Harassment and a Terrifyingly Protective Master

This wasn't Serena Feng's first time attending a palace banquet, but it was the first time she did so as the guest of honor.

As the guest of honor, all she needed to do was dress up beautifully; everything else was taken care of. With William Wang's prestige backing her, the Southlyn royal house wouldn't dare give her trouble. In Southlyn, she was even more popular than Ninth Royal Uncle.

Under Prince Damien's instigation, Southlyn officials took turns visiting, all trying to embarrass Ninth Royal Uncle. Any ordinary man would have shut himself away in shame.

But Prince Damien underestimated Ninth Royal Uncle. He wasn't just any man, and Damien's little tricks were nowhere near enough to faze him.

That afternoon, Ninth Royal Uncle acted as if nothing had happened, accompanying Serena to the evening banquet—even though the king hadn't invited him.

No one had expected Ninth Royal Uncle to show up. As the guest of honor, Serena wasn't supposed to arrive early—she just needed to be on time, a little before the king. So when everyone saw Ninth Royal Uncle walk in, their jaws practically dropped.

Ninth Royal Uncle was a legend—after losing so much face, he could still act like nothing happened and escort Serena to the banquet. Clearly, Serena had him well trained.

Southlyn's officials weren't like those from Eastlyn—they didn't fear Ninth Royal Uncle. Seeing him and Serena arrive together, they started whispering among themselves, and their looks toward Ninth Royal Uncle were full of subtle meaning.

It was all so blatant—of course Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle knew what was going on. Serena turned to him and gave a silent, teasing smile: Even you have days like this!

Ninth Royal Uncle gave Serena a long, meaningful look and pressed his lips together, which only brightened her mood.

Led by a young eunuch, Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle took their seats in the front row, perfectly positioned opposite the Southlyn princes—though those princes had yet to arrive.

No sooner had they sat down than the eunuch announced in a loud voice: Prince Nathan and Prince Damien have arrived.

Though the two brothers fought each other fiercely in private, in front of outsiders and ministers they put on a show of brotherly affection. Both were strikingly handsome, and standing together, they made quite the picture—occasionally exchanging smiles that would have any bystander believing their relationship was flawless.

"Pretty fake, huh? All royal kids are like this." Ninth Royal Uncle toyed with his wine cup, having no intention of drinking.

"Not as fake as the princes in Eastlyn. They act so caring whenever the former Crown Prince falls ill, but deep down, every one of them wants him dead. That's true hypocrisy."

"You’re just biased against them." Ninth Royal Uncle couldn’t help defending his nephews—family was family, after all.

Prince Damien and Prince Nathan entered the hall, but instead of taking their seats, they walked straight over to Serena. That left her and Ninth Royal Uncle no choice but to pause their conversation.

Prince Damien gave Serena a quick once-over, his lips curling into a sly grin. "Serena, we meet again. Oh—Ninth Royal Uncle is here too? My mistake, I thought you wouldn’t show up tonight."

He acted as if he’d only just noticed Ninth Royal Uncle, but the teasing glint in his eyes gave him away.

"You’re too kind, Prince Damien." Ninth Royal Uncle had already expected this petty prince wouldn’t miss the chance to take a jab at him. Sure enough, Damien continued, "You’re the one being polite, Ninth Royal Uncle. It’s just a small banquet—no one would blame you for skipping it, especially since you’re injured."

Prince Nathan coughed from the side, catching Serena’s frown, and quickly stepped forward to interrupt. He greeted her warmly, "Elder Sister, it’s been a while—how have you been?"

Calling Serena 'elder sister' in public made it clear Prince Nathan had no intention of distancing himself from her—especially with William Wang’s support, it was easy to see why.

"I’m fine. And you? Is everything going smoothly?" Serena let go of her doubts and smiled back at him.

"Just a few minor issues, but you don’t need to worry about me, Sister. Tonight is all about welcoming you—just enjoy yourself." He finished with a playful wink.

Serena couldn’t help but laugh.

Nathan’s reassurance put her at ease. Whatever happened tonight, he’d already handled it—or would step in if needed.

As Serena and Nathan spoke, the eunuch’s voice rang out again: "His Majesty the King has arrived, Her Majesty the Queen has arrived, Princess Vivian has arrived, Master Wenyuan has arrived."

Everyone immediately stood up. Prince Damien and Nathan returned to their seats to welcome the Southlyn King, and Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle followed suit. As Serena rose, she quietly asked, "Who’s Master Wenyuan?"

Ninth Royal Uncle glanced at Serena in surprise, then remembered her background and leaned in to explain, "Master Wenyuan is the head of Jixia Academy."

Anyone who could read would know that—Master Wenyuan’s reputation was legendary in Southlyn.

Ugh... Did I really just ask the one question everyone knows the answer to? Serena mentally cursed herself for being so clueless.

The royal party entered swiftly. Once the king took his seat at the head of the table, everyone else sat down. Master Wenyuan’s place was directly below the king—a clear sign of his status in Southlyn.

Tonight’s guest of honor was Serena. As soon as the king sat down, he greeted both her and Ninth Royal Uncle, warmly welcoming Serena’s arrival—never mentioning how unprepared the Southlyn royals had been for her visit.

Serena played along, offering polite compliments. Both sides were too clever to bring up William Wang’s warning—no need to spell it out when everyone understood.

After a few more formalities, the king announced the banquet’s start. As the guest of honor, Serena was toasted repeatedly, but since she was a woman, no one dared force her to drink—just gestures of respect. Even Prince Damien kept his arrogance in check, acting unusually subdued.

As the music and dancing picked up and the rice wine flowed, everyone relaxed and started chatting with those nearby. The king, ever the gossip, turned to Ninth Royal Uncle: "I’ve heard you were injured, Ninth Prince. How are you holding up?"

The king’s face was all concern, not a trace of mockery, as if he was truly ignorant of how Nolan got hurt. Ninth Royal Uncle was even calmer, replying, "Thank you for worrying, Your Majesty. It’s nothing—just a scratch."

As he spoke, Nolan glanced openly at Serena, his expression perfectly innocent. The ministers wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Master Wenyuan, who had been silent at the king’s side, suddenly spoke up, coldly: "A man who fears his wife is no true man."

That was a serious accusation. As soon as Master Wenyuan finished, the whole hall fell silent—everyone turned to Nolan, eager for a spectacle.

Nolan’s face didn’t change; he calmly set down his cup, looked straight at Master Wenyuan, and said, "Only petty men and petty women are hard to deal with. A true man doesn’t quibble with women."

"Sophistry. I have no interest in arguing with you." Master Wenyuan made no effort to hide his contempt for Nolan.

Nolan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing more. He raised his cup and drank, utterly unfazed by Master Wenyuan’s words.

What can you do when you’re up against a famous old scholar who fiercely protects his own?

After all, not only had Nolan embarrassed Master Wenyuan’s home country, he’d also ruined his favorite disciple’s romantic hopes. It was only natural for the old man to give Nolan a hard time…