Open Overtures, Southlyn Royal House Shows Favor

Serena Feng had always wanted to ask about that child, and now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she wasn’t about to let it slip by. She laid out the whole story, including Doudou’s infamous line: "This child is Ninth Royal Uncle’s."

"Dorian Owen said that child was mine?" Ninth Royal Uncle shot upright in bed, his eyes flashing cold.

Doudou must really have a death wish, stirring up trouble for him yet again.

With a reaction that fierce, there was no way this child belonged to Ninth Royal Uncle.

Serena finally breathed a sigh of relief, silently mourning for Doudou in her heart: Poor Doudou, I pity you!

But pity was just pity—Serena wasn’t about to defend Doudou. She repeated his words: "Doudou said the child is yours, that you told Left Shore to send him to me, and I should raise him well."

Serena leaned against the headboard, stifling a yawn. As expected, Ninth Royal Uncle’s face darkened even more: "So you also thought this child was mine?"

So that’s why she didn’t write to ask him—or wrote, but then blacked out the contents.

You had to admit, Ninth Royal Uncle hit the nail on the head.

"Of course not." Serena shook her head instantly—she wouldn’t admit to doubting him, not even if her life depended on it.

Serena, worried that Nolan wouldn't believe her, said sincerely, "You know what Doudou is like—how could I possibly believe anything he says? If you wanted a child, you'd have one already. You wouldn't secretly have a baby and then hand it over for me to raise."

Thank goodness I blacked out my doubts in that letter. Thank goodness I held back and didn't confront him. If I had, knowing how petty Nolan can be, he'd definitely have made me pay for it.

"It's good you didn't believe it. But why didn't you write and ask me?" Nolan eyed Serena suspiciously, feeling that her denial was a bit too forceful, almost deliberate.

Without even thinking, Serena replied, "I knew the child couldn't be yours, so what would be the point of writing to ask? That kid's probably Left Shore's. I've already sent Doudou to track him down."

She was truly ahead of the game—her reasoning was flawless. Serena nodded firmly, mentally replaying what she'd just said to make sure there were no holes in it.

Serena's trust made Nolan secretly very pleased. He didn't say it aloud, but he couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.

If someone showed up with a child and claimed it was Serena's with another man, Nolan would have tossed that kid out without a second thought. Whether it was true or not, he'd check later.

"Good job not acting on impulse," Nolan praised, then shifted the topic. "But you sent Doudou after Left Shore—are you sure you're not just making trouble for him?"

In the end, Left Shore would have to go find Doudou himself. Serena was definitely causing him trouble, and Nolan suspected she did it on purpose.

"Relax, I arranged for someone to guide Doudou. He won't get lost." If he did, well, that wasn't her problem. She'd done her part; if anyone was unlucky, it was Doudou—and even more so, Left Shore.

"That works. Better than Doudou hanging around the Capital causing chaos. Things aren't exactly peaceful there right now." Even though Nolan wasn't in the Capital, his intelligence network was always up to date.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you something." Thinking of the Capital's mess, Serena immediately remembered Lucan Lu and relayed his request to cooperate with Nolan to take down Felix Fuller.

She really didn't want to agree, but this was Nolan's domain—she couldn't make the decision for him.

"Lucan Lu? We still haven't figured out who he really works for. There's no way I'd cooperate with him." Nolan refused without hesitation, and Serena let out a silent sigh of relief.

Felix Fuller might stand with the Emperor, but he hasn't actually done anything against them. Serena really couldn't bring herself to go after someone they'd once had some history with.

After talking about Felix, Serena brought up Colin Si and Prince Rowan. The two of them were like old friends reunited, swapping updates about everything happening around them.

Of course, most of the talking was done by Serena, with Nolan only chiming in when she asked him a direct question.

With all that conversation, any lingering romantic tension was gone. They got up, washed, and had just finished breakfast when someone from the palace arrived. The Southlyn King was throwing a banquet that night to welcome Serena.

Serena stared at the invitation in her hand, dazed. "Why would the Southlyn King throw a banquet for me? Did you do something again—does he want to take it out on me?"

"The Southlyn King wouldn't dare mess with you," Nolan replied dryly. Did Serena really think he was the type to stir up trouble everywhere he went?

"Not dare? Why?" Serena couldn't believe she was intimidating enough to scare the Southlyn King.

Nolan hadn't planned to explain, but to put Serena at ease, he revealed the reason: "William Wang once visited Southlyn and warned the royal family. They know how much you matter to him, so of course they'll treat you well."

The Southlyn royals weren't honoring Serena—they were honoring William Wang.

"So it's because of William. I knew it—why would Southlyn treat me so well? Even if I saved Prince Nathan, they wouldn't go this far just for me." Serena finally understood, feeling a fleeting pang of guilt toward William, but quickly let it go.

Nolan fell silent, his face cold.

What could he say in this situation? Praise William Wang? He couldn't bring himself to do it.

As for badmouthing William, Nolan wasn't a saint, but he wasn't petty enough to stoop that low.

The two sat in awkward silence. Just as Serena was about to say something to break the tension, Nolan's ever-reliable adviser walked in: "Your Highness, Prince Damien requests to pay a sick call."

"A sick call?" Nolan didn't answer; Serena spoke up. "Who's sick?"

Who here could be ill enough to draw a prince's attention?

The adviser kept his head down, refusing to answer—he didn't want to lose next month's pay, too. Nolan, face dark, ordered, "Tell Prince Damien I'm unwell and can't see guests."

"Yes, sir." The adviser bolted out of the room faster than a rabbit.

"You're sick?" Serena's jaw dropped, unable to close her mouth for a long moment.

Did she miss something?

"I'm not sick—I'm injured." Nolan gritted his teeth, reminding Serena of what happened yesterday.

Uh... Serena gave an awkward laugh. "You mean the fall outside?"

"What else could it be? I'm a guest of honor in Southlyn. There aren't many people here who could hurt me." Nolan put extra emphasis on "injured."

Prince Damien was clearly trying to spread the story of yesterday's incident, making sure everyone in Southlyn knew that Serena kicked the legendary war prince to the ground.

This kind of thing was all about a man's dignity and pride. The tactic was crude, but effective. Any ordinary man would avoid the banquet for a while, just to save face.

The Southlyn King had just announced a welcome banquet for Serena, and right after, Prince Damien brought up Nolan's injury. It was obvious he didn't want Nolan to attend tonight's event.

Tonight's banquet is definitely going to be trouble!