A secluded palace, dim lighting, and the lingering scent of lovemaking in the air—all made it clear: this was the perfect place for a secret affair, the kind of place where something was bound to happen.
With the timing, the setting, and the mood all perfect, Prince Nolan was a man who knew how to seize an opportunity. How could he possibly let it slip by? After starving for so many years, he owed it to himself to satisfy his hunger just a little.
And Serena Feng? She was not a woman who backed down easily.
At first, Serena was kissed by Prince Nolan so fiercely she could hardly breathe, her whole body going soft in his arms. But as soon as she caught her breath, she was furious!
He was supposed to be inexperienced with women, a guy with terrible kissing skills—yet he managed to kiss her until she nearly fainted. How humiliating! And she couldn’t just let him take advantage of her for nothing, could she?
So what do you do when someone takes advantage of you?
Obviously, you take it right back!
Serena kissed him back, hard. She refused to believe that, as a modern woman and a doctor, she would lose to Prince Nolan in this kind of contest.
Serena’s boldness only encouraged Prince Nolan. With a flick of his fingers, he untied Serena’s belt…
You get the idea—it wasn’t that Prince Nolan meant to take advantage of Serena, but the moonlight was too beautiful, the mood too perfect, and desire simply took over. As they kept kissing, things started getting out of hand. Serena’s eyes grew hazy with longing, and even the usually icy Prince Nolan was showing hints of urgency. Things were about to escalate…
But just then, a voice suddenly sounded nearby:
“How could it be missing? It should have dropped right here.” The woman’s voice trembled with a hint of panic—she sounded oddly familiar.
“Think carefully—did you really bring it out? Don’t worry, we’ll find it. Nothing bad will happen.” The man tried to reassure her, but he didn’t sound confident himself.
The voices belonged to the palace maid and the guard who’d been sneaking around for their own affair earlier. Judging by their tone, they’d come back to look for something.
Those two really… ruined a perfectly good moment!
Prince Nolan and Serena both froze, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over them. In an instant, their passion was extinguished—even though their lips were still joined, their eyes were suddenly clear.
Their hearts raced as they looked at each other; the traces of passion still lingered in their eyes, but now, all they saw was each other.
They clung to each other again, using their mouths to muffle any sound—pretending to hide, though only they knew the real reason.
Serena was secretly annoyed with herself—what was she doing, losing all sense of occasion and danger, letting Prince Nolan get so handsy?
Prince Nolan was even more frustrated—with himself for losing control, and for being so stupid as not to pick a better spot. He silently vowed that next time, he’d choose somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted. And next time, he definitely wouldn’t let Serena off so easily—he wasn’t done yet!
The guard and palace maid who’d just left came back inside, rustling around the room as they searched. Suddenly, the maid cried out, "Found it! It was right here all along."
"Good, that’s a relief. Now you can stop worrying," the guard said, letting out a big sigh. Whatever it was, it must have been important.
"Next time, be more careful. You can't bring things that could give you away." The palace maid was still shaken, looking around the room and noticing the lingering scent of sex—and, most importantly, that the candles hadn’t been snuffed out. Annoyed, she scolded, "Seriously, you just left without cleaning up. If someone finds out, we’re doomed."
As she spoke, the maid opened the window, and soon the smell in the room faded. Serena and Prince Nolan both noticed the air was much clearer—and so were their minds.
The clearer things got, the more they realized just how much they’d lost control a moment ago.
Both were usually masters of self-control, but somehow, with each other, all restraint and reason went out the window.
The guard kept apologizing, and after blowing out the candles and double-checking that everything was in order, the two finally left—carefully shutting the door behind them.
Whew…
Once the maid and guard were gone, Serena and Prince Nolan finally breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other, at a loss for words. Luckily, the lack of candlelight and the cover of night helped hide their embarrassment.
Uh… Seeing the disheveled state reflected in each other’s eyes, they quickly pulled apart and looked down to straighten their clothes. It was their first time doing something so scandalous—even if they didn’t show it on their faces, inside, they were both a bundle of nerves…
Serena’s fingers trembled as she thought about what had just happened. If the maid and guard hadn’t come back, she and Prince Nolan might have spent the whole night here, doing nothing—or maybe doing something else entirely.
Just picturing it made Serena’s face flush. She busied herself with tying her belt to cover her embarrassment.
From now on, the ruler would never rise early for court! It wasn’t just men who could be tempted by beauty—women could, too.
"Ahem, let’s head out first and talk later." Prince Nolan, being the man, naturally spoke up first. Of course, no matter how nervous he was, he wouldn’t let it show.
How embarrassing!
Serena didn’t say a word. She didn’t care if Prince Nolan could see her or not—she just nodded lightly.
Prince Nolan took Serena’s hand and led her out. This time, Serena didn’t pull away.
After all the hugging and kissing, jerking away now would be too much. Besides, she couldn’t bear to—opportunities like this might never come again.
Along the way, both felt a little awkward, but thankfully Prince Nolan wasn’t much of a talker. He didn’t say anything that might embarrass her or leave her at a loss for words.
At the same time, Serena was annoyed that Nolan was such a closed book. He’d clearly taken liberties with her, but at a moment like this, he didn’t say a single reassuring word, not even a promise to help her relax.
Fine, maybe it was naïve to hope Prince Nolan would propose marriage right now, but shouldn’t he at least say something like, “Lightdust, I won’t let you down,” or “Lightdust, I’ll take responsibility for you”?
But he didn’t say a word. What did that mean? Regret? Or did he just not care, treating her like some plaything—calling her over when he wanted, tossing her aside when he was done?
The more Serena thought about it, the more upset she got. She kept her head down and said nothing, stewing inside and plotting how to regain the upper hand—how to teach Prince Nolan a lesson.
Prince Nolan was baffled—she’d seemed fine a moment ago, so what changed? But he put her mood aside, knowing the mission came first. If he could take care of Liam Li for Serena, maybe she’d cheer up.
Prince Nolan was a pragmatist—he believed actions mattered more than words. Besides, he had no patience for empty talk.
Moving through the palace with practiced ease, Prince Nolan dodged guards as if the place were his own private garden. Half an hour later, without alerting anyone, he brought Serena to the outer edge of Liam Li’s residence. Pointing to the layers of guards, he leaned close to Serena’s ear and whispered, "That’s where Liam Li lives. The security is too tight—we can’t get close."
This time, even though they were close, there was no romantic tension—both focused entirely on the mission.
"Is there any way to get closer?" Hearing Prince Nolan’s assessment, Serena forced down her frustration, reminding herself that tonight’s priority was killing Liam Li—not sneaking around with Prince Nolan.
Sneaking around?