Harsh Words, This Prince Will Wait in the Imperial Capital

"Hss..." Serena Feng let out a muffled sound of pain, her steps faltering for a moment. She wanted to call out for Nolan Dongling to wait for her, but in the end, she held back, gritted her teeth, and prepared to catch up.

Nolan Dongling paused mid-stride. Though he didn't turn around, he could easily picture Serena's current state. Without drawing attention, he slowed his pace, waiting for her to catch up.

In the end, he couldn't harden his heart against Serena Feng. She was his fate. Nolan Dongling sighed helplessly, considering whether to order a soft sedan chair for Serena so she wouldn't suffer from her wounds.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, a sharp wind-breaking sound came from behind, followed by a surge of murderous intent...

Not good—something's changed!

There was no time to think. Nolan Dongling spun around at lightning speed, reached out, and swept Serena into his arms. "Careful!" he warned.

A sharp "snap" split the air. A green leaf shot in from above, speeding toward the soldier standing in front of Sienna Skyvault.

Swish—the fresh green leaf pierced straight into the soldier's neck. Blood streamed from the wound. The soldier's eyes flew wide, unable to believe he'd died to a single leaf. With a thud, his knife dropped, and he collapsed toward Sienna Skyvault.

Normally, Sienna would have screamed in terror, but now she was so shocked that she just stood there, frozen.

Realizing things had changed, Nolan Dongling shielded Serena Feng and, in the same instant, reached up to pull the hairpin from her hair, firing it toward Sienna Skyvault's throat—he didn't want to leave any loose ends.

Unfortunately, because Nolan Dongling was protecting Serena Feng, he missed the best moment...

Crack! The hairpin was suddenly intercepted by a man in dark robes, snapping it in two and letting it fall to the ground. "You dare lay a hand on my Skyvault Palace Sect people? Such courage."

The man in dark robes swept Serena Feng and Nolan Dongling a ruthless glance, treating them as beneath notice. He turned, moving with brute force, knocking down the soldiers beside Sienna Skyvault one by one, ignoring the surrounding troops as he gathered Sienna's blood-soaked body into his arms.

"Little Fei, Little Fei, how did you end up like this? Bastards, you actually dared hurt my Little Fei—are you tired of living?" the man in dark robes roared, cradling Sienna with utmost care. His large hand stroked her hair, several times wanting to touch her face but not daring, his eyes full of fury and aching tenderness.

His eyes were red, tears glimmering. Soldiers tried to seize the moment to attack, but the man in dark robes noticed. With a flick of his sleeve, a handful of leaves flew out—swish, swish, swish... The nearby soldiers fell in a ring around him.

A single leaf could wound—what stunning skill. Serena Feng had to admit, compared to this man's leaf-killing technique, her handgun was nothing.

The soldiers, ignoring casualties, tried to charge again, but Nolan Dongling raised a hand, signaling them to hold back. He didn't want pointless sacrifice.

The troops held their ground, and the man in dark robes didn't attack further. He simply held Sienna Skyvault in his arms, face full of pain. "Little Fei, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Second Brother is here now. No one will dare bully you with Second Brother around."

"Second Brother?" Sienna had been in a dazed, blank state. Hearing the man's voice, she finally came to herself, her lashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes, like a startled fawn.

Sienna's gaze was unfocused, tears mingling with blood as they streamed down. When she saw who it was, she burst into sobs: "Second Brother, Second Brother, why are you only here now? Why only now? Waaa, Second Brother, they bullied me—kill them for me. No, catch them alive! I want them chopped into pieces and fed to snakes." With her backer present, Sienna's courage swelled again.

"Second Brother, my face hurts so much. That man—he ruined my face. And that woman—she crippled my legs. Second Brother, you have to avenge me, you must!" Sienna sobbed so hard she could barely breathe, and with pain in every part of her body, her voice grated on the ear.

"It hurts, Second Brother, it hurts so much—Little Fei hurts, hurts so much..."

"It won't hurt, it won't hurt, Second Brother is here. Be good, Little Fei, it's all Second Brother's fault—I came too late. Don't worry, Little Fei, I'll avenge you. I won't let a single one who hurt you go." Rowan Skyvault gently kneaded the back of Sienna's neck. As she relaxed, he knocked her out with a swift motion. Even as she lost consciousness, Sienna was still crying out in pain.

Held in Nolan Dongling's arms, Serena Feng watched Rowan Skyvault's iron-blooded tenderness—the pain and indulgence on his face—and, for some reason, suddenly felt a pang of envy toward Sienna.

She too wanted an older brother—someone who would love her unconditionally, scold her when she caused trouble, but always clean up the mess without complaint.

Sienna's lawlessness wasn't without reason—she had a powerful father and capable brothers, all of whom spoiled her unconditionally, never asking for reasons.

"Woman, take back that look in your eyes." Serena's gaze at Rowan Skyvault was too heated; Nolan Dongling finally couldn't stand it and tightened his hold on her.

Serena quickly averted her gaze, feigning a sigh but actually explaining, "Having an older brother is really nice."

"Nice? What's so nice? Brothers are all people who want your life." Nolan Dongling retorted sourly, clearly displeased with the way Serena looked at Rowan Skyvault.

That was the difference between Serena Feng and Nolan Dongling. Both were children starved of love, but their attitudes toward family could not have been more different.

Nolan Dongling was born into the imperial clan, accustomed to its ruthless coldness. He'd long since given up hope—he knew early on not to expect love from family. Anyone with his blood was either plotting to kill him or to use him.

But Serena Feng wasn't like that. She still hoped—hoped that somewhere in this world, a close relative would love her, care for her, and give her a sense of belonging.

Hearing Nolan's words, Serena retorted, "That's only true in the imperial clan. In ordinary families, it's not like that."

Serena firmly believed that if her parents were still alive, and if she had siblings, she wouldn't fight over wealth or power with them, no matter how much there was.

"Hmph, that's only because the temptation isn't enough. With enough temptation, even your closest kin will stab you in the back." If his royal brother hadn't climbed up over his siblings' corpses, how could he have seized the throne?

"Not everyone cares about power." At least, she felt that a normal home was far more worth fighting for than any so-called empire; what use did she have for a vast kingdom all to herself?

"True, some people don't care about power—but that doesn't mean you can avoid fighting. Do you understand what 'no choice' means? With that birth, in that position, it's not up to you. Sometimes, not fighting means death. If you want to live, you have to fight, have to climb to the top, because no one will believe you don't want it." Nolan Dongling and Serena Feng chatted about these complicated things as if no one else were there, completely ignoring Rowan Skyvault and Sienna.

At first, Rowan Skyvault watched them with amusement, thinking the pair were fools. But as time passed, he realized he was the fool—they hadn't spared him a glance. Worse, the longer he stayed, the greater the danger to Sienna.

Cunning!

This man and woman were actually using conversation to distract him. Furious, Rowan Skyvault drew his blade, but before he could act, the archers—without waiting for Nolan Dongling's command—had already nocked arrows, aiming straight at him...