Why must there always be a reason for him to stop a four-kingdom war?
Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan looked at Serena, deep in thought, his expression somber. "Why are you so sure there must be a reason? I simply don't want war. Is that not enough?"
Prince Nolan's mood was low. He had lost all interest in fishing, placing the rod by his feet and standing up.
Prince Nolan didn't need others to understand him. The less people could read him, the more they'd find his actions unfathomable—and the less they'd dare provoke him.
But today, Serena kept pressing him about his reasons for stopping the war, which left Prince Nolan truly irritated.
Does one really need a reason to prevent a war?
Prince Nolan felt stifled and wandered alone along the edge of Nolan's Lotus Pond, his figure seeming both bleak and lonely—as if he were the only person left in the world.
Without hesitation, Serena dropped her fishing rod and hurried after him...
Willow branches swayed, a gentle breeze brushed their faces, and the subtle fragrance of lotus from Nolan's Lotus Pond filled the air. But neither of them was in the mood to appreciate it. Prince Nolan's gaze was distant, fixed ahead, lost in thought.
Serena walked beside Prince Nolan, sneaking glances at him now and then. She couldn't figure out what she'd said wrong, but from his expression, he was clearly upset.
They had already walked most of the way around Nolan's Lotus Pond, neither saying a word, until... under the parasol tree, Prince Nolan finally stopped and pointed at a small boat moored in the water.
"Serena, do you remember last year, when I stood on that boat and played the flute?"
"Of course I remember." Serena nodded emphatically.
That scene was so beautiful, she could never forget it for the rest of her life...
That day, Prince Nolan rode the boat through the lotus leaves of Nolan's Lotus Pond, playing a song she couldn't understand but found utterly enchanting.
The tune was not only pleasing to the ear, but soothing to the heart. She had never seen anyone use a flute to summon a hundred birds—and the one who did it was a man.
"Back then, I thought you were some fallen immortal." If only Nolan hadn't ended the moment by tapping her head with his flute, that day by the lotus pond would have been perfect—the sweetest, most beautiful scene in her heart.
Hearing Serena's praise, Nolan's mood finally improved. Pretending not to care, he asked, "What do you think my motive was back then?"
"To win my favor?" Serena said, quite self-absorbed. At the time, it was just the two of them there.
Nolan shook his head, ignoring Serena's unhappy look. "Serena, not everything I do has some hidden purpose. That day, I wasn't trying to please you—I just wanted to do it for myself."
Even if Serena hadn't been there, Nolan would still have played his flute and enjoyed the view at the lotus pond that day.
"Oh..." Serena lowered her head, sounding deflated, a little disappointed inside. This time, it was her turn to be upset.
She'd always believed that everything Nolan did that day was to win her favor, to pursue her. But it turned out he hadn't meant it that way at all.
Being so self-indulgent—it was mortifyingly embarrassing.
Nolan couldn't bear seeing Serena so down, but he didn't want to lie either. So he reached out and rubbed her head, comforting her: "You look so aggrieved, anyone would think I bullied you."
"You did bully me." Making her feel foolish for so long—how embarrassing.
"I swear it wasn't on purpose. At the time, I didn't set out to make you happy, but if my actions happened to bring you joy, that was enough for me." Nolan pulled Serena into his arms.
That day, what he really wanted wasn't to tap Serena with his flute, but to hold her close.
Everyone loves sweet words, and Serena was no exception. Hearing Nolan's tender confession, she instantly hugged him back, happiness written all over her face.
"Good answer. I'll forgive you this once."
Serena was easy to cheer up today; with just a few words from Nolan, she let the matter go. But Nolan was not so easily appeased—he was still thinking about Serena's earlier question.
"Serena, what do you think my real motive was for stopping the war between the three Eastlyn-side kingdoms and Lyndaria?" It was Serena who'd wanted to ask, but now Prince Nolan turned the question back on her.
Serena wasn't stupid. Even if she had her own suspicions, she just shook her head and said she didn't know.
Nolan didn't explain his motives. He simply said, "Must I have a reason for stopping this war?"
Nolan couldn't understand how utilitarian he'd have to be for Serena to assume every action he took had a hidden agenda.
"If there weren't some deeper reason, would you still do it?" Serena countered.
The truth was, Nolan's image in Serena's mind was very different from how he saw himself. Hearing her words, he felt almost wounded inside.
"Do I always need a motive for what I do? Can't I act on my own heart? If I say I stopped the war because I didn't want to see the land soaked in blood, didn't want the people of the Nine Provinces to die needlessly—would you believe me?"
That was the reason he'd used to persuade Master Ian Reed, and to convince the lords of Ancestral City, Peace City, and Reed City to send their troops.
If Prince Nathan of Southlyn ever heard Nolan's reason, he'd probably bang his head against the wall.
He couldn't accept that Nolan had ruined all his careful plans for such a ridiculous reason—let alone accept that he'd lost to Nolan's rare sense of righteousness.
A man born to rule, whose whole life was aimed at seizing the throne, could be this 'kind'? That kind of 'kindness' could kill a person.
Luckily, Prince Nathan of Southlyn would never dream that Nolan stopped the war for the sake of the common people. Otherwise, he'd probably cough blood in rage, massacre a city just to spite Nolan, and make Nolan pay for his 'stupid kindness.'
"Hmm..." Serena thought for a moment, then nodded hard. "I believe you."
Honestly, she couldn't guess Nolan's true motives.
"You really believe me?" This time, it was Nolan's turn to be surprised.
Because of Serena's firm "I believe you," Nolan's mood instantly brightened.
Anyone who fights for the world must make sacrifices. Nolan only hoped to keep those sacrifices to a minimum. No matter how the battles raged, it was always the people of the Nine Provinces who died. If one senseless war could be avoided, that meant fewer needless deaths.
"Why wouldn't I believe you? You're human too." Even the most ruthless killer has a soft spot somewhere, and Nolan was hardly a little sadist like Zed, obsessed with blood and torture.
At the mention of Zed, Serena's brow unconsciously furrowed. She hadn't seen Zed for days, and had no idea what he was up to lately.
Zed... Serena's chest suddenly tightened, her face twisting in pain.
"What's wrong?" Nolan asked with concern. Just a moment ago she'd been fine, but now, in the blink of an eye, she looked upset.
"I don't know. My chest feels heavy, like something bad is about to happen." For some reason, just thinking of Zed filled Serena with a sense of dread.
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't shake the feeling that something's about to happen." The more she thought about Zed, the stronger that unease became...