Starting Early, Everything Turns for the Better

An unmarried woman pulling down a man's trousers—what does that look like to outsiders?

Shameless? Or just cheap?

Serena didn’t know. She only knew that living in this world, it was impossible to truly ignore its codes and customs. Just as Ninth Royal Uncle said—she might not care, but would Caleb Walker feel the same?

But anyone can criticize Serena, can point fingers at her mistakes—except for Ninth Royal Uncle.

Ninth Royal Uncle is the one who understands her best in this world, the only man she’s ever truly opened her heart to. So when he criticizes her, it hurts—her chest aches, and Serena can’t bear to look at him, let alone speak to him first.

She wasn’t angry or furious—just stifled, uncomfortable. This cultural divide wasn’t something she could demand Nolan to accept, but she refused to twist herself out of shape just to please society’s rules.

Serena stayed silent, and so did Nolan. One sitting, one standing—the room was so quiet it was almost frightening; even their breathing sounded loud.

At first, Nolan kept sneaking glances at Serena, hoping their eyes would meet and shatter the silence. But Serena never looked at him—she sat like a wooden post, turned away, staring at the wall rather than at him.

Nolan kept staring at her, silently telling Serena he was waiting for her to speak—to break the deadlock between them.

All along, whether Nolan was angry or Serena was upset, it was always Serena who broke the ice first. In her mind, silent wars were the most damaging thing between lovers. But this time, she wanted the cold war—maybe after some quiet, they’d both figure out what they really wanted.

This time, Serena was determined not to speak. Nolan was used to silence, but today, the quiet between them felt suffocating. Nolan coughed twice and finally took the initiative: "After the New Year, the Commander of the Bloodcloak Guard will be replaced. Prince Rowan has been confined."

He was letting Serena know that Adrian Eastlyn had been punished. For a prince, being confined meant he was out of the power circle.

...It all went as expected. Serena felt no joy at the news—she didn’t even spare Nolan a glance.

The Crown Prince made it clear he wouldn’t let Adrian off easily, and with Serena’s own push, Adrian’s fall was inevitable. But a prince is still a prince—to crush Adrian completely, the Emperor himself would have to be replaced. For the sake of imperial face, the Emperor would never let Adrian be utterly ruined.

"William has woken up. He’ll return to the Walker estate today." Nolan’s tone was flat, but if you looked closely, you’d see a hint of hope in his eyes—hoping Serena might react.

Too bad—Serena wasn’t interested in Adrian’s fate, and she didn’t care about the Walker clan either. She just nodded to show she’d heard.

Nolan hid his disappointment and went on: "The Crown Prince has also been confined. After the New Year, his punishment will begin. He’ll attend tonight’s New Year’s Eve Banquet, but Adrian will be absent—‘due to illness.’"

Serena just listened without saying a word. Nolan, seeing her mood was a bit steadier, kept talking—from Eastlyn to Lyndaria, then to Southern Lyn; from the Walker clan to the Cui clan, to General Warren Yu. It was all cold, political talk, delivered in a flat, report-like tone. Only Serena would listen—any other woman would have dozed off halfway.

Nolan really had no idea how to make small talk. Serena gave a self-mocking smile—was she torturing Nolan, or herself? She knew his reaction was instinctive, not deliberate, so why was she still so hung up on it?

Tired of standing, Serena didn’t bother with Nolan—she just walked over and sat down. Nolan, seeing her move, was suddenly excited, thinking she was coming toward him. But instead, Serena sat as far from him as possible.

Nolan felt a wave of disappointment, but kept talking, barely caring if Serena was listening. By the end, he didn’t even know what he’d said—just that he’d spoken more today than in the past month combined. His mouth was dry, but Serena had no intention of pouring him tea.

Both were proud. Nolan didn’t think he’d said anything wrong today, and since Serena was in a bad mood, he’d already taken the initiative to break the ice. Was it necessary for Serena to keep giving him the cold shoulder?

Nolan was annoyed now. Looking at Serena’s lifeless expression, he stood up. "It’s getting late. I need to enter the palace."

"Farewell, Ninth Royal Uncle." Serena rose immediately, bowed slightly, and made no move to ask him to stay. Nolan was furious, flung his sleeve, and strode out. When servants saw him, they backed away and knelt, terrified of getting caught in his wrath.

Serena was perfectly polite, escorting Nolan all the way to the gate. Only after he boarded his carriage did she return to Feng Manor—where she found the servants all visibly relieved. Serena couldn’t help but laugh.

"It’s fine now, everyone—go about your business. Butler Wu, you should head home early." However Nolan felt, Serena refused to lose herself just because he was upset.

If Nolan couldn’t accept it, then they’d just have to take their time. Serena believed she’d find a balance, and she couldn’t expect too much from Nolan—especially since men of this era, royal sons most of all, saw women as their property. To demand Nolan accept everything about her without reservation was asking too much.

With that thought, the knot in Serena’s heart loosened. Her smile turned bright and genuine.

Servants were experts at reading their mistress’s mood. Seeing Serena truly happy, they relaxed, breaking the oppressive atmosphere that had come with Nolan’s visit.

Feng Manor was lively and festive. Servants bustled about, decorating the courtyard and preparing the banquet. Butler Wu tidied up and headed home for the holiday.

Everything was moving in a good direction. Serena and the people of Feng Manor weren’t affected by Nolan’s dark mood—but others weren’t so lucky. Nolan usually arrived at the New Year’s Banquet right on time and left after a short while, but this year...

This year, Nolan was the first to enter the palace. The chill he brought with him frightened the palace servants into silence. But that wasn’t the main thing—the moment the ministers outside heard Nolan had arrived, they rushed toward the palace, terrified of being blamed by the Emperor or Nolan himself.

There was a strict order for entering the palace for the New Year’s Banquet—the lower the rank, the earlier you had to arrive. Nolan usually arrived with the Emperor, but this year, since he was already inside, no one dared linger at home.

And so... This year’s New Year’s Banquet in Eastlyn started nearly half an hour early, all because of Nolan. When the Empress heard, she was furious—her face changed on the spot. She forced herself to stay calm and ordered the chief steward to get everyone ready ahead of time, to avoid chaos...

For a moment, the whole palace was in chaos—but the culprit just sat calmly in his seat, acting as if none of it had anything to do with him...