Although only one flower hall had collapsed, Prince Nolan still refused to let Serena stay here. His reason was simple: with the hall being rebuilt, craftsmen would be coming and going, and it would be highly inconvenient for a woman like Serena.
And besides, Zed had left Feng Manor shrouded in gloom and filth; it was best to have someone come and clear out the bad luck before moving back in.
Serena thought about it and agreed. In just three short days, Zed had turned her home into a Demon Sect outpost. To be honest, even she felt the place had become eerie; it was better to renovate and come back later.
With Feng Manor uninhabitable, Serena still had a separate suburban residence, right? But Prince Nolan said, could Serena handle Zed’s illness on her own? If not, she’d better obediently come with him to Ninth Prince Manor, and not make him repeat himself.
(Table slap!)
Serena stared into Prince Nolan’s eyes for a long moment, but in the end, she nodded obediently and returned to Ninth Prince Manor with him, ready to stay there for a while.
As for Zed? Even though he was injured and bald, Prince Nolan was still ruthless enough to tie him to the back of the cart.
Of course, it wasn’t Prince Nolan and Serena’s carriage, but a manure cart pulled by an ox. Since Zed was injured, he could just follow behind slowly—whenever he arrived, that’s when he could enter the manor. The capital’s security was excellent, and with Dominic Zhai there, there was no need to worry about Zed dying on the way.
At first, Serena thought Prince Nolan was being considerate, worried Zed couldn’t keep up with the carriage. She didn’t expect it to be such a cruel move. Zed was obviously pampered and had never suffered—the stench of a manure cart was unbearable for someone like him.
When it comes to taming the twisted, Prince Nolan is truly an expert. Serena was deeply impressed and decided to treat Zed exactly by Prince Nolan’s standards today—absolutely no mercy.
Back at Ninth Prince Manor, Prince Nolan called the butler over and told him Serena would be staying for a while. The butler was so happy his eyes nearly disappeared, repeatedly promising to take excellent care of Serena and make her so comfortable she’d never want to leave.
Watching the old butler’s dramatic performance, Serena couldn’t help but sigh: How did someone as cold as Prince Nolan end up with such a lively butler? It was truly...
Then, glancing at the bowl of bright red deer blood on the table, Serena once again marveled at Prince Nolan’s endurance. Three meals a day with deer blood, and he could still put up with it.
After finishing her meal, Serena set down her bowl and chopsticks, gave Prince Nolan a meaningful look, glanced at the deer blood, said nothing, and quietly returned to her room.
Tonight she was definitely locking her door!
Smack... Prince Nolan also set down his chopsticks, glanced at the old butler, and turned to his study to work. He still had a pile of affairs left to handle.
These days, Prince Nolan was so busy he barely touched the ground. Only Serena could make him set aside half a day. Back in his study, Prince Nolan wrote a letter to Sean Xuan, telling him about the Demon Sect situation.
As one of the strongest martial sects, Sean Xuan was much better equipped to deal with the Demon Sect. True to his philosophy of making the most of everyone’s abilities, Prince Nolan handed this ‘hard bone’ problem to Sean without a shred of guilt.
By now, Serena was practically a regular at Ninth Prince Manor. Though she always stayed in the main courtyard, she kept to her role as a ‘guest,’ never involving herself in household affairs. But even if she wanted to stay out of it, the butler wouldn’t let her.
Before, Serena only ever stayed a day or two at a time, so the butler didn’t dare disturb Prince Nolan and Serena. But this time, with Serena clearly planning a long stay, the butler didn’t hold back. He arrived with a stack of invitation cards: “Miss Feng, Lady Hua of the Realm has sent an invitation for the manor’s female members to a flower-viewing gathering. Will you reply or decline?”
“This is something for Prince Nolan to decide.” Serena was so stunned by the butler’s question, she was nearly fried inside and out.
Female members of the manor? Other than her and her maid, there wasn’t even a single female fly in Ninth Prince Manor—who was he inviting to a flower-viewing, anyway? Wasn’t this just making trouble for no reason?
“Well... His Highness said you should decide, Miss Feng.” The butler shamelessly borrowed Prince Nolan’s authority, confident he’d get away with it—he believed Prince Nolan would tacitly approve his maneuver.
Miss Feng should have been going out as the manor’s female member long ago, letting everyone know who the real mistress of Ninth Prince Manor was—otherwise, those clueless women might keep making moves on Prince Nolan.
Ahem... Those ‘clueless women’ the butler mentioned? Their surname was Chase—Charlotte Chase.
To be fair, Charlotte Chase was in a tough spot. Ever since Prince Nolan had coldly ignored her last attempt to declare her intentions, she’d started to give up. After hearing about Serena from Simon Sun on the road, Charlotte decided to let go.
She wanted a man who could help her protect Chase City, not an enemy. Four-legged toads are rare, but two-legged men aren’t hard to find—she didn’t need to hang herself from Prince Nolan’s tree.
Charlotte Chase had Chase City as her dowry; finding a talented young man wasn’t difficult. Prince Nolan was simply the best choice. If she couldn’t have him, she’d settle for someone a tier lower. But...
Upon arriving in Eastlyn, she found herself swept up in events beyond her control. The Empress kept hinting she’d help Charlotte fulfill her wish—marrying Prince Nolan and returning to Chase City together.
Charlotte Chase was on the verge of tears. No matter what she said, the Empress just assumed she was too shy to admit her feelings. If not for Eastlyn’s power, Charlotte would have flipped the table and stormed out.
‘Shy? Your whole family is shy!’ Back then, she’d dared to risk her maiden reputation and openly declare her feelings for Prince Nolan—did anyone really think she was shy? If she were shy, what woman in Eastlyn could be called thick-skinned? Was the Empress out of her mind?
With word from the palace, the Capital’s elite took the rumors as truth. The more Charlotte tried to explain, the wilder the gossip grew. And with Prince Nolan and Serena so busy they hadn’t shown their faces, the rumors only intensified...
Everyone took Prince Nolan and Serena’s silence as tacit approval. Sure, they were a couple, but everyone knew Serena’s status wasn’t high enough to marry into Ninth Prince Manor as principal wife. Naturally, Prince Nolan would marry Charlotte Chase as his main consort and take Serena as a concubine or side-consort.
Men, after all, love enjoying the best of both worlds. Wife for virtue, concubine for beauty—Charlotte Chase and Serena fit these roles perfectly. Marry Charlotte, take Serena as a consort, and Prince Nolan would have it all: power and beauty.
With some people quietly encouraging it and others unaware, the news that Charlotte Chase would marry Prince Nolan spread like wildfire. Aside from the two people involved, everyone with any status in the Capital knew and waited for the Emperor to grant the marriage.
When Serena heard the butler mention Charlotte Chase, and then insist she had to attend Lady Hua’s flower-viewing to ‘declare sovereignty,’ she nearly choked.
Under what pretense was she supposed to declare sovereignty? Did she even have any sovereignty to declare?