"Then Xylira, hurry up and get ready. I'll ask the servant to bring you water to wash up." Xiyan looked at Xylira, who was smiling foolishly, and reminded her with concern.
Only after she nodded did he stand up and leave the room.
Hmm, her brother's back looked really good, straight and slender, with an extraordinary aura. His long black hair tied with a casual blue ribbon flowed so gracefully that it could be used in a commercial. But he looked too thin and weak, even if they were not favored in this big house, she still needed to find a way to make sure he ate better.
This kind of frailty wouldn't do. Wait, something was off.
Xylira's eyes suddenly widened. Why was her brother limping?
Although he wore a long robe and his steps were slow, short, and steady, so it was hard to notice unless one paid attention, why didn't he tell her? For some reason, her heart ached suddenly. She did not doubt her eyes, so she wouldn't doubt Xiyan's affection for her.
That left only one explanation for him hiding it. He didn't want her to feel sad. Or maybe the reason his leg was crippled had something to do with her?
She wanted to ask, but her throat felt blocked. Thinking of that general named Caelen, who couldn't marry because of facial disfigurement, made her feel worse.
Then what about her brother, who had difficulty walking? Would he be alone for the rest of his life?
She couldn't bring herself to ask.
"What are you sitting there blankly for? Hurry up and get ready." Xiyan had reached the door, turned back, and saw his sister in a daze on the bed.
"Oh, okay." Xylira quickly smiled and answered.
Only after his figure disappeared did she slap her forehead hard.
How stupid. That man named Caelen still got married, didn't he? Her brother definitely could too.
But after breakfast, she really needed to understand this world more.
Not knowing anything felt terrible. She got up and looked at a pair of pink embroidered shoes by the bed.
There were small purple flowers and green grass stitched on them, vivid and lifelike.
Wearing them, they swayed slightly as she moved, as if dancing in the wind.
To the right of the rosewood canopy bed stood a large screen, with two garments hanging over it.
Xylira walked through the side door and saw a wooden pole with a row of brightly colored clothes hanging from it.
She pouted.
What kind of world was this?
Women's clothes were either bellybands or all kinds of colorful underpants, and everything else was semi-transparent.
Even if she didn't like how the women of ancient times wrapped themselves from head to toe, and couldn't even show their feet to other men, she still wasn't okay with wearing such revealing outfits.
So after frowning for a long time, Xylira finally picked out a set of light pink opaque silk top and matching long skirt.
To avoid keeping her brother waiting, she reluctantly put it on and walked out.
But that servant who brought her food earlier, the one named Awen, suddenly appeared again with a copper basin.
Her brows furrowed once more, a headache forming.
She did her best to ignore him, sat down at the dressing table, and looked into the blurry copper mirror.
Luckily, it was still her original face.
She smiled faintly, and a small dimple appeared on the right side of her cheek, making her look even younger.
That was at least a good thing.
If she had suddenly changed faces, she really wouldn't know how to deal with it.
"Second Miss, allow me to serve you."
That servant spoke while picking up the wooden comb, getting ready to comb her hair.
"Don't touch me. Get out."
Seeing his hand getting close to her hair, she immediately got goosebumps at the thought of him combing it.
She turned and coldly ordered the servant.
Even though she had been raised to be a gentle and virtuous lady by her grandmother and the women of the family, the men of House Yue also raised her in another way.
They wanted her to be able to handle any situation that might arise eighteen years later.
So they held nothing back in her training.
Naturally, she carried a strong and commanding aura of someone used to power.
That was why the wooden comb in the servant's hand dropped to the floor and his legs started trembling.
Then he immediately knelt. "Second Miss."
"Get out. Didn't you hear me?"
Seeing how spineless the servant was, Xylira lost even the desire to scold him.
As someone from House Yue, she couldn't stand such weaklings.
"Yes," the servant scrambled out of the room in a panic.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm his wildly beating heart.
Too scary.
The way the Second Miss looked just now was terrifying, even more than Lord Edgar.
Xiyan had someone place the food on the round table.
There were four dishes and a soup, not many, but all were things Xylira liked.
He coldly glanced at the servant who was still shivering against the wall.
"Get out."
"Ah!"
That same cold voice, the same command, rang in his ears.
As soon as he opened his eyes and met Xiyan's icy gaze, he screamed in fright.
Then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed with a thud.
Axin, who was setting the bowls and chopsticks, paused briefly but continued moving.
Awu, another servant standing at the door, looked stunned.
What just happened?
Even Xiyan was a bit confused.
Was his aura strong enough to scare someone unconscious?
He twitched the corner of his mouth.
This servant must be guilty of something and too timid.
After hearing the commotion, Xylira quickly finished washing and rushed out.
She looked at Awen lying on the floor, then at Xiyan who was deep in thought.
"Brother, what happened?" she asked, giving the collapsed man a hard kick.
"Nothing. Come eat, weren't you hungry?"
Xiyan's eyes softened, and he showed no reaction to her actions.
The two sat down to eat at ease.
One enjoyed picking up food, and the other enjoyed eating.
As for Awu dragging Awen out, glancing at Axin for help, neither of the siblings noticed.
Even though Axin saw it, he didn't react at all.
No talking during meals or rest.
Even if they were hungry, they ate with elegance.
"Axin, go guard outside. I have something to say to Xylira."
Xiyan gave a cold order.
"Yes, Young Master." Axin responded formally, poured tea, and respectfully left.
His every movement, even closing the door, made no sound.
That flawless behavior made Xylira admire him a little.
Her two servants really couldn't compare.
"What is it? Have you taken a liking to him?"
Xiyan asked with a hint of amusement in his eyes when he saw Xylira looking thoughtfully at the closed door.
"How about I keep him for you? He's not good enough to be your husband, but he could be a personal attendant."
Xylira tilted her head and blinked.
Then she blinked again.
That cold face didn't look like he was joking at all.
"Brother, don't scare me."
This was too much. She felt like a string in her head was pulled tight.
"This is a good thing, Xylira. You've grown up. You should start thinking about these matters."
Just earlier, he felt she had grown, but now her innocent expression made him worry again.
Would she be bullied after marrying?
Would those awful men take advantage of her?
Even though he thought Caelen was a decent person, that scar really was too gruesome.
Also, he hated being manipulated by Lord Edgar.
Even if he knew Edgar was a victim too, the thought of his sister nearly dying because of this left him bitter.
"What is it?" Xylira had a bad feeling.
That string in her mind tightened further. Her voice was tense.
She had a feeling what Xiyan was about to say would shatter all her expectations.
"Marriage, of course."
Xiyan patted her head with a sigh.
"In a blink, you're old enough to marry, to take husbands and attendants."
As expected, Xylira felt struck by lightning.
She stiffly picked up her tea and took a sip to soothe her throat.
"Take husbands and attendants? Brother, do you mean I have to marry a man and then take several more?"
Please, no.
"That's right," Xiyan replied calmly.
He remembered she had lost her memory, so he explained patiently.
"There are far fewer women than men in this world. So by Dakan law, every woman must have at least three husbands and four attendants."
"Is it required?"
Though her mind was in chaos, Xylira still caught the key point.
"What if I don't want to?"
"A woman must marry by fifteen and have three husbands and four attendants by twenty."
"If not, the court will assign men to you."
"Xylira, there's nothing I can do about this."
"Instead of waiting for the court, we should choose for ourselves."
Though Xiyan hated this system, it had been ingrained in society for centuries.
Even if he disliked it, he had no choice but to accept it.
Xylira was stunned and overwhelmed.
That string in her mind finally snapped.
Grandpa, Grandma, you thought of every historical era from slavery to the Qin Dynasty.
How did you never consider this?
Forget it, it wasn't their fault.
Blame it on the person who told Grandpa the prophecy.
They had been way too vague.
Who would've imagined the world would be like this?
No maidservants, see-through clothes everywhere.
Raised as a proper noble lady, now expected to have seven men.
She shivered all over in fear.
She couldn't accept it.
She absolutely could not.
She had to have seven men? That was just too shocking. Even though she'd seen on TV that modern people often had one-night stands and casual relationships, that was TV.
In Xylira's mind, a woman should only have one man, her husband. Premarital sex was immoral, extramarital affairs were shameful, and divorce was something she had never even considered.
Before she crossed over, Xylira had never been in a relationship. Since childhood, dramas like the ones Aunt Qiong acted in were criticized harshly at home as negative examples.
So in her life plan, after graduating from college, her grandfather would find her a man from a good family with good morals and character, someone who matched her status. After the whole family approved, they would marry, have children, and live peacefully like her grandparents and parents had.
As for love, if it really had to be like the dramatic life-and-death romances shown on TV, she would rather skip it. But now, who could explain this situation to her?
Even though she had a calm personality and rarely showed strong emotions, her heart was in chaos. Asking her to accept seven men was harder than killing her.
Shut up, our family has no use for such a useless child. The image of Grandpa Franklin in his military uniform, scolding her with a stern face, flashed in her mind.
Xylira shivered all over, quickly shook her head, and instinctively sat up straight. She forced away her negative thoughts.
But what could she do? This was a law here. When she thought back to how her brother had spoken without hesitation, it seemed this idea was deeply rooted in this world.
She wasn't confident enough to challenge the law. What now? What should she do?
From what her brother said, this body was about to turn fifteen soon. Remembering how he gave her Axin earlier, she shook her head again.
She had already accepted the bizarre fact of crossing into another world. Even though her status wasn't good, she had a caring brother.
Maybe she would never marry, but she didn't complain. Her standards weren't high.
Even if she had to share a man with many women, she figured she could just close her eyes and bear it. But having to share herself with so many men?
She looked down at her small body. It wasn't just about whether she could handle seven men physically, she couldn't accept it emotionally either.
"Xylira, Xylira." Xiyan looked at his sister who had frozen, sitting stiffly upright with her back straight. Her expression shifted rapidly from fear to disbelief as she shook her head over and over.
He had no idea what she was thinking or what he had said that made her so shocked. Reaching out to shake her, he was suddenly grabbed tightly by both hands.
When he saw the hopeful shine in her eyes, he started to panic. "Brother." That one word was full of emotion, making Xiyan more on guard.
He tried to pull his hands back. Her enthusiasm made him uneasy, and his discomfort showed briefly on his face.
"Xylira, speak properly. You're older now, don't touch men like that. I'm your brother, so it's fine, but if it were another man, you'd have to bring him home."
Xiyan said this because he didn't want his sister turning into a spoiled, flirtatious woman. But still.
Xylira's jaw nearly dropped. How had the old ways of one man with many wives become completely reversed here? Could things not be this way?
She screamed in her heart again. Still, when she saw her brother's calm face, even though the tips of his ears were pink, she felt a little better.
He was actually shy. "Hehe," she chuckled, trying to be sweet because she needed to ask something.
"Brother, is there a way I can have only one husband?" She held up one finger, emphasizing her point.
Her big eyes were full of seriousness and determination. Xiyan pressed his lips together, looking seriously at her hopeful expression.
Her eyes were bright but cautious, her smile fragile. He realized clearly that if his answer wasn't what she wanted, she would cry.
"You're serious?" he asked, turning to look into the distance, his voice cool and rational. "Xylira, maybe you don't understand.
The more men a woman has, the better her life is. All the money and power they gain will be shared with her."
"So what?" Xylira raised her eyebrows. "Brother, I don't ask for much. I don't care if my living conditions are a little poor.
Besides, didn't you say I'm going to marry that General Caelen? I think a general should be able to support a little woman like me just fine, right?"
"That's not the issue," Xiyan studied her carefully and saw she wasn't joking. "Xylira, it's not about whether he can support you or not.
Like I said, there are far fewer women than men in this society. Even if each woman has seven men, there are still many men left without wives, unable to carry on their family lines."
Just like him. So the rule about men sharing their wealth with women made sense.
With so many men supporting one woman, her life would be very comfortable. But she had to take on the duty of giving birth.
Xylira wasn't against having children, but the way her brother spoke made it sound like men only married to continue their family lines. That meant she had to give each of her seven husbands at least one child.
Just thinking about it terrified her. "Brother, how many children did our mother have?"
"Nine." Even someone as smart as Xiyan didn't understand why her face darkened after hearing that. Since she didn't remember anything, he gently explained.
"She married Lord Edgar at fifteen. Except for a one-year break after having you, she had one child every two years.
Now, each of her three husbands and four consorts has a child with her. So, since she fulfilled that, no one forces her anymore."
"So, if she hadn't given each of her seven men a son, they could've forced her?" Xiyan nodded.
"But if you're fertile, and don't have seven sons, it could be the men's fault. Xylira, don't worry. It's rare for a woman to be infertile."
From all this, Xylira finally understood. In this world, men treated women like pigs.
They pampered them with food, clothes, and fun, and in return, the women had to bear children. If it were just one man, she might have accepted that life.
But to be treated like a breeding pig for seven men? No way. She did the math.
If her body was healthy and she behaved like a proper Dakang woman, she'd still need to have seven sons, one for each man. If there were daughters too, she'd have even more births.
She shuddered. How long would she be giving birth? That was terrifying.
Even pigs didn't live like this. "Brother, you haven't answered my question yet!"
This time, her tone wasn't timid or anxious. She gritted her teeth, eyes burning with fury.
This was just too unfair. If the answer wasn't what she needed, then she had no choice.
Accepting seven men was worse than breaking the law. "There is."
Xiyan felt like he couldn't understand his sister anymore. As soon as he said it, the dark aura around her vanished.
She looked sweet again, like her anger had just been a hallucination. "But Xylira, it's impossible."