"Your Majesty..." The Chief Eunuch's face turned deathly pale.
The marriage between Prince Chase and Princess Yara can't be delayed any longer. If it gets pushed back again, Princess Yara's pregnancy will be impossible to hide. If a scandal breaks out, the Lyndaria royal family will lose face, but Eastlyn won't fare much better either.
"Eh?"
The Emperor grunted in displeasure, shooting a murderous glare. The Chief Eunuch immediately broke out in a cold sweat, collapsed to the floor with a thud, and begged for mercy repeatedly.
Thud, thud, thud... His head seemed no longer his own as he desperately kowtowed on the ground. Soon, a pool of blood formed, but the Chief Eunuch acted as if he felt no pain. As long as the Emperor didn't tell him to stop, he kept bowing.
Perhaps moved by his sincerity, the Emperor impatiently waved his hand: "Get up. I know what you mean."
Princess Yara's marriage really can't be postponed any longer, but delaying it by a few days is fine. If Lyndaria's Prince Terrence Valen isn't given a warning, he'll never learn his lesson. Letting them stay in the imperial capital is just giving them a chance to make a move against me.
This is the imperial capital of Eastlyn—here, only his word counts!
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I'll go deliver the decree at once." The Chief Eunuch had narrowly escaped death and dared not say another word. Whatever the Emperor said, he obeyed. Delaying the wedding wasn't the same as canceling it—if the Emperor wasn't worried, why should he be?
"Mm." The Emperor nodded in satisfaction. "Go, draft the state letter. I want to invite Prince Nathan of Southlyn to attend Prince Chase's wedding."
Having learned his lesson, the Chief Eunuch didn't dare say a word, no matter how shocked he was. He simply bowed his head and got to work, secretly admiring how the Emperor could kill without lifting a finger.
Postponing Princess Yara's wedding was a slap in Lyndaria's face—a warning for Prince Terrence Valen to behave. Inviting Prince Nathan from Southlyn was a warning for Prince Damien: Eastlyn could support him, but could just as easily support Nathan instead...
The Emperor was stirring up chaos across the realm! He'd just taught Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan a lesson, forcing him to behave, and now he was turning his sights on Southlyn and Lyndaria. This was just too...
Whew. The Chief Eunuch, still shaken, quickly squashed those rebellious thoughts and dared not think or say another word. In front of the Emperor, he became even more cautious, never daring to slack off.
Prince Terrence Valen of Lyndaria and Prince Damien of Southlyn were still clueless that the Emperor was already moving against them. The two had just escaped from the palace and barely caught their breath when they smelled thick blood in the air. They exchanged glances, nodded, and ran toward the source of the scent. And then...
Prince Damien and Prince Terrence immediately burst out laughing. It seemed fate was giving them some compensation for tonight's defeat.
"Lance Quinn?" Prince Damien teased, a strong note of mockery in his eyes.
As for Lance Quinn, Prince Damien's rule was to recruit him if possible, but never attack unless he could guarantee Lance Quinn's death. Of course, if someone else made a move, he wouldn't interfere either.
Seeing Lance Quinn so weak, slumped against the wall, Prince Damien was sure Prince Terrence could kill him with ease. He just planned to stand aside and watch the show.
"Prince Terrence, Prince Damien, what a coincidence." With his face hidden behind a mask, no one could see Lance Quinn's expression, but his voice betrayed his weakness.
"Quite the coincidence. Who would've thought Lance Quinn would risk his life just to sneak a kiss or steal a touch?" Prince Terrence of Lyndaria had the most complicated feelings toward Lance Quinn. He'd always wanted to recruit him, but they ended up as rivals. Later, when he tried to kill Lance Quinn, the man sought cooperation instead. And now...
Now that the chance was right in front of him, should he kill or not?
Such talent—what a shame to let him die. But if he couldn't use Lan Jiuqing for himself, it was better to kill him. In just a few moments, Tianlei weighed all the pros and cons. No matter how he looked at it, Lan Jiuqing's death benefited him most. So, Lan Jiuqing had to die.
"Thanks to you both." Lance Quinn didn't miss the murderous intent in Prince Terrence's eyes and deliberately tried to confuse them, but both men had grown shrewd—they ignored his words and started discussing how to strike.
Prince Terrence shot Prince Damien a look, signaling for them to attack together. That way, both would offend Lance Quinn, not just him alone.
Prince Damien just shrugged and shook his head, making it clear he wouldn't get involved.
Since he knew Prince Terrence was determined to kill Lance Quinn, why would he foolishly get involved?
He hadn't forgotten that Lance Quinn and Storm Cloud Bu were close friends. So far, he had no major feud with Lance Quinn, no need to fight to the death. Besides, he didn't want trouble with Heaven's First Consortium. With Prince Terrence here, Lance Quinn wouldn't survive anyway—so that was enough.
Cunning.
Prince Damien smiled indifferently, making it clear he wouldn't take sides or get involved.
Heh... Watching the exchange between Prince Terrence and Prince Damien, Lance Quinn let out a cold laugh. He only managed a few chuckles before coughing, but it was enough to draw Prince Terrence's attention. With a sharp glare, Prince Terrence swept his gaze over, but Lance Quinn remained unfazed, bracing himself with his sword against the wall and steadying his stance.
"Prince Terrence, Prince Damien, it's clear you're just here for the show. So... are you going to make a move? I may be injured, but escaping from you wouldn't be a problem." Lance Quinn was grateful his clothes were black, hiding just how serious his wounds were—and what color the blood was.
"What do you mean by that, Lance Quinn? I don't understand. I only came over because I saw you were hurt, so I wanted to help. And don't forget, we're still supposed to be working together."
With Prince Damien refusing to act, Prince Terrence didn't dare rush in either. He just tried to probe Lance Quinn with words, all the while inching closer, hoping to back him into a dead end so he couldn't escape.
"I wouldn't dare let Prince Terrence help me. But if Prince Damien is willing to lend a hand, I'd be most grateful." Prince Damien was slick and cautious—he'd never offend someone he shouldn't. Turns out, he was even more cunning than Lance Quinn had imagined.
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Lance Quinn silently made a mental note about Prince Damien, reminding himself to watch out for this man. Prince Damien was completely shameless and had no bottom line—he could bend or stretch himself as needed.
Prince Damien turned away arrogantly. "Not interested."
He'd originally thought Lance Quinn was half dead, but seeing him now, he seemed to still have strength. Well... that made Prince Damien even less likely to get involved.
"I wouldn't force you." As soon as he finished speaking, Lance Quinn caught a faint sound of wind by his ear, and his eyes flashed beneath the mask.
Perfect—reinforcements had arrived.
He had to thank Prince Terrence and Prince Damien for their lack of unity and excessive suspicion. Because of it, they'd missed their best chance—and Lance Quinn was certain they'd never get another.
Even injured, Lance Quinn could sense the shift in the air. Of course Prince Damien and Prince Terrence noticed it too. Seeing Lance Quinn so calm, they knew the newcomers were his backup.
Lance Quinn was so wounded he needed help—he couldn't fight back at all. Yet, because of their hesitation, they'd missed the perfect moment.
Damn it. Prince Terrence was dying of regret.
With Lance Quinn's reinforcements here, attacking now would be pure stupidity. Reluctantly, Prince Terrence sheathed his sword, and as he turned away, he shot Prince Damien a vicious glare, silently blaming him: "It's all your fault!"
Prince Damien just spread his hands indifferently: "You hesitated yourself—how is that my fault?"
No matter how much the two bickered, Lance Quinn knew his crisis was over. As three dark figures landed on the low wall beside them, he politely thanked the pair: "Thank you, Prince Terrence and Prince Damien, for your company. My men have arrived, so I'll take my leave. By the way, I'll remember your hospitality tonight, Prince Terrence. When Princess Yara marries, I'll be sure to send a grand gift."
With that, the shadows on the wall dropped down like ghosts and stood behind Lance Quinn. Finally, he could stop forcing himself—he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed backward.
Damn it, I've been tricked!
Prince Terrence's face twisted instantly, and even Prince Damien was stunned. Neither of them had realized Lance Quinn was so badly injured.
Damn it, fate had handed them the perfect opportunity, and they still missed it.
"Let's go." The shadows quickly supported Lance Quinn and leapt away, leaving Prince Damien and Prince Terrence behind to stew in their regret.
It was only many years later that they'd truly understand what it meant to make an irreparable mistake.
If only... If only they'd been more decisive back then, if only they'd feared Lance Quinn a little less, so many things wouldn't have happened!
But there are no "if onlys" in this world. The two of them could only live with regret for the rest of their lives...
The three shadows split up: two took Lance Quinn to a secret chamber at Sutton Manor, while the other rushed off to Feng Manor to fetch Serena.
By now, everyone close to Lance Quinn knew Serena was his exclusive doctor. No matter how badly he was hurt, as long as he was breathing, they'd go find her.
So when Vincent Su saw Lance Quinn's left arm turning black and his unconscious state, he was worried but didn't panic. As long as Serena was there, he believed Lance Quinn would survive.
Vincent Su paced anxiously in the secret room, muttering over and over, "Serena, hurry up, hurry up."
When Serena finally rushed in carrying her medicine chest, Vincent Su immediately ran up to her: "Serena, quick, quick! Lance has been poisoned—it's a vicious toxin! If you don't detox him now, he'll die!"
"What? Poisoned?" Serena's eyes widened in shock and she froze on the spot. Vincent Su didn't notice her reaction—he just dragged her inside, urging, "What are you waiting for? Hurry! Lance is still waiting for you to save him!"
Vincent Su was nearly frantic. He didn't even know what kind of poison Lance Quinn had, so he couldn't risk giving him an antidote pill. He could only watch Lance Quinn's breath grow fainter and pin his hopes on Serena—only for her to say, "I don't know how to detoxify this!"