Secret Passage and the Emperor’s Sly Move

Now that they knew Simon Sun’s true identity—and that he too was heading for the Capital—Lord Chu and Charlotte Chu’s initial interest in Simon quickly deepened from polite curiosity to genuine enthusiasm.

With Simon Sun’s medical expertise, Lord Chu could travel without fear for his life. Lord Chu exchanged a glance with Charlotte Chu, and together they decided to persuade Simon Sun to join their journey.

Convincing Simon Sun was easy; the challenge was his guards. Only when Charlotte Chu revealed her own identity and produced the Eastlyn Emperor’s official letter inviting Chu City, did the guards finally agree to let Simon travel with her.

It wasn’t just about safety; Simon Sun’s physical condition needed attention too. The insides of his thighs were covered in blisters from hard riding, and finding a carriage in the wild was no easy feat. But since Charlotte Chu was traveling by imperial invitation, Simon Sun’s safety was assured if he joined them.

Charlotte Chu invited Simon Sun to share a carriage with her father, claiming it would be more convenient for medical care. To Simon, rank and titles meant nothing—princes, lords, or commoners were all just patients. Even sharing a carriage with Lord Chu, Simon Sun remained calm and courteous, never fawning over their status or acting aloof.

Simon Sun treated Lord Chu and Charlotte Chu just as he treated anyone else. At first, both father and daughter felt uncomfortable—they were used to respect and flattery. Suddenly meeting someone who didn’t care about their status was unsettling. But as time went on, their view of Simon Sun began to change.

Simon Sun befriended them not for their power, nor did he have any designs on Charlotte Chu. Over the years, countless ambitious young men had tried to win Charlotte Chu’s favor, hoping she would choose them and bring Chu City as her dowry.

Charlotte Chu had always been surrounded by men with ulterior motives. Meeting someone like Simon Sun, who couldn’t care less about her position or Chu City, was a first—and she couldn’t help but feel genuine goodwill. The journey together turned out to be surprisingly harmonious.

Simon Sun and Charlotte Chu traveled smoothly and safely toward the Capital, their journey free of trouble. But Prince Nolan and Serena Feng weren’t so lucky.

Assassins and killers swarmed like flies; no matter where Prince Nolan and Serena Feng went, their enemies always managed to track them down.

After a few days of uneasy quiet, Prince Nolan and Serena Feng once again found themselves surrounded by enemies—some out for Nolan’s life, others targeting Serena. By the time their party reached a small town just outside the Capital, only thirty of Nolan’s original two hundred personal guards remained.

"We’ll rest tonight and enter the city tomorrow." Prince Nolan ordered his Eight Commanders to inspect the inn’s security. Once they confirmed there were no problems, he signaled everyone to rest and recover—they couldn’t afford to lose face for the Ninth Prince Manor.

"Yes, sir." No one dared relax completely; instead, they arranged three shifts and took turns standing guard.

Once Prince Nolan and Serena Feng reached their room, soldiers brought clean hot water and supplies so they could wash up.

On their trip to Lyndaria, Serena Feng had looked after Prince Nolan the whole way. This time, everything was reversed—Serena’s shoulder was badly injured, so Nolan had been tending to her throughout the journey.

After cleaning Serena Feng’s wounds, Prince Nolan used the same water she’d bathed in to quickly wipe himself down. Serena wanted to ask for fresh water several times, knowing how much Nolan hated sharing, but seeing him act like it was nothing, she swallowed her words and felt quietly aggrieved for him.

Prince Nolan was famously fastidious—he couldn’t stand using things others had touched. But his guards weren’t the careful type, and with Serena’s shoulder injured, he’d had no choice but to compromise and share everything with her.

When Prince Nolan turned and saw Serena Feng trying to spread out clean bedding with her wounded arm, he immediately snatched it away. "Your shoulder isn’t healed yet. What kind of doctor are you, ignoring your own injury?"

Prince Nolan never liked outsiders touching his things. At Ninth Prince Manor, only his steward was allowed to handle his quarters, and he rarely let anyone else inside. He wouldn’t even let his guards make his bed, so he always did these chores himself.

"I’m not that delicate—it’s already scabbed over," Serena Feng protested, but she couldn’t win against Prince Nolan. She settled for arranging the pillows and smaller items. By the time they finished, both were truly exhausted.

Serena Feng hadn’t been lying in bed long before she slipped into a deep, drowsy sleep. Prince Nolan lay beside her, eyes closed but wide awake. When Serena’s breathing grew slow and steady, Nolan suddenly reached out and gently tapped the acupoint at her sleep meridian.

"Rest well." Prince Nolan pressed a soft kiss between Serena Feng’s brows, then reached under her pillow and took away the handgun she’d hidden there before slipping out of bed.

Outside the door, the Eight Commanders stood guard. When Prince Nolan emerged, they immediately stepped forward. "Your Highness."

"Protect her. Until I return, not one of you is allowed to leave this door." Prince Nolan swept his icy gaze over the eight men, issuing his order.

Though deeply worried for Prince Nolan, the Eight Commanders didn’t dare disobey. They dropped to one knee and answered crisply.

With a few swift movements, Prince Nolan disappeared from the inn—no one knew where he was headed...

At that very moment, dozens of shadowy figures slipped out of the Imperial Palace, leading a strike team straight toward Prince Nolan’s villa outside the Capital. Rumor had it the Third Prince was imprisoned there.

The team arrived at the villa during the darkest hour before dawn. Unfazed by the night, they moved with practiced ease, slipping inside as if they knew every corner.

With Prince Nolan gone from the Capital, only cleaning servants remained at the villa—no guards were posted. The strike team’s entry went unnoticed; the servants didn’t react at all.

"Boss, something feels off." In the darkness, the man in front suddenly halted, hesitant to go further.

"Too quiet, isn’t it?" The man called Boss replied coldly.

"Exactly. If Prince Nolan really kept someone here, there’s no way he wouldn’t post guards. This villa is unnaturally quiet." The man hesitated, uneasy, unwilling to go any farther.

Boss thought for a moment, then said, "Prince Nolan is cunning. Maybe he’s using this quiet as a smokescreen. Our intel is solid—the prisoner is here. Stop overthinking. We must find him before dawn."

"Yes, sir."

Without further delay, the team fanned out like ghosts, searching every corner of the villa in the darkness. After more than half an hour, someone finally called out, "Boss, there’s a hidden mechanism here."

"Everyone stand back. Be careful—don’t get caught in a trap." They’d found no clues after all this time, but even suspecting a trap, Boss decided to take the risk.

Dawn was fast approaching. If they returned empty-handed, death was the only outcome.

"I’m pressing it." The man who found the mechanism swallowed nervously, placed both hands on the raised stone, and pressed down. With a grinding rumble, the sound of a secret passage opening echoed outside the building. Yet the villa’s servants remained oblivious, as if dead to the world...