Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan summoned William Wang Jinling—not just out of jealousy or to flaunt his relationship with Serena, but for serious business. Of course, since there was a chance to show off, Nolan wasn’t about to let it slip by, so he picked this time and place to call William over.
The front gate wasn’t the right place to talk, especially with the strange tension between Nolan and William. After greeting William, Serena invited both men into the manor.
The butler had already received word, but he was smart enough not to rush out and get himself scolded—no sense in catching Nolan’s cold stare or William’s gentle but chilling smile.
Inside the manor, the butler had prepared everything. As soon as Nolan and William entered, they were treated to the best hospitality, while Serena was called away by the butler for some reason he’d made up.
Let’s be real—neither of those two men were exactly gentle souls. If Serena stayed, she’d only get the short end of the stick. Better to step out and let them vent first, then go back in.
Anyway, neither Nolan nor William were the type to lose out. With no outsiders around, they could spar more freely.
The butler’s approach suited Serena perfectly. She slipped away quickly, changed clothes in her room, and took out an emergency contraceptive pill from her Smart Med-Pack. She knew Nolan wanted a child, and so did she—but not now.
Neither their age nor the current political climate allowed for a child. She had no parents, Nolan had no parents—who would raise their child?
The servants? Serena couldn’t trust them, and she didn’t have the time or energy to raise a child herself. So...
“Nolan, you’ll just have to wait a little longer.” Without hesitation, Serena swallowed the pill in her palm.
"Spring, Summer, help me get ready." Serena put away the pill before calling her maids in.
At Ninth Prince Manor, unless she didn’t share a room with Nolan, she could forget about having maids wait on her—so she’d always handled her own morning routine, which left her a bit messy.
Spring and Summer knew Nolan was waiting outside for Serena, so they kept her look simple—just a double bun and the Plum Blossom Hairpin Serena had picked out herself.
Thinking about the Plum Blossom Hairpin made Serena a bit annoyed. She was always worried the anklet would get discolored by water, so she took it off for baths—and last night, she’d simply forgotten to put it back on. Nolan’s kindness, wasted.
Nolan hadn’t said anything about it last night, but Serena caught him glancing at her feet more than once. She knew he was looking for the anklet, and she wore it every day—except for yesterday.
So today, Serena made sure to wear the Plum Blossom Hairpin, hoping Nolan wouldn’t mind about the missing anklet.
"Miss, Young Master Yun arrived early this morning and is resting in the side courtyard. Would you like to see him first?" After Serena was dressed, Spring and Summer noticed she wasn’t getting up, so they made the suggestion.
They hadn’t missed the marks on their mistress’s neck—she was clearly embarrassed.
"No, Nolan and William are waiting for me. Go tell Young Master Yun I’ll see him tonight." The butler had already told Serena about Yun Xiao’s arrival as soon as she came in.
Yun Xiao didn’t come alone—he brought two doctors, a page, a personal attendant, four maids, and eight guards. It was quite a crowd, but luckily Feng Manor had enough empty courtyards to house them all.
"Yes, Miss." Spring and Summer had only made a suggestion—Serena didn’t take it, but they weren’t upset. As soon as Serena stood up, they hurried after her, and the three headed toward the main hall.
From a distance, the butler nodded at Serena, signaling that the mood inside was normal again and she could go in.
Ugh... what kind of situation was this? In her own home, and she still had to watch other people’s moods.
Serena stood at the doorway and cleared her throat. Nolan and William looked up at the same time.
Nolan’s cold expression softened a bit when he saw the Plum Blossom Hairpin in Serena’s hair. William, as usual, was gentle—but with Serena, his smile was warmer and more genuine than with others.
As Serena entered, William said, "You’re just in time, Qingchen. We were discussing your treatment plan for Yun Xiao tomorrow."
Serena raised an eyebrow and asked as she walked, "So what’s your plan?"
William sat in the secondary seat to the left, while Nolan naturally took the main seat—making himself look like the master of Feng Manor. Serena didn’t comment, just sat down on Nolan’s other side.
Serena was the true head of Feng Manor, and Nolan was a prince of Eastlyn. By both custom and logic, they were entitled to the main seats.
"We’ve just discussed it, but in the end, it’s up to you, Qingchen." William nodded slightly.
Lowering your head doesn’t always mean surrender or submission—sometimes, it’s just to keep people from seeing your true expression.
"Whatever you decide is best. What’s your plan?" Serena was tacitly agreeing to Nolan and William’s approach—she’d just go along with it.
William knew Serena was sincere, so he didn’t beat around the bush. "Qingchen, your cabin clinic isn’t big, and you keep the windows shut during surgery. Nolan and I discussed it—we’ll allow doctors to observe tomorrow, but with strict limits."
In other words, they wanted to make it clear that watching Serena operate on Yun Xiao wasn’t something just any doctor could do.
"Makes sense. How many do you plan to let in?" This wasn’t the modern era with viewing galleries—the cabin was built for surgery, not for spectators.
"How many do you think is best, Qingchen? The most important thing is not to disrupt you." Nolan and William respected the expert’s opinion—they weren’t the dictatorial type.
Serena did a quick calculation in her head. "Ten, at most."
"Ten? That’s a bit much." William saw Serena’s bottom line and knew how to proceed. After a moment’s thought, he said to Nolan, "Five. I think five is enough."
Even if people needed time to accept Serena’s surgical methods, he’d read her plan—it was pretty radical. If they started with such a shocking operation, the old-school doctors might be scared out of their wits.
A craniotomy—actually opening someone’s skull—wasn’t something most people could handle. Fewer witnesses meant better damage control if anything went wrong.
Nolan nodded. "Agreed. Of the five, I’ll send one doctor, the Walker family will send one, the Yun family one, and the last two will be chosen by the Imperial Medical Directorate."
This way, no matter what happened, the outcome would stay within their control.
You had to admit—Nolan and William really went to great lengths for Serena.