When the doors of the main hall swung wide, the hum of conversation died instantly, as if someone had snapped the string of an instrument. Flanked by two bridesmaids, Selyna Selwyn appeared.
A purple phoenix crown sat regally upon her head, crafted from gold so intricately wrought it seemed to flicker with real flame. A veil of beads draped from the diadem, completely shielding her face and emotions from the world. Her shimmering silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with her scarlet robes adorned with the "Four Joys" cloud pattern. A silk sash accentuated her impossibly slender waist, while a jade amulet and pearl tassels swayed rhythmically with every step, clicking softly against her golden slippers.
Selyna approached Kaelen with a gait so light and elegant she seemed barely to touch the ground. To an outsider, it was a mere walk, but Kaelen, possessing the soul of a master, saw more - she moved like a fairy drifting atop a cloud. It was a feast for the eyes, an image of pure, almost inhuman perfection.
The bridesmaids withdrew with a bow. According to the traditions of the Silver Wind Empire, the groom was to assist the bride into her sedan chair. Kaelen took a step forward and extended his hand. Selyna raised hers with peerless grace...
However, the moment their skin met, Kaelen felt a massive jolt. A piercing, icy energy surged into his palm like a thousand frozen needles. His entire right arm went rigid with pain, losing sensation almost instantly. This was no ordinary chill - it was a manifestation of her destructive ether power.
Kaelen did not flinch. Though the pain was paralyzing, his face remained a mask of absolute indifference. Aside from a slight knitting of his brows in the first second, he didn't make a sound or pull his hand away. With composure, he finished the gesture, helping her board, and then lowered his arm, allowing the freezing energy to slowly evaporate from his body.
Had Selyna's beaded veil been lifted at that moment, the world would have seen a flash of deep surprise in her eyes. She had expected the "good-for-nothing" to cry out in pain or drop to his knees. Seeing his unshakable calm, her gaze turned cold again, though a seed of unease had been sown in her heart.
Kaelen mounted his horse, and the wedding procession surged forward with renewed vigor. The Selwyn clan's procession followed them toward the Valerius estate. An hour and a half later, they reached their destination. The journey had been peaceful, much to the disappointment of those hoping for a bloody scandal or an attack by jealous rivals.
Valerius Lie was already waiting at the gate. While few had come truly for Kaelen, the crowds drawn by the grandfather's fame and the Selwyns' power were gargantuan. The streets surrounding the Valerius estate were so packed that, as the saying went, "not even a drop of water could squeeze through." Everyone craved a glimpse of the moment the city's most beautiful woman crossed the threshold of the "weakest of the worst."
Selyna's sedan chair came to a halt amidst deafening cheers and the beating of drums. Her maid, LingLong, parted the curtain slightly and whispered, "My Lady, we have arrived."
Selyna stepped out, leaning on her servant's arm. In that same second, the roaring crowd fell silent. Thousands of people held their breath simultaneously, overwhelmed by her majesty.
It was nearing noon. Gentle sunbeams reflected off Selyna's crown, making her scarlet robes glow with such intensity that the onlookers' vision blurred. Her silver hair was pinned high in an elaborate bun, topped with a four-tiered phoenix diadem. The top layer featured gold hairpins, while the bottom displayed precise engravings of mythical birds in flight. The pearl tassels swayed with every movement, and the veil, though hiding the details, allowed glimpses of the silhouette of her lips and eyes - features so flawless they seemed surreal.
The sound of ragged breaths echoed through the courtyard. People stood frozen, unable to return to reality. This was Selyna's power - she could bring a city to its knees without even revealing her face. Her aura alone was enough to make everyone present feel as though they were looking at a being from another world.
The maid, LingLong, tied a red silk sash around Selyna's hand. The other end, as tradition dictated, rested in Kaelen's palm. The boy dismounted and, with a slight smile masking the lingering pain in his arm from her icy touch, led her across the threshold brazier of the residence. They crossed into the Valerius clan's grounds and headed straight for the main hall.
The clamor outside did not fade, but Kaelen maintained a stony face. Though he appeared to be a proud groom on the outside, internally he was counting every second, wishing for this farce to end as quickly as possible.
The main hall, usually a place for the Elders' stern deliberations, had undergone a stunning metamorphosis. The Valerius clan would never have spent a fortune on the wedding of a "waste," so all this opulence was the work of Cyrus Selwyn. As far as the eye could see, columns were incrusted with yellow topaz, and dragons made of rare, precious pearls shimmered on the walls. A red carpet ran perfectly straight through the center of the hall, ending at the foot of golden stairs. A subtle, golden light filled the space, giving everything a surreal, almost sacred glow.
In the highest seats sat Grandfather Valerius Lie and Father-in-law Cyrus, both with wide, sincere smiles. Along both sides of the carpet, the most powerful people in the city sat in chairs of dark sandalwood. There was the Clan Leader, Lord Valerius Kunhai, and the other Elders.
As Kaelen passed their rows, he felt their eyes on him. Their faces were frozen masks of courtesy, but thanks to his new senses, the boy could clearly feel the contempt and dismissal radiating from them. To them, he was just a pawn in the game for the Selwyn family's influence, an ornament that had the misfortune of surviving the morning's assassination attempt.
The Valerius House had been a clan of warriors for generations, for whom ether cultivation was the only measure of a person's worth. Kaelen's birth with crippled Ether Veins was a living disgrace to them. Had he not been the only grandson of the mighty Valerius Lie, he would have been cast out of the residence long ago. And now, were he not marrying the daughter of the Selwyn clan, the Elders wouldn't have even bothered to show up for the ceremony, let alone feign joy.
To most gathered, Kaelen was synonymous with the word "trash." In the realms of the Boundless Ether Domain, a man without skill deserved no dignity - that was the brutal truth that even blood ties could not change.
The expressions of the younger generation of the clan were strikingly consistent. They all stared at Selyna with unbridled infatuation, but when their gaze shifted to Kaelen, their eyes burned with rage. They looked at this crippled "zero" with loathing, unable to stomach the fact that he was marrying the unattainable treasure of the Silver Wind Empire. The sight of this pair at the altar was like eating dead flies raw to them.
The ceremony began as the logistics manager, Valerius DeGe, took the floor. The master of ceremonies began by introducing the couple and then moved into a tedious list of distinguished guests. Though Kaelen's face remained neutral, a storm raged in his heart. He stopped listening to the speeches, as his mind looped around one burning question.
What was that strange sensation I felt back at the Selwyn residence when I took Selyna's hand?
He knew Selyna had reached the 10th level of the Elementary Realm at age sixteen - which was brilliant in itself - but that was still the lowest rung of cultivation. How was it possible that, without a word or visible effort, she unleashed such an icy aura that it nearly permanently paralyzed his arm? That didn't sound like ordinary ether. Was it possible Selyna was hiding a strength reaching the peak of the 10th level, or perhaps even beyond the Elementary Realm? Or was it some secret, ancient art that no one in Skybright Fortress had ever heard of?
The voice of the master of ceremonies, which had been monotonous until now, suddenly rose several octaves, echoing through the ornate hall:
"First bow to Heaven and Earth!"
Kaelen's thoughts raced as he followed Selyna's every move out of the corner of his eye. Together, joined by the silk sash, they bowed low toward the open gates, paying homage to the higher powers that - as the assembly believed - had entwined their fates.
"Second bow to the Elders!"
Both turned fluidly 180 degrees toward Grandfather Lie and Father-in-law Cyrus sitting on the dais. Lie nodded firmly, deep emotion and tenderness visible in his eyes as he looked at his only grandson and new granddaughter. Cyrus beamed with satisfaction, as if he had just closed the most important contract of his life.
"Husband and wife, bow to each other!"
Kaelen's body turned toward Selyna, and she, with that same icy grace, turned toward him. This lack of hesitation, this precision of movement made the younger generation of the Valerius clan nearly grind their teeth. They all believed Selyna had been forced into this marriage, that she was a victim of arrangements. They imagined her rebellion, her tears, or perhaps even an escape attempt; instead, she offered not the slightest resistance.
As they leaned toward each other in the final bow, Kaelen caught a glimpse of her eyes through the gaps in the beaded veil. They were dead, icy, and devoid of any trace of emotion, as if he were looking into the depths of a frozen lake.
In normal circumstances, the hall would have erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Here, however, a heavy, awkward silence prevailed, broken only by a few forced claps.
"Indeed, the Fifth Elder deserves our congratulations," spoke the First Elder, Valerius Wers, sitting beside Clan Leader Kunhai. A strange, cynical note vibrated in his voice. "I congratulate you on behalf of us all."
The Second Elder, Valerius Bo, chuckled under his breath, the same contemptuous smile blooming on his face that they had seen earlier on the Clan Leader. "Fifth Elder, such a talented granddaughter as Selyna will surely bring glory to our clan. As for the Selwyn House... well, a son-in-law like Kaelen..." he laughed short and bitterly, "...is also 'acceptable.' Congratulations."
The atmosphere in the hall turned instantly frigid. Even a child could sense the venom flowing from those words. "Congratulations" in their mouths sounded like a sentence or a cruel joke, publicly mocking Kaelen for his uselessness.