A woman who can stand firm in the imperial palace relies not only on her family background, but also on her own skills—skills that must never be underestimated. Serena Feng had always thought her own heart was cold and ruthless enough, but compared to Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh, she realized her own means were nothing worth mentioning.
When she told Imperial Noble Consort Helena, "Your Highness, the child in your womb is a prince, but your body seems weakened, which may affect the little prince’s health,"
Helena asked bluntly, "What are the chances of giving birth to a healthy prince?"
When Helena learned it was only seventy percent, she immediately ordered Serena to prepare medicine to abort the child.
"Your Highness, if you abort this child, your chances of conceiving again will be zero," Serena said coldly.
She’d always believed mothers were inherently great. Even when her own mother abandoned her at birth, Serena convinced herself there must have been a reason.
But seeing Helena Hsieh calculating the value of her unborn child so coldly, Serena finally understood—not all mothers truly love their children. Sometimes, to a mother, a child is nothing but a tool.
No matter how many excuses she made for her own mother, it didn’t change the fact that she’d been treated as a tool—and discarded when she was no longer useful.
In her past life, her family history was a classic melodrama: the secretary seduced a married tycoon, got pregnant, and ran off to the countryside to have the baby.
When she saw her newborn was a girl, her mother was disappointed but still brought her to the tycoon’s home—only to be flatly rejected. Even with a paternity test, he wouldn’t acknowledge her, just handed her mother a wad of cash and told her to get lost.
Her mother dumped her at an orphanage, took the money, changed her name, and disappeared overseas.
Serena hadn’t thought about her past life or her origins in ages, but Helena’s actions today brought it all back unexpectedly.
After leaving the palace, Serena’s mood was low and listless, a nameless sadness hanging over her as if the whole world had abandoned her.
That night, when Nolan Dongling showed up at Serena’s small courtyard in the western district, she barely reacted. She lifted her eyelids and greeted him calmly: "Greetings, Ninth Royal Uncle."
"Mm." What was wrong with Serena tonight? Had she really been mistreated in the palace during the day?
Nolan’s brows furrowed slightly. He hadn’t heard of Serena suffering at the hands of the Empress or Helena Hsieh—could she be worried about the upcoming contest?
...Thinking this, Nolan felt a twinge of guilt. He sat opposite Serena in silence, quietly keeping her company, hoping her mood would improve.
"Ninth Royal Uncle? Did you need something?" Nolan hadn’t spoken for a while, so Serena forced herself to perk up and deal with him. She really wasn’t in the mood for his company tonight and only wanted to send him away quickly.
"Mm." Nolan nodded. "How is the Second Prince’s prosthetic coming along?" He’d meant to ask, "Why are you unhappy?" but at the last moment, the words changed to this instead.
"Everything’s going smoothly. Tell the Second Prince not to worry—there won’t be any problems on my end." So it was about that. Serena couldn’t hide her disappointment; tonight she was fragile, and even small things made her feel worse.
Nolan said nothing, just gently stroked Serena’s back, soothing her.
Ahem. He didn’t know how to comfort people, but he remembered that when he was sad as a child, his master would gently pat his back. It always made him feel a little better.
Neither of them spoke; the room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Serena lay in Nolan’s arms, thinking about many things—her past life, her present…
And as she thought, she couldn’t help but cry…
Nolan held her silently, letting her cry as long as she needed. He didn’t ask, didn’t comfort—just let her be.
Serena’s tears soaked into his robe, but Nolan didn’t move away. He simply wrapped his arms tighter around her, shielding her from the world.
After a long while, Serena’s sobs faded. She took a deep breath and quietly wiped her face on Nolan’s sleeve.
Nolan didn’t mind. He just kept holding her, his touch gentle and steady.
Finally, Serena straightened up and looked at Nolan, her eyes red but clear.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice hoarse from crying.
Nolan met her gaze, his expression still calm, but his eyes held a rare gentleness.
“You don’t have to thank me,” he replied. “You can lean on me whenever you want.”
Serena smiled faintly. For the first time in a long while, she felt truly comforted.
She didn’t say anything more, just nestled against Nolan, letting the silence heal her.
Outside, the night deepened. Inside, all was quiet and warm.
For this moment, Serena allowed herself to be vulnerable. Tomorrow, she would be strong again.
Nolan kept watch over her, unmoving, as if guarding the most precious treasure.
Serena closed her eyes, letting exhaustion and comfort lull her toward sleep.
Tonight, nothing else mattered. Tomorrow, she would face the world again.
But for now, she just wanted to borrow Nolan’s shoulder—just for tonight.
Nolan didn’t refuse her. He just held her quietly, until the first light of dawn crept into the room.
Serena woke in his arms, her heart steadier than before.
She had borrowed his strength for one night. Now, she was ready to face everything again.
End of Chapter 393.