Did I see that right?
Prince Nolan actually fell to the ground?
No, wait—did Prince Nolan actually get knocked down by Miss Feng?
The guards all stared wide-eyed, then, as if on cue, started rubbing their eyes. But no matter how much they rubbed or blinked, it didn’t change the fact that Prince Nolan was lying flat on the ground.
“Did I… did I come out the wrong way?” The adviser stepped forward to greet Prince Nolan, only to see him sprawled on the ground, staring in shock at Serena Feng.
Too fierce. He’d followed Prince Nolan for nearly ten years, and this was the first time he’d ever seen anyone take Prince Nolan down—let alone a woman.
He decided that from today on, the person he admired most would be Serena Feng. Anyone who could take down Prince Nolan was no ordinary person.
Forget the guards—even Prince Nolan couldn’t believe it. He’d actually been knocked down by Serena Feng, by a so-called frail woman.
This world is just too unbelievable!
The whole place fell silent—you could even hear people breathing. After the shock wore off, the guards all, as if on silent agreement, looked up at the sky, pretending not to have seen anything...
They saw nothing—please, don’t punish them.
The only one who stayed calm was Serena Feng. After knocking Prince Nolan down, she stood by the carriage as if nothing had happened, and kindly reminded him, "Not getting up?"
"Getting up." Prince Nolan wiped the shock from his face, looked at Serena Feng with a blank expression, his eyes almost speaking—asking her to help him up.
Serena reflexively reached out, only to realize halfway what she was doing and quickly drew her hand back. Putting on a stern face, she scolded the guards: "Why are you all just standing there? Didn’t you see Prince Nolan fall? Go help him up, now."
"Ah... yes." The guards knew they couldn’t escape this, so they put on bitter faces and dragged their feet, silently praying that Prince Nolan wouldn’t take it out on them.
Hmph... Like master, like servant. Every single one of them is an expert at playing dumb. Serena shot Prince Nolan a glare and strode straight inside.
"Your Highness..." The guards couldn’t stall any longer. Heads bowed, half-squatting beside Prince Nolan, they huddled together, desperately trying to make themselves invisible, wishing he wouldn’t notice them.
"Mm." Prince Nolan’s voice was utterly flat, betraying no emotion. Ignoring the guards’ helping hands, he got up from the ground by himself.
It hadn’t been a hard fall. He’d stayed on the ground not because he was hurt, but because he couldn’t believe Serena Feng had actually knocked him down. It only sank in once he hit the floor.
When did his guard get so lax? If Serena Feng had wanted to kill him just now, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Maybe he only lets his guard down around Serena Feng.
Prince Nolan gave a self-mocking smile, didn’t bother brushing the dust off, shook his head, and headed inside. As he passed the adviser, he paused: "One month’s pay docked. The rest of you—carry a hundred pounds and run three laps around the moat."
Daring to watch him make a fool of himself—their nerves must be getting bold.
"Yes, Your Highness." The adviser kept his head low, not daring to let Prince Nolan see him trying to hold back a laugh.
The adviser was deeply relieved the guards were smart enough not to attack Serena Feng. If they’d laid a hand on her, their punishment would’ve been much worse.
He prayed to the heavens: please, let this never happen again.
Even though the servants at Ninth Prince Manor were tight-lipped, the story of Prince Nolan getting knocked flat by Serena Feng couldn’t be kept secret. In less than half a day, it was all over the Southlyn capital.
Prince Damien’s pale face actually showed a rare flush. "What a shame—I didn’t get to see it myself."
Princess Vivian’s rosy cheeks instantly lost all color. She gritted her teeth, "Serena made Prince Nolan lose so much face, and he doesn’t even blame her?"
"Is that even embarrassing? Prince Nolan’s lost even more face back in Eastlyn because of Serena Feng. An uncle stealing his nephew’s wife—he’s the biggest scandal in the Eastlyn imperial family." Prince Damien licked his lips, a wicked glint in his narrow eyes. "Vivian, if you plan carefully, marrying into Ninth Prince Manor isn’t difficult. Prince Nolan may favor Serena, but he’ll never marry her."
"Thank you, Brother. I understand." Princess Vivian, no matter how unwilling, didn’t dare show it.
The siblings huddled together, plotting how to scheme against Prince Nolan.
Ever since Prince Nolan’s fall outside the door, the atmosphere in the villa had turned strange. The servants kept their heads down, walked more quietly than usual, and took extra care with every little task. Whenever Prince Nolan appeared, they scattered, terrified of upsetting him.
Prince Nolan didn’t explain, nor did he seem any colder than usual. He had someone bring water, took another bath, and came out looking refreshed.
If the servants had dared to look up, they’d have noticed Prince Nolan’s expression was softer than usual.
Getting to see Serena Feng in Southlyn—even being knocked down by her at the door—didn’t dampen Prince Nolan’s spirits. In fact, the fact that Serena could take him down just proved she could defend herself, which only made him happy, not angry.
As for losing face? That was between him and Serena Feng. As long as they were happy, what did it matter what others thought?
But the servants couldn’t read Prince Nolan’s true feelings. Once Serena calmed down, she realized she’d gone too far at the door and immediately retreated to her room, cheeks burning with embarrassment, unable to face him at all.
A trace of a smile flickered in Prince Nolan’s eyes. He told the staff to take good care of Serena Feng, then headed to his study to deal with paperwork.
Tonight, he finally wouldn’t have to sleep alone.
Serena Feng kept avoiding him—even had dinner in her room. Prince Nolan raised an eyebrow, ate his meal at a leisurely pace, then took a stroll in the courtyard.
Whether on purpose or not, Prince Nolan’s walk kept him near Serena’s room. He circled outside several times but never went in.
Not until it was pitch dark did Prince Nolan finally head toward her room. He’d only taken a few steps when a shadow guard emerged from the corner, knelt on one knee before him: "Your Highness, Miss Feng is carrying a food box toward the study."
Prince Nolan gave the shadow guard an approving look, calmly turned around, and took a different route to the study—using a martial artist's swift movement to get there ahead of Serena Feng.
"His Highness is so awkward. Why doesn’t he just say what he means?" The shadow guard shook his head, baffled.
"His Highness has always been like this—this isn’t your first day. He never says things directly, always makes people guess. If you guess right, you’re fine. If you guess wrong, you’re doomed." The guard who’d just reported wiped cold sweat from his brow. "I was terrified he’d get angry and blame me for meddling."
"Don’t get cocky. I saw it clearly—His Highness was happy just now. You did well." The first guard said, secretly envying his colleague’s courage.
"I was gambling either way—live or die, it all depended on His Highness. Luckily, I guessed right this time." Despite his words, the pride in the guard’s eyes was obvious.
"Don’t worry. His Highness isn’t angry—he’s in a great mood. We’ll probably get rewarded later." The guard thought of the adviser whose pay was docked and the guards ordered to run laps, and sighed: life really is wonderful.