With a loud "bang," Nolan Dongling, the Ninth Royal Uncle, kicked the door open. The battered door burst a gaping hole, swaying precariously on its hinges, creaking as if it might collapse at any moment.
Inside the room, Serena froze for a moment before reacting. By the moonlight, she saw clearly who had come, and exclaimed in surprise, "Nolan Dongling? Why are you here?"
"If I hadn't come now, you might've suffocated yourself in here." Nolan Dongling couldn't see Serena's face clearly, but just by her voice, he could tell how drained she was.
"I..." Serena stepped forward, wanting to explain, but as soon as she moved, she lost her balance and pitched forward.
Nolan Dongling was startled and quickly rushed forward to catch Serena. "Careful."
Serena collapsed into Nolan's arms, making no effort to stand up. Her limbs were limp, her face streaked with tears, and she only murmured, "I've been standing too long, feeling a bit dizzy."
"Hmph... Looks to me like you're just punishing yourself." Nolan Dongling was thoroughly annoyed. He scooped Serena up and placed her on the bed, then barked at the servants outside, "Why are you all just standing there? Can't you see your mistress isn't well? Hurry up and come serve her!"
"Yes, sir." Spring and Autumn—the two maids—cursed their luck inwardly. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to come in, it was that they were afraid to.
Nolan Dongling didn't like having women serve him, so they usually wouldn't dare get close.
But with Ninth Royal Uncle's order, Spring and Autumn had no choice but to brace themselves and enter. The first thing they did was light the lamps in the room.
With the room now brightly lit, Nolan Dongling could finally see just how wretched Serena looked. Her face was ghostly pale, her eyes rimmed with red, her hair a tangled mess, tear tracks and water stains marking her cheeks, her clothes smeared and dirty.
Serena happened to be wearing a light-colored outfit today; any water stains were glaringly obvious, even after they dried. The marks on her face were probably from wet hair plastered to her skin, or the lingering streaks of tears.
"Look at you—grown woman, yet you look like a dirty, tear-streaked little cat. Filthy and a mess." Seeing Serena so pitiful, Nolan Dongling couldn't even bring himself to stay angry.
Spring and Autumn did their best to make themselves invisible, bringing in clean water and setting out fresh clothes for Serena. The two maids then dashed out as fast as they could.
At least those two maids knew when to be discreet.
Nolan wet a cloth and carefully wiped Serena’s face and hands clean, then tucked her loose hair back behind her ears.
After a quick cleanup, Serena finally looked human again, no longer the pitiful, dirty little cat Nolan had found.
That bit of fussing seemed to revive Serena. Facing Nolan Dongling’s frosty gaze, she felt embarrassed and ducked her head.
"Now you realize it's embarrassing? What were you thinking before?" Nolan Dongling wasn’t about to let Serena off easy, his words sharp as ever.
"I..." Serena mumbled, not knowing what to say.
Nolan Dongling pulled up a chair and sat down. "Speak. What's going on with you now? Is it all because of Daniel Sun's death—are you blaming yourself?"
Nolan Dongling knew Serena all too well.
"He died because of me," Serena said, her voice thick with grief, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"So what? Plenty of people have died because of you. If you insist on blaming yourself for every one, you might as well spend your whole life stuck in guilt and regret." Nolan Dongling was especially hot-tempered today.
He was furious that Serena was treating her own body so recklessly.
"It's not the same. Daniel Sun isn't like the others."
Nolan Dongling sneered, mocking her. "What's so different? It's still a human life. Just because he's Simon Sun's father, he gets special treatment?"
"Are you telling me you believe all lives are equal?" Serena didn't answer, but threw the question back at him.
"No. I’ve never believed all lives are equal. But I do believe everyone only gets one life." Equality? What a joke. Born royal, Nolan Dongling had more than ordinary people from the start—how could there be equality?
"Exactly. Everyone only gets one life. But I don’t care about every person’s life or death. If someone I barely know dies, I might say a word of regret, but if it’s family or someone close, I’ll grieve." Even as a doctor, after seeing so much life and death, you still can’t escape this truth.
Nolan Dongling wasn’t in the mood for philosophy. He just asked, "So you want to take responsibility for Daniel Sun’s death?"
"He’s already gone. What could I possibly do? Even if I died now, it wouldn’t bring him back." She just felt guilty—she’d let Simon down. If not for her...
Simon wouldn’t have lost his parents.
"As if you didn’t know. Daniel Sun is dead—nothing you do can change that. What you should be doing isn’t blaming yourself, but finding the killer. Until you know who did it, how can you say it’s your fault?" Even though he knew the cause, Nolan Dongling wouldn’t reveal it.
"When Daniel Sun quietly left the capital, maybe he’d already offended the wrong people. He entrusted Simon to you, and you’ve cared for him—that’s more than enough." In Nolan Dongling’s eyes, even if Daniel Sun died because of Serena, it wasn’t really her fault. That was just his fate.
Serena took Simon in as her apprentice and cared for him—that was already a kindness to the Sun family.
Uh... Serena was stunned. Maybe Nolan Dongling had a point.
Why did Daniel Sun leave without a word back then? What happened to him?
Nolan Dongling saw Serena lost in thought and interrupted her. "Stop dwelling on it. I’ll have someone bring you food, eat and get some rest. As for who sent Daniel Sun’s head to Phoenix Manor, I’ll find out. I’ll also check on Simon."
If Serena listened closely, she’d notice Nolan Dongling never said he’d investigate Daniel Sun’s death—only who sent his head to Phoenix Manor.
But... Serena’s thoughts were a jumble. She didn’t really hear what Nolan Dongling said, only nodded obediently. Nolan Dongling didn’t give her a chance to ask more—he said a few words, then left.
He left in a hurry; it was obvious Nolan Dongling was busy.
The Phoenix Manor servants were sharp—they hid as soon as Nolan Dongling appeared, afraid he’d lose his temper and kick one of them.
When Nolan Dongling found Simon Sun, no one knew what they talked about. The servants only saw Simon standing in a daze at the door after sending Nolan Dongling off, looking utterly devastated.
To Simon Sun, Nolan Dongling’s words really were a blow. And the more he thought about his father, the more he believed what Nolan Dongling said.
If that was true, then his master wasn’t a master anymore—she’d be his mistress instead?
Simon Sun lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling...
The news was just too overwhelming—Simon Sun couldn’t handle it. He needed time to think.
Simon Sun’s silence was a relief to the hidden guards watching him.
After talking to Simon Sun about the Phoenixfield heiress and the Sun family, Nolan Dongling ordered the guards to keep watch. He was afraid Simon wouldn’t be able to handle the shock, might do something foolish, or run off to confront Serena.
When the guards reported that Simon Sun was just lying in bed in a daze, Nolan Dongling nodded in satisfaction.
Daniel Sun’s son might be a bit naive and not very strong, but he was a good person. Daniel Sun had raised him well. Not inheriting the Sun family’s burdens was a blessing for Simon...