Bad Luck for Crown Prince Terrence and Prince Damien

After several rounds of struggle, the guards finally managed to subdue all the troublemaking courtesans. The houseboys hurried over to clear away scraps of torn fabric from the ground, while Winter and Summer had already ordered the young maids to fetch large cloths to wrap up the nearly naked women.

"Miss, what should we do with these women?" The guard stepped forward, interrupting Serena Feng's conversation with Rosa Zhen.

Serena Feng turned away arrogantly, glanced at the group of troublemakers, and coldly ordered, "Lock them up for now. Later, after checking that there are no issues, send them all to the army camp."

Since these women don’t care about their own bodies and dared to strip naked in the street, Serena figured she might as well put them to use—after all, the army camp always lacks women.

"Serena Feng, you wouldn’t dare!" Rosa Zhen shrieked, trying to rush forward, but was blocked by the guards. Serena was still giving her some face by not having her seized as well.

"What wouldn’t I dare? Not just these women—even you, I’d send to the army camp if I wanted." Now that the troublemakers were under control, Serena knew Feng Manor’s reputation had taken a hit today, but at least no real disaster had occurred and no truly important guests had been offended. Offending the wrong person would have been a real loss.

"Seize her too. Clean her up and send her to the army camp."

"Yes, Miss." The guards moved in, ready to detain Rosa Zhen, but she struggled free and shouted at Serena, "Serena Feng, is this how you treat guests who bring gifts?"

By now, several curious onlookers had gathered outside Feng Manor—most appeared to be servants from nearby estates.

This is what they mean when they say: good news never leaves the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles.

"Guest? What kind of guest do you think you are—a courtesan from a brothel actually calling herself a guest! You really take yourself seriously. As for your gift, I’ve already received it, so don’t worry—I’ll be sure to return the favor with a ‘grand gift’ of my own. Why are you all just standing there? Can’t you see the oiran is tired? Escort her inside for tea." Serena truly didn’t want to drag this farce out any longer, so she cut straight to the point.

But Rosa Zhen came here precisely to make trouble today—there was no way she’d give up so easily. She had backing, after all, and the bigger the scene, the better…

Rosa Zhen suddenly burst out with unexpected strength, broke free from the guards, and ran toward the main street. The guards rushed after her, but Serena stopped them with a single look. Not understanding why, they obediently retreated.

The guards couldn’t see from below, but Serena, standing on the steps, spotted a group of richly dressed people approaching from afar—clearly headed for Feng Manor.

Without someone pulling the strings, these courtesans would never dare cause trouble at Feng Manor’s gate. Rosa Zhen alone isn’t enough—it takes a bigger fish. And here they come. Even if this group isn’t the mastermind, since they’ve shown up, Serena fully intends to use them.

If word gets out that someone sent courtesans to stir up trouble at Feng Manor, it sounds much better than people thinking Serena herself attracted them.

As they drew near, Serena saw who it was and a mocking smile curled on her lips. Fate really does love drama—Crown Prince Terrence Valen of Lyndaria and Prince Damien of Southlyn. She couldn’t tell if it was their bad luck or hers that brought them right into this mess.

As expected, Rosa Zhen was clever—before she even got close to Prince Terrence and Prince Damien, she started shouting: "The young lady of House Feng is bullying commoners!" "The young lady of House Feng is killing people!" "She wants to drag me off as a military prostitute—young lords, save me!"

Originally, Prince Terrence and Prince Damien hadn’t planned to get involved, but after hearing this, their interest was piqued. So, the two of them stepped up, ready to play heroes rescuing a damsel in distress opposite Serena.

Serena leaned over and whispered a few words to Summer, who quickly ran ahead to invite Lady Ning, Heir’s Consort, and Lady Lu’s carriages forward. The two ladies’ carriages pulled up one after the other at the gate of Feng Manor. Serena personally descended the steps to greet them, deliberately ignoring Prince Damien and Crown Prince Terrence approaching from the other direction.

The real show was about to begin!

"Lady Ning, Lady Lu, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner. Please forgive me." Serena smiled, not mentioning the chaos that had just occurred. The two ladies, of course, didn’t bring it up either.

"Serena, you’re getting more and more formal these days." Lady Ning and Lady Lu smiled, aware of the trouble at the manor gate. They didn’t linger and, guided by Serena, headed inside…

Just as they stepped through the door, Rosa Zhen’s voice rang out behind them: "Young lord, it’s this Miss Feng—I came with rich gifts seeking medical help, but she drove me away! Not only that, she threatened to send me off as a military prostitute." Rosa Zhen did everything she could to smear Serena, even pulling up her sleeve to show bruises.

Serena’s expression didn’t change. Without turning around, she simply bowed apologetically to the two ladies: "Forgive me, I have a few matters to handle here." She signaled Spring to accompany Lady Ning and Lady Lu on a tour of the estate.

"Go ahead, Serena." Lady Ning and Lady Lu had no intention of getting involved and pretended not to know who was causing the commotion. But Prince Damien wouldn’t let them off so easily, calling out loudly, "So it’s Lady Ning, Heir’s Consort, and Lady Lu of the Bloodcloak Guard—no wonder you both look so familiar."

With Prince Damien calling them out, Lady Ning and Lady Lu could no longer pretend not to notice. The two exchanged helpless smiles, about to turn and greet the crowd with Serena when she abruptly stopped them: "Lady Ning, Lady Lu, you’d best stay inside. For a prince of Southlyn and the crown prince of Lyndaria to publicly escort a courtesan—honestly…"

She didn’t finish her sentence, but the contempt in her tone made it clear—Serena looked down on both princes for their behavior.

Lady Ning and Lady Lu played along, turning back inside—they wanted no part of this mess. They’d already heard, even before arriving, that the troublemaker was a girl from the old Duke’s house, the Rong family.

"Serena Feng, don’t slander me!" Prince Damien didn’t care about the accusation, but Crown Prince Terrence couldn’t ignore it—being seen escorting a courtesan was a serious blow to his reputation back in Lyndaria.

Serena put on an innocent face: "Crown Prince Terrence, am I making things up? Just look at her outfit—she’s clearly an oiran. And she admitted it herself."

"I…" Rosa Zhen’s face turned pale, then flushed, whether from anger or cold it was hard to tell.

Serena stood tall, not about to step down, and bluntly cut her off: "Crown Prince Terrence, Prince Damien, forgive my rudeness—I don’t make it a habit to salute brothel women."

With one sentence, she explained her own lack of courtesy—after all, it was Crown Prince Terrence and Prince Damien who were out of line first.

"Serena Feng, I’m not with this woman—I just felt sorry for her, that’s all." Crown Prince Terrence hurried to distance himself from Rosa Zhen.

At the same time, he shot Prince Damien a look, silently asking: What’s this woman’s deal? Is she supposed to be the appetizer before the grand gift?

Prince Damien just shrugged, indicating he had no idea.

Who knows which enemy of Serena set this up? Their real gift hadn’t even arrived yet—how would he know what this woman was about…

He’d only come for the spectacle, but instead of enjoying the show, he’d ended up in the thick of the scandal!