"Your Majesty, please don't worry. His Highness Prince Rowan is a man destined for greatness—he would never be bewitched by some witch. There must be another reason for his actions, another purpose behind his trip." The old nurse hurried to comfort her, her clouded eyes forever narrowed, as if she could never truly open them.
"Another reason? What reason could he possibly have? I know my own son—he's always been too sentimental. Princess Yara Valen of Lyndaria, that brilliant and unrivaled woman—he actually fell for her.
It's one thing to like her, but to want to marry her as his consort? Ha! He's more naive than I thought. Does he really believe a woman like Princess Yara Valen could truly love him?
Princess Yara Valen is celebrated across the realm—she's nothing like Princess Serenity. Yara is talented, daring, and such a woman could never be content with her lot. If Prince Rowan didn't have a real shot at the throne, do you think she'd ever look at him?
Love? In the royal family, love always comes with conditions. What Princess Yara Valen covets is the empress's seat in Eastlyn. But she never stops to consider—would Eastlyn ever allow a Lyndarian princess to become its empress?
Nurse, if I hadn't stopped him, he would have run off to Lyndaria to propose by now. Why can't he understand? An emperor can have women he likes, but never just one. To an emperor, women are nothing but chess pieces, playthings.
An emperor may like women, but he must never be enslaved by them. Yet my foolish son insists on putting a foreign princess in his heart. Doesn't he realize that marrying Princess Yara Valen would cut him off from the throne forever? And now, after Yara, he's fixated on that Serena Feng...
For Serena Feng, he doesn't even care about his own health. I truly don't understand how I ended up with such a foolish son. Last time, he shielded Ninth Royal Uncle from an arrow; this time, he leaves the city for Serena Feng. Doesn't he see that if those two died, it would benefit him far more?" The Empress was itching to drag Adrian Dongling before her and teach him a lesson.
The old nurse quickly offered the Empress a cup of tea. Only after she had calmed down did the nurse say, "Your Majesty, you underestimate His Highness Prince Rowan. There's no way he would leave the city just for a woman. Prince Rowan is a man of great affairs—his heart holds the entire realm.
Your Majesty, don't forget—General Warren Yu may have purged Chancellor Julius Zhu's household, but Julius Zhu's remaining followers are still at large. Rumor has it their hideout is just outside the city.
His Highness was pushed out of the Emperor’s sight for a while due to his injuries, but now that he’s recovered, he has to present a grand gift to His Majesty, to ease his worries. If Prince Rowan manages to capture Chancellor Julius Zhu’s remaining followers, imagine how the Emperor and the entire court will view him.
Your Majesty, Prince Rowan holds the fate of the realm in his heart. How could he be distracted by women? He’s gone out for Chancellor Julius Zhu’s remnants, but until the matter is settled, it’s best not to reveal his intentions—otherwise, people might think he’s all talk and no action.
The old nurse spoke with such sincerity, it was as if she’d heard Prince Rowan say it herself.
"Is that really true?" The Empress hesitated, but then nodded, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
"Good, good, good. No wonder he’s my son. I was just being foolish. Even if Prince Rowan is sentimental, he would never care for Serena Feng. Forget that she was ruined before marriage—just look at their past conflicts, it’s clear Prince Rowan despises her. I’m worrying for nothing."
The Empress’s worries vanished, her face suddenly radiant.
"It’s good that Your Majesty understands Prince Rowan’s intentions." The old nurse bowed respectfully.
She was the Empress’s confidante, but just how close they truly were—perhaps only heaven knows.
...
Night deepened. Rowan Manor, Prince Samuel Manor, the Wayne family, and Prince Adrian’s commandery all mobilized, racing to the outskirts on horseback.
"Dominic Zhai, you bastard! Didn’t you say you left Serena Feng here? Where is she? Where’s the person? Well? Say something!" Prince Adrian was nothing like Prince Rowan—he didn’t bother hiding his temper, nor did he care about Dominic’s status.
He and Dominic Zhai were both fearless types—one backed by the Emperor, the other by Prince Samuel. And since Dominic was clearly in the wrong this time, as long as Adrian didn’t beat him to death, even Prince Samuel couldn’t object.
"I really did leave her here, I swear." Dominic Zhai was starting to feel guilty. He didn’t dislike Serena Feng, he just couldn’t stand her way of doing things.
She was a woman, yet more decisive and bold than most men; a disgraced noble daughter, yet her bearing was as regal as a princess.
No, Serena Feng’s aura was even greater than Princess Serenity’s. The nobility in her was natural, just like Ninth Royal Uncle—no matter how plain her clothes, it couldn’t be hidden.
The Eastlyn royal family was only three generations old; even the princesses couldn’t match that innate grace. But that was true for every nation—those old royal bloodlines were long gone.
"You swear? What good is your word? Dominic Zhai, if you don’t find Serena Feng tonight, don’t even think about going home." Prince Adrian was shaking with rage.
The woman he dreamed of cherishing, and Dominic Zhai had left her alone in the wilderness. Unforgivable.
Prince Adrian glared at Dominic Zhai as if he could eat him alive.
Dominic Zhai grew more and more troubled.
What a mess. Prince Rowan’s appearance was odd enough, but when did Prince Adrian become so close to Serena Feng?
Grandfather was right—he’d stirred up a hornet’s nest. Teasing Serena Feng a little was fine, but if you go too far with her or with Ninth Royal Uncle...
Big trouble.
What puzzled Dominic Zhai most was that, although Grandfather always said Ninth Royal Uncle treated Serena Feng differently, when she was in trouble, Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t react at all.
Just thinking of Ninth Royal Uncle sent a chill down Dominic’s spine, and he quickly shoved the thought aside.
He had enough headaches as it was, and at this moment, not a single person was on his side. Prince Rowan’s eyes were full of blame, and Caleb Wayne’s contempt was obvious.
Sigh...
If Ninth Royal Uncle got involved too, Dominic might as well be dead.
"Prince Adrian, let’s wait a bit longer. Maybe Serena Feng made it back to the city herself—you know she’s resourceful. She’s managed it twice before, and this time, no one’s plotting against her."
"She’d better. If anything happens to Serena Feng, I’m not done with you." Prince Adrian warned Dominic Zhai, then ignored him, leading his men off to continue the search...
Every hour, those stationed in the capital sent updates, but after three hours, Serena Feng still hadn’t returned. Every road along the way had been searched.
"Serena Feng! Serena Feng! Where are you? If you hear me, answer!" Caleb Wayne shouted, his voice echoing through the restless night.
Caleb Wayne remembered the last time he and Serena Feng were in danger together.
If not for Serena Feng, he’d be dead. She survived too, but the state she returned in...
Last time, Serena Feng only escaped because she ran into someone she knew. If she’s in trouble again, will she be so lucky?
The thought made Caleb Wayne even more afraid. He shouted louder and louder, until his voice was hoarse and he couldn’t call out anymore.
"Serena Feng, where are you? Don’t scare me!"
...