Marry You? No One Dares Without My Consent

After drinking Snowbrew, all other wines tasted bland. Once the Snowbrew was finished, no one continued drinking; Nolan didn’t urge the guests to drink more, and when the banquet ended, everyone remained clear-headed.

Everyone had already planned to spend the night at Nolan’s Suburban Villa, so the arrangements were made early: Prince Terrence and Princess Yara of Lyndaria shared a courtyard, Prince Quentin of Northlyn and Su Wan each had their own, and every courtyard was guarded by their own attendants.

Thinking of Nolan’s arrangements, both Prince Terrence and Prince Quentin could only admit they were flawless. On the surface, everything was perfectly aboveboard—no one could find a single fault. Only with their own guards posted did they feel truly secure.

Once everyone was settled, Nolan simply said, “Suit yourselves,” and vanished.

With such a rare opportunity, of course no one would go to bed early. This was the perfect chance for probing each other and discussing alliances—anyone with sense wouldn’t miss it.

Serena Feng yawned out of boredom—political games like these had little to do with her, so...

Serena slipped away quietly when no one was paying attention to her.

Nolan’s Suburban Villa was huge—even Serena had her own private courtyard. As soon as she arrived, the two maids sent by William Wang Jinling came to greet her.

The two maids, clearly professionally trained, said nothing about her clothes. They expertly removed her hair ornaments, helped her bathe and change, making Serena feel for a moment as if she were back at Feng Manor.

Serena let out another delicate yawn. Once her long hair was dried, she waved the maids away, ready to sleep.

Tonight had been one shock after another—first nerve-wracking, then anxious, then restless. Serena had truly had enough; the moment she hit the bed, she fell asleep.

She thought she’d finally get a good night’s rest, but in the middle of the night she was startled awake again by a strange noise. Serena’s eyes flew open on instinct, only to find…

The lamps in the room were lit, and Nolan was sitting right across from her.

"Nolan?" Serena was so startled she almost rolled off the bed. Hugging her quilt, she patted her chest to calm her racing heart and shot Nolan a glare.

Did he have to scare her like that? She’d been startled so many times lately she was getting jumpy—at this rate, she’d die of fright sooner or later.

“You’ve got guts, sleeping so soundly in someone else’s place.” Nolan picked up a cup of cold tea and drank it, his gaze gentlemanly lowered, not looking at Serena on the bed.

Although he’d held her before, that was in the dark. Now, with the room brightly lit, Nolan kept his manners—or perhaps, respected Serena.

“This is your villa, Nolan. Prince Terrence of Lyndaria, Prince Quentin of Northlyn, Su Wan of Southern Lyn, William Wang Jinling, and Eastlyn’s Crown Prince are all sleeping here. If they dare sleep, why shouldn’t I? Compared to them, I’m nothing—if assassins come, they’ll go for the big fish first.” Serena dragged the quilt up to her chin, wrapping herself tightly.

“No wonder you got schemed against before. You really are naïve.” Nolan shot Serena a mocking look, then stood up, pulled a bundle from behind him, and tossed it to her. “Put this on. I’ll wait outside.”

With that, he walked out, not forgetting to close the door for Serena—a perfect gentleman.

What did he mean by that? He never explained anything. Serena pursed her lips—Nolan ignored her completely, so she had no choice but to obediently put on the clothes and roughly fix her hair.

Opening the door, she saw Nolan standing in the center of the courtyard. His tall, slender figure under the moonlight looked as graceful as a bamboo stalk—elegant and striking.

People really can’t be compared—he had both background and presence. Even if she had a silhouette, it couldn’t compare to his.

"Nolan." Serena called softly. Nolan turned, saw her outfit, and nodded in satisfaction. "Come with me."

"Where to?" Serena had to jog to keep up with Nolan’s pace.

"Just follow me. I’m not going to sell you off." Nolan snorted and sped up. Serena had no choice but to catch up, muttering as she ran, "I really am afraid of being sold—if I get sent to Lyndaria as Prince Terrence’s concubine, I’d rather just die."

Serena’s voice was quiet, but Nolan still caught it. He frowned, then suddenly stopped and turned. "What, are you afraid of being sent off for a marriage alliance?"

Thud—Serena hadn’t expected Nolan to stop so abruptly. She crashed right into him, her momentum throwing her into his arms. Her nose smacked into his chin, and the pain made her tear up. "Ow, that hurts."

Serena didn’t realize that, when facing Nolan, she unconsciously acted spoiled. Instinctively, she saw Nolan as invincible—someone who could do anything, someone she could rely on.

"Are you always like this? Not watching where you’re going?" Nolan had braced himself at the impact—his steps steady, but his upper body rocked back. Instinctively, he almost shoved her away.

He hated physical contact, but when he realized it was Serena, Nolan stopped himself. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close. Seeing her swollen, red nose, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Embarrassed and annoyed, Serena glared at Nolan. "What do you mean, not watching where I’m going? It’s only because—"

"Because what?" Nolan cut her off before she could finish. His eyes held a faint threat, so Serena swallowed her complaint and changed it to, "It’s just too dark—I was distracted." By the end, her voice was barely a whisper.

It felt awful to take all the blame herself.

"Distracted? What for? Are you really that afraid Prince Terrence will pick you as a consort?" Serena had already steadied herself, but Nolan didn’t let go. She didn’t notice how intimate their posture was, or how their shadows on the wall were intertwined.

Serena nodded sullenly. "Yes. I don’t want to be someone’s concubine, and I especially don’t want to be married off to Lyndaria. I like my life the way it is now."

She was already fed up with how this world treated women. Hearing William Wang Jinling’s words had nearly pushed her over the edge. She knew that, no matter how capable she was, she couldn’t fight a whole country. But to just accept her fate? No way.

"William told you?" Nolan was sure Serena couldn’t have figured this out on her own.

"Yes." Serena felt a little aggrieved—why hadn’t Nolan told her something so important?

If he’d told her sooner, she could have made plans. Worst case, she could have run away—she was sure her medical skills would be enough to survive on her own.

"You..." Nolan flicked Serena’s forehead hard, leaving it red on the spot. Serena clutched her forehead, too frustrated to speak, just staring at Nolan with a wounded look…