"Could His Highness really be... We cannot afford to lose him."
"Why did His Highness suddenly set sail in the first place?"
"Don’t you know? What else could it be for? It was for Young Master’s birthday gift. But who could have expected..."
With their master absent, the servants in the mansion were restless, voicing thoughts they normally wouldn’t dare speak aloud.
"Enough! Are you blaming the Young Master now?! Poor Young Master, whose birthday is tomorrow—he’s the one suffering the most, losing both parents at a time like this."
They picked up their cleaning tools, their faces heavy with sorrow as they left.
From the shadows of the corridor’s pillars, Lu Jinghuai stepped forward. Though the light fell upon his face, his pale, almost translucent complexion held no warmth.
Just days ago, he had been an ordinary young man, waiting nervously for a response after confessing his feelings to the one he loved.
Now, he stood as a pitiable figure—orphaned, with predators circling from all sides.
Lu Jinghuai’s lips curled into a smile, though it never reached his eyes.
"Young Master, someone from the palace has arrived."
Feia’s attendant approached, his face still flushed with anger.
"Those damned vultures, sniffing around like hyenas catching the scent of prey—they don’t even show you the slightest respect."
Lu Jinghuai gave him a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry. I’ll handle them."
Compared to most O-country men, his shoulders were not particularly broad, yet they now bore a weight that left the attendant struggling for breath.
From the moment he received the tragic news of his parents to the relentless harassment and threats from the royal envoys, this soon-to-be eighteen-year-old had never once shown weakness in front of others.
It eased the worries of many who feared he might collapse under the pressure.
Though they felt guilty for it, they needed someone like him—a pillar of strength—now that disaster had struck.
"A clever child should know his place at a time like this! Your mother had already learned this lesson by your age."
A blond man with a beer belly sneered as he hurled a cup at Lu Jinghuai’s feet.
The sharp crack of shattering porcelain echoed alongside the man’s cold laughter.
Without so much as a glance downward, Lu Jinghuai stepped over the broken pieces, his silver-gray eyes fixed on the room’s occupants with an indifferent amusement.
"That was a Rast Dynasty antique cup. Worth 150 million O-coins."
"Simon, make sure to send the bill to my uncle later."
The man’s face turned green with rage. "Having a fox for a father really makes a difference, doesn’t it? Obsessed with money, nickel-and-diming over such trivial sums."
Lu Jinghuai’s voice remained gentle. "Uncle, don’t let anger ruin your health. If you collapse, how will you ever repay this 150 million?"
The man’s chubby, ring-laden finger trembled as he pointed at Lu Jinghuai, his chest heaving—but this time, he didn’t dare break anything else.
Once, he wouldn’t have cared about such a paltry sum. But ever since Feia uncovered his illicit dealings and stripped him of his position, his finances had grown tight.
Still, it didn’t matter...
Soon, he’d be living large again.
The elder seated at the center of the room cut in, his expression kindly. "Ah-Huai, is that any way to speak to your elders?"
"We only have your best interests at heart."
"Hand over your mother’s signet ring and seal, and I promise no one will trouble you again. You’ll keep the house and your parents’ inheritance."
If only such promises were worth believing.
Lu Jinghuai’s faint smile didn’t waver.
"And what makes you so certain it’s an inheritance?"
A new standoff had begun.
By evening, knowing his appetite was poor, the chef had prepared an elaborate feast. Yet Lu Jinghuai barely touched his food before declaring himself full.
He had no stomach for it.
"Young Master, Willis just went to the palace. Whatever he told His Majesty, he’s been granted the ceremonial sword."
"Young Master, there’s trouble at the company—someone reported us for financial fraud."
"Young Master... word has come in. They’ve found wreckage from the ship. His Highness and the Master might truly be..."
"Rumors are already spreading that His Highness and the Master have... passed, Young Master."
In the time it took to eat a single bite, one piece of bad news after another arrived.
"Let him have the sword. Without the signet and seal, his claim to power won’t be recognized. Double the guards tonight—we can’t afford surprises."
"Send word to His Majesty that I’ll visit him at a suitable time."
"Tell Jessica to prepare for a meeting. I want every executive in the company here in ten minutes."
"As for the rumors... ignore them for now."
Lu Jinghuai analyzed each problem with methodical calm.
The others clung to him like a lifeline.
Feia and Lu Zhi’s disappearance had come too suddenly—too brutally—for them to even begin processing their grief.
"Thank the heavens for the Young Master. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise..."
"Indeed. Our young lord is truly remarkable. If the Master were watching from above, he’d be heartbroken yet proud."
"After tonight, the Young Master will be eighteen. I hear the public has organized celebrations... though in times like these, he surely has no mind for birthdays."
Lu Jinghuai walked the mansion’s halls, pausing before a portrait.
In the painting, Feia and Lu Zhi stood together, cradling a young Lu Jinghuai in their arms, their smiles radiant.
A scene he’d never paid much attention to before now seemed like a memory he might never relive.
He studied his parents’ faces.
Something in him refused to believe they would leave him so easily.
But shipwrecks left little hope for survival.
His eyes lowered. There was no time for grief—not with an avalanche of troubles waiting.
From this moment on, the peaceful days of school life were gone forever.
...
Ji Nian glanced up at the sky.
"Another moonless night..."
Muttering to herself, she hurried toward the Lu family estate with her entourage.
Unsure whether Lu Jinghuai would be there or at Feia’s residence, she went to the Lu mansion first. When the steward informed her he wasn’t there but at Feia’s, she barely paused before rushing off again.
It was already half past eleven.
Lu Jinghuai had just finished a company meeting.
Mimicking his father’s demeanor, he had discussed matters without revealing a hint of his true thoughts. The moment the others left, his posture—held rigid all day—didn’t relax.
His stomach ached, likely from lack of food.
Yet the thought of eating repulsed him.
Dragging himself back to his room, he made no attempt to sleep. He couldn’t.
Then came the sound of movement in the hallway—followed by a knock.
"What’s the matter?"
No answer.
Frowning slightly, he retrieved a dagger from beneath his pillow and approached the door.
Without hesitation, he opened it.
What awaited him was unexpected.
Her gaze met a face as fair as jade, adorned with two emerald-green eyes that shimmered like the surface of a tranquil lake.
The dark clouds parted.
Moonlight spilled generously through the glass window, casting its glow into the room.
Ji Nian took a step forward, her eyes fixed intently on him.
"It’s only been a few days—how have you grown so thin?"
She rose onto her toes, her fingers brushing lightly against his cheek.
