She left the city in glory, but returned quietly—this was exactly Serena Feng’s situation. If not for the escort of Ninth Royal Uncle’s guards, people would have suspected that Serena had been abandoned by him, or perhaps that she had angered him so much he sent her back in a fit of rage.
Rumors spread wildly, with countless versions circulating. Meanwhile, the main parties—one far away at a suburban villa outside the city, the other having returned straight home and refusing all visitors—remained silent.
So the rumors grew even more outrageous. Some claimed that Ninth Royal Uncle despised Serena because she was no match for Su Wan; others said Serena was angry at Ninth Royal Uncle, since her rivalry with Su Wan was all because of him.
Of course, those were the more plausible rumors. There were also some truly absurd ones—like Ninth Royal Uncle supposedly ordering Serena to entertain his guests, and Serena storming back to the city in defiance.
With Ninth Royal Uncle absent from the capital, no one was there to suppress the gossip. Ugly rumors erupted one after another, each sounding more convincing than the last. In the end, everyone agreed on one thing: Serena would definitely lose tomorrow’s zither contest!
Naturally, these rumors reached Su Wan as well. In fact, after Reid Yale and Prince Titus parted ways, Reid immediately went to find Su Wan and recounted how Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle had left the city together.
At first, Su Wan didn’t pay it any mind. But when she saw Serena returning to the city alone, she couldn’t help but start thinking.
“Cousin, what do you think Ninth Royal Uncle means by this?” Su Wan genuinely found him impossible to read—his thoughts were far too unpredictable.
“Maybe it’s just what Prince Titus suggested—Ninth Royal Uncle wanted Serena to treat Prince Titus. Before, he acted deeply affectionate toward her, probably just to make sure she put her best effort into healing him.” Reid didn’t believe Ninth Royal Uncle would be kind to Serena for no reason; a woman with no value wasn’t worth his attention.
It was like how he liked Su Wan—if she weren’t the Su Clan’s legitimate daughter, he wouldn’t have bothered with her at all. If Su Wan had any other status, he would have simply forced a marriage and been done with it.