How should I answer that question?
Ninth Royal Uncle’s handsome face flushed, clearly uncomfortable. Seeing Serena Feng’s curious expression—determined not to let go until she got an answer—Nolan understood he had no choice but to respond.
Nolan forced himself to stay calm. After thinking it over, he decided to tell the truth; he couldn’t let fear of embarrassment cost him the chance to win her heart.
“Of course it’s true. How could I lie about something like this? You’re my first woman, and you’ll be my last.”
“I believe I’m your first, but the last? That’s a bit much. If I die young, or die before you, are you saying you’ll spend the rest of your life alone and never find another woman?” Was Nolan really that devoted? She’d never noticed before—maybe she’d actually struck gold.
Men like that are practically extinct. Nolan was probably just saying it, wasn’t he? Serena wasn’t so sure herself.
“Don’t say things like that—dying and all. You won’t die before me.” Nolan hugged her tightly. For some reason, hearing those words gave him a bad feeling, something heavy pressing on his heart. Only by holding Serena close could he feel a little more at ease.
“Life, death, and illness are normal. No one can avoid dying. Sooner or later, I’ll die too. I’m just saying it’s possible—maybe I’ll die before you. It’s just a hypothetical.” As long as it wasn’t an unjust death, Serena could accept it; immortality wasn’t for her—she wasn’t some ancient monster.
“That makes sense. But if I die before you, what will you do?” Serena’s explanation eased Nolan’s mind a little, but the shadow in his heart wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Serena didn’t even hesitate: “If you die before me, I’ll definitely forget you, find someone better, and live a happy life—happy enough to make you want to die a second time out of regret.”
Serena lifted her chin proudly. She’d expected Nolan to get angry at her answer, but instead, after a long silence, he nodded in agreement: “That way, I’ll be at ease. If that day ever comes, I hope you’ll do exactly that. I don’t want you to grieve for me.”
The things he did—one wrong move, and it would all be over. If he failed, he’d be doomed. If Serena could truly forget him after his death, then when that moment came, he’d have no regrets.
Even though just imagining Serena with another man made his heart ache so much he could hardly breathe, Nolan still hoped that after his death, she’d find someone who truly loved her. If he couldn’t give her happiness, maybe someone else could.
Serena was startled. “What nonsense are you talking about? It’s not that easy to die. Good people don’t live long, but troublemakers last a thousand years. We’re both disasters of epic scale.”
Serena’s nose stung, and she punched Nolan’s chest. “Don’t worry. Even if we don’t last a thousand years, we won’t die young. I’m an excellent doctor—with me here, dying won’t be so easy for you. We’ll be just fine, we’ll live well, and then… we’ll slowly grow old together.”
This time, Serena hugged Nolan first, finding a comfortable spot in his arms. “As long as you never betray me, I’ll stay with you and grow old together.”
No words of love were spoken, but it meant more than a simple confession.
“Alright, we’ll grow old together.” Nolan rested his chin on Serena’s head, his eyes shining brightly.
The most touching words in the world aren’t ‘I love you,’ but ‘I’ll grow old with you.’
“Mm, we will. That day will come.” As long as you never betray me, that day will come—because Serena would never betray you.
Serena snuggled against Nolan’s chest and yawned. “Alright, enough thinking. Let’s sleep. Whatever comes, we’ll deal with it in the morning.”
The two of them fell asleep in each other’s arms—warm and content.
But that happiness was far too brief. When Serena woke, she found herself alone in bed, a wave of indescribable loss and bitterness washing over her.
How she wished that every morning, Nolan would be right there beside her—so that when she groggily opened her eyes, he’d give her a good-morning kiss and say, “You’re awake.”
Such a humble wish, yet for her it was a luxury. Even if the whole world knew about her and Nolan, they still couldn’t come and go together—because they weren’t husband and wife, not in the eyes of society.
Serena hugged the blanket, sitting on the bed. The dented pillow and the lingering warmth told her the man beside her had just left.
Her eyes stung. The sweetness and promises of last night felt almost like a cruel joke this morning.
Growing old together was a distant dream—they still had a long, long road ahead.
Sigh… Serena let out a breath, then remembered that sighing first thing in the morning was supposed to chase away good luck. She kicked Nolan’s pillow to vent her frustration.
Enough. She’d stop thinking about Nolan and focus on today’s competition. Serena threw off the covers, got out of bed barefoot, and opened the door—only to find her courtyard eerily quiet, with not a single maid in sight.
What was going on? Normally, the maids would’ve shown up early. Then Serena remembered last night—Nolan must have done something to keep all her maids away.
Serena frowned and had to do everything herself. She was so used to being waited on that it felt strange, but fortunately, she was competing with Su Wan today and only needed a simple riding outfit, not formal court dress.
She picked up her handgun, thought for a moment, and tucked it into her Smart Med-Pack. Even if the palace guards didn’t search her, she and Su Wan would definitely be checked before the match—no one wanted hidden weapons showing up. Better to keep the gun out of sight.
After double-checking to make sure she’d missed nothing, Serena was about to fetch water when her four maids—Spring, Autumn, Mira Tang (Summer), and Winter—rushed in, faces flushed with shame. “Miss, we overslept. Please punish us.”
All four looked genuinely upset, and Serena could tell they weren’t faking. She let it go—after all, it wasn’t really their fault. “Just be careful next time. This time I’ll let it slide. Help me with my hair. By the way, where are Jada and Mira Tang?”
“They went out of the city yesterday and haven’t returned yet.” Spring loosened Serena’s hair to make it easier to comb.
Spring was best at hairdressing, Autumn excelled at needlework, Mira Tang cooked well, and Winter handled the accounts. Each maid had her own specialty.
“Send someone to look for them later—don’t let anything happen.” Nolan was too crafty; the maids from Ninth Prince Manor and the Walker Clan were much better protected than her own. Jada and Mira Tang had spent the night outside the city, and Serena couldn’t help but worry about them. Two young girls—who knew what dangers they might face?
Thinking about it made Serena feel guilty. She’d forgotten all about them last night—beauty really was a dangerous distraction…
“Don’t worry, Miss. Jada and Mira Tang have guards with them, and they know a little self-defense too.”
“Still, send people to look for them. If they run into trouble outside the city, it won’t be good. I’ll be heading into the palace soon, so if anything happens, go to the city gate and find Dominic Zhai. Just say Ninth Royal Uncle sent you.”
No point wasting Dominic Zhai’s help. He’d be trying every trick to win Nolan’s forgiveness these days, so if Serena invoked Nolan’s name, Dominic would rush to help without hesitation.