Childish, There Is No Father and Son in the Imperial House

Prince Nolan would never kill Prince Damien of Southlyn, but he also wouldn’t let his own authority be trampled or his dignity lost. With Grand Heir William Wang Jinling speaking for justice, and Prince Nathan of Southlyn volunteering to remain in Eastlyn as a hostage, sending Prince Damien back to Southlyn for their own judgment became an acceptable solution.

When Prince Nathan made his offer—staking himself as a hostage and guaranteeing safety to the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities—not a single envoy objected.

With a royal prince as hostage, what was left for them to worry about? Whenever Prince Damien died, that would be when Prince Nathan could return home; otherwise, Nathan would spend his life in Eastlyn as a hostage.

Southlyn held a hard line, but their posture was humble enough—as long as Prince Nolan didn’t want war between the two realms, Southlyn wouldn’t stubbornly oppose.

All the city lords turned to Prince Nolan, awaiting his answer. Fortunately, he didn’t disappoint: Prince Nolan accepted Prince Nathan’s proposal, making clear he had no intention of starting a war.

Of course, this was just a simple meeting—the details would be negotiated later. Since Southlyn was taking responsibility, they’d also have to compensate the other realms and cities for their losses.

Only a fool leaves money on the table. The smaller cities didn’t dare demand much, but Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Westlyn wouldn’t go easy—if they didn’t bite a chunk out of Southlyn, those three kingdoms would never let it go.

The specifics would be handled by officials from each realm; Prince Nolan wouldn’t get involved in the details. Once the big decisions were set, he handed the finer points to Felix Fuller and General Warren Yu, then left—with Grand Heir William Wang Jinling at his side.

“That was a beautiful move,” William Wang Jinling said, smiling with unreadable emotion.

Prince Nolan didn’t stop walking, nor did he look back. “You played your part well, Grand Heir.”

Prince Nolan is a master of human nature—it doesn’t matter whether I’m worthy to cooperate or not." William Wang Jinling fell half a step behind Prince Nolan, light-footed and unaffected by earlier events.

Half truth, half pretense—it didn’t matter. He needed to keep up with Prince Nolan, or risk dying of frustration.

Prince Nolan said nothing, but he knew William Wang Jinling would cooperate—not just because Damien carried Wang blood, but also seeing Felix Fuller and General Warren Yu lose composure.

With William Wang Jinling’s intelligence, even if he couldn’t guess everything, he understood most of it. For public and private reasons, he would play his part, letting the city lords see Eastlyn’s position.

One ahead, one behind, they soon arrived at Prince Damien’s courtyard. Prince Nolan waved off the guards, signaling William Wang Jinling to enter with him.

Prince Nolan hadn’t mistreated Prince Damien. Aside from the lack of freedom, Damien’s time in Eastlyn had been comfortable—far better than Jason Lan’s period of confinement.

I didn’t expect Prince Nolan would come see a defeated man like me." Damien raised his head, and when he saw William Wang Jinling, a strange light flashed in his eyes.

The Southlyn royal house has always had particular feelings about the Wang clan. William Wang Jinling’s arrival made Damien both ashamed and elated.

Grand Heir." Damien saluted William Wang Jinling, who accepted it calmly, then turned to Prince Nolan: "Prince Nolan, I have a few words to say to him alone."

Prince Nolan said nothing, simply turned and walked out.

He had achieved his purpose; there was no need to stay here and glare at Prince Damien.

No one knew what William Wang Jinling said to Prince Damien. All that was known was that after William left, Damien stood by the window for a long time...

Extraditing Prince Damien to Southlyn for judgment was no simple matter. Even with an agreement, many details still required negotiation.

But none of this required Prince Nolan or Prince Nathan to intervene; the officials would handle it all.

Prince Nathan left the palace, not with the envoys, but went alone to Feng Manor. After washing and eating, he was refreshed, showing no sign of travel fatigue.

"Did you spend your journey sightseeing?" Arriving seven or eight days later than the other envoys, Prince Nathan clearly hadn’t rushed.

"Timing is everything—I arrived just right, didn’t I?" Nathan joked, trying to gloss over it, but Serena watched him with a half-smile, refusing to let him off the hook.

Nathan knew he couldn’t fool Serena, so he sold out Prince Nolan: "Prince Nolan wrote to me, telling me to arrive late."

"Childish," Serena said bluntly. Nathan didn’t dare defend Prince Nolan, just pursed his lips and smiled secretly.

Serena still wanted to save Prince Nolan’s face, so she didn’t say more before Nathan. She shifted the topic: "What happened to you in Southlyn? Are you not planning to return?"

Eastlyn may be strong, but not so strong that Southlyn would send a prince as hostage. For a dignified prince to volunteer as hostage in Eastlyn, there had to be a reason—no one would believe otherwise.

"Southlyn..." Nathan’s voice sank, his tone bleak. "What’s the point of going back? There’s no place for me there—I’ve always been an outsider in Southlyn."

He’d drifted outside for decades. After returning, he barely tasted the happiness of family before learning the truth of royal ruthlessness.

In Southlyn, every step was cautious, as if walking on thin ice—one wrong move and he’d be ruined. After finally gaining a foothold, his father’s single decree cast him into the dirt.

"Serena, no wonder so many people want to be emperor. As emperor, you can control others’ fates with a single word." Nathan’s voice trembled, his eyes shining with tears.

"After Damien’s trouble, I was suppressed everywhere in Southlyn. At first, I didn’t know what I’d done wrong—I thought my father was wary of my power, so I relinquished it. He wanted me to reflect at home, so I withdrew from politics. He was my father; I never wanted to defy him or usurp the throne. I gave up everything just to reassure him."

Nathan sniffed, self-mocking: "But I was wrong. I treated him as a father, always putting him first, but he never saw me as a son. To him, I was just a chess piece—now that I’m useless, he’s discarded me."

"Serena, do you know how he judged me? Disloyal, unfilial, unbrotherly." Nathan recited the six crushing words, then wilted, spirit broken.

Thinking of his own father’s judgment, Nathan couldn’t hold back his pain—tears streamed down his face.

That condemnation didn’t just destroy his chance at the throne—it shattered the last bit of familial affection he had.