"You dare!!!"
"Oh, don't be so quick to anger Noah, or people might think it really is true. Where there's smoke, there's fire you know."
Another round of laughter rang out, louder this time. Even Jasmine managed a gentle laugh, holding her hand to her mouth to suppress it.
Seething, Noah opened his mouth to retort, but the room's shifting gaze told him he was already defeated. A servant coughed to the side, and Noah's composure cracked.
"Jasmine can't hide her feelings behind silence, Noah. She looks ill at ease. Almost… frightened. Are you sure you're not the one causing the trouble? It is clear she wants nothing to do with you."
"I… I should—" he began, but fell silent as his voice faltered.
Kyle took a step closer to Jasmine, subtly shielding her. "Apologize, Noah," he commanded. "Or admit you came tonight to disrupt, not to congratulate."
Noah's mouth twisted. Then, sensing the growing disapproval in the hall and the faint rumble of some guards approaching, he snapped:
"You think you're so clever."
"I don't think I am...I..."
Kyle's words were cut off when Noah made a sudden move toward him, an aggressive lunging step.
The guards made an effort to move quickly towards them, intending to stop Noah before he made it to Kyle.
Kyle felt it immediately, Noah's bloodlust, and he moved before they could even get close. Noah was moving way too slow for him, as if he were in slow motion.
Immediately, as quick as lightning, Kyle stepped forward, sidestepping and preventing Noah's advance, grabbing each arm, he pinned Noah down to the floor.
The laughter quieted down. Every pair of eyes in the hall flicked over to their area to see the cause of the commotion.
As soon as people spotted Kyle at the center of the conflict, pinning down the duke's son, a wave of surprise washed over the room.
"Let me go, you bastard," Noah shouted. He could not believe it. He had attacked with the intent to harm and still got detained so easily.
'By a useless piece of trash who cannot even cultivate. How!?' He screamed inwardly.
And the intended target, Kyle, was calm, clear, and unharmed. Noah struggled, his face hot, red as spilled wine.
Faces around them gasped.
Kyle tilted his chin, unflustered. "Looks like I was right," he said to no one in particular, but his voice was loud enough for all to hear beneath the murmurs. "You are compensating for your lack of strength, among other things."
Over by the elders' table, Marquis Ravenshade and Duke Von Gaussian exchanged a glance, both of them getting up to intervene, though only discreetly.
Actively interrupting a quarrel between two youngsters was considered shameful and uncouth. Which was why Kyle had always struggled on his own without help.
But they both understood that this was neither the time nor the place for such things.
"Let him go. You've embarrassed him enough." The duke spoke first, quieting down all the murmurs.
Kyle looked towards his father, who nodded to him in approval.
"Alright." He released Noah, who scrambled to get back up on his feet, his face red.
"I propose that the young ones have a martial duel to settle their differences. There's nothing quite like settling grievances in the old way, is there?" The duke smiled calmly, seemingly undeterred that his son had just been brought to the ground by a cripple.
He was expecting Cassian to try to counter him, but Cassian did not.
"I agree, we can settle on a time and place over food. For now, the activities may continue. This has gone on long enough." He highlighted the last part.
With that, the situation was diffused.
"Tch, you got lucky. You won't catch me off guard the next time."
He turned on his heel and stormed away, his robes swirling, his ears red, and the entire hall staring.
A round of quiet laughter followed, some polite claps for the jest, some masked amusement at Noah's retreat.
Jasmine exhaled in relief. Kyle gently turned to her, offering his arm.
"You okay?"
Jasmine managed a nod, still shaken but restored. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Stay with me," Kyle murmured. "This celebration is yours as well."
And despite the political minefield, despite the attention still swirling around them, they walked away together, ate together, and had a little dance as well.
Over to the side, Nuna sighed in relief. She was glad that Kyle was safe. She could not help but worry about his safety.
And she even feared that he might do something. But luckily, the Lord had intervened in the end.
...
Kyle's party was winding down. Candles flickered as nobles murmured their farewells and guards ushered the last guests toward the gate.
The grand hall, once bursting with applause, rhetoric, and delicate laughter, now felt hushed, the weight of evening settling into the polished jade tiles.
He spotted Jasmine near the main entrance, draped in a soft peach gown, her face both radiant and a little overwhelmed.
As the final guests bowed and departed, Kyle approached her.
"So, what was Noah talking about?" he asked, his voice low and warm.
Jasmine took a deep breath and began to explain what kind of situation she was in right now.
"Hmmm, so that's what it was." He had a thoughtful look on his face, far from being concerned as she had expected him to be.
"You are not worried about it?"
"Not even. The situation should sort itself out soon enough. I will tell my father to turn down your father's suggestion to cancel our engagement at any cost. I will personally deal with Noah."
"But how are you going to do that?"
"I haven't told you, have I? I can cultivate now..." He slipped the ring off his finger, letting his aura wash over her.
"!!!" Jasmine stared at him in disbelief, thinking her eyes had deceived her, but he had just said it.
"H...How!"... She stammered.
"I got cured a few weeks ago." He smiled calmly. "So you don't have to worry about a thing."
"Okay...But that still doesn't explain how you reached the Late Qi Condensation stage so quickly."
"I will tell you about it soon enough, just be patient. It will all make sense once I explain."
She nodded almost imperceptibly.
Suddenly, Kyle reached out, gently brushed a stray curl from her face, he brought his face closer to hers, and then their lips met in a gentle kiss.
It was sweet, tentative, Jasmine's first kiss, soft and trembling like dawn.
Kyle swung a hand to her waist, pulling their bodies closer together. His other hand held the curve of her jaw, a thumb brushing over her cheek as he savoured the taste of her lips.
Jasmine froze, still in his arms, her eyes wide with wonder. In that shared pulse of breath, the world around them seemed to hold its breath too.
Jasmine's heart fluttered. For a long moment, she stayed motionless, processing the depth of what had just occurred.
A soft, wet pop as their lips separated. Jasmine stood frozen still for a moment, processing the exchange.
She closed her eyes, then opened them, then she exhaled, a soft smile blooming across her features. She stepped back, hand still in his, her gaze luminous.
"A little gift before you go," Kyle said, a gentle smile on his face.
"Thank you," she whispered. Then, with a shy confidence, she bid him farewell, walking over to her escorts, who were probably waiting.
'Who said you give gifts if it's your birthday?' He thought, a wide grin on his face.
Kyle watched her go, her first kiss, his birthday present to her, a moment sealed under the fading candlelight.