The great hall of the Li Family was filled with tense silence.
Dozens of eyes were fixed on the two standing at the center—Kael, fifteen, calm yet quiet, and Li Lin, the beautiful and proud eldest daughter of the Li Family, seventeen years of age.
"…I'm sorry," Lin finally said, breaking the silence. "I cannot accept this engagement."
Gasps echoed. Elder Li's face twitched, his voice shaking with disbelief. "Lin… this engagement was arranged to repay a life debt. Kael's father—"
"I know," she interrupted, her voice firm but respectful. "But I am the eldest daughter. I have my own expectations. I will not marry someone who has no cultivation."
Kael didn't flinch. He lowered his eyes and nodded gently, as if the rejection had been expected.
Lin frowned, perhaps hoping for a reaction—a plea, or an angry retort. But Kael only turned toward Elder Li and bowed politely. "I understand. If Lady Lin refuses, perhaps… Lady Mei will accept."
Eyes now turned to the younger daughter, Li Mei, just fifteen. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, flustered. She had always been fond of Kael in silence, and her sister's prideful rejection gave her a tiny spark of hope.
But Kael said nothing more.
He stepped away, his heart steady. He wasn't here for pity, and he didn't care for hollow titles or forced relationships. Yet the engagement had meant something to him—not for romance, but for the bond of trust between two families.
"Still waters run deep," said the Second Elder, breaking the awkward silence. "That boy… he didn't react at all."
"Yes," whispered a younger guest. "It's almost… unsettling."
As the guests murmured, Kael walked out of the hall, his figure bathed in the light of the setting sun.