Ninth Royal Uncle stepped into the room, instantly suppressing the momentum of the Crown Prince, Adrian Dongling, Terrence Valen, and Reid Yale. With his own men behind him, it was clear to everyone present: inside the Imperial Menagerie Grounds, he was king. Everything here was under his command. If he was displeased, a single order could have the four princes carried out horizontally.
Terrence Valen silently moved to stand in the corner, making it obvious he wanted no part in this. No one here could match Nolan Dongling's strength—Ninth Royal Uncle had already seized control of the Menagerie by force. What could he possibly use to play against Nolan? Ninth Royal Uncle was a madman, and Terrence had no interest in playing with a madman.
Adrian Dongling closed his eyes and turned away, opening his mouth but failing to speak. Once Ninth Royal Uncle got serious, no amount of persuasion could sway him. Adrian could only hope his mother, the Empress, was smart enough to cover her tracks and leave no evidence behind.
The Crown Prince wanted to explain, but Ninth Royal Uncle had no intention of listening. The Crown Prince’s actions had deeply disappointed him. All these years, he’d protected the Crown Prince, repaying the kindness his mother once showed him.
Ninth Royal Uncle signaled for a chair and sat down right in the center of the room, facing Reid Yale. "Young City Lord, for now I’ll be taking charge of all affairs in the Menagerie. Since you were injured in my Eastlyn territory, I sincerely apologize. If you have any conditions, just tell me—I'll do my best to satisfy you."
Ninth Royal Uncle closed his eyes and tapped the armrest, looking so relaxed it hardly seemed like a serious negotiation.
Reid Yale gritted his teeth. Ninth Royal Uncle had ruined his perfect setup, wiping out his advantage in an instant. How was he supposed to negotiate now?
But Reid Yale was proud too. Even with Nolan Dongling’s overwhelming presence and force, he refused to back down. He straightened up and sat tall: “Ninth Royal Uncle, I was bitten by your Eastlyn python in the Menagerie. Don’t you owe Night City an explanation?”
He spoke as Night City, not as himself, trying to use Night City’s authority to pressure Ninth Royal Uncle and make his own status clear.
“Of course. What kind of explanation does Young City Lord want?” Before Reid could answer, Ninth Royal Uncle continued, “Since you were bitten by that beast, I’ll give it to you to deal with as you please. Someone—bring the beast in.”
Ninth Royal Uncle was fully prepared. Anyone who dared challenge him would pay dearly—today, he was determined to make sure Reid Yale never forgot this lesson.
Ninth Royal Uncle kept calling the python a 'beast,' infuriating Reid Yale. Those who didn’t catch the context might have thought Nolan was calling Reid a beast himself. "No need. I—"
Before he could finish, dozens of guards marched in carrying chunks of the python, tossing them one by one in front of Reid Yale—ending with the severed snake head.
The snake’s fangs had already been pulled out, but its mouth hung wide open, tongue drooping, eyes bulging—looking as if it might lunge and bite at any moment. The scene was gruesome and terrifying, with snake blood pooling on the floor and a stench filling the air.
Ugh...
The Crown Prince, Adrian Dongling, and Terrence Valen couldn’t stand the smell. Forgetting their dignity, they vomited on the spot. After a long struggle to adapt, the three avoided looking at the snake’s corpse, secretly wondering why Reid Yale hadn’t reacted. But when they looked up, they saw his eyes roll back—he collapsed to the floor with a thud, completely fainted.
Serena Feng had been right: anyone chased by a python would be left with trauma. Just seeing a snake would bring back memories of that cold, slimy skin, the stinking tongue, and those vicious eyes.
The three princes thought Ninth Royal Uncle would show mercy, since Reid Yale was wounded and had fainted. But Nolan Dongling calmly ordered, “Young City Lord is startled—bring buckets of ice water and wake him up.”
He made sure to specify ice water. In late autumn, a soaking like that—without a quick change of clothes—was almost guaranteed to cause a chill. Ninth Royal Uncle clearly intended for Reid Yale to suffer, if not die, at least be skinned alive.
Adrian Dongling and the Crown Prince didn’t plan to intervene, but Terrence Valen felt compelled to step forward. Bracing himself, he tried to show princely dignity: “Ninth Royal Uncle, everything in moderation. Reid Yale may be at fault, but he’s still Young City Lord of Night City and its future ruler. He’s suffered enough today—please, for Night City’s sake, let this go.”
Right or wrong aside, people naturally sympathize with the injured. Terrence Valen figured that since Serena Feng was unharmed, there was no need to investigate further. He never considered that if Serena hadn’t escaped, she’d have been left with nothing but a pile of bones.
Just because Serena Feng survived doesn’t erase the fact that Reid Yale tried to murder her.
Ninth Royal Uncle’s eyelids twitched, a cold smile curling at his lips. He sneered, “Is Prince Terrence trying to teach me how to act? Or are you warning me?”
“You misunderstand, Ninth Royal Uncle. I’m just speaking plainly—why damage relations between Eastlyn and Night City over something trivial?” Terrence Valen smiled with confidence. Even when asking for mercy, he refused to lose his princely bearing.
“Prince Terrence is right—we mustn’t let a small matter hurt the ties between Eastlyn and Night City. So, to protect our relations, I’ve decided to investigate thoroughly. I’ll get to the bottom of how Young City Lord and Miss Su Wan were injured.”
The Imperial Menagerie Grounds are strictly controlled—no man-eating python should ever appear here. Yet one showed up, went straight for Miss Su Wan, and injured both her and Young City Lord. I will uncover the mastermind behind this and give Night City and the Southlyn Su Clan a full explanation." Ninth Royal Uncle knew the truth perfectly well, but he made a show of righteous indignation.
If Serena Feng were here, she’d say Ninth Royal Uncle was shameless and cunning—he knew perfectly well Reid Yale and Su Wan wouldn’t admit the python was meant for Serena.
Ninth Royal Uncle’s words left Terrence Valen speechless. He couldn’t believe Nolan Dongling hadn’t figured out what happened in the Menagerie or the python’s origins.
Ninth Royal Uncle obviously knew the truth, but he still played innocent—shameless. Yet none of them could speak up, so Nolan got to play the righteous avenger and use it as an excuse to go after them.
Terrence Valen held back his anger and pinched his nose, saying, “Ninth Royal Uncle, Young City Lord doesn’t plan to pursue this. It was just an accident. Besides, Young City Lord and Miss Su Wan were only frightened, not seriously hurt. There’s no need for such a fuss.” He knew there was no winning against Nolan Dongling.
“Young City Lord isn’t pursuing it out of respect for Eastlyn and Night City’s friendship, not to trouble us. How could Eastlyn be so rude? Prince Terrence, assure Young City Lord—this little incident isn’t worth all this fuss. Sooner or later, the truth will come out. When it does, Young City Lord can seek justice however he wishes.” Ninth Royal Uncle was warning Terrence Valen: if he found evidence that Reid Yale was behind it, Reid and Su Wan would be finished.
Ninth Royal Uncle sounded like he was looking out for Reid Yale, but every word hinted he wouldn’t let Reid or Su Wan off the hook. Terrence Valen was at his wit’s end—he had no idea how to make Nolan Dongling let go and spare Reid.
Wait—Serena Feng. Only Serena Feng could make Ninth Royal Uncle back down.