"What do you mean? I don't get it." Serena asked, looking utterly baffled.
What does my birthday have to do with House Lewis?
Prince Nolan's thinking jumps all over the place. Serena might know more than most women, but the twists and turns of officialdom are just too complicated. She only ever figures out the real meaning behind things after they happen.
As for birthdays, Serena has never celebrated one. Growing up an orphan, it never mattered to her; if Prince Nolan hadn’t brought it up, she’d have forgotten she even had a birthday.
The room was dim, but under the faint moonlight, Prince Nolan could just make out Serena's wide-eyed confusion. Imagining her dazed look made him smile. He kindly explained, "For your birthday banquet, I’ll host a grand celebration in Eastmont, inviting all the officials and merchants—except House Lewis."
Every official in Eastmont knows how much Prince Nolan values Serena, so holding a birthday banquet for her is perfectly natural.
"You're trying to flush out House Lewis?" As soon as Prince Nolan mentioned it, Serena understood. In the darkness, her eyes sparkled at him, almost making him lose his composure.
Prince Nolan cleared his throat and said seriously, "That's right, more or less. House Lewis are clever; even if they don’t get it at first, they’ll figure it out. They’d never want to offend me, so they’ll definitely make a move—and once they do, we’ll have our opening."
A dangerous gleam flickered in Prince Nolan’s eyes as he spoke.
He was certain that when House Lewis risked everything to send a Hu beauty into the palace years ago, it wasn’t just to harm General Feng. In the end, General Feng was an innocent victim.
Serena carefully mulled over Prince Nolan’s words, then finally admitted, "Anyone who climbs to the top must have a sharp mind. I’m impressed."
She’d spent ages investigating and thinking, but still couldn’t figure out how to move against House Lewis. Who would’ve thought... Prince Nolan could settle it all with a single birthday banquet.
This move by Prince Nolan not only tells House Lewis that he’s not on friendly terms with them, but also tests the officials and wealthy merchants of Eastmont: once they see Prince Nolan and House Lewis at odds, how will they react?
House Lewis is rich and powerful, but Eastmont isn’t a solid block. Just look at how the Chen family reacted.
The saying 'one stone stirs up a thousand waves' fits perfectly here. Prince Nolan tossed the stone in, but as for what reactions it would cause, he didn’t care at all.
Of course, only Prince Nolan could pull off this move, thanks to his status. Without it, House Lewis wouldn’t even bother with Serena.
"It’s not that I have a sharp mind—it’s that you’ve gotten lazier," Prince Nolan said, though he was secretly pleased. Serena was independent but could also rely on him, which was a good thing. He’d always thought she was too self-reliant; this was much better.
"Not true... It’s just that you’re here. With you around, I don’t need to think about these things. Besides, I prefer more direct methods—like planting explosives and blowing up House Lewis." Serena had even considered this, but decided it wasn’t feasible.
House Lewis has a lot of private troops, and their estate is huge. The explosives might only blow up the outer wall and wouldn’t pose any real threat.
"Murder must answer for murder. You’d better forget that idea. House Lewis aren’t officials—if they die tragically, the commoners will sympathize with them. Then not just you and me, but even the Emperor will face public outrage. Besides, you can’t possibly kill every last member of House Lewis; leaving roots behind is dangerous." House Lewis isn’t like those few official families in the capital—their branches are everywhere, and you can’t kill them all.
Even the Emperor couldn’t wipe out every branch of House Lewis, let alone Serena. Families like theirs always have backup plans and never keep all their members out in the open.
Blowing up House Lewis with a bang would be convenient, but the price is too high. Neither Serena nor Prince Nolan could afford it.
Using violence to fight violence is too crude—and the trouble it brings is endless. Prince Nolan worried Serena might get impatient and do something reckless, so he hinted at his own plans for dealing with House Lewis.
"It’s good to have you around." Hearing that, Serena’s worries vanished. Sleepiness washed over her and she yawned, "I’ll just go along with your plan. It’s late, I’m tired—I’m going to sleep."
With that, she slid under the covers, leaving Prince Nolan alone, not caring whether he could sleep or not.
"Just like that..." Asleep already?
Prince Nolan watched Serena fall asleep so easily and couldn’t help but smile wryly. "She’s really..." Getting more and more willful, but all because he spoiled her.
Prince Nolan smiled helplessly. Serena had teased him, then promptly went to sleep herself.
What an irresponsible little rascal.
Prince Nolan tucked Serena in, and even though he wasn’t the least bit sleepy, he obediently closed his eyes—he couldn’t bear to wake her.
And so...
The next day, Prince Nolan got up late in style—and of course, so did Serena. Luckily, the Blossom Garden staff were well-trained and never gossiped about their masters’ private affairs. But Miles was different...
When Miles saw Prince Nolan and Serena show up late, after waiting hungry all morning, he didn’t hesitate to tease them: "Seriously, you two need to keep it down—this isn’t your own place. Even if you want to do whatever, at least show some restraint! I had to make breakfast four times."
Miles’ meaning was too obvious—even if Serena wanted to play dumb, she couldn’t. She glared at him fiercely and retorted, "If you’ve got food, why can’t it shut you up?"
She and Miles always seemed at odds. Things were fine back in Westlyn, but since coming to Eastlyn, he’d picked on her constantly—especially lately. Serena couldn’t figure out why, and it frustrated her.
"I’d love to eat, but they said Prince Nolan and Lady Serena hadn’t gotten up, so we couldn’t start breakfast." Turns out, that was why Miles was annoyed.
The Blossom Garden staff treated Miles as Prince Nolan’s attendant; if the master hadn’t arrived, they naturally wouldn’t serve breakfast.
Miles’ complaint was pretty clever—but he forgot what kind of person Prince Nolan was. When he heard Miles’ words, Prince Nolan called for the Blossom Garden steward.
Miles thought Prince Nolan would scold the Blossom Garden staff, but instead, Prince Nolan coolly praised them: "Well done. You’ll be rewarded."
"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness. It’s just what I should do." The steward had never met a prince before and was nervous, but Prince Nolan turned out to be cold-faced yet kind-hearted. Instead of blaming him, he rewarded him. The steward was so excited, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
"You may rise. You did well today. From now on, whenever this happens, follow today’s rules." Prince Nolan said calmly, giving Blossom Garden a warning—and neatly countering Miles’ teasing.
"Why? That’s just not fair!" Miles was fuming. Wasn’t this just bullying?
He protested miserably.
Unfortunately, Prince Nolan ignored Miles’ protest and pointed at his untouched breakfast: "Young Master Zuo has eaten his fill. Take his breakfast away."
"Yes, sir."
"Hey, I..." I haven’t even eaten yet!
"Excuse me, Young Master Zuo." The steward stepped forward, ignoring Miles’ furious glare, and decisively took away his breakfast.
Serena felt completely satisfied. If Miles bullied her again, she’d just go to Prince Nolan...