Tenderness, How Am I Supposed to Deal With You

Prince Nolan had been relentlessly closing in, step by step. If not for Serena Feng’s strong psychological resilience, she would have been driven mad long ago. Now that Prince Nolan has finally backed off, Serena feels a weight lifted from her shoulders.

At last, she no longer had to live in constant fear—worried that Prince Nolan would threaten her with someone she cared about, or simply issue an edict to drag her into the palace. Most importantly, she no longer had to worry that, in order to force her hand, Prince Nolan would risk his own life.

Not being able to be with Prince Nolan isn’t because she’s being petty, nor because she doesn’t love him. She still loves him—loves him more than life itself—but she simply can’t get past that barrier in her heart.

With her mood improved, Serena’s health naturally recovered as well. Though she hadn’t gained much weight in seven months of pregnancy, she suddenly put on several pounds in just a few days. Her radiant face looked more beautiful than ever, and even the old steward said Serena was truly blessed.

"If I keep getting fatter like this, I won’t be fit to see anyone." In less than a month, Serena had gained over ten pounds, and her belly had grown noticeably. None of last month’s clothes fit her anymore.

"Miss, you look even better with a little extra weight. It’s a sign of good fortune." Mira Tang helped Serena change clothes, then supported her as they walked outside. "Miss, the doctor said you shouldn’t walk too much—just get some fresh air and we’ll head back."

Ever since Serena’s last episode of pregnancy complications, Jada Tang and Mira Tang had been taking turns at Feng Manor, never daring to leave Serena’s side for a moment.

Of course, news of Serena’s pregnancy scare had spread. Many noble ladies used the excuse of concern to visit, hoping to build a relationship with the future mother of the nation.

If Serena actually intended to marry Prince Nolan, dealing with these officials’ wives would be a must—sometimes, connections between ladies go further than official channels.

But Serena had no such plans. Besides, there was no one at Feng Manor who could properly host these noblewomen, so Serena simply refused to see any of them and sent them all away.

She’d thought that after losing face, these women wouldn’t come back. But they didn’t care about Serena’s cold indifference at all—still shamelessly trying to curry favor despite being snubbed.

She had only walked a few steps when Empress Dowager Xie approached with her palace maids. The day after Serena’s pregnancy scare, Empress Dowager Xie brought the Eighth Prince to Feng Manor.

After all, Empress Dowager Xie had raised a child herself—she was more experienced than Serena. With her overseeing things, even Prince Nolan could rest easy.

"Your Majesty..." Serena stopped and greeted her with a smile. Noticing the folds in Empress Dowager Xie’s gown, she asked, "Are those women still here?"

"Just sent off one batch, and another arrives. I can’t be bothered to see them anymore. Anyway, all this is just a show for Prince Nolan." Empress Dowager Xie sighed, thinking of that crowd of wives gave her a headache.

"Anyone betting on me is likely to lose everything." Serena truly had no intention of entering the palace to become empress.

Being Prince Nolan’s woman was hard enough. Being the emperor’s woman would be even harder.

"Win or lose, I don’t know. What I do know is, anyone betting at this late hour is already too late." Empress Dowager Xie smiled brightly, teasing her.

Now that they were out of the palace, the Eighth Prince no longer had a throne to provoke envy, and Empress Dowager Xie no longer had to worry about him 'accidentally' dying in the palace.

Serena just smiled and didn’t respond. With only two months left until her due date, she had no energy for these trivial matters—she only wanted to focus on her pregnancy.

After chatting with Serena for a while, Empress Dowager Xie noticed she was getting tired and found an excuse to leave: "The Eighth Prince and Feng Jin are so close—once they meet, they can’t bear to part. I’ll go check on them."

"Jada, see Her Majesty out." Serena didn’t get up to see her off—she was pregnant, after all, and entitled to special treatment.

Of course, all of this was because of her identity—and the child she carried.

As the legitimate Phoenixfield heiress, with two clan relatives holding military power, and carrying the emperor’s eldest son, Serena was untouchable—except by Prince Nolan.

"This Miss Feng is far too arrogant. Her Majesty comes to care for her, and she really acts like she’s the mistress here." One of Empress Dowager Xie’s maids grumbled once no one was around.

Back then, Serena had to kneel before Empress Dowager Xie and speak with utmost caution. Now, everything was reversed—the roles had completely changed.

"Enough!" Empress Dowager Xie stopped and glared fiercely at the maid. "Is that something you’re allowed to say?"

"Please don’t be angry, Your Majesty. I—I was just upset on your behalf." The maid instantly dropped to her knees, bowing and begging forgiveness.

"Upset for me? Who do you think you are? I don’t need you to be upset for me." Empress Dowager Xie’s eyes flashed with icy anger.

If Prince Nolan heard this, he’d think she was getting too big for her boots.

"I... I..." The maid was speechless, not knowing how to respond.

"Hmph... Who knows which mistress trained such a fool. How dare she make trouble for me? Guards, send her to the Bloodcloak Guard." Empress Dowager Xie had survived decades in the palace, mastering all sorts of schemes—there was no way she’d fall for such tricks.

"Your Majesty, I’m innocent! I’m innocent!" The maid cried out, "Serena Feng is just a lowborn orphan—her fate..."

Smack! Another of Empress Dowager Xie’s maids slapped her hard, making her unable to speak. "Gag her."

"Yes, ma’am." Two young maids stepped forward and dragged her away. Just then, guards from Feng Manor arrived, and after hearing the situation, immediately escorted her to the Bloodcloak Guard.

It was just a minor incident, but nothing that happened at Feng Manor could escape Serena’s notice. After hearing about it, she could only give a bitter smile: "Good thing I’m not in the palace."

Even here in her own estate, people dared to openly stir up trouble with her and Empress Dowager Xie. If she were in the palace, the scheming would be endless. She wasn’t clever enough for those games.

"Miss, you don’t need to worry about these things. With the Emperor protecting you, no one would dare risk their life to cross you." Mira Tang wasn’t trying to flatter Prince Nolan—she just wanted to reassure Serena.

"Plenty of favored consorts in the Former Dynasty died of 'accidents.'" Serena had a forensic doctor for a mentor, so she knew a few tricks—how to kill without leaving any evidence.

"Killing is much easier than preventing murder." The way she killed Jason Lan was so subtle that even the Valley Master couldn’t diagnose the cause of death. Even if Jason’s corpse were sent to the modern world for autopsy, no one would ever find out how he died.

So what if it was murder by conspiracy? Without evidence, no one could touch her.

Mira Tang just gave a dry laugh and said no more—Serena was right. Even with the emperor’s protection, there were always blind spots. In the palace, a single accident could take a life.

"Miss, you’ve been walking for ages today. You should rest, or your legs will swell again tonight." Serena hadn’t had morning sickness, but she did get edema.

Once her worries faded, all the symptoms of pregnancy showed up. Serena wondered if life had become so comfortable that she’d grown delicate.

Serena went straight to her room to lie down, but by evening, her legs were still badly swollen. Just as she was about to call for a servant to massage them, she found someone already sitting by her bed—seeing her swollen legs, he began to massage them without a word...

By moonlight, Serena saw Prince Nolan’s face, hidden in the shadows.

Serena sighed softly...

With Left Bank gone, even the Eighteen Riders couldn’t keep Prince Nolan out. He showed up every night lately—sometimes to massage her, sometimes just to stay in her room till morning.

He never spoke, always hiding in the shadows, leaving people unsure what to do with him...