William Wang Jinling, always poised and naturally elegant, never needs to show off his excellence—every word and gesture marks him as unique, unmatched in grace and brilliance.
Standing before William Wang Jinling, all you can do is look up and admire. If you ever think of competing with him, you're doomed to lose miserably.
Linden Ling understands this truth, but he can't help himself—whenever he sees William, he instinctively compares himself. And every time, he realizes his own tragedy: the things he takes pride in hold no advantage at all before William Wang Jinling.
Clearly, he used to be too self-absorbed, too spoiled by those around him. Only by stepping outside does he realize there’s always someone stronger, always someone better. Whether it’s Prince Nolan or William Wang Jinling, he can’t measure up to either.
Linden Ling’s gaze dims, and for a moment, it’s as if he’s lost all will to fight.
Prince Nolan and Serena Feng catch every nuance of Linden’s expression. Prince Nolan remains impassive, but Serena privately sighs, thinking it a pity.
Linden Ling is actually quite outstanding—at least in his own field. But when facing William Wang Jinling, he keeps comparing his own weaknesses to William’s strengths. How could he not lose horribly?
As time passes and the conversation deepens, Linden’s smile grows increasingly stiff. He can’t relax at all—William’s presence completely suppresses his aura, and William now has total control of the situation.
William is usually gentle with others. On a normal day, he’d rein in his aura and never steal Linden’s thunder. But Linden made the mistake of letting a servant publicly insult Serena Feng—something William absolutely cannot tolerate.
Serena Feng is William’s reverse scale—he’s killed for her before, and this time is no exception. Seeing Linden on the verge of collapse, William doesn’t let up; instead, he presses in even harder and takes the lead: “Meeting you, Young Fortress Lord, I almost forgot the real business. It’s getting late—why don’t you bring out your maid?”
Linden Ling's lips twitched, but he forced himself to keep smiling. "Greenshine, go bring Ruby Redsleeve here."
"Yes, sir." Greenshine silently prayed for Ruby, hoping that after this ordeal Ruby would finally learn her lesson—not to think she could do whatever she pleased just because she was from Skyvault Fortress, as if even the Emperor himself didn’t matter.
The apology scene officially began. Ruby Redsleeve appeared in pure white, moving gracefully, her pale cheeks and aggrieved little eyes broadcasting her sense of injustice to everyone present.
Is this supposed to be an apology? William Wang Jinling’s eyes flashed with displeasure.
Ruby Redsleeve entered without looking at Serena Feng, instead kneeling gracefully before Linden Ling. "Your servant greets the young master."
"Go apologize to Miss Serena." Linden Ling had originally intended to play things subtly, but now he abandoned any such plans and gave a direct order.
Ruby Redsleeve was stunned for a moment, then obediently shuffled over and knelt before Serena Feng. Greenshine stepped forward at just the right time, carrying a cup of tea. Ruby took the tea, raising it high toward Serena. "I beg Miss Serena’s forgiveness. Please be generous and spare me just this once."
There was nothing wrong with the tea-offering apology, but just as Serena Feng reached to accept the cup, Ruby twisted her wrist, revealing a small arm mottled with bruises and whip marks.
Everyone’s face changed. Prince Nolan’s eyes flashed with killing intent, and Serena immediately withdrew her hand, her voice cold: "Seeking forgiveness? Ruby Redsleeve, are you here to admit fault, or to accuse me?"
To pull this kind of trick right in front of everyone—she’s got guts.
"I'm here to admit fault." Ruby Redsleeve trembled, as if deeply frightened, quickly pulling back her wrist. Serena's gaze remained cool as she asked, "So, are you here to admit your mistake, or to accuse me of something?"
Hmph... Do they really take us for fools?
Serena let out a cold snort and turned away, saying nothing. Prince Nolan merely lifted his eyelids, remaining silent as well. Disappointed in both master and servant, Serena kept her expression smooth. "I only came today to visit you, so let's not dwell on such trifles."
William Wang Jinling watched Linden Ling with a faint smile. He didn't say a word of reproach, but the meaning in his eyes was enough to make Linden squirm with embarrassment. Serena never once said she forgave Ruby—she simply chose not to pursue it, giving Linden maximum face. But Ruby, still unsatisfied, glared at Serena with open hatred.
He can't even control his own servants! Serena couldn't help but wonder—it's only been a day, how could Ruby hate her so much?
William Wang Jinling didn’t look down on him, but Linden almost wished he would—then at least he could retort, 'So the Grand Heir isn’t much, either.' Serena arched a brow and glanced at Prince Nolan, silently asking if something had happened behind her back.
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Greenshine sensed things were going south and quietly nudged Ruby, but Ruby just knelt there, stiff and unmoving, her little body ramrod straight—so stubborn it almost hurt to watch. Serena wondered, Has something happened that I don’t know about?
Prince Nolan’s aura grew colder, finally breaking the silence: "It’s getting late. I have official business to attend to."
"Please wait, Prince Nolan!" Linden Ling couldn’t let him leave like that, so he hurriedly intervened, then turned and barked at Ruby, "Ruby! Apologize to Miss Serena, now!"
"Yes, sir." Ruby replied obediently, but Serena Feng cut her off: "No need. I can't bear it. Young fortress lord, you'd better call a doctor for Ruby. Her body is so delicate—if anything happens, it will be blamed on me."
Ruby’s half-revealed bruises were clearly meant to tell everyone that Serena Feng was the one who hurt her. Serena dared to own up to what she’d done, but she would never allow anyone to pin a crime on her that wasn’t hers to bear.
"Miss Serena, Ruby—" Greenshine was anxious and tried to explain for Ruby, but halfway through she was silenced by the icy look in Serena's eyes.
This was not her place to speak.
"Serena, these two maids have been spoiled by me." Linden Ling’s face went red, then green, then white—like a painter’s palette. "Serena, don’t take it to heart. I’ll make it up to you right now."
"Little martial-uncle, you’re being too serious. I think Ruby is still holding a lot of resentment. If she has any grievances, it would be best for her to speak up now. Prince Nolan is right here—if Ruby has suffered any injustice in Eastlyn, she should say so and let Prince Nolan judge." The Capital Prefecture Court bailiffs aren’t idiots. If they really wanted to abuse Ruby, they wouldn’t use such obvious means and hand her an excuse to complain.
"Ruby Redsleeve, since Prince Nolan is here, if you have any grievances, speak up now." Serena lifted her cup and took a sip, looking down at Ruby from above.
"Miss Serena, I—I have no grievances. I shouldn’t have offended you. I know I was wrong. Please, Miss Serena, have mercy. I won’t dare again, never again…"
Thud, thud, thud—Ruby crawled to Serena’s feet and kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead quickly bleeding, but she didn’t stop. Clearly, she meant to keep going until Serena told her to quit.
This was coercion—a bitter self-injury ploy to force Serena to admit fault and let the matter drop.
Serena Feng remained unmoved. She didn’t even look at Ruby, simply sipping her tea, as if the whole scene had nothing to do with her.