Prince Nolan's face was expressionless, his dark eyes as deep and unreadable as ever, betraying no hint of emotion. Even his hands moved just as usual—so gentle, it was almost suffocating.
This side of Prince Nolan...
It was just... way, way, way too normal. So normal, it felt wrong.
Any ordinary man, hearing something like this, would be furious—even if he didn't explode, he'd at least be seething. Prince Nolan's calm is honestly terrifying.
Could it be that Prince Nolan is actually furious?
Serena was panicking now—really panicking. She trusted that Prince Nolan wasn't an ordinary man, but she still worried that his rage might drive him to make decisions that hurt both of them.
No, no, no... Prince Nolan wouldn't think she's unchaste or impure because of this, would he? Would he really leave her over something like this? If he did, she'd be devastated.
She could accept it if Prince Nolan left her because he didn't love her, but she absolutely couldn't accept being abandoned out of disgust. That reason was just too much for her to bear.
Serena forced herself to stay calm, half joking, half serious as she tested him: "Prince Nolan, honesty earns leniency, resistance brings severity. I confess, everything—I haven't hidden a single thing. If you find even one lie in what I've said, I'll accept any punishment. Please, since I've been so good, don't be mad at me."
Prince Nolan remained unmoved. Serena kept trying, rubbing her head against his palm...
"Prince Nolan, even the ancients said: 'When a sister-in-law is drowning, it's right for her brother-in-law to save her.' It was an emergency—I did what I had to do. You can't be angry at me for that, and you can't leave me over it. Since I haven't hidden anything from you, please, be magnanimous and forgive me just this once. I'm begging you, please..."
A faint, elusive smile hovered on Prince Nolan's lips. His deep eyes fixed on Serena, silent, giving nothing away.
Seeing even this couldn't move Prince Nolan, Serena was about to burst into tears.
No, no, no... Back when she woke up outside the city in nothing but a sheer veil, Prince Nolan hadn't despised her. He wouldn't despise her now, right? He was probably just angry. If he was only angry, that meant there was still room to talk.
Serena's beautiful eyes were full of worry and unease. She clenched her fists under her chin, her big eyes blinking and blinking, trying her hardest to look cute and win Prince Nolan over.
"Prince Nolan, please, please, just forgive me this once, okay? Just this once, all right? Prince Nolan, I'm begging you, please don't be mad at me. When you're angry with me, my heart feels suffocated, like there's a stone pressing on it and I can't breathe.
Prince Nolan, if you're really mad, you can yell at me, hit me, whatever—just don't ignore me. If you ignore me, I can't take it. How about this: forgiving me isn't free. This time, I'll owe you. If you ever make me mad in the future, I'll forgive you once, no matter how big the issue.
Serena looked pained—she was willing to give up all her dignity just to cheer Prince Nolan up. Before he could even respond, she kept backing down, offering him all sorts of conditions to make it up to him.
Finally, after Serena made a whole string of promises, Prince Nolan withdrew his gaze and nodded. "All right. I believe you. This time, I forgive you."
Prince Nolan's voice was sincere, with no trace of condescension or magnanimity. Serena knew then that he truly didn't mind and had genuinely forgiven her.
Serena was so happy she nearly jumped up, throwing her arms around Prince Nolan’s neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Prince Nolan, you’re amazing—I like you so much!”
Boom—Prince Nolan’s ears flushed red. He pressed his lips together, silent, secretly congratulating himself for being so wise. Yes, this version of Serena was definitely the cutest.
"Ah—" Overexcited, Serena accidentally tugged at her wound and cried out in pain. Prince Nolan quickly steadied her, keeping her from moving around. "Stay put. Don’t move."
"Yes, sir, my royal uncle!" Serena was in such a good mood that the pain didn’t bother her much. She gave a playful salute, making Prince Nolan break into a laugh.
Seeing Prince Nolan laugh, Serena grew even happier—and more obedient. When he told her to lie down, she did; when he said he’d put medicine on her, she pushed the medicine over without hesitation, not caring at all that he was treating her like a lab rat.
Prince Nolan nodded in satisfaction, a sly smile curling his lips and glinting in his eyes. Too bad Serena had her back to him and missed it, still secretly delighted that he wasn’t holding the canyon ordeal against her.
If Serena ever found out that Prince Nolan had trusted her all along, never once doubted or got angry, she’d probably be mad enough to bang her head against the wall.
He hadn’t just met Serena yesterday; of course he knew what kind of person she was. Even if he didn’t trust Serena, he trusted his own taste in women. The woman he chose could never be like all the others.
He wasn’t some foolish man, bound by outdated rules about women. He’d never treat Serena as his personal property, never forbid anyone from even glancing at her.
Besides, he knew exactly how important William was to Serena—and he understood her position as a physician. When Serena was saving someone, her mind was completely focused on her patient; she didn’t see anything else, let alone worry about propriety between men and women.
But to say he truly didn’t care—that would be a lie. His woman, sleeping in another man’s arms? If that didn’t bother him at all, he wouldn’t be Prince Nolan.
Still, instead of being angry at Serena, he was angry at himself for not being strong enough to protect his woman, for failing to give her a safe, carefree world.
He minded—he minded that he hadn’t arrived sooner. If he’d gotten there five days earlier, Serena wouldn’t have been trapped at the bottom of the canyon for so long.
But this whole ordeal also made him glad. He was glad that Serena had come to him with everything, that she hadn’t hidden a thing even knowing he’d be upset. That showed trust—and it proved Serena was honest, upright, and bold.
If Serena hadn’t told him, with William’s character, Nolan would never have found out. She could have kept it to herself, but she chose to tell him—that meant she trusted him, believed he could understand.
Nothing is more important than trust between them!
Prince Nolan was in a great mood. Looking at Serena’s wound, he felt no anger. He picked up the medicine and started cleaning her injury. Just as he finished with her waist, the sound of carriage wheels came from outside the tent, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
Here, the only one with injured legs was William. If William dared show up now, he couldn’t blame Nolan for being harsh.
Just because he wasn’t angry at Serena over what happened in the canyon didn’t mean he wasn’t angry at William. Besides, Serena was only hurt because of William. If anyone had to pay for this, it would be him.
Step one in settling accounts: make sure William knows Serena is a woman he can never, ever covet.
Prince Nolan set down the medicine bottle and pressed his fingertip to Serena’s wound.
"Mmm..." Serena whimpered in pain, her voice tinged with accusation.
Screech—the carriage wheels outside the tent came to a sudden halt.
Perfect.
Prince Nolan was very pleased with the result. He leaned down and gave Serena a soothing kiss, then picked up the medicine bottle and continued treating her—only this time, he pressed harder.
"Mmm... it hurts, Prince Nolan, be gentle—it really hurts."
...