Because of what Lady Evelyne said, Caelen and Xylira once again became the center of attention. Especially Caelen.
The people who had been secretly watching them now openly stared, especially those waiting to laugh at his embarrassment. Their mocking smiles became even more obvious.
"Stupid," Xylira said as she looked at the woman on stage, dressed in sheer pink silk and looking proud of herself. That one word was full of scorn.
It surprised her brother, Xiyan, who sat beside her. When he saw her shift her gaze to General Renyu, he understood what she meant.
Caelen, confused by Xylira's reaction, responded slower than usual. When he finally understood Lady Evelyne's intention, he was surprised but stayed silent.
He simply stared at General Renyu without expression. If he had stepped forward now to stop Lady Evelyne, he might have been respected as a man of action.
Unfortunately, General Renyu wished she could strangle her sister in that moment. What was she saying?
Everyone knew this engagement was because of her. But since Lady Evelyne had started this in public, if she argued back, it would mean going against her own sister.
So she lowered her head and stayed silent. This moment gave others with different intentions an opening to stir things up.
One person spoke up, placing blame, "General Caelen, you're just standing there. Are you unhappy with the Emperor's arranged marriage?"
"Go on stage already. I heard that the former General Caelen was skilled in everything. Surely, the new General Caelen must be even better," someone else added, fanning the flames.
"Ah, that's Caelen? Why is he even here?" a woman whispered in fear, covering her mouth.
Her wide eyes made it seem like she had seen a monster from the underworld. "He really is disfigured. That scar is so long. So ugly," someone else said in a clearly disgusted tone.
"Yeah, why did he even come to the Qixi gathering? He's frightening." "General Caelen, why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you don't know how to do anything at all?"
"The Prime Minister's second daughter is so pitiful, having to marry someone this ugly." The women wouldn't stop pointing at the scar on Caelen's face.
The men kept questioning his abilities. The whole hall was in chaos, more like a noisy marketplace than a formal event.
Zhaoye sat on the throne, still smiling calmly. General Renyu lowered her head even more.
Xue Yi stared angrily at those who were talking. Xiyan clenched his teacup tightly, watching Caelen sit upright and silent.
A cold, helpless feeling rose in his heart. Was Caelen upset?
Of course he was. His hands on his legs were clenched tight.
He kept hearing all those humiliating words. His lips pressed into a thin line, but the soldier's resolve in his eyes never faded.
Couldn't he fight back against those words? He could. All he had to do was turn the blame on General Renyu.
Calling the Jiang family ungrateful because of Lady Evelyne's actions wouldn't be wrong. But he didn't want to do that.
He didn't want to become like those people. Besides, even if he felt awful, he could still endure it.
He had heard worse in recent days. Could he play music, paint, write, or play chess?
Yes, he could. He was no worse than those who had performed earlier.
Why didn't he go on stage? Not because he was ashamed of his looks.
It was because, based on Xylira's attitude earlier, he felt she didn't like that kind of show.
The words around him got more and more unpleasant. The anger in Xylira's heart only grew.
In her eyes, a hero like Caelen, who had fought and bled on the battlefield, deserved honor. Not this kind of cruel mockery from ignorant people.
If she hadn't traveled through time, she would have joined the military after her birthday. Her future partner would've been a tough soldier.
Growing up in a military family shaped her beliefs. To her, those who sacrificed for the country were sacred and untouchable.
And now this ridiculous scene. An emperor watching coldly from above, surrounded by peaceful people throwing endless insults.
It was aimed at a hero who had just lost his father in war and got injured saving his comrades. Who gave them the right?
Bang. A loud sound of a hand slamming the table echoed through the hall.
The sound of the table was incredibly loud, making the once lively and boastful crowd suddenly fall silent. The dessert trays and teacups in front of Xylira leapt from their places and trembled with fear.
However, the result was obvious, the room finally quieted down. Only Xiyan and Caelen frowned and looked disapprovingly at Xylira, thinking why did she hit so hard, didn't her hand hurt.
Such strength, thought everyone, staring at her thin arms in amazement. Zhaoye's smile became more genuine, even though he had been startled, he found this even more interesting.
"Second Miss, is there something you wish to say?" The first man to respond to Lady Evelyne's signal smiled charmingly as he looked at Xylira with glimmering eyes. That seductive gaze sparkled like spring water as it fixed on her.
Second Miss again? You're second, your whole family is second. Hmph, don't think I didn't see that gleam in your eyes.
No matter how pretty you are, you're still a sneaky snake using your face as a trap. How ridiculous and shameless.
"I wouldn't dare. It's just that a swarm of ungrateful, foul-smelling insects paraded proudly in front of me and though I found them filthy, I had no choice but to slap them away. Sorry to disturb your enjoyment, that was rude of me."
Her tone was calm and steady, not hurried at all, and although her words had hidden meaning, it felt like she was simply stating facts. No one could find a flaw in her words.
But what could the men who understood her intent do? Nothing at all.
In Great Kang, men would not argue openly with women. That would be beneath their intelligence and dignity.
And since Xylira hadn't called out anyone directly, they had no excuse to reply.
"Xylira, what do you mean by that?" Among those standing, only Xylira and Lady Evelyne were present, one on the stage, the other below.
So Lady Evelyne lifted her chin and asked sharply, clearly annoyed, unable to connect the term "bugs" to herself.
To the side, General Renyu wished he could strangle his own sister. Xylira had clearly called him ungrateful.
So stupid, Xylira thought silently, but she wasn't in the mood to argue with Lady Evelyne. "Elder sister, I was only referring to bugs. Please don't take it personally."
"You, you," Lady Evelyne was fuming. Hearing those words and seeing that Xylira was about to sit down again, she finally realized she had been called a bug.
"Xylira, do you think you're that amazing? Aren't you going to marry a disfigured man anyway? A man who got kicked out of his own home."
"But then again, it suits you. With a crippled brother, having a ruined husband isn't surprising."
Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement. This was clearly a war between two women and no man would dare intervene.
Still, the Prime Minister's eldest daughter was indeed unique. The way she spewed poison without pausing showed her physical strength must be solid.
They were eager to see how Xylira would respond.
Xiyan and Caelen were both uneasy. Judging from Lady Evelyne's attitude, she definitely wanted to stir up trouble.
But if they tried to help, other men would surely get involved and that would only make things worse.
From what had been said so far, their Xylira clearly held the upper hand.
If Xylira's fiery spirit had cooled earlier upon seeing Zhaoye high above the crowd, now it reignited.
This was about her only family and possibly the father of her future children.
Xylira liked staying quiet, but that didn't mean she'd let others walk over her.
If she didn't stand up for herself in a setting like this, her family from the modern world would jump with rage.
It was time to unleash it all again from beginning to end.
"Xylira, since your disfigured man won't step up, why don't you go instead?" A woman's voice rang out.
It was Lady Mei Lin who didn't want her daughter to suffer alone and spoke up right away.
Many other women followed her lead, respecting her princess status.
"Would she even dare go up? She doesn't know anything. What would she even do up there?"
"In that case, she and Caelen really are meant for each other. A useless man and a plain woman.
Who even knows what her face looks like under that veil?"
As the insults turned to appearance, Lady Evelyne anxiously shifted the topic again.
"Exactly. Her father was nothing but a filthy merchant. How could he have taught her anything refined?"
At that, Xylira almost laughed out loud. Your elegant manners truly aren't something I know or want to know.
Then she caught a glimpse of Xiyan's bulging forehead veins as he clenched his fists.
She realized that Lady Evelyne had even dragged her dead father into this.
Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that even if she didn't care, her brother did.
"Elder sister, then you should come down and give me your place. Otherwise, how can I go up?"
"You," Lady Evelyne hadn't expected her to actually go up.
But her father had told her Xylira didn't know anything. "Fine, go ahead. I'd love to see what you can do."
If she embarrassed herself today, even beauty couldn't save her reputation.
"Xylira, make them choke on their words." Xiyan gritted his teeth, muttering with his head down.
He knew Xylira wasn't brainless like the others.
If she dared accept the challenge, she must be better than those women.
"Don't worry." Xylira didn't look back at him.
She simply said two words and began walking steadily toward the round platform.
On her way up, she crossed paths with Lady Evelyne, who was coming down.
Xylira acted like she didn't exist.
Seeing her ignored only made Lady Evelyne even more furious, while Xylira felt her mood improve.
As she picked up the drumsticks with ease, everyone once again marveled at her strength.
"Haha, Xylira, you're going to beat the drum? Figures, that's probably all you know how to do."
Lady Evelyne laughed with a schadenfreude-filled face. "Who can't hit a drum?"
Honestly, that's what most people thought too.
Still, they had to admit she had some sense.
Even if it was simple, it was still a performance.
Only Xiyan and Caelen were incredibly tense, watching her closely.
Standing nearby, Xue Yi nearly tore her clothes apart from stress, praying over and over again for a miracle.
Miss Xylira, please don't let those who mocked our young master win.
Dong dong.
Two sharp beats landed cleanly. The crisp rhythm hit everyone's hearts, making their chests move in sync.
Then came a thunderous stream of drumbeats, sometimes long, sometimes short, rising and falling.
Xylira's body moved with them, her slender figure expressing strength and resilience.
With each powerful step and beat, she created a rhythm far different from the soft, graceful tunes earlier.
The atmosphere shook, blood surged, and the crowd grew excited.
Caelen stared blankly at her on stage, his heart pounding.
Each strike of the drum felt like it landed straight on his heart.
His eyes and mind were full of her figure.
The surroundings grew silent.
Even the deafening drums seemed to fade.
In that moment, it felt like only one person existed in the world.
He remembered what his father once said about falling in love.
If he had only felt guilt and affection before, now it was different.
He realized that he had truly fallen in love with this girl named Xylira.