Prince Nathan of Southlyn helping Prince Nolan bring in the Black Riders absolutely looks like selling out Southlyn's interests, but...
Many times, for people like them, personal interest outweighs national interest. If necessary, they will absolutely sell out their country for personal gain; but they would never sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the nation.
This has nothing to do with patriotism; it's just that personal interests are directly tied to oneself. In power struggles, even sacrifices that seem trivial can become fatal blows. Until they reach that position, they don’t mind cooperating with rivals.
Besides, the Black Riders number only a thousand. No matter how formidable they are, it’s impossible for them to storm the Southlyn royal city. No matter what, Prince Nathan would never risk offending Prince Nolan over these thousand men—after all, right now they're allies, tied together on the same ship.
There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests. Before Prince Nathan sits on the throne, his enemy isn’t Prince Nolan or Eastlyn, but Prince Damien. His sole aim is to do whatever it takes to bring Prince Damien down.
When the aides heard Prince Nolan issue his orders one by one, they knew he was about to make a move against Southlyn. They nodded gravely, promising to handle everything properly.
Prince Nolan had kept a low profile in Southlyn for nearly a month. On the surface, the Southlyn royal family treated him with respect, but secretly they were scheming in every way, never truly taking him seriously. If Prince Nolan didn’t strike back, he wouldn’t be Prince Nolan.
Of course, even if the Southlyn royal family treated Prince Nolan like an honored guest, he would still do what needed to be done—just with a different target.
Prince Damien, you'd better look out for yourself!
While Prince Nolan was setting his plans against Prince Damien, over on the other side, Prince Damien was also preparing his own moves against Serena Feng.
"Vivian, remember, today you must tell Master Wenyuan about the improper relationship between Prince Nolan and Serena Feng—no matchmaker, no betrothal. You absolutely cannot let Master Wenyuan keep holding Serena in such high regard." Prince Damien personally escorted Princess Vivian to Master Wenyuan's residence, repeating his instructions anxiously at the gate.
Princess Vivian lowered her head and answered obediently, looking perfectly well-behaved. Prince Damien nodded in satisfaction, worried she might pretend to comply but secretly defy him, so before she got out of the carriage, he threatened again: "Remember, if Prince Nolan refuses to marry you, you'll have no choice but to marry General Faye's son."
General Faye is a top commander in Southlyn, but his son didn't inherit his father's valor. Though skilled in martial arts, he uses all his ability against women.
General Faye's son is notorious for his depravity and cruelty toward women, especially young girls. Over the years, more than a hundred girls have died at his hands—he's infamous for his brutality. But thanks to his powerful father, unless the scandal reaches the throne, everything gets swept under the rug.
Princess Vivian heard this and tried her best to stay calm, but her body couldn't help trembling—that kind of fear was impossible to hide.
Prince Damien gave a cold, cruel smile and turned to leave.
"Princess?" The maid beside Princess Vivian spoke, her voice trembling with tears.
Their princess is such a good person, but fate gave her a father and brother like that.
Princess Vivian let out a long sigh and gave a faint smile. "Let's go."
She doesn't want to accept her fate—she wants to fight. But after last night, and seeing Master Wenyuan's attitude, she understands she has no advantage at all. In Prince Nolan's eyes, she doesn't even exist.
Before Serena Feng arrived, Princess Vivian could still fool herself, telling herself that Prince Nolan was cold to all women and that he treated her better than most—at least he let her get close. But...
Seeing how Prince Nolan treated Serena Feng, Princess Vivian finally understood: when Prince Nolan cares for a woman, he can lift her to the heavens. But that woman will never be her.
From start to finish, in Prince Nolan's eyes, she was just a chess piece—someone to amuse when needed. As a chess piece, she has to accept her role.
She’s not Serena Feng. Even with Master Wenyuan’s favor, she can’t escape her fate. Some things can’t be changed, no matter how hard she tries...
Serena Feng arrived right on time—not late, but not early either. Technically, that was already a breach of etiquette, so the moment she entered, she apologized to Master Wenyuan.
Master Wenyuan didn’t get angry over such a small matter, but today he deliberately put on a stern face and scolded, "Good, at least you know you were rude. I won’t hold it against a little girl like you. Just tell me: which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
"Um... I really don’t know." Serena Feng was on the verge of tears; if she’d known, she never would have asked such a tricky question.
Just last night, Prince Nolan had grilled her about it; now Master Wenyuan was at it too. This was...
Master Wenyuan frowned. "You don’t know? If you didn’t know, why ask such a question?"
Just like Prince Nolan, Master Wenyuan didn’t believe Serena Feng’s answer, insisting she must have one.
There was no way around it—he’d thought about it for a whole day and night, but still couldn’t figure out how to answer. No matter what he said, it seemed both right and wrong.
Serena Feng saw the dark circles under Master Wenyuan’s eyes and knew he hadn’t slept well. She felt guilty and bowed deeply, apologizing: "Master, I truly don’t know the answer to that question. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you—it's just that you’re so learned, I couldn’t imagine what else might stump you."
She could have asked questions like how far the sky is from the earth, or how many stars are in the sky, but those would obviously be meant to trip him up—and she’d only end up being laughed at.
The chicken-or-egg question was much closer to daily life—and it was a trap. No matter how you answered, you couldn’t escape it.
There is an answer, but any answer is wrong. That’s exactly what Serena Feng wanted—she just hadn’t expected her question would keep Master Wenyuan up all night.
Serena Feng stole a glance at Master Wenyuan’s tightly furrowed brow, wondering how to comfort him, when a clear, bright female voice rang out behind her: "Father, don’t make things hard for Miss Feng. Look, she’s about to cry! If you keep this up, she won’t dare visit again."
The woman’s voice was clear and cheerful—even just hearing it, you could tell she was bright and optimistic. Serena Feng turned and met her gentle, smiling gaze.
The woman gave Serena Feng a gentle smile. "I’ve heard so much about you, Miss Feng. Today, I finally get to meet you."
"You’re too kind, Miss Zhan." Serena Feng heard her call Master Wenyuan 'father' and realized she must be the Zhan family’s daughter—Master Wenyuan comes from the Southlyn Zhan family.
"No need for such formality. If you don’t mind, just call me Yana. My given name is Yana."
Yana Zhan’s smile was soft and gentle, like a spring breeze—soothing from the heart. Even standing beside Princess Vivian, she didn’t lose her presence; her upbringing was clearly impeccable.
But what did that fleeting shadow in Yana Zhan’s eyes mean when she looked at her?
Had she met Yana Zhan before?