Serena, what's going on?
The Valley Master didn’t dare ask, William Wang Jinling had a vague idea but kept silent; Prince Nolan understood perfectly, but he wouldn’t say a word. The whole room was quiet—everyone was startled by Serena’s cold, distant attitude.
Is Serena drawing a line with the Valley Master?
For a moment, everyone fell silent—even the Valley Master lost his composure, pointing at Serena and shouting: “Serena, what do you mean by this? Explain yourself! How have I offended you? All day long, you give Prince Nolan attitude; fine, that’s your private business, none of us outsiders care. But what did I do to you? You’ve been in Mystic Healer Valley for three months—haven’t I treated you well every single day? Is it really necessary to embarrass me like this? Is it?”
“I was out of line. Please forgive me, Valley Master.” Serena bowed respectfully, her attitude so proper it stunned the Valley Master into silence.
He didn’t dare accept Serena’s bow at all. The Valley Master quickly dodged, his whole demeanor collapsing—no trace of his earlier bravado left. Pitifully, he said, “Serena, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting so strangely. Could it be that pregnancy has changed your temperament?”
“You’re overthinking it, Valley Master. I’m perfectly fine.” Serena smiled calmly and didn’t elaborate. She turned to Simon Sun: “Simon, go pack up—see what we need to bring. Once you’re ready, we should get going.”
Simon Sun was simple but not stupid. He could tell the others wanted to talk, so he gave Serena a concerned look. At her signal, he obediently went off to pack.
Dr. Redwater and Dr. Marcus Guile exchanged a glance, knowing this wasn’t their business. After saying a quick goodbye to Serena, they left too. William Wang Jinling wasn’t the gossipy type—he wouldn’t use concern for Serena as an excuse to pry into her private life. He just left a single line: “Call me if you need anything,” and walked out.
The bustling flower hall fell silent in an instant. Only Prince Nolan, the Valley Master, and Serena remained inside.
"Serena, what is going on? If you and Prince Nolan are fighting, why drag me into it?" The Valley Master, ever good-tempered, could still laugh even when Serena treated him so coldly.
Serena didn't bother to explain; she just said three words: "Lance Quinn."
"Ah... What? You—you know?" The Valley Master's face went pale. All his grievances and discontent vanished, replaced by pure anxiety and helplessness.
By contrast, Prince Nolan was perfectly calm—not even a blink.
"I should have known long ago, shouldn't I?" Serena gave a self-deprecating smile. "As a doctor, I've failed. As a woman, I've failed too. Now, I refuse to be a failed mother."
After saying this, Serena bowed. "Thank you, Valley Master, for taking care of me during this time. I’ll take my leave now."
With that, she turned to go. As she passed Prince Nolan, he grabbed her hand—ignoring the Valley Master—and said, "Serena, you promised me: even if I lied to you, you’d stay by my side forever."
"And I said, if you ever betrayed me, I would leave you—leave you forever." Serena turned back, meeting Prince Nolan’s eyes...
Prince Nolan struggled to speak: "I didn’t betray you. At Destiny Cliff—"
"No need to explain." The last thing Serena wanted to hear was anything about Destiny Cliff. Vincent Su died there, and so did her heart; even mentioning it made her ache.
"Prince Nolan, even if you didn’t betray me, what about Lance Quinn? Your fiancée was someone I saved with my own hands. I really want to know—how did you feel, asking me, injured as I was, to save Bella Qin?" There are things you don’t think about, but once you do, the pain is impossible to ignore.
"When you were aching for Bella Qin, did you ever think of me?" Serena’s voice was so light, so ethereal, it seemed impossible to grasp. Without waiting for Prince Nolan to answer, she continued, "I kept telling myself not to fight you like a shrew, not to complain like a resentful wife. But you just won't let me go. I’ve already said: I don’t hate you, I don’t resent you. What more do you want?"
"Marry me." Regret was useless now; Prince Nolan just wanted to hold on to the present and the future.
Serena let out a soft laugh. "Do you really think that’s possible now, Lance Quinn?"
"Serena, I had no choice. Punish me however you want—just don’t be so cold." Prince Nolan grew more agitated. He’d once hoped Serena would stay rational, but now...
He would rather Serena lose control—cry and scream at him—than treat him like a stranger. Her coldness left him utterly helpless.
"Punishment? No amount of punishment can ease the pain in my heart. Rain that has fallen can’t return to the sky, spilled water can’t be gathered again. Whether you’re Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle or the Former Dynasty’s Lance Quinn, you have nothing to do with me anymore." Serena rejected Prince Nolan's vulnerability, pulled her hand free, and walked out.
As she turned away, Serena brushed away the tears at the corner of her eyes and put on a radiant smile...
Some people, if you wait for them and they don't come, you can only leave; some feelings, if you can't have them, you can only let go; some memories, whether happy or sad, you can only forget; some hopes, about now and the future, you can only let go.
Outside the room, William Wang Jinling and Dr. Marcus Guile were waiting for her. When they saw Serena come out, they all came forward to ask, "Serena, are you alright? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Hold out your hand, let me check your pulse."
Serena was pregnant, and everyone was worried that the argument inside would affect her mood.
"No need, I’m fine." Serena smiled at Dr. Elliot Redwater and Dr. Marcus Guile, her attitude just as warm as before—which made both men breathe a huge sigh of relief.
It was clear Serena wasn’t drawing a line with them—whatever had happened, it was the Valley Master who had wronged her. They knew Serena well enough to trust she wasn’t being unreasonable, nor would she blame them for the Valley Master’s actions.
"I’ll go pack. If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll leave this afternoon." Serena gently suggested leaving soon. Dr. Redwater and Dr. Guile didn’t try to stop her, but William Wang Jinling was worried and offered to help her pack—Serena politely refused.
She didn’t need William Wang Jinling to comfort her over heartbreak. She knew better than to get too close to him at a time like this—lest it give him or anyone else the wrong idea.
Serena didn’t have much to pack; she was done in half an hour. William had already arranged the carriage. Feng Jin, Ethan Su Wenhang, and Simon Sun were waiting inside. When Serena arrived, Zuo An and Ling Mo were already mounted and ready to escort her.
"Let’s go." Serena gave Mystic Healer Valley one last glance, then boarded the carriage.
"Aren’t you... going to wait?" William Wang Jinling sighed softly, thinking that Serena and Prince Nolan were the two most troublesome people in the world. Even their arguments were quiet but somehow managed to drag everyone into the mess. He wanted to help them make peace, but had no idea where to start.
"Wait for what?" Serena feigned ignorance. William could only look up at the sky in silent resignation...
Forget it. Trying to play peacemaker was pointless—he might as well leave it alone. At least seeing Prince Nolan suffer made him a little happy.