"What are you trying to do!" Before he could touch her clothes, Awen's wrist was grabbed tightly by a hot and smooth hand. A hoarse voice exploded above his head like ice, making Awen, who was already nervous, shiver uncontrollably.
When he looked up, he met a pair of pitch-black eyes filled with suffocating killing intent, making his legs go weak. His face turned pale and cold sweat poured down his forehead, even more than Xylira's on the bed.
"Second, Second Miss, I, I'm sorry, this servant, this servant had no choice."
"Oh?" Xylira gripped his not-so-strong wrist even tighter, only loosening a bit when she heard him cry out in pain. Heaven knows how much willpower it took her to stay clear-headed when her whole body was burning and evil heat kept rising inside her.
Damn it, there was definitely something wrong with that tea. From the way her body reacted, she knew she had been drugged.
She never expected such a despicable tactic would be used on her. Clenching her teeth, she collapsed onto the bed. Every time her mind started to blur, she bit her tongue hard to stay awake.
Sure enough, the follow-up soon arrived. Trying to appear relaxed, she raised her eyebrows slightly, the corner of her mouth lifting into a cold smile.
"If you really had no choice, then get out right now, and I will pretend none of this ever happened."
As soon as he heard that, Awen shook his head wildly.
"Second Miss, I was forced too, but either way, you benefit from this." After saying this, his trembling heart actually calmed a little. Looking at the beautiful woman lying on the bed, he steeled himself.
"This servant heard that if both sides are willing, it can be very pleasurable. Second Miss, since things have come to this, please just go along with it."
He ignored the hand gripping his wrist and lunged at Xylira.
"Mm," she bit her tongue hard, the metallic taste instantly clearing her drug-clouded mind.
"You brought this on yourself." Using all her strength, she kicked him hard in his most vulnerable spot just as he pounced on her.
"Ah!" Awen let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching his groin.
Xylira, without pause, grabbed the porcelain pillow from the bed and smashed it down on his head with full force.
With a loud bang, blood splattered, and Awen's scream stopped abruptly. His body collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his head, his condition unknown.
"Huff, huff," Xylira slumped to the floor against the bed, gasping for breath. She didn't know if she was exhausted from the sudden burst of energy or desperately trying to expel the heat from her body.
Either way, the latter didn't seem to help at all. Instinctively, she tugged at her collar to cool down a little.
With a loud thud, she banged her head against the wooden bed like she had lost her mind. Finally, her hands reached her waist, and she tied the belt in a tight knot.
"Awen!"
Just as Xylira was about to relax a little, Awu's voice came from outside. He had been waiting outside, but the loud commotion made him uneasy.
With General Caelen due to arrive soon, if anything happened, both he and Awen would be in serious trouble. That urgency pushed him to call out.
"Are you really that useless? You can't even handle a weak woman?"
Hearing his voice made Xylira's skin crawl.
She truly didn't know if she still had enough strength or clarity to deal with Awu if he barged in. Unlike the cowardly Awen, Awu had brute strength and was bold.
Still, the thought of being forced by such a man made her rather die.
Both hands clenched into fists, fingernails digging into her palms, the pain keeping her awake.
Her body was weak and drained of strength. She could only crawl slowly toward the only usable weapon in the room, the stool.
Only by getting close to a weapon did she feel a bit more secure.
"Awen, are you okay?" After waiting a long time without a response and sensing something was wrong in the unnaturally quiet room, Awu called again.
"I'm coming in."
Xylira grabbed the stool and stood against the wall, trying to hold her breath.
Unfortunately, her breathing remained rapid. But her eyes stayed bright, fixed intently on the door.
Her hair was messy and damp with sweat.
Blood stained her lips, making them appear eerily red. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, and even her pink clothes were speckled with blood.
Her hands gripped the stool tightly. The well-defined legs of the stool dug into her already injured hands, intensifying the pain.
But that pain was exactly what she needed right now. Her calm and graceful expression was long gone, twisted in agony.
Finally, the door opened. Awu's head peeked in first.
Without hesitation, Xylira hurled the stool. But due to the drug's effect, her aim was off and it slammed into the door with a loud thud.
The sudden attack startled Awu.
He hadn't expected her to resist after taking such a strong aphrodisiac. "Second Miss, you sure are difficult."
He stepped into the room, glanced at Awen lying in a pool of blood.
Although he wore a sinister look, fear flickered in his heart.
But time didn't allow him to hesitate.
Looking at Xylira's condition, he figured she wasn't much better. He was a grown man. Surely, he could deal with one drugged woman.
He stepped quickly toward her.
"Hmph, thanks for the compliment." Xylira kept retreating, unwilling to beg for mercy. The pain from her wounds couldn't suppress the drug's effects anymore.
She pressed her nails into the untouched part of her palms. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor as she tried to think clearly.
"I've never met such shameless men like you. You're so desperate for women that you drug them. It's disgusting." Her voice was hoarse, but her words were clear, revealing how hard she was fighting the drug's influence.
Looking at Awu's darkening face brought her some satisfaction.
She had considered pleading, but realized that no matter what she said, this servant wouldn't stop. Since things had gone this far, why humiliate herself?
For the first time, Xylira felt grateful that society still held men to certain standards when it came to purity.
"Second Miss, are you trying to stall by talking?" Awu laughed silently, a sinister grin on his face. "Do you think I'll let you succeed?"
Without waiting for a reply, he took two large steps and reached her.
"Awu, I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life." Xylira's brows furrowed. His disgusting breath made her feel nauseated.
Strangely, her mind cleared in that moment. She clenched her teeth and threw a punch at his jaw with all her strength.
Smack.
Awu never expected such force from someone like her. His mouth bled, and if he hadn't been cautious, he might have ended up like Awen.
The thought enraged him. His crude face twisted with fury.
He slapped Xylira hard across the face.
Her head snapped to the side.
Slapped again. Xylira, once the beloved jewel of the Yue family, had never been treated like this. The shame made her eyes redden with tears.
Thinking of her lost loved ones made her heart ache even more. But this wasn't the time to cry.
She groped blindly and found her sewing basket. A gleam flashed in her eyes, and she began to move silently.
Seeing her flushed and swollen cheek brought Awu perverse satisfaction.
To think that his proud and arrogant Miss would end up like this made him feel twisted joy. Reason had long left him.
He grabbed her collar violently, lifting her off the ground.
Forcing her to face his hideous grin.
"What now, Second Miss? Weren't you so fierce just now? Ha. Even if you beg me, I won't stop. Let this servant serve you well."
His face was filled with filth and madness. Whether he'd regret it later was uncertain.
Xylira stared coldly at him. As soon as he lifted her, both her hands each gripped a thick embroidery needle.
"Awu, you asked for this." As she spoke, her hands swiftly moved around his arms.
Her eyes narrowed as she stabbed both needles directly into his eyes.
"Ah!" His horrifying scream echoed through the yard, shocking Caelen and the servants who had just arrived.
When Caelen rushed into the room, what he saw was enough to stop anyone's heart.
When she made her move, Xylira had already expected the man to go crazy. After all, not many people could endure the pain of having their eyes stabbed.
She knew how terrifyingly insane someone could get after suddenly going blind from such pain, and she was clearly the target of that crazed, bloodied man. But she still underestimated her own ability to handle it.
It was her first time facing a man who had completely lost control and reason, and she was under the effects of drugs, her body weak and powerless. When she felt herself being lifted into the air and then thrown hard with great force, Xylira shut her eyes tightly in fear.
In that moment, she was truly scared. The sound of rushing wind filled her ears.
She thought that if no one came, she was definitely going to die a horrible death. Seeing her being thrown, Caelen's heart leapt to his throat.
Without thinking, he rushed forward faster than he ever had before and managed to catch her just in time. He didn't have a moment to feel relief.
Looking down at the bruised and injured Xylira in his arms, half of her face swollen, fury surged within him, burning through what little calm he had left. He raised his head and kicked Awu, who was still rampaging in the room.
He used all his strength, and the kick, powered by his full anger, landed with a heavy thud. Awu collapsed with a mouthful of blood and never moved again.
Huh? The pain she expected never came. Xylira cautiously opened her eyes and saw a solid chest in front of her.
Her mouth went dry. As her gaze moved upward, she softly called, "Caelen?"
Her voice was hoarse. Her tense nerves finally relaxed, and tears poured from her eyes.
She felt overwhelmed with sadness, fear, and pain, and now that she had someone to lean on, she could no longer hold it in. "It's okay now."
Seeing her like this made Caelen's heart ache. In his memory, Xylira had always been smiling, whether happy or not, her smile was always beautiful.
He freed one hand to gently pat her back and spoke softly, "Don't be afraid, it's all over now." "Pa!"
If he hadn't comforted her, she might have held it in. But his warm words shattered Xylira's control.
She weakly slapped him, tears streaming down her face as she screamed in heartbreak, "Why did you come so late? You promised me! You said you'd protect my purity, sob sob…"
She cried while wiping her tears with her hands, but the pain from her injuries made her sob even harder. Caelen felt a heavy weight pressing on his chest.
He was choking up. Hearing her accusations made him want to slap himself.
He didn't care about anything else now. He only wanted to hold her tightly.
How could he not hear the fear in her voice? In fact, he was no less afraid than she was.
Just thinking that if he had arrived a moment later, he might never have seen her again, never heard her crying and yelling at him, made him shiver inside. "Caelen! Do you have any idea how scared I was?
Why did you make me face this alone?" Xylira shouted through her tears. "Do you know that if you were just one second later, you'd be collecting my corpse!"
"Don't say that!" Caelen's heart twisted. The image she painted made him panic.
His arms tightened around her as his whole body trembled. He shouted in a frightened voice.
"Waaahhh," now he really messed up. Xylira cried even louder.
"You're yelling at me? What gives you the right to yell at me!" After what she had just been through, she was still shaken.
Her legs and arms were weak with fear. Even though her rational mind was returning, she wasn't afraid to act spoiled in front of Caelen.
Right now, she needed to be comforted and cared for. She was certain that he wouldn't hurt her.
"No, I wasn't yelling at you!" Unfortunately, Caelen didn't understand her intentions at all.
He was still covered in cold sweat from the earlier panic and now sweating even more while trying to explain himself. "Xylira, I really wasn't yelling. I was just scared and worried, really."
Even while saying these words, Caelen was completely serious. He was genuinely afraid of losing her.
"Well, you still shouldn't yell at me." Xylira pouted. She wasn't blind.
She could clearly see how worried this man was. Besides, the hands holding her were still trembling slightly.
She didn't believe that a man like Caelen would find it hard to carry a fragile woman like her. "I didn't yell."
Caelen looked at her tear-stained face, her lashes still holding tears, and seriously defended himself. "Caelen, I said you did, so you did.
Look at me. Can't you just let me win this one?" Xylira looked even more upset, her pout deeper now. What an unromantic man.
"I…" Caelen, who had never lied before, thought maybe he should give in this time.
And to be fair, he had raised his voice earlier. Just as he was about to speak, Xylira interrupted, "Caelen, put me down now."
The drug's effect hadn't faded. Being held by a man at this moment was far too risky.
Her face turned red, and that familiar feeling started flooding her senses. Even though he was her fiancé, she didn't want to lose control with him in such a situation.
She was determined to save that moment for their wedding night. She believed that with Caelen's help, she could hold out.
Seeing her breathing grow heavier, her face turning red after being pale from fear just moments ago, Caelen immediately understood what was going on.
His eyes darkened. "They drugged you." "Yes, now hurry and put me down."
Xylira nodded. "Go get some well water from the yard."
Caelen didn't hesitate. He gently laid her on the bed and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.
But his rough and cold touch made Xylira instinctively nuzzle her face against his hand. Then she realized what she had just done.
With clenched teeth, she snapped, "Caelen, can you not do something so intimate at a time like this?" "Oh,"
Caelen turned red from her reaction. He quickly pulled his hand back, turned around, and rushed out of the room.
Only then did he realize the servant who had brought him here was now gone.
He frowned and made two trips, filling the usual wooden tub Xylira used for bathing with cold water. "Put me in."
"Xylira, are you sure? This well water is very cold, your body…" Caelen hesitated.
Then he added, "Should I get a royal doctor instead?" "No royal doctors. No one can know about this.
If word gets out, I'll be exposed." Xylira gritted her teeth. "Hurry, put me in."
The cold water made her shiver all over, but it cleared her mind. She hugged herself tightly, trying with all her strength to fight the drug's effects.