"Ahem." Seeing Zhaoye frown, the Empress sitting beside him cleared her throat twice, signaling her two precious daughters to mind their behavior. After all, as noble princesses born of royalty and beauty, with such a capable and fertile mother, they could have any man they wanted.
Xyl was indeed impressive, but even so, they had to be mindful of the occasion. The two sisters clearly picked up on their father's displeased gaze.
A flash of fear crossed their eyes, and they obediently sat upright, watching the duel unfold on stage. The wild idea that had just emerged in their minds began to take root and grow.
What they didn't realize was that their earlier conversation had opened a door in everyone else's minds. From the emperor and princes to the ministers, all of them began thinking.
Judging by the looks of the emperor and the two princesses, they all seemed to view Xyl quite favorably. Though their own daughters may not have a chance, Xyl wasn't the only eligible and outstanding young man present.
Caelen and Xue Yi, master and servant, both stood stiffly in place. They hadn't even finished dealing with the issue onstage when yet another problem arose.
Their young master's fate seemed cruel. Now, with the lady dressed like that, it seemed they had to watch out not just for men, but for women too.
At that moment, a shift happened onstage. Ziyan smiled brightly.
"Xylira, it's over." After exchanging just a few repeated moves, he had figured her out.
With a dazzling flick of his sword, he aimed straight at Xylira's right arm. "Is that so?"
Xylira didn't dodge. She kept her eyes on Ziyan, mirroring his joyful smile.
His was noble, hers graceful. "Your Highness, if this final move decides the outcome, then we're evenly matched. Hiss."
She clearly felt the cold blade pierce her skin, slicing into her arm. The wound wasn't deep, but the pain made her nearly drop her sword.
Ziyan had intended to refute her. That cut wasn't shallow, even if it wasn't very deep.
Based on her determination during the match, he knew she wouldn't give up easily, so he'd aimed to make her unable to hold a sword. But what was this?
Her arm was bleeding, yet she wore a composed, elegant smile. Her face was paler than before, completely colorless, and yet her eyes sparkled with joy, as if the blood wasn't even hers.
Seeing her like this, Ziyan suddenly felt choked. Following her line of sight to his own sword, he realized it was nearly touching his left arm.
Thinking back to her words and her unfamiliar moves, it hit him. She had been holding back from the very beginning, all to land that final move.
Ziyan looked down at his unharmed left arm, then at her bleeding one, feeling frustrated. "Why?"
She could've injured him. Why did she pull back at the last moment?
The more he tried to understand her, the less he felt he could. Xylira lowered her sword.
"Your Highness, you and I both know our abilities. Honestly, with my poor sword skills, just making it this far is more than enough. I admit defeat."
She needed treatment for her injury. More importantly, she saw Caelen's pale face and Xue Yi waiting below.
He was probably having a rough time today. She couldn't let him keep worrying.
"Why?" Ziyan stared intently at her, his long, narrow eyes burning. He didn't even know what kind of answer he was hoping to hear.
"You've already shown me mercy," Xylira thought to herself. She wasn't stupid.
If she truly hurt Ziyan, who knew if the emperor would let it slide? Not to mention, she'd already made a fool of him once.
Today's match had already been punishment enough. The path she chose was already difficult.
She had to build more allies and reduce conflict. With that, she stepped down from the stage.
"Young Master Xylira, are you alright?" Xue Yi asked. He'd been on battlefields.
This kind of injury was nothing to him. But seeing such a wound on a woman still shocked him.
"I'm fine." Xylira looked around for Caelen, but his seat was now empty. "Where's Caelen?"
"Young Master Xylira, come with me." Of course, Xue Yi couldn't say his master had snuck away under the excuse of going to the bathroom.
But anyone sharp enough probably already guessed the connection between his master and Xylira. "Oh, okay."
Xylira followed him, her heart fluttering sweetly at the thought of seeing Caelen again. Even though they hadn't been apart long, she still felt a little nervous.
She had promised him not to get hurt last time. Would he be angry and think she broke her word?
Xue Yi noticed the way her expression changed constantly along the way, and felt happy for his young master. If his master was the only one caught up in this, he would've worried.
But clearly, it wasn't one-sided. They followed a narrow path, and before long, they saw Caelen standing in a pavilion with his back to them.
Xylira quickened her steps and entered, noticing he didn't even turn around. Was he really mad?
She stepped up to his side and tugged his sleeve with her uninjured hand. He was still stiff and cold.
Xylira felt a little wronged. Her cheerful smile faded.
She bit her lip, just about to speak, when he turned to look at her. His eyes were full of struggle, sadness, pain.
And concern. "My hand really hurts."
She had meant to tell him not to worry, that she was fine, but it came out like that instead. She awkwardly lifted her still-bleeding arm in front of him.
Feeling a little guilty seeing the trail of blood she'd left behind, she thought she should've at least wrapped it with a handkerchief. Not very sanitary, and it could frighten people passing by.
Caelen looked at her pale face. His tightly pressed lips finally relaxed a little.
"Sit down. I'll treat your wound." The table in the pavilion was already set with medicine, clean water, and towels.
"Bear with it." His expression wasn't much better than hers. Seeing her blood-soaked sleeve and the torn skin underneath made his brows furrow tightly.
He lowered his head and carefully cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it gently. Several times, Xylira wanted to say something.
But when she saw the top of his head and remembered how little her words might help, she held back in frustration. Every time she faced him, her mind just seemed to stop working.
She could clearly see how much pain he was in, and the treated wound on his hand, but she didn't know what to say to ease his heart.
"We've only met alone four times, and twice I've had to treat your injuries." Finally, Caelen looked her in the eyes.
"I really don't know how many more times this will happen. I'm starting to wonder if agreeing to those two conditions you asked for was a mistake."
"But I'm fine now, aren't I? Caelen, don't make it sound so serious."
Xylira panicked a little. She remembered seeing scenes like this in dramas.
When the male lead said things like that, it meant he wanted to break up. "It's not serious? Then what is?"
Caelen felt like a beast trapped in a cage. "What happened last time nearly scared me to death. This time, I was terrified."
"I lost count of how many times I wanted to rush in and take you away. But I didn't want to ruin your plan."
"I was so scared. What if I hesitated, and then it was too late to save you?" "I made things hard for you," Xylira muttered, dryly.
She could see the emotion in his eyes. She was the one hurt physically, but he suffered just as much mentally.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized she had acted selfishly. "I know I was wrong. Don't ignore me, and don't leave me."
"You." Seeing her about to cry, her lips trembling, the strength and elegance she had shown on stage now completely gone, he sighed.
He reached out to adjust her hat and smooth her loose hair. "What are you thinking? The only one who can leave is you. I would never leave you."
"I won't leave. Didn't we agree to stay together for life?" Xylira said with a smile.
"Xylira, I can't be selfish like that. I can't let you suffer just to keep you for myself."
As much as her words made him happy, the pain of today and before still weighed heavily. Even if it hurt, he didn't want to risk her safety again.
"I don't feel like I'm suffering, really," Xylira said seriously. "It just hurts a bit, and that will pass. You can't forget our promise. You made it to me."
"But." He started to protest again, but as he looked at her blood-soaked sleeve, his resolve hardened.
"Xylira, be good. When the time comes, I'll help you pick some fine men." He swallowed the bitterness in his heart.
"Could you really do that?" She stared straight at him, hurt and angry. They had made a promise.
Why was he trying to back out? "I hate the thought of you suffering more than the thought of losing you," he said, forcing down the pain.
He could already imagine. If they married and she later chose other men, she might forget they even had such a promise.
Hearing this, Xylira felt like she was being cruel. She hooked her little finger around his.
"Caelen, you're such a fool. If you really do that, you'll regret it. Let me tell you the truth."
"Whether or not you're willing to push me to other men, I can't stand that." "Just imagining it makes me sick," she said with disgust.
"If you do that, there are only two possible outcomes. First, I'll hang myself in a quiet place before that second man ever sets foot in our home."
Seeing that Caelen was shocked, she continued. "Second, I'll give up on you too."
"What kind of twisted rule is this? If that's the case, I'll go into hiding, win people's hearts, build a secret army, just so I can have only one man. A rebellion, I."
"Mmph." Before she could finish, Caelen clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Do you know where we are? Don't say things like that," he growled softly in her ear. His voice was angry and anxious.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" With her mouth covered, Xylira could only widen her eyes to show she meant what she said.
Seeing she still wouldn't back down, he pleaded. "Xylira, please don't say things like that anymore, okay?"
He couldn't bear either outcome she described. If he thought about it too much, he'd go mad.
"Let me go first." She mumbled under his hand, and when he finally let her speak, she went on in a soft voice.
"I'm not done. If I rebel, you'll be sent to stop me as a general. Could you really strike me down?"
"Xylira, what do you want from me?" He couldn't.
"Don't talk about taking it back." Her voice was gentler now.
"Caelen, understand this. If I'm ever forced to have multiple husbands, you might as well just kill me."