Serena Feng's hope to eat with Simon Sun fell through, so she had to dine alone. Just as she arrived at the dining hall, the steward came to report: Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan has arrived.
Serena immediately rose to greet him, her smile natural as she saw Nolan.
"You're back."
A simple phrase, yet it carried a sense of intimacy and ease, as if Nolan was always meant to return to Feng Manor.
Because of Serena's words, a faint smile appeared on Nolan's icy face. "Mm, I'm back."
This must be what ordinary married couples are like, Nolan thought to himself.
He casually took the handkerchief handed over by a servant, wiped the dust and sweat from his face, then passed it to Serena. The gesture was so familiar, as if he'd done it a thousand times before.
But as Serena took the handkerchief, Nolan's expression changed instantly. He stared at Serena's neck and asked, "What happened to your neck?"
"Ah..." Serena instinctively pressed her neck, then smiled, "It's just a small wound. It's nothing."
Why is everyone staring at her neck? Seriously. If Nolan hadn't mentioned it, Serena would have forgotten about the injury herself.
"A wound on your neck can't possibly be a small injury. Let me see." Without another word, Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan unwrapped the bandage on Serena's neck. When he saw the thin but deep cut, his expression grew even darker.
"You call this a small wound? One more inch and you'd be dead." It was true—if Lord Bean's hand hadn't slipped just a bit, Serena would have lost her life.
"But I'm fine, aren't I? Don't take off my bandage—it's hard to wrap a neck wound." Serena brushed Nolan's hand away and fixed the bandage herself.
Seeing Nolan stand there sulking, Serena tried to comfort him: "It's really nothing, just a little blood. It doesn't even hurt now, and it doesn't affect my eating at all."
It's much better than last time. When the Cui Clan ambushed her, they slashed her throat and even damaged her esophagus.
"Who did this to you? Where's the attacker?" If he couldn't do anything about the wound, at least he could deal with the culprit. Nolan's voice was cold and grim.
"Uh... How about we talk after dinner?" Discussing such heavy topics before a meal was a one-way ticket to indigestion.
Nolan stared at Serena in silence, making her uneasy. She wasn't sure if she should speak up, and just as she couldn't bear the pressure anymore and was about to say something, Nolan let her off the hook.
"Eat first."
Those three words were like a magic spell. The staff, who'd been frozen in place, sprang into action, serving the meal at unprecedented speed. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Sweat... Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan really does radiate power. The staff at Feng Manor act like mice seeing a cat whenever he's around. If Nolan visited a few more times, everyone here would definitely work even harder.
No talking while eating, no speaking before sleep. Serena usually ignored these rules, but whenever she dined with Nolan, she obediently followed them.
She couldn't help it—facing Nolan's serious expression as he ate, Serena just didn't know how to even start a conversation.
After dinner, the two moved to the flower hall, where the servants had already prepared tea.
Drinking tea after a meal isn't a good habit—it causes indigestion. Serena never liked tea after meals, but Nolan was different. He always had a cup after dinner. Serena had tried to advise him, but Nolan never said a word, just glanced at her, then kept doing as he pleased.
Serena waited until Nolan finished his tea, then obediently recounted everything that happened last night, stressing that Zed had gone missing—and it was all Lord Bean's fault.
She also mentioned that she'd already asked Victor Yun and William Wang Jinling for help.
Nolan had gone to the palace and hadn't returned all day. The best time to search for someone is within twelve hours of their disappearance—she couldn't afford to waste any time.
"Idiot." That was all Nolan said after hearing her account. Serena was left speechless, though she really wanted to ask who exactly he was calling an idiot.
Zed's disappearance was Serena's responsibility, and now she had to trouble Nolan to help find him. She couldn't muster much confidence and could only step forward and admit her mistake.
Nolan didn't interrupt her. After Serena gave a thorough self-criticism, Nolan finally showed mercy: "Don't worry about Zed. I'll bring him back myself."
"How are you going to find him? Lock down the city?" Serena asked. Victor Yun's family had searched all day and found nothing—she suspected Zed had already left.
With Zed's skills and brains, sneaking out of the city without anyone noticing would be all too easy.
Nolan shook his head. "A whole day and night have passed—Zed is definitely not in the capital anymore. We have to look outside the city. Zed is the Young Lord of the Demon Sect. Since he went missing in the Eastlyn capital, Eastlyn must take responsibility. I'll request an imperial edict to leave the city and search for him."
To Nolan, Zed was a lucky star. Because of Zed's arrival, he had found the Demon Sect's location. Now, with Zed missing, he could leave the city openly and legitimately.
A thankless task like searching for Zed—the Emperor would be happy to dump it on him. If he failed, he'd shoulder all the blame; if he succeeded, the Demon Sect wouldn't thank him, since they lost their own Young Lord in his territory.
"You're leaving the capital again? What are you really up to?" Serena would never believe Nolan was just going to look for Zed.
Nolan didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you know about Terrence Valen's rebellion in Westlyn?"
"I know. William told me."
William Wang Jinling is such a busybody, Nolan cursed inwardly, though his face showed nothing. He simply said, "Since you know about this, you should understand the attitudes of the Four Kingdoms. Westlyn is letting it go, Northlyn doesn't want to fight, but Southlyn and Eastlyn can't swallow this humiliation—they're preparing to send troops to kill Terrence Valen."
Nolan summarized the results of today's war council discussion.
"Eastlyn is sending troops?" Serena asked in surprise.
Nolan nodded. "This battle has to be fought. If we don't, Westlyn will think Eastlyn and Southlyn are easy targets. Terrence Valen's head—Eastlyn and Southlyn are determined to have it."
Northlyn doesn't want to fight a war with no benefit. But for the sake of their own reputation, Eastlyn and Southlyn must fight. Besides, it's not like there's nothing to gain—Terrence Valen's three hundred thousand soldiers would make excellent forced labor.
"William said before that this war might not happen. The land Terrence Valen occupies is full of miasma—soldiers can't even get close." Serena had thought a battle like this, where both sides would suffer heavy losses, wouldn't break out. But now...
Nolan gave a sly smile. "Originally, this war wouldn't have happened. But I'm insisting it does."
"You? Why?" No matter how she calculated, Serena couldn't see what Nolan stood to gain from this war.
"Terrence Valen must die." For Nolan, that was reason enough.
If Terrence Valen didn't die, Westlyn's political situation would never stabilize. Tianyu would never get his chance. Most importantly, Nolan hadn't forgotten how Terrence had once humiliated Serena—if he didn't avenge her, he'd hardly be a man.
"Even if you want Terrence Valen dead, do you really have to fight a war? That miasma forest is impossible to handle. This battle will only waste resources and cost countless lives," Serena muttered to herself.
Serena understood the necessity of war, but she truly hated it. War meant death on the battlefield, and a new wave of people left crippled by violence.
War shattered families, left civilians homeless. She had no power to stop those in charge from starting it.
If he could help it, Nolan wouldn't want war either. No matter which kingdom the soldiers came from, they were all children of the Nine Provinces to him. But...
"If we want Terrence Valen dead, we have to fight. He has three hundred thousand men protecting him—no one can get close. To take his life, we need to destroy his leverage first."
Terrence Valen had soldiers, power, and an emperor for a father. He could overturn the situation at any moment. Public or private, Nolan would never allow Terrence to live.
Three hundred thousand troops—neither too many nor too few. If Terrence survives in the miasma forest, he'll be a lingering threat. The sooner he's eliminated, the better for Nolan.
Most importantly, all Nolan had to do was push Eastlyn and Southlyn to do the work. Without lifting a finger himself, he could remove a major enemy. Why not?
If you don't pull up the roots, the weeds will grow again. Terrence Valen is like a ticking time bomb—he has soldiers, supporters, and the secret backing of the Westlyn emperor. If he doesn't die, he'll stir up trouble, stabbing Nolan, Eastlyn, or Southlyn in the back at any moment.
Serena understood Nolan's intentions. She wanted Terrence Valen dead too. If Eastlyn and Southlyn sent troops and wiped out Terrence's forces, it would be a great opportunity for her as well.
Serena pushed down her sadness about war and asked, "Who's the commander for Eastlyn?"
Since Nolan was leaving to search for Zed, he couldn't be the one leading the troops.
Even if Nolan didn't go after Zed, the Emperor wouldn't let him hold military power. Nolan was already powerful enough—if he controlled the army too, the Emperor might as well hand over the throne.
"Zelda," Nolan replied, then added, "I recommended him myself."
"Prince Zelda? Can he command an army?" As far as Serena knew, Zelda had never been on a battlefield. This time, with the miasma forest, defeat seemed almost certain.
"It doesn't matter if he can't command troops. As a prince, he just needs capable people under him. Leading a campaign is just a way to build up his own reputation."
"That's true. As long as they win, all the credit goes to Prince Zelda—no matter who actually commands." Serena had seen plenty of glory-grabbing in her time.
No matter the era, the battlefield was the best place to earn prestige. The descendants of generals just needed to show up—even sleeping in the tent counted for promotion.
"You're right. This war won't fail. Prince Zelda needs this military merit, and his backers will do whatever it takes to make sure Eastlyn wins." That was exactly why Nolan had gone all out to recommend Zelda for the campaign.