Conscience Drags Serena Into the Water

The scene that played out earlier at the Princess Royal's residence is now repeating itself in the small courtyard where Serena is staying.

Prince Derrek arrived with his soldiers, surrounding the small courtyard where Serena was temporarily staying. Guards lined up on both sides, and Prince Derrek, clad in armor and wielding a long spear, strode in as if he owned the place, exuding an intimidating presence.

With that kind of entrance, even the Princess Royal would feel a chill in her heart—let alone an ordinary person. Yet Serena greeted Prince Derrek as if he were just a friend dropping by.

"Your Highness, you’ve come at the perfect time—I was just about to look for you." Serena rose with a bright smile, gesturing with her right hand to invite Prince Derrek in and stepping aside to let him pass.

"Looking for me?" Prince Derrek shot Serena a sideways glance and strode into the courtyard. "What for?"

"I wanted to ask Your Highness about something," Serena replied calmly, which made Prince Derrek pause, turning to ask, "So last night’s incident really was connected to you?"

"What incident last night?" Serena looked genuinely puzzled. "Your Highness, I just wanted to ask if Lyndaria has any good doctors. My brother’s old illness has relapsed, and he needs a skilled physician."

Prince Derrek nearly choked on his own blood—Serena herself was a renowned doctor, yet she was asking him about doctors. It was almost comically fake.

Prince Derrek sneered, "Serena, stop pretending. I won’t make things difficult for you since you saved Ray, but if you keep playing dumb, I won’t be able to protect you."

"Please speak plainly, Your Highness. I truly don’t understand what you mean." Serena thought to herself that Zuo An and his mentor must have succeeded, but wondered why the two of them hadn’t returned yet.

Did something happen, or are they still stirring up trouble?

"Hmph... Don't understand? Fine, I'll tell you exactly what happened last night." Prince Derrek, fuming, plopped down and began recounting the events to Serena one by one.

Last night, the doctor Serena tried to take from Prince Duan’s Manor escaped. The Princess Royal’s people discovered his trail and went after him, but somehow ended up running into members of the Cui Clan, which led to a fight.

During the fight, not only did the doctor die, but the Princess Royal’s men accidentally killed Third Young Master Cui—and were caught red-handed by the Cui Clan. No matter how much the Princess Royal tries to deny it, there’s no way out.

The Cui Clan may act cautious and low-key, but they’re not to be trifled with. Instead of throwing a fit, they went straight to the authorities and filed a report, demanding that the killers and the mastermind be arrested.

That very night, Crown Prince Titus rushed into the palace with the Cui patriarch to see the Emperor, pleading for harsh punishment for the mastermind and justice for the Cui Clan.

The Cui Clan is no small force. All they need is a way into the heart of Lyndaria, and now, by repeatedly calling for the mastermind, they’re making it clear they won’t let this go—they intend to use the incident to establish their prestige.

If the victim had been an ordinary person, it might have been easier to resolve. But it was Third Young Master Cui—powerful and well-respected. The Cui Clan would never let it slide. To calm their fury, the Emperor had to summon the Princess Royal for a meeting that very night.

For the Princess Royal, it was a disaster that fell from the sky. Not only was she dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to meet the Emperor, but at the palace gate, right in front of everyone, the sedan carriers suddenly went weak at the knees and dropped her to the ground.

An incident at the palace gate—immediately, the Imperial Guards shouted for the assassin to be caught. The whole palace was thrown into chaos for most of an hour, but in the end, not even a fly was found.

The Princess Royal tumbled out of the sedan, bruised and battered, while the carriers all had matching bruises on their calves—clearly, it was all engineered. The Princess Royal was furious, crying that it was Cui Clan’s revenge and demanding the clan be punished for attempted assassination.

The Cui patriarch’s face changed instantly, accusing the Princess Royal of outrageous behavior—staging a farce at the palace gate just to frame the Cui Clan.

One side is the Crown Princess’s natal family, the other is the Emperor’s own younger sister... The Crown Princess’s family may keep a low profile, but the Emperor knows the Cui Clan is powerful. On top of that, the Princess Royal was clearly at fault, and the evidence is ironclad. So even if the Emperor wants to protect her, he can’t do so openly.

"And what does all this have to do with me?" Serena breathed a quiet sigh of relief at Prince Derrek’s explanation—it had worked, though the fallout was bigger than expected.

"That doctor escaped from your hands." That’s why the Princess Royal won’t let Serena off the hook.

"Where’s the evidence?" Serena was playing dumb—if the Princess Royal had proof, she would’ve already sent the Brocade Guard to arrest her.

"As long as the Emperor believes it, that’s enough. Evidence means nothing in the palace." Prince Derrek said.

"That may be true, but don’t forget—I’m from Eastlyn. So don’t try to force Lyndaria’s rules on me."

"If you weren’t from Eastlyn, and didn’t have Ninth Royal Uncle as your backer, do you think the Princess Royal would let you go?" Prince Derrek raised his brows, making it clear he didn’t believe Serena was innocent.

Serena didn’t bother explaining. She just spread her hands: "If someone wants to accuse you, they’ll always find a reason. Even if the doctor did escape from me, the Princess Royal can’t pin it on me. She was the one who sent thugs to snatch him, and her own men did the killing—what does that have to do with me?"

"If I’m guilty, then shouldn’t the weaponsmith be guilty too? After all, he made the weapons they used to kill. And what about the parents of those thugs—are they guilty just because their children committed murder? Or maybe Third Young Master Cui is at fault too. Of all the times to go out, he chose the exact moment the Princess Royal was hunting someone down. If he walked into trouble, how can you blame her?"

If Serena had said all that in front of the Emperor and the Princess Royal, their reactions would have been priceless. As for Prince Derrek?

He couldn’t care less if the Princess Royal was being mocked.

"Sharp tongue. Now I see why Ninth Royal Uncle favors you," Prince Derrek said.

"You understand, Prince Derrek? I don’t even understand myself." Serena played along, steering the conversation away. Prince Derrek started to reply, realized he’d been tricked, and quickly tried to get back on topic. Just as he was about to question Serena again, Jada came rushing out, anxious: "Miss, the young master is vomiting again."

Serena’s expression changed instantly. She hurriedly apologized to Prince Derrek: "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. My brother isn’t feeling well—let’s talk later." Without another word, she left Prince Derrek and his men behind and rushed inside.

Prince Derrek stood outside, neither able to go in nor leave. From inside came the sounds of Feng Jin vomiting and crying, and Serena soothing him.

That was enough to prove Jada wasn’t lying. Seeing Serena’s pale, exhausted face, Prince Derrek didn’t need to ask—Feng Jin was truly unwell, and Serena must have stayed up all night caring for him.

After all, Serena had saved Little Dumpling. Prince Derrek had orders from the Emperor and couldn’t simply leave, but he wasn’t about to make things too hard for her. He summoned a subordinate and sent him to the palace to report that Serena had spent the whole night caring for the Princess Royal’s son, and couldn’t possibly have plotted against her.

If the Princess Royal wants to drag Serena down, she should first search her conscience. If she had even a shred of decency, she wouldn’t try to implicate Serena at a time like this!