The Gift and Young Lord Yale’s Ingenious Scheme

Prince Titus of Lyndaria had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t guess what Prince Terrence was planning. He could only stare at him without blinking, afraid Terrence would ruin Serena’s big day.

Today was Serena’s big day—if his royal brother messed it up, Ninth Royal Uncle would probably skin him alive.

That wary, defensive look made Prince Terrence quite unhappy. Hearing the shouts outside for the Crown Prince, Terrence sighed, “Serena really has face—even the Crown Prince of Eastlyn came to such a small banquet. A woman who can so skillfully mingle with ministers and princes clearly doesn’t care about her own reputation.”

Terrence swirled his wine glass, looking perfectly at ease—as if he didn’t care about whatever was happening outside. But the deeper meaning behind his words was enough to get Serena killed…

Titus’s gaze turned cold. After making sure there were no outsiders present, he finally relaxed a little and said with concern, “Brother, the wine at Feng Manor is good, but don’t drink too much.”

His words sounded caring, but there was a hidden meaning: not only was Terrence fond of drinking, he also tended to talk nonsense after drinking.

Having private dealings with ministers and princes—if anything went wrong, she’d be labeled a traitor. Even if she wasn’t, it would still make the Emperor uneasy.

“Titus, you don’t need to worry. Your brother can hold his liquor—I’ve never been drunk yet.” Terrence smiled and raised his glass to Titus. “Titus, I haven’t congratulated you on your recovery. Serena cured your legs, so today I’ll use Feng Manor’s wine to celebrate you being able to live like a normal person from now on.”

With that, he downed his drink in one go.

That was a vicious line—first hinting at how close Titus and Serena were, then ending with a jab that Titus wasn’t a normal person.

Prince Damien of Southlyn watched the two Lyndarian princes sparring—every word between them was barbed. His eyes gleamed with mockery.

Royal brothers are all the same—born of different mothers, calling the same man Father, fighting to the death over a single throne.

Compared to these two hypocrites, Damien suddenly felt lucky. At least his own brother, Prince Jinxing, didn’t play these sick games with him—otherwise he’d be too disgusted to eat for days…

On one side, Terrence and Titus traded blows, neither yielding an inch; on the other, the Crown Prince entered, surrounded by officials.

Serena, being a woman, couldn’t linger long among the male guests. After greeting the Crown Prince, she excused herself and left.

The Crown Prince was really here for Holden Cui and William Wang—he didn’t care whether Serena stayed or not.

Naturally, the Crown Prince took the chief seat. Holden Cui, William Wang, and Dominic Zhai sat with him. Terrence, Titus, and Damien set aside their grudges and chatted with the Crown Prince, all smiles—any outsider would think they were real brothers.

With the Crown Prince present, everyone became much more restrained—speaking in low voices, not daring to make trouble. Of course, Dominic’s wine penalty quietly disappeared, and as for penalizing the Crown Prince with wine, no one would even dream of it.

The Crown Prince knew full well that, despite his status, he was not a likable figure. His presence always cooled the mood—just showing up was enough; if he stayed too long, everyone would be miserable.

He was here for Holden Cui and William Wang, and just making that clear was enough. This kind of event was for making connections, not in-depth talks. With this opening, future negotiations would be much easier.

After three cups of wine, the Crown Prince announced he was leaving. William Wang and Holden Cui made the customary polite entreaties, then rose to escort him out.

It had to be said, having someone like the Crown Prince attend was a huge honor—but also incredibly exhausting.

Once the Crown Prince stood up, everyone else had to rise and see him off. Thankfully, he was tactful—he waved everyone back to their seats: “No need to send me off. Having William and Holden is enough.”

With that, he spared everyone the burden of etiquette and publicly elevated William Wang and Holden Cui, making it clear these two held special status in his eyes. The Crown Prince’s political finesse was clearly improving.

Whatever William and Holden truly thought, their expressions absolutely satisfied the Crown Prince. Seeing his bright smile, it was clear he considered this trip a success.

After all, aside from an imperial banquet, who else had enough clout to bring Holden Cui and William Wang to the same table? Oh, and the Hsieh clan sent someone too, but it wasn’t anyone important—they were just trying not to offend either side.

The Hsieh clan was in a tough spot. They had to cling to the Emperor, since Imperial Noble Consort Helena’s unborn child needed his favor to have a shot at the throne. But they also needed Serena’s help to protect Helena’s pregnancy—offending Serena too deeply would be a huge mistake…

The Crown Prince was just about to step outside when a commotion erupted at the door.

The main gate was dozens of meters from the hall, yet the noise was loud enough to reach them. With the Crown Prince’s entourage stationed right outside, anyone causing trouble here was clearly up to no good.

William Wang and Holden Cui’s hearts skipped a beat. They exchanged a glance; Holden nodded, signaling he’d keep things steady here so William could go handle the situation.

“Your Highness, please wait—let me check what’s happening outside,” William Wang said. With trouble brewing, there was no way the Crown Prince should risk himself.

The Crown Prince nodded, pulling his foot back. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He was at Feng Manor, and someone still dared to cause trouble—without even bothering with appearances. Very well!

Everyone present was on edge. Whoever had the guts to stir up trouble now was definitely dangerous. Secretly, they all cursed their luck—they’d thought the earlier commotion to embarrass Serena was the end of it, but someone was bold enough to make a scene right in front of the Crown Prince. Unbelievable…

Terrence and Damien didn’t move, but they could guess what was happening. They exchanged a knowing smile, clearly ready to watch the show.

Titus didn’t miss the mischief in their eyes and sighed quietly to himself.

Ninth Royal Uncle, I’m sorry—I did my best, but the enemy was too cunning. I kept an eye on one, but missed the other.

As soon as William Wang stepped outside, he saw Reid Yale and the Crown Prince’s Guard Captain nearly come to blows. William’s eyes flashed cold. “Stop!”

“Young Master Wang.” The Guard Captain relaxed instantly—someone who could take charge had arrived. He backed off, not wanting to tangle with Reid Yale.

This wasn’t the Crown Prince’s manor—he had no reason to stick his neck out for Serena. He’d only stopped Reid Yale to keep that ominous thing from being brought inside and offending the Crown Prince.

“So it’s Young Master Wang. Perfect timing. Where’s Serena?” Reid Yale withdrew as well—he was here to cause trouble, but he wouldn’t let himself be thrown out so disgracefully.

“I’m here.” Serena hurried over, accompanied by Tong Jue and Tong Yao. Her hairpins clinked together as she walked—she was moving so fast the sound was unmistakable.