Marquis Valorwing’s face was ashen, his eyes filled with despair. The three imperial physicians, recalling their encounter at the gate with Serena Feng and William Wang Jinling, immediately understood what had happened. They shook their heads and sighed, offering a kind reminder: “I just saw Dr. Serena Feng leaving your manor. She’s renowned for her skill and compassion. If you hurry and beg her, perhaps there’s still hope.”
No one is a fool these days. Seeing the situation, it was clear Marquis Valorwing hadn’t treated Serena Feng kindly—maybe he’d refused to let her treat his son at all. Otherwise, Serena wouldn’t have left with William Wang Jinling, just the two of them.
“What did you say? Dr. Serena Feng? She could save my son? Is her medical skill truly that miraculous?” Marchioness Valorwing’s face turned pale. If that was true, then...
Hadn’t they just doomed their own child?
One physician affirmed, “Dr. Serena Feng’s expertise in traumatic wounds is unmatched. We’re far inferior to her. If she said there was a chance—even just ten percent—your son truly had hope.”
“Quick, hurry, go invite Dr. Serena Feng!” Marchioness Valorwing was nearly hysterical. She hadn’t believed in Serena Feng before, thinking she was just a young girl—now...
“It’s too late, it’s too late. Dr. Serena Feng said after a quarter-hour, even she would be helpless. Now that time has passed.” Marquis Valorwing stared at his son lying on the bed, then collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
Chaos erupted throughout Valorwing Manor. Marchioness Valorwing, wild-eyed and frantic, dashed outside, but just as Marquis Valorwing had said—it was too late...
Serena Feng was already gone, and her son had breathed his last!
A physician may have skill and compassion, but when parents refuse to trust, they sever that one thread of hope. Back inside, Marchioness Valorwing collapsed over her son’s corpse, howling in grief, blaming herself again and again for causing his death.
An incompetent doctor causes harm, but missing the chance with a true healer is equally fatal. There’s no absolute right or wrong here—the Valorwing couple only wanted the best doctor for their son, hoping for every possible chance. Serena Feng simply...
...did exactly what a doctor should do. Nothing more, nothing less.
A thousand miles away, Nolan Dongling received intelligence from the Capital and gave a cold smile: “Marquis Valorwing truly brought this upon himself. I gave him a chance—it was he who failed to seize it.”
That dagger—if only Marquis Valorwing had let Serena Feng treat him, his son would have had at least a sixty percent chance to survive. But Valorwing hesitated, and his own indecision cost his child’s life.
Nolan Dongling felt no sympathy for Marquis Valorwing. Such a fate was exactly what he deserved.
No one is allowed to underestimate his Serena.
Thinking about all Serena Feng has done lately, Nolan Dongling’s lips curled into a subtle smile. He closed his eyes, and images of her every expression flashed through his mind.
Even though he received news of Serena Feng every single day, he still couldn’t help but miss her.
Nolan Dongling rose and walked to the window, gazing up at the bright moon outside...
He wondered what Serena Feng was doing at this moment—was she thinking of him too?
As for Serena Feng—she absolutely didn’t have time to think about Nolan. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but she was simply too busy. Tonight, Noble Consort Helena Hsieh and the Eighth Prince were arriving, and she had to prepare everything in advance. If anything went wrong, it would hand the Emperor an excuse against her.
This was the perfect chance for the four season maids—Spring, Autumn, Mira Tang (Summer), and Winter—to prove themselves. Trained at Ninth Prince Manor, hosting the consort and prince was no challenge for them.
After the incident with Summer, Spring and the others had been terrified. Now, seeing Mira Tang (Summer) return as if nothing had happened, the three were overjoyed.
Mira Tang’s safe return meant they were safe too—they were still trusted by Serena. But after what happened last time, none of the season maids dared be careless. Hearing that Noble Consort Helena was coming, all four volunteered to handle the arrangements.
They had to do well—not necessarily rival Jada and Mira Tang, but at least not fall too far behind.
Of course, just because the four maids were in charge didn’t mean Serena Feng could relax. She still needed to work with Simon Sun to prepare all the surgical instruments, sterilize them in advance, and have everything ready.
Serena Feng was so busy today, she didn’t even have time to think about Nolan Dongling—barely a moment to drink water. Luckily, Nolan had no idea.
Nolan Dongling wasn’t the type to sigh at the moon about longing. If he missed Serena, he’d just tell her directly. Returning to his desk, he picked up his pen and began to write her a letter.
His last letter had been full of criticism; this one was the complete opposite, filled with praise for Serena. At the end, he added:
When I walk, I’m thinking of you. When I sit, I’m thinking of you. In two distant places, we each bear this longing alone—who else could it be for?
At dawn I miss you, at dusk I miss you; all twelve hours of the day I’m thinking of you, and this longing has no end.
After finishing, Nolan Dongling reread the letter from start to finish. That poem at the end—no matter how he looked at it, it felt embarrassingly direct, as if he were far too eager.
His ears flushed red; he picked up his pen, wanting to cross out the poem, but in the end he couldn’t bear to. Once the ink dried, Nolan sealed the letter immediately, before he could hesitate any further.
Staring at the letter in his hand, Nolan Dongling was briefly lost in thought.
He found himself imagining Serena Feng’s reaction upon reading it—and even more, he hoped for her reply.
With that thought, Nolan grew impatient. He called out, “Come in.”
A black-clad shadow guard appeared silently before Nolan. With a flick of his wrist, the letter flew like a dart into the guard’s hand. “Deliver this directly to Miss Serena.”
“Yes.”
The guard vanished. Nolan could no longer hesitate; he turned back to his desk and resumed handling the mountain of official documents.
After such a major incident with the Bloodcloak Guard, General An and Marquis Valorwing would never let them off easily. Nolan intended to fan the flames, turning the Bloodcloak Guard into everyone’s target. That way, Felix Fuller would have no choice but to return to the capital.
As Southlyn drew nearer, Nolan Dongling’s responsibilities multiplied. He knew the journey itself would be safe—the real danger would come after he retrieved the palace master.
Nolan couldn’t yet predict how many forces would make a move, but it was essential to restrain them in advance.
As for Northlyn... Nolan sent two letters, one to General Warren Yu and one to Prince Titus of Lyndaria. Both were stationed at the Northlyn border, and stirring up minor conflicts served as both warning and deterrent.
And in Lyndaria...
“By now, the Princess Royal should be too busy to manage state affairs.” Left Shore and Doudou were already waiting in Lyndaria; as soon as the Princess Royal gave birth, the child would be taken away.
Without an heir to the throne, what could the Princess Royal do? If Master Ian Reed’s child couldn’t inherit, would the Empress—who had harmed her own son for this plan—still support the Princess Royal?
And when the general who backed the Princess Royal learned he’d been deceived, that the child wasn’t his—would he still stand by her?
With all this chaos, would the Princess Royal have any time to trouble him?
As for Eastlyn... things were already messy, but Nolan didn’t mind stirring the pot further. If Prince Samuel Zhai learned of Dominic Zhai’s condition, he’d likely lose all faith in the Emperor.
One by one, Nolan laid out his plans, and his smile only grew wider. Finally, there was progress—even if only a small step, it was enough for him.
That single small step was enough to shift the balance across all nations!