"Assassinate Princess Yara? Serena Feng, you must be joking, right?" Dominic Zhai stared nervously at Serena, searching her face for any sign that she was kidding, but unfortunately...
Serena Feng was damn serious about it, which made Dominic even more anxious: "Serena, whatever you do, don’t be reckless. I know you’re capable, but Princess Yara isn’t like Liam Li, who had no roots. Killing her would bring consequences you can’t bear.
You’ve provoked Princess Yara multiple times, but the Lyndarian royal family hasn’t intervened. First, because you’re from Eastlyn. Second, because Princess Yara hasn’t lost too badly in public. Third, because your feud is just a little girls’ quarrel—the Lyndarian Emperor doesn’t care about that.
But if you really kill Princess Yara, the Lyndarian royal family absolutely won’t let it go. If they want you dead, it’ll be as easy as crushing an ant.” Dominic wasn’t trying to scare Serena—he was just stating the facts.
If a princess dies a violent death abroad, the Lyndarian royal family will never sit by and do nothing. Even if the princess wasn’t favored, if she’s killed outside the country, the royals will get involved.
To kill a princess is to challenge royal authority. When that happens, even the Eastlyn imperial family won’t protect you—they might even help Lyndaria hunt you down.
If today you kill a foreign princess for personal grudges, tomorrow you could kill your own country’s prince or even the Emperor. No ruler can tolerate someone so dangerous and so dismissive of royal power.
"I won’t act rashly." Serena knew exactly how serious it was to kill a royal—otherwise, she’d have already found a way to deal with Princess Yara and save herself the trouble.
Dominic Zhai shook his head—turns out the general’s daughter was just as rebellious: "If I were you, Serena, I wouldn’t even let myself think about it. A royal princess isn’t the same as Liam Li. Don’t get cocky just because the assassination last time seemed easy."
The next words Dominic whispered right in Serena’s ear. From afar, it looked almost like they were necking, scandalously intimate. Simon Sun and Dominic’s bodyguards saw it from a distance and quietly turned away...
They saw nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Liam Li has nothing to do with me." Serena’s expression didn’t change as she met Dominic’s gaze head-on, her dark eyes calm and unflinching.
Huh?
Serena’s composure made Dominic wonder if he’d guessed wrong, but that thought only flashed by—he quickly reaffirmed his suspicion:
"Serena, you might fool others, but you can’t fool me. We both know how Liam Li died. You think you covered your tracks and left no evidence, so you’ll be fine, but that’s not how it works—this isn’t a criminal case. Most things don’t need proof, just someone to decide. Like I’ve decided you’re the killer, and the Emperor decided it was Heaven’s will."
Serena let out a soft laugh and gently tried to push Dominic away, but he didn’t cooperate at all, keeping their posture as ambiguous as ever. "Young Lord, just sit properly, will you? I’m not used to this."
"I’ll sit properly if you tell me what you used to kill Liam Li. I promise I’ll behave." Dominic’s eyes sparkled with excitement—no man could resist the lure of a mysterious weapon, not even Ninth Royal Uncle, let alone Dominic.
"Young Lord, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What does Liam Li’s death have to do with me?" Serena blinked, eyes sparkling with amusement, her expression indulgent—like she was dealing with a spoiled child. She was helpless in this moment.
Seriously, just because you ‘decide’ it, I’m supposed to confess? What do you take me for, an idiot? I know counter-investigation too. Besides, I didn’t actually kill Liam Li—Ninth Royal Uncle did. If he hadn’t put that little black box next to Liam, I wouldn’t have had the chance.
"You’re hiding it from me too? That’s not very friendly." Dominic saw he wouldn’t get an answer and gave up asking. His grandfather had said to probe a little, but not to push—after all, it was just a guess, not a certainty.
If you go by what he said before, then there’s no actual evidence.
Serena just smiled and kept quiet. Dominic could be trusted—and not trusted. He was upright and principled, but he carried too much responsibility, and he wasn’t as sharp or politically savvy as William Wang Jinling. In short, Dominic was too naive. She couldn’t relax around him.
"Serena, you’re not much of a friend. But as your friend, let me give you some advice: get rid of those assassination and murder schemes in your head.
If assassinations actually worked, the Emperor would’ve already sent people to kill the other three kingdoms’ emperors, princes, and princesses. Why would he leave the job to you? All those legendary heroes in the storybooks—even if their martial arts are unbeatable, they’re still no match for an army.
Princess Yara is just out to humiliate you, nothing more. With Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling protecting you, they won’t let you die so easily. Don’t throw your life away over something trivial—it’s not worth it." Dominic really was speaking as a friend.
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing." Serena truly hated the whole concept of status. Because of her low rank, she was always at a disadvantage, and even if she wanted to fight back, she had to think twice.
Face, reputation—the royal family’s honor and name were above all else. And Princess Yara was a royal woman. If Serena really did something to her, the royals would never let it go, just for the sake of their pride.
Sigh...
"It’s good you understand. Besides, Princess Yara doesn’t have time to mess with you right now—she’ll be heading back to Lyndaria soon to get married. For now, she’s too busy to deal with you. What you should worry about isn’t Princess Yara, but Prince Damien of Southlyn." Dominic quietly brought up another troublesome figure.
The real reason Dominic came to see Serena today was to warn her about Prince Damien of Southlyn. Don’t fall for his tricks—problems out in the open aren’t scary, but what you have to watch out for are the dirty moves Prince Damien might pull behind the scenes.
"Prince Damien of Southlyn? That name sounds so familiar." Serena looked at Dominic in confusion. "He’s a royal from Southern Lyn? I feel like I’ve heard of him before."
"Don’t you remember last time, when I left you outside the city and you got kidnapped? The man leading them was Prince Damien. He wanted your life, and you just forgot about him—seriously, you’re such an idiot." Dominic spoke with righteous indignation, never considering that leaving Serena outside the city and getting her into trouble was his fault.
Well, she made it back safely, didn’t she?
"Oh, that guy." Serena shivered all over as she remembered how he’d held her down in the water, strangled her—he was cold and terrifying, like a snake. "What does he want now?"
"Scared? Don’t worry, he’s coming openly this time, so he probably won’t try anything underhanded. But he’ll definitely make trouble for you. Last time, you and Ninth Royal Uncle beat him so badly he looked like a stray dog—this time, he’s determined to get his pride back."
"He started it." Serena looked up at the sky again.
All those so-called princes and royal descendants—they’re just a bunch of foreigners. Right or wrong, she’d always be the one to blame.
What could she do? She was just an orphan girl—easy to bully.
"So what?" Dominic shot Serena a look. "You planning to get revenge on him?"
"Never thought about it." It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—it was that she didn’t dare. She already had enough enemies; she didn’t need to go looking for another powerful one.
"Good. Never even think about it, or you won’t know how you died. Prince Damien isn’t like Princess Yara—she still has to worry about Crown Prince Terrence, but Damien doesn’t answer to anyone. In Southern Lyn, his word is law. He’s ruthless—if you fall into his hands, you’ll wish you were dead.
I once heard about a pregnant woman who offended him—he threw her into the barracks for the soldiers to abuse, and wouldn’t let her die. He even ordered the imperial physicians to keep her pregnancy safe, so she’d have to endure torment day and night until she finally gave birth.
And you? You’re just plain unlucky—you’ve managed to get on his bad side again. The Su clan and Prince Damien wanted to work with Ninth Royal Uncle, marrying Su Wan was supposed to be their first step. When they tried to negotiate, Ninth Royal Uncle refused, but left them some hope. So they thought there was still a chance.
But lately, rumors about you and Ninth Royal Uncle are everywhere, and right at this moment, Su Wan brings up marriage. Ninth Royal Uncle rejected her outright, ruining their plans for further cooperation. Even though Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t say anything, Su Wan and Prince Damien blame you. Old grudges and new ones are all mixed together—now that Prince Damien’s here, he’s taking it all out on you."
Dominic genuinely felt sorry for Serena. Because of the Emperor’s order, she’d been stuck at home in disgrace. She’d barely survived the last crisis, and now she was being thrown right back into an even bigger one.
"Even if Ninth Royal Uncle did marry Su Wan, their alliance would never work. Two tigers cooperating? That’s a joke. And anyway, did Ninth Royal Uncle reject Su Wan because of me? Ninth Royal Uncle isn’t the type to throw everything away for a beauty—and I’m not beautiful enough to be anyone’s femme fatale." Serena looked disdainful. Men always blame women for everything. In the end, she hadn’t done anything, and she was still branded a troublemaker.
"Marrying Su Wan was supposed to show goodwill. If Ninth Royal Uncle couldn’t even do that, how could they cooperate? Two tigers working together would always be on guard against each other. Su Wan was the link to keep them in check.
The Su clan and Prince Damien wanted Su Wan to keep tabs on Ninth Royal Uncle, and likewise, Ninth Royal Uncle could use Su Wan to monitor the Su clan. If needed, he could even use her to threaten them. Serena, don’t underestimate the power of a woman.
Su Wan isn’t just any woman. Don’t underestimate her just because you’ve beaten her a few times. She was raised by the Su clan specifically for royal marriage alliances—her schemes and tactics are all aimed at men and at the inner court.
If you and Su Wan both married into the Ninth Prince Manor, even with Ninth Royal Uncle protecting you, I can guarantee you’d end up dead at Su Wan’s hands—and she’d make sure Ninth Royal Uncle could never find the evidence."
The inner court was a battlefield in pink. Noble ladies learned the skills to survive there, but Serena had none of them. If she entered the inner court, she’d be like a goose with broken wings—no matter how strong she was, all she’d be able to do was cry...