Holding Grudges Is This Prince’s Best Trait
Nolan was always careful and considerate. Knowing Serena still had things to handle the next day, he made sure she wouldn’t be exhausted. After a night of warmth together, Serena woke early, feeling refreshed and energetic—no trace of fatigue at all. Nolan, meanwhile, had already left for court at dawn.
Stretching lazily, Serena rolled twice across the bed with the blanket wrapped around her before finally getting up, taking her time and not rushing at all.
Her dark hair spilled over her waist, silk nightgown hanging loosely on her body. As she moved, faint purple kiss marks appeared on her collarbone, giving her a subtle, alluring look.
Serena glanced at herself, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. She quickly grabbed the clothes beside her and dressed. Only after tidying herself up did she allow the maids to enter and help.
Because Spring and the other main maids were busy tending to Feng Jin, the girls serving Serena now were all newly trained by Spring—fresh faces, but attentive and eager to please.
"How’s Little Feng Jin doing?" Serena asked, rinsing her mouth with water.
"Replying to Miss Serena, Little Feng Jin’s fever has gone down. He had a small bowl of rice porridge this morning." The junior maid answered nervously, her voice trembling a little.
Serena nodded, ate a quick breakfast, and went to check on Feng Jin herself.
When Serena arrived, Feng Jin was still asleep. His little face was peaceful, lips slightly parted, pox marks still on his skin—but he no longer looked so frighteningly ill.
Serena gently touched Feng Jin’s forehead, then lifted his sleeve and squeezed his chubby little hand—his tiny brow furrowing like a caterpillar in discomfort, making her smile softly.
Clearly uncomfortable, Little Feng Jin blew a bubble, his two tiny brows knotted together like caterpillars. Serena couldn’t help but laugh softly and moved even more gently.
After finishing her examination, Serena double-checked everything with her smart medical kit. Only when she confirmed that Little Feng Jin was recovering well did she finally relax.
Turning around, Serena saw the heavy dark circles under Mira Tang and Qiu Hui’s eyes—clearly, they hadn’t slept all night. She ordered them to go rest, saying she’d stay and watch over Feng Jin herself.
Mira Tang and Qiu Hui tried to protest, but had no choice but to obey. They quietly led the other servants out of the room.
With Serena here, the young master would be perfectly safe.
Outside, Zuo An watched the scene, a ripple of emotion flickering in his usually calm eyes. Beanie chattered beside him, "Told you not to worry! With Serena here, Feng Jin’s fine. Serena loves him even more than you do—she’d never let him suffer."
"Mm." Zuo An nodded quietly.
Unaware of what was happening outside, Serena changed Feng Jin’s medicine, hung a fresh IV bottle, then sat beside him with a medical text, quietly studying.
She needed to keep learning, to keep improving her skills.
When Feng Jin woke up halfway through, Serena set her book aside and chatted with him—mostly her talking, with Feng Jin babbling in reply. They played together happily.
After lunch, Serena stayed with Little Feng Jin for a midday nap. She’d barely gotten up when a servant hurried in to report: men from Ninth Prince Manor had arrived.
"What do they want at this hour?" Serena raised an eyebrow, told her maids to keep an eye on Feng Jin, and went out to meet the visitors.
A squad of personal guards from Ninth Prince Manor stood waiting. Their captain stepped forward and bowed. “Miss Serena, by order of His Highness, we are here to escort you to the manor.”
“Did they say what it’s about?” Serena asked, skeptical. With such a grand escort, it couldn’t be just for a meal or a casual visit—she wasn’t buying it.
“His Highness will be receiving Young Master Linden Ling from Skyvault Fortress this afternoon.” The captain was tactful, saying just enough for Serena to catch Nolan’s meaning.
So Nolan’s planning to stand up for her after yesterday’s humiliation?
Serena shook her head and laughed. She didn’t think it was necessary—she hadn’t lost face yesterday; if anything, Linden Ling was the one who’d been embarrassed. He must be fuming right now.
But Serena wouldn’t refuse Nolan’s goodwill. If he wanted to stand up for her, she’d treasure it.
She asked the guards to wait while she finished her own arrangements. They bowed low, assuring her not to worry—there was plenty of time.
Beanie burst in and saw the impressive escort from Ninth Prince Manor. Curious, he asked a few questions, and when he learned that Young Master Linden Ling had made trouble for Serena in public, he was furious. Rolling up his sleeves, he bellowed, “Skyvault Fortress is nothing! How dare they give Serena attitude? They must be tired of living! Watch out, I’ll call the Assassin Alliance and wipe them off the map!”
The Ninth Prince’s guards just stared at the sky in silence… The heir of the Assassin Alliance was truly something—his first solution was to annihilate a whole clan.
When no one paid him any mind, Beanie stomped his feet in frustration, grinding his teeth. “I don’t care! I’m going too! I’ll back Serena up so those Skyvault Fortress people don’t dare bully her again!”
With that, he ignored the guards’ attempts to stop him and charged toward Serena’s courtyard like a whirlwind, yelling as he ran, “Zuo An! Snow Wolf! Come quick! Serena’s being bullied—we have to stand up for her!”
Right then, Serena was in the bath. The guards kept their distance, leaving only a few young maids on watch. Seeing Beanie barreling in, the girls’ faces turned pale. One rushed to block him: “Young Master Owen, you can’t go in!”
“Out of my way!” Beanie thundered. The delicate maid was no match for him—he swept her aside with a single motion, sending her sprawling to the ground.
The four little maids were terrified, scrambling up despite their pain. One desperate girl threw herself at Beanie’s leg, clinging to him. “Young Master Owen, you can’t go in! Miss Serena is bathing—”
Bang! Before the maid could finish, Beanie shoved open the door. He caught a glimpse of pale skin and yelped, “Ah!” Clapping his hands over his eyes, he shouted, “Serena, I didn’t see anything! Really—nothing at all!”
Inside, Serena had already grabbed her outer robe and was dressing. Hearing the commotion, she pulled her clothes on quickly. Beanie truly hadn’t seen anything, but some lessons must be taught: “Dorian Owen, are you tired of living?”
“Serena, I swear I didn’t see anything! Really, nothing!” Beanie kept his eyes covered, backing away. He stumbled on the threshold and fell backward—just as Snow Wolf, summoned by his earlier shouts, barreled around the corner. Man and wolf collided at the doorway, tumbling in a chaotic heap.
When Serena stepped out, she saw the slapstick mess—Beanie wrestling with Snow Wolf, both rolling across the floor. She rubbed her temple, exasperated: What on earth was this chaos?
But Serena’s real headache was just beginning. Dragging Beanie along to Ninth Prince Manor, she barely stepped inside before Nolan Dongling’s gaze went icy. He pronounced every syllable with a chilling slowness: “Owen… Dorian… Beanie…” The air practically crackled with danger.
“Present!” Beanie piped up, bursting with enthusiasm, and even snapped off a crisp military salute—completely missing the tension in the room.
Nolan’s gaze swept over Beanie from head to toe, his voice slow and heavy: “Owen Dorian, holding grudges is this prince’s greatest virtue. What happened today—I won’t forget.”
“Huh? What happened?” Beanie looked at Nolan in confusion, his eyes wide and innocent. Seeing Nolan ignore him, he turned to Serena, silently begging for help.
Serena wanted to rescue Beanie, but fate wasn’t on his side. Just as she opened her mouth, a servant announced, “Young Master Linden Ling requests an audience!”
With an outsider present, Serena and Nolan had to align their cannons outward. Beanie’s offense was shelved for now—Nolan would deal with him later, when he had the time.
Everyone could imagine: the longer Nolan held back, the worse Beanie’s fate would be…