As New Year approached, the Capital grew livelier by the day. Dorian Owen (Doudou) had only just returned when Simon Sun, Dr. Redwater, and Dr. Marcus Guile arrived as well. Doudou tried to tag along with Simon into the palace, hoping to win Little Dumpling’s favor, but at the last minute Dominic Zhai dragged him back to the barracks—even though they’d already reached the palace gates.
Having missed his chance before, Doudou was determined to make a good impression this time. Last time had been a disaster—he’d left Little Dumpling with the impression he was a bad guy and hadn’t even had time to explain before Prince Nolan kicked him out. Doudou swore to himself that this time, he would mend his ways and never mess up again.
To maximize his chances with Little Dumpling, Doudou deliberately changed into a bright red outfit, matching the child’s clothes exactly—hoping that wearing the same thing would make Little Dumpling like him more.
Doudou was already quite delicate-looking, and once he put on the vivid red clothes, his lips seemed rosier and his teeth whiter—making him look just like...
"A bride?" Feng Jin tilted his head and commented seriously.
"Bride? What bride—kids these days can't talk properly." Doudou's face instantly darkened. He was sure Zuo An had said he looked good, so how could he look like a bride? If anything, he looked like the groom.
"He does look a bit like one," Zuo An agreed, backing up his younger brother.
"Idiot." Zed turned away haughtily, refusing to pay Doudou any attention. He would never admit to Doudou that, thanks to that ridiculous red outfit, he himself wouldn’t wear red anymore.
"Hmph... you all just don't get it." Doudou was quite pleased with himself regardless, waiting eagerly for Serena to come out carrying Little Dumpling. After half an incense stick’s time, the child still hadn’t appeared, and Doudou grew restless: "Where’s Little Dumpling? Why isn’t he here yet?"
"Serena took Little Dumpling to welcome Simon and William Wang back," Zuo An answered helpfully, earning a fierce glare from Doudou: "What? Serena took Little Dumpling to greet Simon? Why didn’t she bring Little Dumpling out to greet me? That’s blatant favoritism—Serena’s being way too unfair!"
Left Shore was beyond words—after two years apart, Doudou was even more ridiculous than before. He honestly didn’t know how Doudou’s soldiers put up with him.
For the record, he’d come to the palace to report for duty. Who knew how long that would take, or when Serena would come fetch him?
Today, he’d simply arrived too early and missed Serena and Little Dumpling. That was on him.
Honestly, what an idiot.
Left Shore ignored him, turning to instruct Spring and Autumn to tidy up the East Hall and double-check the zhuazhou items, just to make sure nothing harmful slipped in.
Technically, Little Dumpling’s birthday was tomorrow, but tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. Serena and Prince Nolan would have to attend the palace banquet, so Little Dumpling’s celebration would just be folded into the official festivities.
People like William Wang, Simon Sun, and Dr. Redwater couldn’t attend the palace banquet, and Serena didn’t want Little Dumpling’s birthday to be so formal. She decided to hold a private celebration a day early in Little Dumpling’s hall, inviting close friends and family.
Of course, she wouldn’t do it this way every year. It was just that this was Little Dumpling’s first birthday, and the zhuazhou ritual was important—Serena wanted to celebrate privately and let everyone meet the child.
Everyone supported the idea. Prince Nolan wasn’t thrilled about William Wang and Sean Xuan seeing Serena, but since she’d decided, he could only agree.
As long as Serena was happy, Prince Nolan would do anything—even cancel the palace banquet if she wanted. That was just the kind of man he was.
In some ways, Prince Nolan definitely had the makings of a faint-hearted emperor.
Serena and Prince Nolan soon entered, but Serena wasn’t carrying Little Dumpling. The child was...
...in William Wang’s arms!
"Am I seeing things?" Doudou rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t mistaken.
Today, Little Dumpling wasn’t wearing his bright red quilted jacket, but an apricot-yellow court robe—reserved for the Crown Prince. The outfit was a perfect miniature of the adult version, and on Little Dumpling it looked completely natural. If he weren’t snuggled up to William Wang, he’d be the spitting image of a tiny Prince Nolan.
Of course, it wasn’t about looks—it was about his bearing. Silent, unsmiling, and completely serious, Little Dumpling was already deceivingly dignified for his age.
Left Shore’s sharp eyes caught Prince Nolan’s dark expression from afar. He immediately pulled Feng Jin back, while Zed subtly stepped in front of Feng Jin, his little face tense...
"Why are you all standing here? Hurry inside—the wind’s strong. Zed and Feng Jin, don’t catch cold." Serena was completely unfazed, smiling as she had Left Shore take Zed and Feng Jin inside. When she saw Doudou, she paused, genuinely surprised: "That outfit is... definitely festive."
That bright red quilted jacket—even Little Dumpling wasn’t keen on wearing it these days, but Doudou still insisted.
"Looks sharp," Sean Xuan and Simon Sun kindly offered, picking out something nice to say. Dr. Redwater, though, was more blunt: "Dressed like a little milk bun, Little Dumpling won’t like you."