Feng Jin's true identity is no longer a secret to those at the very top of power. By now, the emperors of every major realm know that Feng Jin is the son of Princess Royal Helena of Lyndaria.
Thinking of Princess Royal Helena's recent moves, William Wang Jinling looked worried. "Serena, have you ever considered Feng Jin's future? Have you thought about whether it might be better for the child to stay with his birth mother?"
Feng Jin... I treat him as my own little brother, and I’d never let him suffer, not for a moment. As for his mother, Princess Royal Helena is not a good parent—Left Shore never wanted Feng Jin to follow her. At first, I adopted Feng Jin because of my agreement with Left Shore. As for his future, I never really considered whether it was cruel to separate him from his mother at such a young age.
But things are different now. I truly see Feng Jin as my brother, as family. I have to think about what’s best for him, but...
Would it be right to send Feng Jin to Princess Royal Helena? But if he stays with her, can he really have a safe and ordinary life?
Serena looked at William Wang Jinling, her face full of struggle...
William Wang Jinling sighed quietly. "Serena, no matter what, Princess Royal Helena is Feng Jin’s biological mother. Whatever her intentions for him, she would never deliberately harm him, that much is certain. Staying with her is dangerous, but his future would be limitless. Have you considered that when Feng Jin grows up and learns the truth, he might resent you for blocking his path?"
William Wang Jinling wasn’t exaggerating. Princess Royal Helena is Feng Jin’s mother. If Feng Jin stays with her, there’s a fifty percent chance he’ll become Lyndaria’s emperor. But if he remains with Serena...
What can Serena give Feng Jin, besides a carefree childhood?
If Serena keeps Feng Jin with her, she might even destroy his chance to become emperor.
In this situation, who can guarantee that once Feng Jin finds out, he won’t hate Serena, won’t blame her for everything...
Serena isn’t Feng Jin’s parent—she has no right to decide his future just because she thinks it’s for his own good. But Feng Jin is still just a clueless child. He doesn’t know what he wants, and he can’t choose for himself yet.
With no other options, Serena turns to Feng Jin’s only other blood relative in this world—Left Shore.
She repeats William Wang Jinling’s words to Left Shore, not leaving anything out, and lets him decide whether Feng Jin should be sent to Princess Royal Helena in Lyndaria.
Originally, things wouldn’t have been so complicated—Feng Jin would never have known he was Princess Royal Helena’s son, never realized he once had a chance to be emperor. But now...
Princess Royal Helena already knows Feng Jin’s true identity, and the whole situation has blown up. Sooner or later, Feng Jin will learn the truth. If they don’t handle it carefully now, he might really resent them someday.
Left Shore has always wanted to keep Feng Jin away from all that mess. In his eyes, the farther the boy is from his crazy mother, the better. But now, even Left Shore can’t be sure—will Feng Jin blame him when he grows up, for cutting off his imperial path? After all, he isn’t Feng Jin.
"I need to think about it." Left Shore can’t give Serena an answer, and disappears like a whirlwind.
Left Shore first goes to see Feng Jin. The little boy can already walk by holding onto things, and the Snow Wolf stays close, acting as a soft cushion. Every time Feng Jin tumbles, the wolf catches him just in time.
Feng Jin plops down onto the Snow Wolf’s fluffy belly, giggling nonstop. His chubby feet kick against the wolf’s stomach, and the Snow Wolf just treats it like a tickle, occasionally bouncing Feng Jin up and down. The boy squeals in fright, then bursts out laughing, unable to hide his excitement.
He’s made up his mind.
He wants Feng Jin to be free, to laugh when he’s happy and cry when he’s sad—not to become a puppet heir for his mother’s ambition.
Their mother, Princess Royal Helena, is a woman obsessed with control and power. Even if Feng Jin became emperor, he’d just be her puppet, listening to her every command.
Left Shore really doesn’t want to send Feng Jin away, but William’s words aren’t wrong either—he can’t force his own will on the boy or block his future.
He’ll give Feng Jin a real choice.
He leaves a message with the Eighteen Riders, then heads straight out of the city toward Lyndaria without a moment’s hesitation.
"Just as you wanted, Left Shore is on his way to Lyndaria." Holden Cui’s intelligence network is faster and deeper than William Wang Jinling’s—after all, his sister is Lyndaria’s Crown Princess.
William orchestrated Left Shore’s trip to Lyndaria to keep Princess Royal Helena from coming after Serena, and to keep her from putting Serena in danger.
"It was his own choice," William says with a gentle smile, shaking his head. He never forces his will on anyone. Everything was Left Shore’s decision—it just happened to fit perfectly with William’s plans.
"Young Master, there’s no one else here." So drop the act.
"No outsiders, huh?" William looks at Holden Cui, his gaze meaningful. "I’m helping you too, aren’t I?"
If no one challenges Lyndaria’s Crown Prince Titus, how can the Cui family prove its worth? Without rivals, how will they gain a foothold and earn his trust?
"If it weren’t for Serena, would you help me?" Holden Cui knows himself well—William only helps him when their interests overlap, otherwise favors always come with a price.
"We’re not that close," William admits, completely open. Holden can’t argue with that—if William ever helped him unconditionally, he’d have to worry about being set up.
William Wang Jinling—smiles like he means no harm, acts the gentleman, but he’s never truly kind.
He’s harmless on the surface, but inside, he’s cold and calculating.
Don’t ever expect true kindness from him—if William ever helps you for nothing, you should worry about what trap you’re walking into.
That’s just how William Wang Jinling operates: never does something for nothing, always clear-eyed about the stakes.
Even his friends know better than to expect moral favors from him.
In this world, alliances are built on mutual benefit, not sentimental trust.
Serena and her allies aren’t pure heroes—they’re survivors, weighing a child’s freedom against imperial destiny, manipulating foreign succession for strategic gain.
They know that in a world like this, you have to keep your eyes open and your heart guarded.
Power, bloodlines, and choice—these are the real stakes.
And in the end, everyone has to decide what matters most.
—End of Chapter—