The victory banquet that night was grand, which meant lots of people, lots of things happening, and plenty of chances for trouble.
Halfway through the banquet, Charlotte Chu's dress accidentally got stained with soup. A palace maid took her to a side hall to change, but somehow, just as she was half-undressed, Prince Jason barged in and ended up in a full embrace with her.
As luck would have it, a guard searching for Prince Jason walked in on the scene. The commotion that followed...
So, by the end of the night, everyone at the banquet knew about this scandalous episode. When the Emperor arrived, Charlotte Chu had already redressed, but there was no undoing what had happened.
At this point, Charlotte Chu had no choice but to marry Prince Jason, whether she wanted to or not. The Emperor declared on the spot that Eastlyn would take responsibility and would never let Charlotte's reputation be tarnished.
Lord Harold Chu and Charlotte Chu looked deathly pale, but had to force a smile and thank him. Adrian Dongling's gaze was dark and hostile toward Prince Jason. As for Prince Jason? He was so drunk he was completely out of it—whatever happiness he might feel would have to wait until he sobered up.
The banquet wasn’t even over before news of the engagement spread. Serena Feng heard about it soon after. When Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan came to see her, before he could ask about the assassination attempt, she cut in first: "How did you manage to push Prince Jason and Charlotte Chu together?"
In her view, those two were an utterly impossible match.
"With the Crown Prince gone, Adrian dominates alone. If Jason wants to compete for the throne, how could I, as his uncle, not help him?" Nolan Dongling put on a face of pure impartiality—anyone who didn’t know better would be completely fooled.
"Keep pretending. I think you set things up and just let Prince Jason snatch the advantage." Serena Feng said bluntly, her disdainful look making Nolan Dongling distinctly annoyed.
Annoyed, Nolan Dongling let slip something about Liancastle, subtly hinting at Prince Terrence Valen’s ambitions.
Now Serena Feng understood everything: If Prince Jason married Charlotte Chu, not only would Adrian Dongling be upset, but Prince Terrence Valen would also be thrown off balance.
He’d gone through hell and back, racking his brains and leading troops to Liancastle, yet still might not win it. But Eastlyn just dangled a princess’s hand in marriage and won over Chu City in one move. When Prince Terrence Valen found out, he’d be furious.
"Does Liancastle belong to you?" Serena Feng asked, testing him.
"Why would you think that?" Nolan Dongling didn’t deny it, just seemed surprised Serena Feng had made the connection.
"There are plenty of people more suitable for Charlotte Chu than Prince Jason, but you picked him. You don’t care about the imperial power struggle, and if you wanted to help Jason compete, you have plenty of ways to give him leverage—there’s no need to push Charlotte Chu into his arms." Serena Feng’s tone was certain, showing she was confident in her reasoning.
Seeing Serena Feng speak so confidently, Nolan Dongling grew interested and asked, "What does that have to do with Liancastle being mine?"
"Of course it matters. You just brought up Liancastle and sounded worried. That tells me Liancastle means something special to you. And then there’s the Snowbrew—only you can get it. Connecting the dots, it’s obvious what your relationship to Liancastle is." Only Serena Feng could get Nolan Dongling to reveal this much; with anyone else, he wouldn’t have shown even a hint.
"So I gave myself away," Nolan Dongling said with a self-mocking smile, showing no sign of annoyance. He didn’t mind laying his cards on the table for Serena Feng.
"Not entirely. The fact that you handed such a valuable chip as Charlotte Chu to Prince Jason is strange enough. I just joked about someone else picking the fruit, but you said no—so I had to think carefully. You’re not usually one to coddle your juniors." Serena Feng couldn’t resist teasing Nolan Dongling, even now.
Nolan Dongling holds a high rank in the royal family, but he's still young—no one really sees him as an elder.
"When have I ever not doted on my juniors?" Nolan Dongling knocked Serena Feng lightly on the head. Seeing her smug look, he added, "Don't forget, you're my junior too. I dote on you plenty."
Nolan Dongling deliberately emphasized the word "dote," and when Serena Feng met his suggestive gaze, she blushed and kicked him hard.
Nolan Dongling leaned aside, so Serena Feng missed and stumbled, losing her balance and falling right into his arms.
He took the chance to pull her close, teasing, "What’s this? Can’t wait for me to dote on you?" Only with Serena Feng could he relax like this.
"Shut up." Serena Feng twisted out of his arms, her face so red it looked like she’d put on three layers of rouge.
Nolan Dongling smiled slightly, dropping the teasing and letting Serena Feng continue her analysis of why he matched Charlotte Chu with Prince Jason.
After a moment’s thought, Serena Feng said, "Looking at it now, this marriage has plenty of advantages. First, it restrains Adrian Dongling. Second, it satisfies the Emperor’s ambition—once Chu City falls into his hands, he’ll consider himself in control of four cities. Third, it helps protect Liancastle. With Charlotte Chu married into Eastlyn, not only will Prince Terrence Valen be furious, but it’ll make it easy for Eastlyn to mobilize troops from Chu City to Liancastle. Chu City is the closest to Liancastle, and with its army’s support, Prince Terrence Valen won’t be able to take Liancastle any time soon."
"You’re that sure Chu City will send troops to help Liancastle?" Nolan Dongling leaned back, smiling with a hint of admiration—Serena Feng had guessed almost all his plans.
Serena Feng nodded firmly. "Chu City won’t want to, but the Emperor will make them. With the marriage tie, Chu City can’t refuse. We both know the Emperor’s ambition—he’s after the whole realm, and his first step is to bring all Nine Cities under his sway. If Liancastle falls to Prince Terrence Valen, it’ll be hard for the Emperor to get it back.
If Liancastle sends a plea for help, the Emperor will respond—whether for prestige as a great power or to keep the Nine Provinces balanced, he’ll send troops. Chu City’s army can reach Liancastle in a day, and with the marriage, Chu City will agree to lend its forces.
Besides, the Southern Lyn Kingdom won’t just stand by. Night City, Tyre City, Cloud City, and Chu City may be influenced by Eastlyn, but on the surface, their city lords are still in charge—they haven’t lost autonomy. The four-kingdom, nine-city framework hasn’t changed.
If Liancastle falls to Lyndaria, the whole balance will collapse and chaos will follow. Southlyn is broke and can’t afford war, so it’s the most invested in keeping things as they are. If Eastlyn sends troops, Southlyn will too—not to help Liancastle, but to block Prince Terrence Valen.
"You see it clearly. That’s exactly Southlyn’s thinking—they won’t let Lyndaria get it, even if they can’t have it themselves. Neither Eastlyn nor Southlyn will dare take a city outright, because if they do, the other eight will worry they’re next. They’ll unite, and eight or nine cities together are stronger than any single kingdom in the realm."
That’s why the four kingdoms and nine cities have coexisted peacefully for so many years. Even if a kingdom has the strength to attack, it won’t dare—if it takes one city, the others will unite to defend themselves. In the end, both sides would be weakened and only outsiders would profit...
"So I guessed right?" Serena Feng’s beautiful eyes flashed with sly triumph—she was already plotting her next move.