole crowd stared at him, thinking they were being subtle—as if he didn't notice.

He took Serena's hand and walked off into the distance, just to escape that lingering sheep smell.

The moment Serena and Prince Nolan left, the bonfire party's atmosphere changed instantly. Someone started, and soon a group of young men and women were dancing and singing around the fire...

The shadow guards watched with delighted faces, their eyes sparkling: now this was a real bonfire party. All those people sitting quietly together before—how weird was that?

The shadow guards drank wine, ate meat, and enjoyed the singing and dancing. Life couldn't get much better.

The herders naturally had strong voices, and even though Serena and Prince Nolan had walked far away, the singing still drifted over...

Hearing the herders' cheerful songs, Serena paused and looked quietly at Prince Nolan...

"Why are you staring at me?" Prince Nolan stopped too, tilting his eyes with a commanding air—though it didn't intimidate Serena.

"Don't you think you're... kind of a failure at dealing with people? The moment you left, everyone started having fun." Serena poked him.

Good thing she didn't like crowds either, otherwise...

She'd be depressed to death.

Prince Nolan really was the King of Killing the Mood—wherever he was, the atmosphere froze.