Narcissist, You Thought I Came for You

Deep in the forest, danger lurked everywhere—and now they were being hunted.

Just thinking about the danger Nolan Dongling (Ninth Royal Uncle) might be facing made Serena Feng's heart ache with sharp, anxious pangs. She wished she could sprout wings and fly straight to him.

But... she couldn't!

With a sigh, Serena Feng forced herself to suppress her worry, resignedly taking out hydrogen peroxide, saline solution, hemostats, suturing needle and thread, bandages, and medicine.

"Serena, what are those?" Prince Adrian called out to Serena Feng with easy familiarity, using her name.

"They're for bandaging wounds."

"Why do you have all that stuff with you? Serena, did you know I'd get hurt and bring it just for me?" Prince Adrian wasn't just familiar—he was downright narcissistic.

"Your Highness, Serena Feng is a doctor. She always carries these medicines." Serena Feng pulled on her gloves, picked up the medical scissors, and cut off Prince Adrian's sleeve.

The sky was growing dark, and in the forest there was no light at all. Serena Feng had to move closer. Prince Adrian tensed up from her proximity, his body faintly feverish.

After cutting off the sleeve, Serena Feng said to the two guards, "Could I trouble you both to gather some firewood and start a fire? I can't see clearly."

The two guards, of course, didn't dare object—they immediately went to gather firewood.

Serena Feng held the hydrogen peroxide in one hand and used the other to steady Dongling Zichun's left arm.

"Ow!" Prince Adrian sucked in a sharp breath.

"Your Highness, cleaning the wound will hurt a bit. Please bear with it—and whatever you do, don't move." Serena Feng said seriously.

"Don't worry, I won't move a muscle." Prince Adrian—nicknamed the "little warlord" for his spoiled, headstrong ways—nodded hard, suddenly obedient as a puppy.

"If it hurts, just tell me." Serena Feng nodded, her brows furrowing into a tight line.

He's burning up—definitely running a fever. What a hassle.

Serena Feng glanced at the guards gathering firewood nearby. After a moment's hesitation, she put the hydrogen peroxide away and decided to give the prince an antipyretic and antibiotic injection first.

The warmth left his arm abruptly, and Dongling Zichun felt a little disappointed. But then he realized Serena Feng was holding his right hand, and his spirits lifted again. He didn't even notice her giving him the injection—he just stared at her, feeling bubbles of sweetness rise in his heart.

Dongling Zichun didn't know why, but whenever Serena Feng got close, he felt happy. When she looked at him, his heart brimmed with joy.

The two guards worked quickly. In no time, the fire was crackling, and Serena Feng began to clean Dongling Zichun's wound.

There was no anesthetic. Dongling Zichun gritted his teeth against the pain, but because he'd promised Serena Feng not to move, he forced himself to endure, staying perfectly still—jaw clenched so tight that veins bulged.

Watching Dongling Zichun like this, Serena Feng couldn't help but think of Lance Quinn.

He'd endured the same treatment—cleaning and suturing wounds without anesthesia—but compared to this prince, Lance Quinn was a hundred times tougher. He was so calm and collected that it was as if he hadn't been injured at all.

And this one?

He might look the part of a warrior, but he couldn't handle even a little pain. This so-called prince was clearly just a spoiled child.

Serena Feng couldn't be bothered to say more. As long as the prince didn't move, that was enough.

By firelight, once the wound was cleaned, Serena Feng began threading the needle and stitching.

"Ser—Serena, what are you doing?" Prince Adrian's jaw was trembling as he spoke, showing just how much pain he was in. In all his years, he'd never suffered like this.

"Suturing. Your Highness, the wound is too large—it has to be stitched closed." Serena Feng answered crisply.

Suturing wasn't a particularly delicate task—even with current medical conditions, it could be done.

"Suturing—like sewing clothes?" Dongling Zichun was in so much pain he could barely speak, but he forced himself to talk to Serena Feng, struggling to hold back the agony.

"That's right," Serena Feng replied, then said to the two guards, "I need to suture His Highness's wound. Could you both help hold the prince steady so he doesn't move?"

"I... I won't move," Prince Adrian gritted out, forcing himself to stay strong.

A real man fears nothing more than being looked down on.

Better to suffer in silence than lose face.

Serena Feng didn't want to waste her own time, so she suppressed her impatience and gently coaxed, "Of course, Your Highness won't move. I'm just worried my hands might tremble and affect the suturing. May I ask the two guards to help, just in case?"

In the firelight, Dongling Zichun could only see Serena Feng's sweat-dampened face, veiled in a hazy beauty. No matter how he looked, she was captivating, and her soft, reassuring voice made him lose all reason. He nodded blankly.

The two guards followed Serena Feng's instructions—one held Dongling Zichun down, while the other secured his left arm. Serena Feng used forceps to pull the skin taut and drove the needle in.

"Ah!"

Prince Adrian let out a miserable scream, his whole body shaking. The two guards were alarmed, but Serena Feng was cold-blooded: "Hold him down."

She didn't even glance at Dongling Zichun, focusing solely on pulling the skin tight and stitching the wound, one stitch at a time.

Dongling Zichun was wracked with pain, his whole body convulsing and struggling. Fortunately, the two guards were strong—and understood the seriousness of the situation—so they pinned him down, not letting him move an inch.

Tears streamed down Dongling Zichun's face from the pain. By the time Serena Feng finished stitching the wound, he'd passed out from the agony.

The two guards felt utterly embarrassed...

After all, their master had sworn he wouldn't move—so what happened?

Serena Feng didn't care; she'd expected this from the start. Once the wound was bandaged, she brought out some anti-inflammatory medicine, forcing two pills down Dongling Zichun's throat and giving two pills each to the guards.

She didn't treat the guards' wounds—not because she shirked her duty as a doctor, but because, in her mind, Nolan Dongling was far more important.

Packing up her things, Serena Feng mounted her horse. "Gentlemen, it's getting dark. You should escort the prince out as soon as possible."

"Ah—Miss Feng, aren't you leaving too?"

"I'm here to find the Ninth Royal Uncle." The implication: she only saved them for his sake.

Without caring what the two guards thought, Serena Feng tossed out those words and walked deeper into the woods...

"She's really reckless." The two guards shook their heads, but had no choice—they took turns carrying Dongling Zichun out.

Serena Feng continued deeper into the woods. Sure the guards wouldn't notice, she switched on her solar lamp and began searching for hoofprints.

A group had rushed into the forest, trampling branches and grass. Serena Feng simply followed the trail. With the lamp and the path already flattened, it wasn't hard for her to keep up.

Occasionally, small animals darted through the woods, but there were no tigers, wolves, or leopards—clearly, the royal hunting grounds had been thoroughly cleared of large beasts.

Serena Feng kept following the trail deeper into the forest. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but when she finally looked up, the bright moon was already overhead.

After riding for so long, her body ached from the horse's jostling, and the insides of her thighs were rubbed raw. Serena Feng just gritted her teeth and bore it.

A single belief kept her going: maybe, at any moment, she'd find the Ninth Royal Uncle—find him safe and unhurt...

Soon, Serena Feng caught the scent of blood—growing stronger with every step. Her worry deepened: what if the blood belonged to the Ninth Royal Uncle?

Hyah...

Serena Feng didn't care about her exhausted horse—she just kept urging it forward, until...

Author's Note: Ninth Royal Uncle, Ninth Royal Uncle—if you don't show up soon, someone else is going to steal Serena Feng away! (In other words, our heroine is so desirable, even the prince isn't safe from rivals.)