Caelen stood far away as Xylira requested, looking at her face that could no longer be called beautiful. She was stubbornly enduring inside the wooden tub, and his heart ached terribly.
"Xylira, is there no other way?" His vision was excellent, so of course he saw the bleeding marks on her arms from her own fingernails. On the battlefield, rivers of blood could not shake him, but watching Xylira torture herself like this was unbearable.
"No," she answered, clearly hearing the pain in Caelen's voice. She forced a smile and turned the better half of her face toward him, glancing sideways, "Do I look awful like this?"
"You don't. Really." Looking at her like this, Caelen suddenly felt like crying. His heart was in turmoil, and he realized he had never met a woman like her, who could still comfort him even while enduring such torment herself.
In that moment, Caelen couldn't help but wonder what kind of blessing he had accumulated in his past life to deserve meeting her in this one. "Don't look like that. Talking to you helps me distract myself." Xylira bit her lip.
"Honestly, thank goodness you arrived in time earlier. And thank goodness nothing happened, otherwise I think I would have hated you." If something irreversible had occurred, there would have been no use regretting it.
Xylira truly felt thankful that Caelen had shown up then. She knew she had reached her limit at that moment and had no more strength to fight. She would never tell Caelen this, but from the moment he caught her, he had entered her heart as the second person she ever cared about.
But Caelen felt even worse after hearing her words. He had seen the mess in the room and could imagine how hard Xylira had struggled before he arrived. "I'm sorry. I was late." He apologized earnestly, then made a solemn promise.
"It won't happen again." He would never let anything like this happen again.
"Heh," Xylira laughed lightly, not like before. She pretended to be relaxed, but the effort to suppress the inner chaos made her voice sound strange. "Thank you." She wouldn't let such things happen again either.
Then the two continued talking, exchanging words back and forth. "Xylira," Caelen called out after a while without a response. Still getting no reply, he became worried and rushed over.
He saw her head resting against the wooden tub, her cheeks still flushed, eyes closed. He panicked and quickly checked her pulse, only relaxing when he felt the steady beat.
Lifting her from the tub, he saw her soaked clothes and froze. Still, he was decisive by nature. He placed Xylira on the chair, pulled Awen and Awu out of the room, then walked back in, blushing.
He quickly removed her wet clothes and dried her body with a clean cloth. Throughout the process, Caelen kept a straight face, his eyes serious and respectful.
His hands never acted improperly. He moved calmly and carefully avoided her wounds.
But that calm was only surface deep. Sweat beaded on his forehead from nervousness, and his tightly pressed lips never once curved into a smile.
His heart pounded like thunder. Clearly, he was not as composed as he appeared.
Once he got her onto the bed, he looked at her furrowed brow and tired face as she slept. He thought about the bloody wounds on her hands and the injuries on her body, likely including the inside of her mouth.
Silently, he turned and left the room. Seeing the two still unconscious outside, a flash of his sword cut off one of each man's index fingers.
The intense pain woke them immediately. They screamed, but their cries were cut short by the sudden icy stab in their mouths.
Followed by a sharper pain, their mouths filled with blood. Their bodies convulsed in agony.
Strangely, they couldn't faint. It felt like they were stuck between staying awake and unconscious.
Awu, unable to see, flailed his hands trying to grab something to ease the pain. Caelen stood straight, watching the men struggling on the floor.
He couldn't help but remember the moment Xylira had been thrown out. With a cruel look, he placed the sword in Awu's waving hands.
He watched as the man grasped it, then dropped it with a bloody hand. The cold smile on Caelen's scarred face made him look like a demon from hell in Awen's terrified eyes.
The fear returned Awen to his senses. But what followed was hopeless despair.
Before, he had feared death. But now, facing Caelen, he feared that even death would not come.
Caelen did not continue tormenting the two. He sat quietly in a chair, waiting. He knew Xiyan would return soon, and Edgar would also show up.
It was fine. He had all the time in the world.
The servant who had informed Caelen earlier saw the room's condition and remembered Caelen's furious kick. He realized it was over for him.
While Caelen wasn't looking, the servant quietly slipped out of the courtyard.
The bright sun outside couldn't warm the chill in his heart.
He knew there was only one path left for him. Death.
Not only would Caelen not spare him, but neither would Lord Edgar.
Thinking of his family, he hardened his heart and found a deserted spot. He removed his belt and ended his life.
Because of this, Edgar received no updates for a long time. Even when Dongyi noticed something was wrong and sent someone to check, that person was easily caught by Caelen and never returned.
This made Dongyi even more nervous. Only after most guests had left did he dare report to Edgar.
"Why are you panicking? You didn't hear that Caelen left the estate, did you?" Edgar asked.
Dongyi shook his head. "Still, that doesn't mean everything went as planned. I underestimated Caelen. Even at such a moment, he could stay calm. He must have found out that Xylira was drugged. Let's go check."
Fifteen minutes later, Edgar arrived at Xylira's courtyard with the steward and three servants. Before they even entered, they smelled strong blood.
"Caelen, what is the meaning of this?" Edgar's smile froze slightly when he saw the five or six mute and miserable servants.
Then he returned to a calm expression. "What did these servants do to offend you?"
"Offend? Hmph." Caelen looked at Edgar coldly. "Lord Edgar, I never imagined the servants of the Prime Minister's estate would be this shameless.
Of course, this has nothing to do with me. But since Xylira is now my fiancée, I won't let anyone bully her."
"That's quite a statement." Edgar's eyes showed a trace of caution as he looked at the two worst-off servants.
"But could you tell me what exactly happened?"
"What happened?" Caelen replied, his tone hard. "Lord Edgar, don't take everyone for fools. We all know what happened. If you weren't the Prime Minister, I would have brought this to the Emperor myself."
"Heh," Edgar chuckled, but his eyes were cold. "Caelen, we both serve the same court. We can talk things through. If this reaches the Emperor, it won't be good for anyone."
"So what?" Caelen knew that since even the doctors refused to treat Xylira, she would never allow this incident to become a public matter.
Still, he would remember everything.
For now, dealing with a few servants and making Edgar uncomfortable was something he could still do. "The drugged water jug is still in the room.
Xylira can have it examined by the imperial physician. If news gets out that the Prime Minister's servants are so indecent, I believe everyone will view your unmarried sons differently."
"Caelen, isn't letting you deal with these servants enough to vent your anger?" Edgar condemned his own people with a single sentence, and none of them dared object.
They were born into the household. None of them had families outside. "What more do you want?"
"I want nothing more. I just don't want my fiancée to experience another incident like being drugged or forced into a well before our wedding.
I want to marry a healthy and sane woman. That's not too much to ask, is it?" Caelen's voice remained cold and firm.
"Xylira is still my daughter. Naturally, I will protect her. You can rest assured."
"Exactly because you are the one protecting her, I cannot rest assured." Caelen's voice was icy as he ignored Edgar's pride.
"From now on, her personal attendants will be chosen by me. They'll follow her to my estate when she marries."
"Fine." Edgar continued smiling, his eyes calm as ever.
"I remember you had a fat steward in your estate who dared to hit my fiancée's face."
Now that he had the advantage, Caelen kept pressing. Besides, it was only a servant. For the sake of Edgar's reputation and that of General Renyu, this meant nothing.
"I'll have that person sent over shortly. You may handle him as you see fit." As expected, Edgar did not hesitate.
"Then I thank you, Lord Edgar." Caelen didn't hold back. Whatever happened to those servants in the end, Edgar didn't ask.
But he could imagine it. Nothing less than a fate worse than death.